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”.

Ghost Gunner

Defense Distributed won a settlement from the US Department of State to publish their gun blueprints online in July. This was a landmark victory for both the First and the Second Amendments. Now 21 states have file suit against them through four venues. After fighting the State Department for five years, their legal funds need help. Cody Wilson is asking for support to help manage all of these new lawsuits attacking your right to know. If you can, please donate to help (Note: They also take Bitcoin).

Who Needs Democracy

Who needs Democracy when you have data? China is one of the world leaders in collecting data on their own citizens. With this data in-hand, Xi’s regime manages to stop most dissidents from reaching government centers by blocking them from purchasing tickets on public transportation. Bloggers, activists and lawyers are routinely targeted by police and silenced or imprisoned. If you think America is living in Orwell’s 1984, wait till you read this article.

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The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“How to start on my adventure—how to become a forester—was not so simple. There were no schools of Forestry in America. … Whoever turned his mind toward Forestry in those days thought little about the forest itself and more about its influences, and about its influence on rainfall first of all. So I took a course in meteorology, which has to do with weather and climate. and another in botany, which has to do with the vegetable kingdom—trees are unquestionably vegetable. And another in geology, for forests grow out of the earth. Also I took a course in astronomy, for it is the sun which makes trees grow. All of which is as it should be, because science underlies the forester’s knowledge of the woods. So far I was headed right. But as for Forestry itself, there wasn’t even a suspicion of it at Yale. The time for teaching Forestry as a profession was years away. ” – Gifford Pinchot

Preparedness Notes for Monday – August 20, 2018

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20 August 1935 The birthday of former Congressman Ron Paul. He recently retired from congress. Dr. Paul is to be commended for fighting the good fight for many years.

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Redoubt Surplus & Tactical in Dalton Gardens, Idaho has announced a big inventory consolidation sale with deep price reductions. This will include all of their electronics including a tube testers, two oscilloscopes, and a variety of military radios. They are selling these for just pennies on the Dollar. Stop by their store and check it out! Some items are also available via mail order.

Cold Steel SR1 Folding Tanto, by Pat Cascio

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20 August 1935 The birthday of former Congressman Ron Paul. He recently retired from congress. Dr. Paul is to be commended for fighting the good fight for many years.

Cold Steel SR1 Folding Tanto, by Pat Cascio

Under review in this article is one of the most awesome folding knives I’ve ever tested. It isn’t one of those dealer display knives that are huge but worthless. Nope. It is the Cold Steel SR1 Folding Tanto.

Many of our readers have requested that we test some more expensive knives. We are happy to do so, when they become available for testing.

Friendship Set Aside When Test Products

More than one reader has “accused” me of having a bias, when it comes to some products, because I know the people who run these companies. It’s difficult to not become friends with all these great folks. However, those who have known me for a lot of years know that our friendship is set aside when I test their products.

I’ve Ruffled Some Feathers With My Reviews

On more than one occasion, I’ve managed to ruffle some feathers with my reviews. They have to keep in mind that I’m testing just one sample, and I have a certain criteria I use in my testing. In the end, the final results are just my opinion, though it’s an educated opinion and one I’ve earned over the years as a writer with more than 26 years under my belt.

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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 “Voting with Your Feet” relocation to escape high taxes. (See the Economy and Finance section section.)

 

Precious Metals:

Today we’ll start with a link to this commentary by veteran metals analyst Cliff Droke: The Silver Lining To Gold’s Storm Cloud

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Gold Is Playing The Long Game Here – Analysts

 

Cryptos:

Ripple Endorses ‘Preferred’ Crypto Exchanges for XRP Payments

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Forget Bitcoin ETF, an ETN Already Allows US Investors to Invest in BTC

 

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The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Master those books you have. Read them thoroughly. Bathe in them until they saturate you. Read and reread them…digest them. Let them go into your very self. Peruse a good book several times and make notes and analyses of it. A student will find that his mental constitution is more affected by one book thoroughly mastered than by twenty books he has merely skimmed. Little learning and much pride comes from hasty reading. Some men are disabled from thinking by their putting meditation away for the sake of much reading. In reading let your motto be ‘much not many.’”  – Rev. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students

Preparedness Notes for Sunday – August 19, 2018

August 19th is the birthday of Philo Taylor Farnsworth (1906-1971). Farnsworth was an American inventor who is best known for his image pickup device that formed the basis for the fully functional and complete all-electronic television system. Among his many other inventions was the Farnsworth-Hirsch fusor, a small nuclear fusion device that remains a viable source of neutrons. At his death, he held over 300 patents, mostly in radio and television.

Gunsmith Training: Pistolsmithing – Week Two, by R2

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Last week was primarily learning about the Colt 1911, as much of the the design and function aspect of it can be found in nearly every gun designed. This week, I finished up the 1911 with tips for solving common problems and issues with it. With the 1911 being one of the most popular handguns in America, they are always there to work on (and fix problems caused by others as well.)

Browning Hi-Power

Immediately after the 1911 section, AGI covered another one of Browning’s masterpieces. While not completely of Browning’s design, since Dieudonne Saive, Browning’s apprentice had to finish the design due to Browning’s death, the Browning Hi-Power is one of the finest firearms in existence. Though many here in America believe the 1911 is the most popular handgun, the Hi-Power has actually held that position for a long time, when you consider the rest of the world. I’m saddened that Browning (Fabrique Nationale) has retired it. However, copies continue to be made in other factories.

Browning’s Improvements to the Basic 1911 Design

Bob covered the improvements that Browning had made to the basic 1911 design, such as using a cam-lock rather than a link-lock system and moving the trigger linkage into the slide rather than straight back, like the 1911’s trigger bow. Bob also pointed out that as firearms design becomes more advanced, most firearms actually get much simpler in their design. That is definitely seen in the progression that the AGI videos show from the 1911 to the Browning.

Continue reading“Gunsmith Training: Pistolsmithing – Week Two, by R2“

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”. California’s PG&E plays the blame game of the recent fires.

License Plate Tracking

California has such a problem with welfare fraud that they are now using license place scanners to track drivers and solve crimes. Since 2016, Sacramento County welfare fraud investigators have been using the data. The investigators and the Department of Human Assistance says that they use the automated license plate recognition (ALPR) cameras that are located on street poles and police cars only on a case-by-case basis to identify is recepients are at their stated addresses. There may be some problems though. It would appear that they are accessing the database without any warrant and millions of people who are not suspects in crimes are also being tracked just by the nature of the program.

Get Home Bag Philosophy

Reader T.J. sent in this video from SensiblePrepper on his get home bag philosophy. Yes, this subject has been beat to death, but it’s always good to see how other preppers plan for and deal with the subject. You often learn something that is applicable to your situation. This video is a bit different in that it doesn’t deal with specific items in the bag, but the philosophy behind choosing those items. Each bag needs to be tailored to your need.

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The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. 21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. 22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? 23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.” – John 1:19-23 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday – August 18, 2018

August 18th is the birthday of Meriwether Lewis, an American explorer, soldier, politician and public administrator that is best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. An interesting side note is the Girandoni Air Rifle carried by Lewis during that expedition.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

This has been another entry for Round 78 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. 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 Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 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 78 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.

The Gunfighter’s Guide: Lessons Learned the Hard Way- Part 3, by The Grumpy Gunfighter

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This article is a compilation of lessons I have learned, either from real world events or through lessons taught to me by the men and women I served with. Their advice has saved my life on a few occasions, and perhaps this gunfighter’s guide, also developed from lessons learned the hard way, may do the same for you one day.

In part 1, I covered three main topics– cars and guns, the scorpion vs. box jellyfish philosophies, and close quarters battle takeaways. Today we will move into fighting in larger spaces, specifically the backwoods and move onto other topics also. Then, in part 2, the topics included backwoods fighting, dealing with intense stress, practicing like you play, and continuing the fight as long as you are able to move.

Now, it is time to move into some equipment details. Let’s take a look at our kit next.

Customize Your “Kit” or “Loadout”

Be Thoughtful

Ounces add up to pounds, and pounds equal pain. So, everything you wear and carry with you should have a thoughtful, specific purpose.

The gear I carry is dependent on the mission that I am preparing for. For example, in my car I carry enough equipment and supplies for 72 hours, because I know that is how long it will take me to make it home if I had to walk home from my place of employment.

Continue reading“The Gunfighter’s Guide: Lessons Learned the Hard Way- Part 3, by The Grumpy Gunfighter”

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!

JWR

Dear SurvivalBlog Readers:

We had cooler weather in our part of the American Redoubt for the past week. We are now at the peak of gardening season, and harvesting most of our crops in great abundance. We picked and froze more red raspberries. We also picked, blanched and froze broccoli and green beans. The zucchini squash is now being harvested and either chopped and frozen or given away to neighbors and friends. At this juncture I should mention that the standing joke in our region is that the only reason people lock their car doors when they go to town is to prevent their friends from leaving them sacks of zucchini, without their permission.

The firewood splitting and stacking is now nearly complete. It always feels good to stack that final poke of wood, and feel truly ready for winter.

May you all have a very blessed and productive week.

Many Blessings to All, – Jim Rawles and 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”. Google and Mozilla both make the news today. Neither will make you happy.

Google Tracking

According to reader J.B., Google tracks your movement whether you like it or not. Even if you explicitly refuse to allow Google to obtain and keep this information, it would appear that they just ignore your request and do it anyways. The Associated Press investigation found that despite the fact that many apps on Android and iPhones have a check mark that allows you to refuse to share this data with the app, Google obtains it anyway. It’s possible, though laborious, to delete the stored information, but there are approximately two billion devices that do this.

Gun Control

Reader H.L. sent in this article profiling a politician who was arrested and charged with murder for shooting and killing her former campaign manager. It turns out that this politician had promised to push for stricter gun control. Authorities are not even sure where she obtained the firearm that she used to kill with. How ironic. She pledged to reduce gun violence and is now charged with furthering gun violence. Even if she is mentally/criminally insane, has our politics been reduced to this level of hypocrisy?

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