Kel-Tec CMR 30, by Pat Cascio

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The debate seems to have no end, when it comes to rifles (and handguns) for the End Times, or a SHTF event. Everyone has an opinion on this subject, and we are all entitled to our opinions – and I don’t think there is a right or wrong opinion – it’s just that – an opinion. Not everyone wants an AR-15 type of rifle or carbine, nor does everyone want an AK-47 type of rifle. These are probably two of the most popular firearms when talk turns to defending oneself and their family, in a very bad situation, where there is no Without Rule Of Law (WROL) and we have to depend on ourselves and our weapons to stay safe.

My preferred weapon for the bad times are AR-15 types of rifles or carbines. However, I have no problem whatsoever, with a quality-made AK-47 type of rifle for the same purposes. When push comes to shove, I’ll pick-up an AR first if I have that choice.

Those in the AR camp, feel that the AR is the better weapon for combat or survival for many reasons. Number one is the quality of most ARs, and secondly, they are light-weight, and the ammo .223 or 5.56mm is more readily available, and you can pack a lot more of this light-weight ammo, than you can the 7.62X39 round – that most AKs take. Plus, if you want a reliable AK mag, you really need to go with the steel mags. I’ve not been pleased with some of the polymer mags that are available for AKs. Steel mags add weight – a lot more weight. Most AR 30-round magazines are made out of polymer or aluminum alloy and are much lighter in weight. And  because they have a less pronounced curve they are also more compact – and thus easier to carry in your web gear. Yeah, I know, there are some steel mags for ARs, but I don’t like ‘em – my preferred AR mag is the MagPul PMags – polymer – and they are the best mags on the market – end of story.

Spare parts are easy to come by for ARs, not so easy for AKs – and when the chips fall, you may not be able to find spare AK parts. But AR spare parts are readily available all over the place. There are lots of reasons to pick an AR over an AK if you ask me.

However, this article isn’t about AR versus AK for the End Times or any serious SHTF scenario. Instead, we are looking at an alternative to both the AR and AK, and that is the Kel-Tec CMR-30, and this is one fine weapon. First off, this little carbine is chambered in .22 Magnum – not .22 LR – and the .22 Mag has a lot more power compared to the .22 LR. Plus, we are looking at magazines – it comes with two, that hold 30 rounds each. Yeep, 30-round .22 Magnum magazines – that’s a lot of firepower.Continue reading“Kel-Tec CMR 30, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Penny’s Quick-Cooked Wheat Berries

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We are always looking for recipes for storage foods.  This one is particularly useful.

Reader Penny in Arkansas kindly sent us her directions for cooking wheat berries.

There are far more uses for your stored wheat than just grinding flour!  Infogalactic has this description:

“A wheat berry, or wheatberry, is a whole wheat kernel (except for the hull/husk), composed of the bran, germ, and endosperm. Botanically, it is a type of fruit called a caryopsis. Wheat berries have a tan to reddish-brown color and are available as either a hard or soft processed grain. They are often added to salads or baked into bread to add a crunchy texture. If wheat berries are milled, whole-wheat flour is produced.

Wheat berries are the primary ingredient in an Eastern European Christmas porridge called kutya. In France, cooked durum wheat berries are commonly eaten as a side dish instead of rice or corn. This side dish is often called ebly, from the name of the first brand of prepared wheat berries.”

You can of course soak whole wheat kernels overnight with no heat, to swell and soften wheat berries, and then quickly heat them for serving, with nutritive value. But there is also Penny’s “quick-cooked” method:

Ingredients
  • Any desired quantity of wheat that will fit in a cooking pot, but leaving room for double that volume of water.
  • Water (tap water or treated rainwater)
  • Salt, to taste, and to match your doctor’s orders.
Directions
    1. Carefully examine the wheat, to make sure that there is no chaff (hulls), dirt, pebbles, or grit. Failure to do so could mean a trip to the dentist!
    2. Place the cleaned wheat kernels in a soup pot.
    3. Add at least twice the volume of water to the volume of wheat.
    4. Put your stove top on a high flame and bring the pot to a full boil.
    5. Reduce burner heat to low.
    6. Cover pot with a lid.
    7. Simmer the wheat berries for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
    8. After one hour, the wheat berries should be soft enough to eat.
    9. Drain and briefly rinse the wheat berries. (Do not rinse them too long, or they will lose too much heat.)
Serving
  1. To serve the wheat berries hot, serve them immediately after cooking.
  2. To serve after refrigeration, the wheat berries can be re-heated in a microwave oven or quickly re-heated in a saucepan on your stovetop. Do not overcook them!
  3. Wheat berries can be served just like cooked oats, as a breakfast cereal. Cover with milk, cream or yogurt, and add fruit and a dash of maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar. Yummy!
Storage (After Cooking)

Cooked wheat berries can be stored in your refrigerator to parcel out in servings for up to 48 hours. After that, for safety they should be either fed to your chickens, or composted.

Cooked wheat berries can be stored in your freezer for up to 30 days.

A Useful Link

Cooking With Wheat: 5 Ways to Use Those Wheat Berries

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Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? Please send it 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, I’m taking an unusual traverse from the normally-posted fodder to instead post a reminder about my tangibles investing philosophy, and how it drives me to write this column three days a week:

A Reiteration of My Tangibles Investing Philosophy

My readers and consulting clients often ask me why I so strongly emphasize tangibles. This because I consider tangibles a mitigation for risks to the U.S. Dollar as a currency unit. Like all other fiat currencies, the Dollar is doomed.  It has lost 98% of it purchasing power since the establishment of the Federal Reserve in 1913. The government benefits from price inflation because it is a hidden, indirect form of taxation.

Of course other countries are playing the same game with fiat Funny Money. The Forex market is a fanciful game of  “My trash is better than your trash.” The ups and downs in the Forex are just extrapolations of the monetary policies of the various nations. Those that inflate without a corresponding growth in their economy and exports see the foreign exchange value of their currencies decline. All of the fiat currencies are on  downhill slopes. The only difference is the relative pitch of the slopes, for each. Thus, the myth of “strong” versus “weak ” currencies has developed. There are NO truly strong fiat currencies. The fiats are all weak, albeit some of them are weaker than others. The only genuine strength is in precious metals and other barterable tangibles.

The gradual erosion of the Dollar can be offset by properly storing carefully-selected tangibles. Just look through the archives of the past few years of this column, for details on various tangible investments. In the age of inflation, it is wise to have more than half of your net worth in tangibles. The house you live in should of course be your main tangible investment. Beyond that, there is wisdom in diversity:  Productive farm land, silver, gold, platinum, hand tools, guns, ammunition, fine wristwatches, and even classic cars are all viable options. What they have in common is that they are denominated in themselves–not in some artifice of a currency digit. Those digits will all inevitably decline in real terms, and some will dramatically go “poof.” But the well-guarded contents of my gun and coin vaults will never go “poof.”

The Federal Reserve banking cartel and the U.S. Treasury have conspired to have a very loose monetary policy, ever since the dot.com bubble burst, back in 2000. So we’ve thusfar had 19 years of charades, artificially low interest rates, and Quantitative Easing prestidigitation. I believe that the inflationary chickens will soon come home to roost.

In mass inflation, your best shelter will be in tangibles. The formula for success as a tangibles investor in essence: Buy low, sell high, and then replace them with other tangibles that are depressed at the time, but that are likely to see similar gains. Lather, rinse, repeat. Yes, there are lots of other investments, and many of these can outpace inflation. But you core holdings should always be tangible ones.

Tangibles are the raison d’être for penning this column, week in and week out. Granted, other investments interest me, but none of them run so close to the core of my psyche. To me, all of those paper-based investments, and the new purely conceptual investments (such as cryptocureencies) seem downright laughable in comparison to tangibles. If I cannot lay my hands on it, then it cannot be depended upon–especially when the Schumer hits the fan.

Provisos:

SurvivalBlog and its Editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for our detailed disclaimers.

News Tips:

Please send your economics and investing news tips to JWR. (Either via e-mail of via our Contact form.) These are often especially relevant, because they come from folks who particularly watch individual markets. And due to their diligence and focus, we benefit from fresh “on target” investing news. We often get the scoop on economic and investing news that is probably ignored (or reported late) by mainstream American news outlets. Thanks!

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“If this nation is to be wise as well as strong, if we are to achieve our destiny, then we need more new ideas for more wise men reading more good books in more public libraries. These libraries should be open to all—except the censor. We must know all the facts and hear all the alternatives and listen to all the criticisms. Let us welcome controversial books and controversial authors. For the Bill of Rights is the guardian of our security as well as our liberty.” – John F. Kennedy (Response to questionnaire in Saturday Review, October 2, 1960

 

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — June 9, 2019

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On June 9, 1940 Norway surrendered to the invading German army, during World War II. The citizenry was then quickly disarmed by the Nazis, so resistance was limited. (The invaders had access to the Norwegian police gun registration lists.) To avoid many reprisals by the Germans, King Haakon the 7th also ordered that only uniformed Norwegian troops operating from offshore should overtly resist the Nazis.  The “H7” logo (pictured) became the ubiquitous symbol of resistance in occupied Norway.

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Today we present a short article on using and maintaining Imco brand cigarette lighters. Because it is so brief, this article will not be part of the writing contest judging.

 

Using and Maintaining Imco Lighters, by A.C.C.

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I am writing with a bit of information that fellow readers might find helpful: We all agree that possessing the means to make fire is important. I suspect that like me, lots of you have put back a supply of disposable butane cigarette lighters. In a grid down world, they would make great barter items.

I have always thought it would be nice to also have some “Old School” liquid fuel lighters, as well. For years, I carried a Zippo lighter, but it was frustrating because the fuel evaporated so quickly that unless I refueled it at least every other day, it might not light. This is such a problem that some folks would cut a section of bicycle inner tube, to cover the joint and slow down evaporation. But then, you had to move the rubber tube each time before you could use the lighter. It was irritating enough that I eventually quit the Zippo, and went with Bic.

I still, however, wanted a liquid fuel alternative that could use a variety of fuels, work reliably, and go for at least a week between refueling. I read about the European counterpart to the Zippo. Most of the American G.I.s carried Zippos in WWII, but the Europeans mostly carried a very different design made by a company in Austria called Imco. The Imco is smaller and lighter than the Zippo. It is windproof and is designed so that you can take the fuel tank and wick out of the lighter mechanism, and use it as you would a candle.Continue reading“Using and Maintaining Imco Lighters, by A.C.C.”

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”.  Today, we look at YouTube’s Checkmate Move.

YouTube’s Checkmate Move

Back in a March, I warned that we are entering Phase Three of the Internet Censorship War. I’ve now identified the Tech Left’s intended checkmate move in this war: Last week, YouTube announced that they had expanded their definition of “hate speech”. By simply adding the words “immigration status” to their list of prohibited speech, they gave themselves carte blanche to silence, demonetize, and de-platform anyone who advocates having strong borders.

With the 2020 Presidential election approaching, I have no doubt that the other social media giants will emulate YouTube’s policy change.  This is essentially a checkmate move, design to demonize Trump supporters. By doing this, the tech moguls clearly intend to throw the 2020 election. Anyone who opposes the Democrat/socialist agenda is now fair game for censorship. They have now effectively declared war on conservatives and traditionalists. And, since smartphones and social media have become ubiquitous, the tech corporation’s leftist leadership now controls the sociopolitical narrative. Unwittingly, their machinations have also set the stage for a Second Civil War.

In a 2013 essay, I pointed out the importance of defending the English language. (See: Incendiary Words: Of Detonations and Denotations.) By redefining the words “hate speech” to match their political agenda, the Tech Left attempting a political masterstroke. Do not let them succeed. We must develop alternative platforms and methods of correspondence, to counter the Tech Left’s censorship. Reversion to forwarded e-mail chains may very well be our new Committees of Correspondence. May God help us.

Working Satellites With Your H/T

Mike in Alaska suggested this video:  How to work amateur radio satellites with your handheld (HT) radio.

Subsonic Handloads for Mosin-Nagants

SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large, Michael Z. Williamson recommended this article from a handloading experimenter in Finland: How to Handload Subsonic Rifle Cartridges.

JWR’s Safety Proviso: Be VERY cautious in developing your own handloads, especially with substitute powders and/or powder buffers.  And particularly for experimental subsonic loads, BEWARE of “squibs”–where a bullet doesn’t exit the muzzle. Firing a second shot behind a squibbed projectile is very likely to cause catastrophic damage to a rifle. If you ever suspect that you’ve had a squib, then pull the rifle’s bolt out, and take a look down the bore!

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;

And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:

(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)

The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.

Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.

But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;

Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:

Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.

These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” – 2 Peter 2 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — June 8, 2019

On June 8th, 1776, Canadian Governor Sir Guy Carleton defeated American Patriot forces under John Sullivan. After taking heavy losses and the loss of General Richard Montgomery at Quebec, the Patriots were pursued by Governor Carleton. Halfway between Quebec and Montreal, at the Trois-Rivieres, the Patriots turned to fight. The Redcoats and German mercenaries killed 25, wounded 140, and captured 236, but Carleton allowed the rest of the 2,500-man force to complete their retreat. This battle changed the priorities of the Patriots, and Colonel Benedict Arnold wrote, “Let us quit and secure our own country before it is too late.”

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Today we present a guest article by the perspicacious Brandon Smith, Editor of the Alt-Market blog.

Globalists Only Need One More Major Event to Finish Sabotaging the Economy, by Brandon Smith

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This article first appeared at the highly-recommended Alt-Market blog. It is re-posted with permission.

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As I predicted in my article ‘Trump Trade Wars A Perfect Smokescreen For A Market Crash’, published in March of 2018, as well as in my article ‘The Trade War Distraction: Huawei And Linchpin Theory’, published in December of 2018, the US/China trade dispute has escalated into an all out war with no end in sight. The claims of many analysts and skeptics a year ago that the trade war would be over quickly and that China would fold to US tariffs has been proven incorrect. The reason why these analysts got it so wrong centers primarily on their misunderstanding of the true purpose behind the events.

The goal of this war is NOT to balance the US trade deficit or pursue more fair circumstances for US exports and imports. The intention of the Trump Administration is NOT to fight back against Chinese “exploitation” of US markets, this kind of rhetoric is pure theater.  Nor is it Trump’s intention to undermine globalist structures or agreements in order to bring back American manufacturing (a carrot that has been flaunted in front of American faces for a long time to lure them into supporting destructive policies such as dollar devaluation). On the contrary, the real purpose of Trump’s trade war is to provide a distraction massive enough to cover for the controlled demolition of the US economy and parts of the global economy by globalists and the central banks they control.

The tariff soap opera and most of Trump’s other foreign and domestic policies are eerily similar to those of Herbert Hoover just before the advent of the Great Depression. This is not a coincidence. The narrative for an economic collapse rivaling that of the Great Depression has been set, and the root circumstances are very similar.Continue reading“Globalists Only Need One More Major Event to Finish Sabotaging the Economy, by Brandon Smith”

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. Steadily, we work on meeting our prepping goals. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities. They also often share their planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, property improvements, 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:

I was so very busy writing this week that I scarcely stepped outdoors. I don’t enjoy being under a contracted manuscript deadline, but it does keep me focused. And, of course, it helps pays the bills.

I did get away one day to attend a birthday party for one of our grandkids. That was a two hour drive, which is considered “fairly close by” by local standards, here in The American Redoubt.

I also had to make a trip to town, to mail another pile of Priority Mail flat rate boxes. This was fulfilling orders that I had received in my HK Magazines and Parts Extravaganza, over at The FALFiles. All 540 magazines and all of the parts kits have sold out. There are now just a few HK91/93 parts and accessories left: Several A.R.M.S. Swan scope mounts, one Namibian contact handguard, one 1,200-meter rear sight, one complete “Sanitized” G3 full auto Bolt Carrier Assembly, and a few odds & ends. I have these all priced right, to sell quickly. Oh, and I’m covering the cost of postage.

Avalanche Lily Reports:

Hello Everyone,
This week has been incredibly busy and so will be this weekend.  So a few quick words for you…  We enjoyed seeing our grandchildren very much this past weekend. This week I was able to mow the orchard before the rains came. The grass had grown to two feet tall!  Weeding the main garden beds was the big chore of the week. I made a trip to town for food stock up. I also needed to buy graduation party stuff for Eloise’s celebration. We are are celebrating along with a few other home schooled graduating friends. Our young lady has grown up, and a very fine young lady she turned out to be!  Lots of emotions in that department.

I will give a more detailed report next week.

May you all have a very blessed and safe week.

– Jim and Avalanche Lily, Rawles

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As always, please share your own successes and hard-earned wisdom in the Comments.

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.

For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged.

A poor man that oppresseth the poor is like a sweeping rain which leaveth no food.

They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.

Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the Lord understand all things.

Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.

Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son: but he that is a companion of riotous men shameth his father.

He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.

He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.

Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit: but the upright shall have good things in possession.

The rich man is wise in his own conceit; but the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out.

When righteous men do rejoice, there is great glory: but when the wicked rise, a man is hidden.

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.

As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the poor people.

The prince that wanteth understanding is also a great oppressor: but he that hateth covetousness shall prolong his days.

A man that doeth violence to the blood of any person shall flee to the pit; let no man stay him.

Whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved: but he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once.

He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough.

A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.

To have respect of persons is not good: for for a piece of bread that man will transgress.

He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.

He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue.

Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, It is no transgression; the same is the companion of a destroyer.

He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be made fat.

He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.

He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.

When the wicked rise, men hide themselves: but when they perish, the righteous increase.” – Proverbs 28 (KJV)

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”.  Today, we look at some recent Chinese Saber-Rattling.

More Pesticides = More Mosquitos

Reader G.P. spotted this at the National Geographic web site: How pesticides can actually increase mosquito numbers

Digital Flashbangs?

Another from G.P.: Spec ops technology: Could a digital flashbang make the difference in close-quarters combat?

Name The Nine Contest

Hi-Point Firearms Announces Name The Nine Contest. JWR’s Comment: I would suggest the catchy H4 (HHHH) moniker, which would stand for “Hopelessly Hideous Hi-Point Handgun.” Or perhaps they could dub it “The Beholder”, with an logo of a large eye engraved on the slide, next to the name.

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

Preparedness Notes for Friday — June 7, 2019

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On June 7th, 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia proposed to the Continental Congress a resolution calling for a Declaration of Independence.

June 7th, 1967 was the day of the city of Jerusalem’s redemption from foreign governments in the Six Day War, placing it back under Israeli sovereign control after having been occupied for over 2,500 years.

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Seed for Security, LLC is having a great sale. Their Colossal Security Pack is now being offered at 15% off. This pack is a total of seven pounds of vegetable, herb, and grain seeds. All of this seed is open-pollinated and non-GMO. Included are their three most popular collections: the Super Survival Pack, the 4 Grain Collection, and their Heirloom Herb Collection. Each Colossal Pack comes with a five-page Seed Saving Guide. This offer is for a limited time, so don’t delay in ordering.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 83  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. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 83 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

A Gravity-Fed Rainwater System, by Tractorguy

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(Standard Disclaimer: Use the information given below AT YOUR OWN RISK. The author accepts no responsibility for any negative outcomes of the application of the following information.)

We are all familiar with the axiom that we can live thirty days without food, but only three without water. We are indeed fortunate that, in most locations the Good Lord rains it down on us once or twice a week — all we have to do is catch it in something. Much has been written and many ideas forwarded about rain water collection. However, most of these fall short after the water has been collected, when we need to move it to where we use it, especially in a grid-down or off-grid situation where there is no electrical power.

The typical rain catchment system is a barrel or cistern which stores the water at or below ground level. Water is heavy, and requires a great deal of energy to lift and transport it to a higher level to a sink, toilet, or shower where it can be used. Since rainwater originates many hundreds of feet above the earth, it behooves us to take advantage of the ‘head’ or natural pressure that it is delivered in and not perform our collection efforts on the ground where the ‘head’ is zero.Continue reading“A Gravity-Fed Rainwater System, by Tractorguy”