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”

Recipe of the Week: Lisa’s Pecan Pie

Reader Lisa in Wyoming kindly sent us a pecan pie recipe that uses honey.  There are chopped pecans in the pie filling, and pecan halves in the topping.

Pie Filling Ingredients
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 unbaked pastry shell (9 inch diameter)
Topping Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1-1/2 cups pecan halves
Directions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
  2. Prepare the pie filling ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, pecans, corn syrup, sugars, butter, vanilla and salt.
  3. Pour into a 9″ pastry shell.
  4. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.
  5. Prepare the topping: In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and honey until well-combined. Stir in the pecan halves until coated.
  6. Remove pie from oven.
  7. Spoon the topping over the top of the pie, and gently spread it evenly, so that the pecan halves lay flat.
  8. Return the pie to the oven, and bake it an additional 15-20 minutes — until a knife inserted in the center of the pie comes out clean.
  9. Cool completely on a wire rack.

SERVING

Best served cool or cold.

STORAGE

Any unlikely leftover servings can be kept refrigerated for up to five days.

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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. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at Buying Land. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

We’ll start out with this at Zero Hedge: Goldman Sees Gold Rising To $1,600 “Or Even Higher” On Escalating Trade War”

o  o  o

Gold Is Too ‘Pricey’: Look At Platinum and Silver – Wells Fargo

Economy & Finance:

At Wolf Street: Financial World Gone Nuts: $15 Trillion Negative Yielding Debt

o  o  o

Martin W. Armstrong:  The Next Lehman Moment.

o  o  o

PIMCO Warns Negative US Treasury Yields “Swiftly Change From Theory To Reality”

o  o  o

Depositors Are Next as Nordic Banks Buckle Under Negative Rates

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — August 11, 2019

On August 11, 1857, N. H. Wolfe and Company, the oldest flour and grain company in New York City, failed. This failure shook investor confidence and began a slow selloff in the market which continued into late August. Several other failures followed, and this cascaded into what was later called the Panic of 1857.

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On this day in 1807, David Atchison was born. He was president pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, and president of U.S. for one day (March 4, 1849), the Sunday before Zachary Taylor was sworn in. So, technically Donald J. Trump is the 46th U.S. President–not the 45th.

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And on August 11, 1942 Actress Hedy Lamarr and composer George Antheil receive a patent for a frequency-hopping spread spectrum communication system that later became the basis for modern technologies in wireless telephones and Wi-Fi.

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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. 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. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 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.

Methods of Attachment, by J.D.

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This article is all about attachment. But I don’t mean the girlie kind…

In austere conditions there is often a great need to attach objects. Sewing, tying, gluing, and press fitment are always basic options. For more secure attachments man has developed more robust means of Chemical (various glues and epoxies), Physical (nuts and bolts, nails, rivets and pins) and heat-based attachment such as welding, forging, brazing, and soldering.

This article will not go over the types of welding which require a forge or inert gasses, since those resource intensive topics are beyond the scope of even a single book.

Physical attachment such as with nuts bolts, rivets, nails, and pins should be familiar to anyone in the survival community. While there is not much to say about austere application of bolts, nails, and pins, one thing to note is a drilled hole past a nut particularly if you have a castle nut is a great place for a cotter pin to prevent loosening of the nut. With a bit of careful grinding of notches any nut could become a castle nut, please note that to prevent loss of threads you must be leave some good threading on one side to thread it back onto the bolt and re-establish the thread, and don’t heat till there is any chance of melting or spalling, go slow if you need to particularly with plastic or white metal nuts.Continue reading“Methods of Attachment, by J.D.”

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 start out with an article about a Canadian woman who used a sonic weapon against a mountain lion.

Metallica Versus Mountain Lion

Ian sent us this: Alone on a hiking trail, B.C. woman scares off prowling cougar by blaring Metallica. Fittingly, the song that she played was: “Don’t Tread On Me.”

The Root Cellar Capital of the World

Reader Tim. J. sent us the link to this fascinating article at The Natural Building Blog: The Root Cellar Capital of the World.

An OnStar Remote Car Shutdown

By way of Whatfinger.com: OnStar shuts off car’s power, helps state police stop two car thieves. Here is a snippet:

“A little after 8:15 on Friday night, a Troop E trooper attempted to stop a motor vehicle traveling north on Route 12 in Preston that was reported stolen out of Waterford.

The trooper was alerted by the Ledyard PD who were attempting to catch up to the car. Officials have identified the driver of the car as 21-year-old Isaiah Rivera of New Britain and the passenger as 18-year-old Ariana Orkney of Mansfield Center.

Yesterday, Ledyard PD, Troop E and OnStar worked together to stop car thieves. 2 individuals were apprehended after a pursuit causing a crash, stealing another car, located by an off duty Trooper and OnStar shutting the power off.”

JWR’s Comments:  The implications of this technology go far beyond just fighting crime. For those with an interest in privacy who believe that the risks of keeping OnStar outweigh the benefits of vehicle tracking technology, a web search on the phrase:  “Disabling OnStar” could prove useful.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.

For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.

Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?

This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.

A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.

And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.

I would they were even cut off which trouble you.

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.” – Galatians 5 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — August 10, 2019

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On August 10th, 1984, Red Dawn, the first PG-13 rated movie, starring Patrick Swayze was released. The movie (the 1984 original, not the watered-down 2012 remake) is a favorite of both JWR and HJL. The characters embody the independent, indomitable spirit that created this country.

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Today I’m posting a short follow-up article by “Tunnel Rabbit.” Because it is less than 1,500 words, this is not part of the writing contest judging.

Using a Slow Pump in a Well, by Tunnel Rabbit

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This is a follow-up to my recent  SurvivalBlog article: My Solar-Powered Dankoff Slow Pump System. (See: Part 1 and Part 2.)

In the SurvivalBlog comments section, Homer asked for some details on using a Slow Pump in a Well, and he gets it.  It is good to know just how versatile the Dankoff Slow Pump is.

From the Dankoff literature: It is possible to use the Slow Pump should the well casing be at least 6 inches in diameter.   The filter and foot valve in this situation, should be the Dankoff model, a 30 inch in length filter and foot valve companion, that is attached at the end of the 20 foot inlet pipe.

This is the 30 inch filter and foot valve:


https://www.altestore.com/store/solar-water-pumps/pump-accessories/foot-valves-filters-strainers/30-filter-and-foot-valve-assembly-plus-spare-30-filter-p360/

My Recommendations

I would prime the inlet pipe, or make an accommodation to prime the pump inlet from top side with a flexible line that runs to the top, before lowering the assembly into the well.  The pump is lowered to within 10 to 15 feet, or closer as you may dare, to the static water level.  Within 10 feet, the suction side will prime itself, but the static level may change over time, and we have a built-in a method to deal with that possible change.  Raise or low the pump in the well as needed. The pump is not water proof. If it become wet and blows it’s 7 amp (24 volt), or 15amp (12 volt) ATC fuse, pull it out and dry it out.

Because the pump does its pumping slowly, it may not affect your well’s static level much, and likely not at all.

What model pump should be use?

The depth of the static water level is the bottom measure to include with increase in elevation, and where the water must be delivered.  It’s not easy to figure the actual TDH (Total Dynamic Head), so just figure the total elevation the water will be lifted, and choose the pump with next highest. and maximum elevation number on the Dankoff chart.  This insures that we’ll have a pump installed that will have enough extra capacity to make up for lack of a way to determine the actual TDH, or pressure limit.

The Dankoff Slow Pump chart:

in feet:
http://www.dankoffsolarpumps.com/pdfs/Dankoff_SlowPump.pdf

in meters:
http://www.maskamwater.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Dankoff-Slowpump.pdf

If the well is 250 feet deep, and the static level is, say, 200 feet, and the point at which the water will be pumped to is 100 feet above the well casing, then we need a pump that can easily handle a height of 300 feet.
According to the chart, the 1304-24 can pump to 320 feet, but it is near it’s limit, and there is no margin for error.  The distance, or total length of the pipe in not included in the calculation, and friction in the pipe is accumulated with distance and pipe size.  So the let’s be safe and choose the next pump model lower in number, and with the higher elevation number on the chart.  That would be in this case,  the 1308-24 (400’@ 1gpm)  — (The Model 1308-12 is the one that I happen to have).

Looking at the chart, we find the PV requirement is 250 watts to lift water 400 feet with that pump.  And add 40%, if no pump controller is used = 350 watts. I’d get a bit extra, 400 watts or more. If the water is only lifted to 300 feet, the chart says the #1308 will produce at a maximum, 1.1 gpm.  If the pump is powered by the solar system that runs off batteries, reduce that number by 20%, because of the lower voltages in regulated power.

If the house is run on 12 volts DC, then the pump to get would be the #1308-12, the one I have. (is it a coincidence, no).  If supplied with 12 volts,#1308-24 (24 volt) would only produce half that of the #1308-24 rating (1.1 gpm), or about .5 gpm.  Why? If the 1308-24 is fed 12 volts, it produces half it’s rating, because half of 24 is 12.  Yet the 24 volt motor will not be harmed.  It can be used.

Because the pump is now at least 200 hundred feet below the surface we must choose the size, or gauge of wire to deliver full voltage and amperage.  So we use a voltage drop calculator on line.  

https://www.calculator.net/voltage-drop-calculator.html

We’ll need to push 8 amps with 36 volts for a nominal 24 volt pump, when run directly off the panels.  The calculator says we’ll have a 5% loss (acceptable limit) in voltage if we use 200 feet of 12awg wire.  We can use less expensive 12 awg wire. If we use the 1308-12, a 12 volt pump like mine, we need to use the harder to find, and more expensive 8 awg, or the easier to find 6 awg.  Yet the calculator show that 10 awg has  only a 6% voltage loss instead of 5%.  Close enough for the slow pump. We can also use 10awg.  If the panels are not at the well head, then we need to run the calculator again with the actual length, from the static well level to the sunniest nearby location.

If the photovoltaic panels are located far from the pump head, then the 24 volt model is probably the most practical choice.  If the distance is greater than 800 feet total, then the 48 volt pump is best. Of course the 48 volt pump can be used regardless.  Should the panels be damaged by a CME, or EMP, to supply it with alternative power via a generator, or a vehicle alternator, or regulated tread mill motor, would not be possible unless a voltage converter was used to step up from a 12 volt system to at least 24, 36, or 48 volts.  In an emergency, two 12 volt batteries could be connected in series to create 24 volts that would run the 48 volt pump at half speed.  Of course we could also find four 12 volt batteries to run it at full speed.  It is a bit cumbersome, but it could be done.

And because we are pumping using the #1308, the pressures it can create when lifting water to the maximum 400 feet, the pressure in the line could reach 175 psi.  Note that 175 psi would burst the inexpensive poly pipe rated to only 70 psi, so we need to use a High Density Polyethylene Pipe. This is a manufacturer’s part number, DR11, that handles 200 psi.:

http://www.jmeagle.com/sites/default/files/HDPESpecSheet4710%20.pdf

Or you can just go down the local pumping outfit and pick it up.  To connect this stuff, all you need is a propane touch to soften it up a bit, and hose clamps,and hack saw to cut it.

Addendum:

Some helpful references and manuals in PDF files and other formats, for the Dankoff Slow Pump:
.
http://www.dankoffsolarpumps.com/

http://dankoffsolarpumps.com/pdfs/Intro_to_SWP.pdf

http://www.dankoffsolarpumps.com/pdfs/slowpump_booster_instructs.pdf
https://www.humboldtsolarwaterpump.com/layout-diagram-for-dankoff-solar-slowpump/

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. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

In addition to working on my latest book manuscript and blogging, much of this week was dedicated firewood cutting, hauling, splitting, and stacking. Most of this was cutting dead-fallen western larch. (Also commonly called Tamarack.) The small diameter logs (under 6″) don’t even require splitting. Those rounds can be burned in our main woodstove “as-is.”  There was rain in the forecast starting Friday afternoon, so the whole family scrambled to get most of the small rounds stacked in our primary wood shed. The rest of the rounds were either stacked under eaves (for later splitting), or were tarped. My goal is to have our firewood basically set for winter by the end of August. Then, as is my routine in the fall, I will gradually split the large Tamarack and Red Fir rounds. And finally our kids and I will also split some short red cedar rounds, for kindling. There is still one large dead-standing White Fir that I need to deal with, but that could be delayed until next year.

Meanwhile, Lily has been very busy in the garden, as she will describe.

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me:

Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

O Lord my God, If I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands;

If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy:)

Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah.

Arise, O Lord, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded.

So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high.

The Lord shall judge the people: judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.

Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.

My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.

God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.

He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.

Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.

He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.

His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.

I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high.” – Psalm 7 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — August 9, 2019

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An important update: We are about to be stabbed in the back by the Senate Republican leadership, with the consent of President DJT. Read this: McConnell suggests Senate could look at assault weapons ban, background checks. Please call your senators, and remind them the banning private party intrastate sales is outside of Federal jurisdiction! And they must STOP red flag pre-crime laws, and any attempts to ban our ARs or full capacity magazines.

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August 9th, 1831 was the birthday of James Paris Lee (August 9, 1831 – February 24, 1904). He was a Scottish-Canadian and later American inventor and arms designer, best known for inventing the bolt action that led to the Lee-Metford and Lee-Enfield series of rifles.

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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. 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. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 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.

Family Winter Greenhouse, by T.M.P.

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We moved to the American Redoubt five years ago, from Northern California. We wanted something located away from any big cities, with some acreage, well water, a septic system, a big shop, and with wild game. While surfing the net for real estate which would be suitable for long term sustainability after a SHTF event, I found a listing of a property with a description of amenities that sounded ideal. In fact, on the way to see the property with our Realtor I commented to my wife that it really sounded too good to be true.

Included in the description was: “Five year old 2,700 s.f. well insulated, one level home situated on 80 fenced acres, adjacent to 640 acres of State land with mule deer and antelope, year around creek with 5 acre pond, a detached 36′ x 36′ shop, private well and septic system, all located in the country, two hours by car from any highly populated areas.”

As it turned out, everything was as described, much to our surprise and joy. The only thing I would have preferred was a smaller house for the two of us. We had had large homes in the past when our family was growing but now our needs were for less. Even that “excess” turned out to be a blessing as I will explain.

The shop was not insulated or sheet rocked, so that was of highest priority, as I planned to spend long, cold winters in the shop enjoying my hobby as a metal fabricator. Just prior to the work beginning I had an insulated chimney installed for a wood stove. The walls were framed with 2×4 studs providing only room for R-11 batt insulation. The insulation contractor suggested spray-on foam insulation which has a much higher R value, and so we went with that and I am very glad that we did! That stuff not only insulates but it seals everything so that no air can penetrate cracks between the studs, et cetera.Continue reading“Family Winter Greenhouse, by T.M.P.”