Preparedness Notes for Monday – December 18, 2017

December 18th is the birthday of Charles Wesley (18 December 1707 – 29 March 1788). He wrote more that 1,700 hymns. Today is also the birthday of Jørgen Haagen Schmith (born December 18, 1910, died October 15, 1944). He was better known under the codename Citron and was a famous Danish resistance fighter in occupied Denmark. His biographical sketch at Wikipedia describes his death, after he was tracked down by the Nazis: “German soldiers arrived at the house to arrest or kill Schmith. He fought for hours against an overwhelming force of enemy troops killing 11 and wounded scores of others before the house was set on fire and he was shot attempting to escape the flames.” His exploits were dramatized in the movie Flame and Citron.

Ammunition Depot, by Pat Cascio

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No matter how expensive of a firearm you might have, it won’t run without ammunition. Today we’re taking a close look at Ammunition Depot and their line-up of available ammo.

A Few Things About Me

Long-time SurvivalBlog readers will know a few things about me. Number one is, I love a bargain, and number two is, I demand quality. Quality never goes out of style, and it beats junk every time.

Free Ammo For Testing Firearms

I receive a lot of ammo for my firearms articles for free, from Black Hills Ammunition and Buffalo Bore Ammunition. Without these kind folks, I wouldn’t be doing as many firearms articles as I do. I once had a very large ammo company tell me that the average gun writer only fires 64 rounds of ammo during their testing, so they didn’t want to continue sending me cases and cases of ammo for my articles. Believe me, I know a lot of other gun writers out there, and that is pure hogwash; they all shoot a lot more than 64 rounds of ammo in their testing.

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Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest 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 JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is on Predictions for 2018.

Precious Metals (Predictions for 2018):

First up, at Kitco: Decrypting 2018: The Outlook. (Has auto-start video.) JWR’s Comments: Any SurvivalBlog readers who has not already hedged into precious metals hasn’t been paying attention to the world around them. The stock market  and the U.S. Dollar are poised for a huge break, and possibly a grandiose collapse.  Hedge your way out of your Dollar-denominated investments.  Small physical silver (nothing larger that 1 ounce) is still your best bet. Silver is both a hedge on the Dollar and a form of insurance to keep your family fed, in the event of a full-blown collapse. It is wise to have some silver coins on hand for barter!

 

Stock Market (Predictions for 2018):

On to this at Seeking Alpha: 2018 Economic & Stock Market Outlook – December 6, 2017

Commodities (Predictions for 2018):

Next, over at USN&WR: The Outlook for Investing in Metal in 2018

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Also at Seeking Alpha, there is this by Andrew Hecht: North Korea And Commodities In 2018
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Preparedness Notes for Sunday – December 17, 2017

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December 17th, 1905, was the birth day of Simo Häyhä, who was the world’s most successful sniper. Using an iron-sighted Mosin–Nagant in Finland’s Winter War, he had an astounding 505 confirmed sniper kills. He died April 1, 2002.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 74 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 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. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value), and
  8. 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 Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  4. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  5. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

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, and
  6. 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).

Round 74 ends on January 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.

Acquiring Small Game Quietly- Part 2, by S.D.

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We are talking about the need to acquire food, specifically small game, in a TEOTWAWKI scenario. I have shared the importance of knowing your game and how to approach them and also practicing your hunting skills. I’ve also explained the types of pellet rifles available, given that they are quieter options than a standard .22 rifle, which with its noise level might invite neighbors to want to share in the dinner acquisition. So, let’s continue to talk about the popular calibers of pellet rifles.

Pellet Rifle Popular Calibers

Pellets come in all shapes and sizes, but the three most popular calibers are the .177, .22, and .25. The larger pellets pack more punch. I prefer the .22 for the small game I hunt. I have shot .177 caliber pellets for a while, and they do get the job done on most small game, but the .22 caliber will handle a rabbit with ease and some even use them for game as large as a raccoon. The .22 pellets are more expensive than the .177 caliber, but even so they are substantially less expensive than standard .22 rim fire ammunition.

.25 caliber is getting a following more recently due to the more powerful pre-charged air gun’s efficiency. The more powerful guns can shoot .25 caliber pellets with little drop in the pellet speed, which will increase the energy substantially. I shoot primarily .22, because it is easy to find and has enough power for anything I shoot at. In a TEOTWAWKI situation, I would prefer using my pre-charged pellet gun for small game hunting than any other weapon because of the quiet knockdown power.

Continue reading“Acquiring Small Game Quietly- Part 2, by S.D.”

Letter: A Letter To Homeschooling Parents

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HJL:

I am no scholar, but the Bible calls on us to evangelize. There is a philosophical call in JWR’s material to be productive at every level and to eschew being idly entertained. We may not sit in our respective holes and just watch.

The letter that follows brought this to a bright, shiny point in my mind:

Dear parents,

In his 1985 book, Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman considers the arguments of two books – 1984 by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Postman wrote,

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The Editors’ Preps for the Week

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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!

JWR

Dear SurvivalBlog Readers,
We did some travel part of this week, so were mostly away from the ranch.  But even while traveling, we continued homeshooling our kids. We did have the time and a nice break in the weather to do our usual poultry house and barn mucking. But not much else — other than the usual livestock feeding and stock tank filling.

We are looking forward to reading comments from readers about your preps this winter.  May you all have a blessed week, – Avalanche Lily Rawles

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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 “HJL”. This week, the influential R.C. Sproul passed on.

R.C. Sproul

I was sad to hear this news: Theologian and religious broadcaster R.C. Sproul dies at 78. I credit Sproul with helping me to understand the difference between ethics and morals with this simple statement: “Ethics are what you ought to do; Morals are what you do.” When I heard that, the light suddenly clicked on. It was not possible to have bad ethics because the standard is set by God. It was, however, entirely possible to have bad morals. In fact, morals in conflict with the ethical standard set by God are bad morals.

Manual Air Pump

SurvivalBlog reader J.M wrote in about shelters. He’s seen pictures of 1950s bomb shelters that had hand cranked air pumps and was wondering if readers knew where he could obtain such a mechanism. Please comment if you know of a good supplier.

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Preparedness Notes for Saturday – December 16, 2017

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December 16th, 1928, was the birthday of Philip K. Dick, who died March 2, 1982. He penned a remarkable number of sci-fi novels and novellas that have been adapted into movies, including Blade Runner, Total Recall, Screamers, Impostor, Minority Report, Paycheck, A Scanner Darkly, Next, and The Adjustment Bureau. Though he had a troubled personal life (with drug use and several failed marriages), his captivating books certainly had a knack for envisioning potential futures.

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Acquiring Small Game Quietly- Part 1, by S.D.

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In the event of TEOTWAWKI, procuring food, including acquiring small game, can be not only a benefit and a help making supplies last longer, but it can also be a lifesaving ability. Small game is prevalent just about everywhere until the hunting pressure is on and then it disappears. I have seen this first hand on our small six-acre lot. We hunted the rabbits on the property one year with our archery equipment, and although the rabbits won overall, we harvested a few, or two, over the course of the season.

Visible Rabbit Population Decline

Despite our inability to make a dent in the overall population, the rabbit population on our property seems to have declined substantially. This decline could be attributed to a rise in predator population, but I think it is more directly related to the pressure we applied during hunting season. The neighbors properties still have plenty of rabbits, and I can see them hopping around during the day in many areas. They seem to be as plentiful as ever, and yet our property didn’t contain any that I was aware of.

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Letter: What are Your Daily Prayers as a Survivalist?

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Dear Hugh,

I would like to know what Daily prayers are from the readers, including their wording. I am also interested in the Editor’s response, including JWR himself as I believe this will greatly assist fellow readers in the times ahead, including myself. Thank you, – M.S.

HJL’s Comment:

Daily prayers are a highly personal thing and your approach to it will generally reflect your background. On one side of the spectrum some use rote memorized prayers. On the other side, some use free form prayers of whatever comes to mind. Many use a combination where perhaps certain phrases are rote and are filled in by whatever is on the person’s mind.

While I used to participate in mostly free form prayer (and still do at times during the day) I have adopted a much more structured approach which helps me make the time that I need with God. I have borrowed the Jewish practice of praying three times a day based upon Deuteronomy 11:19

“…and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”

I then use the Lord’s prayer as a model:  Matthew 6:9-13

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”

I do not just repeat that prayer, but structure my prayer after it. I do it in this order:

Continue reading“Letter: What are Your Daily Prayers as a Survivalist?”

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 “HJL”. Cyber Security is again front and center as we learn of some of the hacks over the last year.

Cyber Security

Wired Magazine has a fascinating article on how three bored college students concocted a scam to give them an advantage in the game of MineCraft. But the software that they wrote, which basically attacked their competitor’s servers, was so effective, it set new records for Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. At its heart, it simply co-opted IoT (Internet of Things) hardware that had not had its default access passwords changed. However, it was so efficient that it was able to infect over 600,000 simultaneous devices at any one time and achieve bandwidth rates of over 1.1 Terabytes. By comparison, the previous known record was about 50 Gigabytes. It managed to take down one of the largest Internet providers in the U.S. last year, leaving much of the east coast with very spotty Internet connectivity.

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Hackers halted Schneider Electric SE plant operations in a cyber attack. SurvivalBlog reader M.P. notes: “While this particular attack seems to have been at a site in the Middle East, the software involved is used widely in the energy industry. The article warns of the likelihood of copy cat attacks elsewhere, but I think it is more likely that others will use this as a stepping stone to even more damaging types of attacks, not just more of the same. A successful attack on some generation parts of the energy grid would be bad. A successful attack on others, such as nuclear plants, could be even more catastrophic, depending on what other actions are part of a particular hack.”

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