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 focus on some sound Analog Radio Operations Advice.

Trump Pulls Out of SALW Treaty

Trump announces US withdrawal from UN arms trade treaty. The Fox News piece includes a video of DJT’s speech about this at the NRA annual convention.

Army Orders 6.8mm Rifles

Reader G.P. sent this link to a Zero Hedge article: Army Orders 100,000 Next-Generation Rifles Amid Threats Of War.  Here is a quote:

“Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Mark A. Milley on April 10 announced the Army would order 100,000 units, mainly purchased for infantry units which engage in close-quarters combat.

U.S. Army Contracting Command (ACC) officials said the new weapons would include the Next Generation Squad Weapon-Rifle (NGSW-R) and the Next Generation Squad Weapon-Automatic Rifle (NGSW-AR).

The NGSW-R is expected to replace the M16 rifle and M4 carbine. The NGSW-AR is also expected to replace the M249 light machine gun in the Automatic Rifleman Role in the Close Combat Force.

The new rifles chamber a 6.8mm cartridge, known as the XM1186. The round has greater range, increased accuracy at longer distances, and better armor penetration capability than 5.56x45mm and 7.62x39mm ammunition. The 6.8mm round is expected to be the most advanced ammunition on the modern battlefield for the next 25 years.”

JWR’s Comment:  I did some digging: According to the contract documents, the XM1186 cartridge will be developed by the contractor(s), using 6.8mm projectiles provided by the government. This seems to leave the door open for either caseless cartridges or a telescoped cartridge design–where the projectiles is fully enclosed in a metallic case. (Perhaps something reminiscent of the Nagant revolver cartridge.) Hopefully this won’t turn into another SPIW boondoggle.

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

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — May 1, 2019

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May 1st is the birthday of the late Joel Rosenberg, a Canadian-born novelist and gun rights advocate (born 1954, died June 2, 2011). He is not to be confused with Joel C. Rosenberg (born 1967), who is another great novelist and the author of The Last Jihad series.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 82  of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 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 Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  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. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  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 82 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Displacement Planning – Part 2, by J.M.

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(Continued from Part 1.)

Depending on the circumstances you may be able to utilize GPS for navigation along your planned route. To do so will probably requires that you have the appropriate maps and app(s) downloaded locally on your device (don’t rely on an Internet connection being available) and that your device be charged for the duration of the displacement. If you plan on using GPS you should also include some sort of external battery pack for each person so they can recharge their device. Due to the relatively delicate nature of electronics (including GPS satellites), I strongly recommend that if you plan on using GPS you also should still have paper maps and compasses as a backup, along with the skills to use them.

Supplies

The next area of displacement planning involves what you will bring with you in terms of supplies and equipment. Most people in the preparedness community tend to espouse the ‘beans, bullets and bandaids’ approach to prioritizing what to pack, but for the purpose of displacing I recommend adding a few things to that list. Here is what I recommend considering for your displacement load-out, in order of priority:Continue reading“Displacement Planning – Part 2, by J.M.”

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. This week the focus is on the very affordable Mora Sheath Knife. (See the Gear and Grub section.)

Books:

The latest from conservative commentator Mark Levin: Unfreedom of the Press

o  o  o

Warbird Factory: North American Aviation in World War II

o  o  o

The Longevity Paradox: How to Die Young at a Ripe Old Age (The Plant Paradox)

Movies & Television:

To Have and Have Not. (The classic, with Bogey and Bacall.)

o  o  o

The quality of this Blu-Ray is superb: Band of Brothers (BD)

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

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’ll focus on Family Budgets.

Precious Metals:

Put Gold In Your Bag, Man, But Let Silver Sag, Says Sachs

o  o  o

GDP Numbers Show Gold Is Learning To Live Without U.S. Dollar: George Gero

Economy & Finance:

At Zero Hedge: $220,000 For Every Man, Woman And Child – America Is Now 72 Trillion Dollars In Debt

o  o  o

And at Wolf Street: China, Other Emerging Asia Sink World Trade

o  o  o

Finders keepers? Michigan police say no way after $30K spills on road

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — April 30, 2019

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Today is the birthday of sci-fi novelist Larry Niven (born April 30, 1938). Along with Jerry Pournelle, he co-authored the survivalist classic Lucifer’s Hammer.

April 30th is also the birthday of Ed Yourdon, who was born in 1944.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 82  of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 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 Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  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. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  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 82 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Displacement Planning – Part 1, by J.M.

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(The first of the three-part series.)

One of the primary tenets of the preparedness community is that we want to be prepared for any eventuality. We stockpile supplies, develop skills and make changes to our homes and lifestyles to help increase the chances that we can survive any scenario that we might encounter, be it natural or man-made. In regards to displacing in the event of a major SHTF situation, some people plan on taking the ‘forting up’ approach and fortifying their current location, while others favor the ‘bug out’ approach and plan on relocating to a more secure location. Regardless of your preferred approach, at some point during or after an event, you may be required to relocate people and supplies to another location, and if you haven’t planned for it you’re potentially leaving yourself wide open for failure.

Some people will assume that since they live in a well-protected or isolated location they don’t have to worry about displacing during or after a SHTF scenario. The reality is that even if you’re safe initially, there are a lot of things that could occur that could force you to displace later. Wild fires, hurricanes, large armed groups, volcanoes, rising flood waters and other events could force you to displace from your secure location. And as Ben Franklin said: ‘By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail’. Note: there are some folks who state that they’ll die defending their property and not ever consider leaving for any reason. If that’s your preferred approach then this article probably isn’t for you.

For some real life examples of why displacement planning is critical, consider the images you’ve seen in the media of people preparing to evacuate ahead of an incoming hurricane or, as we’ve seen more recently in the US, a fast-moving wildfire. People are stuffing everything they find into their cars with little time to consider if they’ve packed the most critical items, and in interviews after the event are talking about how they lost important papers, valuable jewelry, family heirlooms, etc. Some simple displacement planning could have greatly improved their situation.

Continue reading“Displacement Planning – Part 1, by J.M.”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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Here is SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt. This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. We also mention companies of interest to preppers that are located in the region. Today, we are making special mention of the restoration of a C-47 (DC-3) dubbed “Miss Montana”. (See the Montana section.)

Region-Wide

Dismal Columbia River salmon forecast may trigger emergency fishing restrictions. A quote:

“Fishery managers in Washington and Oregon are concerned the spring and summer chinook salmons runs on the Columbia River are going to be one of the lowest on record.

And the state agencies are calling for a meeting next week to consider emergency restrictions on commercial and recreational fishing along parts of the river.

By Friday morning, 189 adult salmon had crossed over Bonneville Dam. That’s less than 8 percent of the 10-year average of 2,392 fish for the same date.

By Thursday, just four salmon adults had passed over McNary Dam, compared to a 10-year average of 106 fish for that date.

An emergency rule was issued extending the spring chinook fishery below Bonneville Dam downstream to Warrior Rock for two days, April 13 and 14.

Spring chinook bank fishing upstream of Bonneville Dam, which opened April 1, is set to close May 5.”

Idaho

I just heard that both Lordship Church and Redoubt Surplus & Tactical have relocated to Bonners Ferry, Idaho.  The church is pastored by Warren Campbell. He also runs the surplus business. Both were formerly located in Dalton Gardens. They are now sharing space in the former Papé Machinery building, in Bonners Ferry. The store is closed on Sundays and Mondays. The address is: 6606 Highway 95, Bonners Ferry, Idaho 83805. Phone: (208) 772-4007

o o o

Here is an inexpensive new listing at my #1 Son’s SurvivalRealty.com spin-off: 20 Remote Acres in Priest River, Idaho, with Shop.

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”.  Today, we focus on covert body armor.

Going Gray Man, Step By Step

This is well worth reading: How to be a Gray Man Step by Step.

Mike Williamson on Covert Body Armor

Our Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson sent along this link: Wonder Hoodie: The Bulletproof Hoodie That Can Stop a .44 Magnum. Mike’s Comments: “These are worth considering. Also, the standard US military issue armor groin protector is the perfect size for a child’s school backpack, and rated to stop all standard pistol threats. These can be acquired inexpensively.  For adults, a Level 3+ plate plus a groin or deltoid soft armor backing (to meet full Level IV standard) will fit in most laptop compartments of a backpack. It is also legal to fly with body armor–even in the passenger compartment–though you should take a printout of the relevant TSA rules just in case, and arrive a bit early in case you are denied and need to mail it.”

NASA Warns of Solar Storms

Reader G.P. sent us this: NASA warns spectacular ‘beauty and the beast’ aurora could wreak havoc on Earth.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The police can’t stop an intruder, mugger, or stalker from hurting you. They can pursue him only after he has hurt or killed you. Protecting yourself from harm is your responsibility, and you are far less likely to be hurt in a neighborhood of gun-owners than in one of disarmed citizens – even if you don’t own a gun yourself.” – Harry Browne

CRKT Provoke Knife, by Pat Cascio

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Just when I think I’ve seen it all in folding knives, someone throws me a curve ball. This time around, it is CRKT with their “Provoke” model by custom knife maker Joe Caswell. And, to be sure, this isn’t quite what most folks picture as a folding knife, when it comes down to it.

As a knife designer myself, I’ve designed quite a few fixed blade knives over the years, and most were made for me, by custom knife makers. I now have one folding knife design, and I’m trying to tweak the design specs, and that is no easy task. Fixed blade knives are much easier to design and to produce.

I can easily say I’ve had thousands of knives pass through my hands over the years, as a gun and knife writer. Some were really great designs, others were okay, and some were junk knives. The latter went in the trash. I wouldn’t waste my time, or my readers’ times writing about junk. I’m not easily impressed with most knives and guns these days. There’s only so much anyone can do to make these designs a little different from another design. And, in my case it is even harder finding the right words to describe some new features, when writing my articles. I oftentimes, depend on some of the guys at my local gun shop to toss some words of wisdom my way for my articles. However, most of the time I get “oh cool”, or “suh-weet”, or “nice” from them.

Continue reading“CRKT Provoke Knife, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Helen J.’s San Juan Island Salad

Helen J.’s San Juan Island Salad

This is a salad recipe from an old family friend who was a practiced gardener. A local on the island butchered pigs each year and cured bacon. Thus, nearly all of the ingredients were local.

Note that the ingredients are listed without measurements. The ratio of ingredients is intended to be fine-tuned to suit your family’s taste preferences. Lamb bacon, Turkey bacon, or Tofurkey Bacon can be substituted if you refrain from pork.

Ingredients
  • Red table grapes, halved
  • Bacon, cooked and diced
  • Broccoli crown pieces, briefly steamed (firm)
  • Diced Celery
  • Diced Onion
  • Slivered almonds
Directions

Separately prepare and measure each ingredient, to taste. Combine and toss. Then mix in dressing (below). This is best done immediately before serving. This salad is best served cold. Any left-overs are to be refrigerated immediately and should be consumed within 36 hours.

DreSSING

Mix together:

  • 1 Cup Mayonnaise
  • 1/2 Cup Sugar
  • 2 TBS Vinegar

Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? Please send it via e-mail. Thanks!