DPMS Versus DPMS, by Pat Cascio

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Two popular AR-style rifles are put to the test. We’re looking at a standard AP4 Carbine and Lite 16-A3 from DPMS today, in a side-by-side comparison.

A Rare Side-By-Side Test

I receive requests all the time from many of our readers to do a side-by-side test of various firearms. I rarely do these types of articles for one very good reason– no matter how fair I try to be, or unbiased, human nature takes over, and I’ll like one firearm better than the other. I could test a 1911 .45ACP from the XYZ company and a version of the same gun from the ABC company, and in the end no matter how fair of a test I might do I’ll end up picking one 1911 over the other. They might perform equally in my testing, too. So, with this in mind, you’ll rarely see me testing one gun against another.

The Main Difference– The Barrel

One of our readers suggested I test two AR-15 style rifles from the same company against one another, with the main difference being that one has a standard M4 style barrel with the “step” and the other having a “pencil” barrel, meaning it is skinny. The stocks are different, too. One has a standard M4 style telescoping stock; the other has a telescoping stock that only DPMS manufactures. Both guns have a 16” Bbl, and both are made by DPMS www.dpmsinc.com. Their stock/inventory is always changing with new and improved versions. Both guns were equipped with a removable carry handle “iron” sight, and both had an M- oval shaped handguard. They both had a flash suppressor as well.

Continue reading“DPMS Versus DPMS, by Pat Cascio”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

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 the Syrian War Market Effects. (See the Precious Metals and Commodities sections.)

Precious Metals (Syrian War Market Effects):

War Drums over Syria Jolt Oil & Gold Markets

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Stocks:

At The Street: What Trump’s Missile Strikes on Syria Reveal About the Stock Market

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

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 book New Day of Small Beginnings, by French Calvinist Theologian Pierre Courthial.

Books:

A reminder that Claire Wolfe’s new book is being released tomorrow–Patriot’s Day (April 19th, 2018): Basics of Resistance: The Practical Freedomista, Book I.This nonfiction book was co-authored by Kit Perez. It is available both as an e-book and as a Print On Demand (POD) paperback.

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To the Edges of the Earth: 1909, the Race for the Three Poles, and the Climax of the Age of Exploration

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A New Day of Small Beginnings, by Pierre Courthial. This is a new English translation of a great 1996 book by a French Calvinist theologian. Here is a description: “In A New Day of Small Beginnings, Pierre Courthial paints on an expansive canvas the truths and history of Christianity from creation to the present. His interpretation of history is written from the perspective of a sovereign and personal God overseeing His covenantal plan-a design that remains unthwarted through the ages. From a heavenly panorama, he presents a clear image of history from antiquity to the deification of the modern state.”

Movies:

The Millionaires’ Unit. A fascinating documentary about World War I aviators from the Yale Flying Club, on DVD. Also available for free download for Amazon Prime members.

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Cartel Land. A great documentary about the struggle between Mexico’s drug mafia, and an armed citizenry. Available on DVD. Also available for free download for Amazon Prime members.

Continue reading“JWR’s Recommendations of the Week”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – April 17, 2018

On April 17, 1961, about 1,500 CIA-trained Cuban exiles launched the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in a failed attempt to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro. Due to the Cuba/Soviet intelligence network as well as loose talk by members of the brigade, which was repeated in US and foreign newspaper reports, the Cuban government knew, in advance, of the planned invasion. The Washington Post also reported that the Soviets knew the exact date of the attack, that the CIA was aware that they knew, and that the CIA did not inform president Kennedy.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

This has been another entry for Round 76 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 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 76 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.

Birth- Part 2, by A.E.

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According to the CDC, about 11,000 babies are born in the U.S. every day. If anyone in your family or group is of childbearing age, you might want to think about preparing for an out-of-hospital birth. Most people have never witnessed a “natural” or med-free birth. Therefore, they have no idea what natural birth looks like or how to prepare for it.

In Part 1, I spoke about the importance of the mother’s psyche in childbirth and also about the sphincter law that applies to childbirth. We began the topic of Preparing for Birth with suggestion for books, such as Ina May Gaskin’s books, Spiritual Midwifery and her Guide to Childbirth. Now, let’s look further at what else is needed.

Build Birth Team

As the second step in your preps, build your birth team. An educated and confident birth team can drastically improve birth outcomes. This means both parents, any aid available (doctor, OB, midwife, nurse, doula, et cetera) and anyone invited into the birth room during labor and delivery need to be on the same page. The birthing woman needs to feel safe and must trust her helpers. She requires encouragement, empathy, and the utmost respect from anyone who is invited into her birth space. You must protect her from anyone who is negative or untrusting of your plan. If she feels threatened or fearful, even before the onset of labor, these feelings can emerge during labor and delivery, possibly hindering labor progression.

A Place Where Calm and Confidence Reign

I encourage you to create a place where calm and confidence reign instead of anxiety and fear. This starts early in pregnancy. Start prepping for birth, including prenatal vitamins, medical gear, nourishing meals, proper clothing, baby items, et cetera. Just knowing that these preparations have been made will eliminate a great number of fears for the birthing woman. Consider packing enough for multiple children and multiple births.

Finally, watch, or download for future reference if the grid goes down, a few natural home births on Youtube. Many of these videos are professionally created by birth photographers and are tastefully made. Once you witness for yourself what natural birth can look like, you will already feel more confident in your preparations.

Continue reading“Birth- Part 2, by A.E.”

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. The emphasis this week is on the Boise Gun Company Store Closing Auctions.

Idaho

First off, gun-owning SurvivalBlog readers in Southwestern Idaho and Eastern Oregon should plan to attend the Boise Gun Company Nampa Store Liquidation Live Auction on Friday, April 20th. This will be the first of a series of live auctions and Internet auctions. The auction goods all come from a well-stocked business with two retail stores that sadly recently closed their doors. As with all other inventory auctions, it is wise to do plenty of research on prices. At the very minimum, bring a few mail order ammo, reloading component, and gun parts catalogs with you–so that you will be a well-informed bidder. They will be auctioning: “1,000’s of Rounds of Factory Ammunition from .50 BMG on Down, Scopes, Reloading Supplies/Powder, Leather Belts, Gun Cases, + Store Fixtures/Cases/Racks.” (You can click to expand any of the photos.) It appears that the store’s gun and magazine inventory will be sold in other auctions–most likely online.

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Many folks have never heard of the little town of Atlanta, Idaho. I recently found a nice drone video showing the town, in late summer. Atlanta is a little former mining town at just over 5,000 foot elevation. It is a 40 miles drive in on winding gravel roads to get there. The population is around 300, but I suspect that figure is lower in the winter. There are still lots of patented mining claim parcels in and around the town. Atlanta town is situated in in Elmore County, Idaho, which has more than 22,000 residents. But right next door is Camas County, measuring 1,079 square miles.(A little more than half the size of Delaware.) That mostly-remote county has only 1,100 residents, 416 of whom live in the county seat of Fairfield!

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Idaho Falls, in southeastern Idaho was recently hit with a damaging hail storm that prompted hundreds of insurance claims for dented cars and house roofs. The hail stones ranged from .75 inches to 1.75 inches!  I found a video clip from a part of that city where the hail was much smaller. Skip forward to the 1:30 minute mark, for the dramatic portion…

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 “HJL”.

Russian Chemical Attack

Michael Z. Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large sent in this information from a DoD contact:

Don’t believe anything you read, and only half of what you see.

The article says that Russia claims that the OPCW’s Swiss lab determined the sample to be the US agent BZ. BZ is not a nerve agent. It is the closest agent to LSD that the US weaponized in quantity, as an incapacitant. Whatever else is true, no way a good analysis could confuse it with any nerve agent. I’d believe the conspiracy theory that it was a false flag operation with western-produced Novichok before I would believe that one. BZ is not even toxic enough to be on Schedule 1 of the Chemical Weapons Convention, and it’s only on Schedule 2 because it was weaponized.

Which Penetrating Oil is Best?

Reader J.C. sent in this article that examines penetrating oils and makes a determination of which one is best. While I do not like using such light oils for lubrication of moving parts, there are times when getting just a tiny bit of lubrication into a stuck bolt can mean the difference between successful disassembly and a busted bolt. Occasionally, it can save your child’s ears from hearing those filthy words that seem to slide out of your mouth when you have busted your knuckles up. Something to keep in mind though – As good as penetrating oils are at helping to loosen stuck parts, they do not have long term protection capabilities. Do not depend on them to keep that part from getting stuck.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“The misfortune is not alone that it rends the concord of nations. The greater pity is that it rends the concord of our citizenship at home. It’s folly to think of blending Greek and Bulgar, Italian and Slovak, or making any of them rejoicingly American, when the land of adoption sits in judgement on the land from which he came. We need to be rescued from divisionary and fruitless pursuit of peace through super government. I do not want Americans of foreign birth making their party alignments on what we mean to do for some nation in the old world. We want them to be Republican because of what we mean to do for the United States of America. Our call is for unison, not rivaling sympathies. Our need is concord, not the antipathies of long inheritance.” – Warren G. Harding

Preparedness Notes for Monday – April 16, 2018

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April 16th is the birthday of two notable novelists– J. Neil Schulman and Samuel Youd.

Agorist-Libertarian activist J. Neil Schulman (born April 16, 1953) is best known as author of the novel Alongside Night.

The late Samuel Youd (born 1922, died February 3, 2012) was the British novelist who was best known for his science fiction writings under the pseudonym John Christopher, including the survivalist novel Death of Grass (titled No Blade of Grass, in the American edition) as well as the Tripods Seriesof young adult sci-fi novel series. A fascinating man, Youd wrote prolifically, using eight pen names. He was a good friend of sci-fi novelist John Wyndham, and both of them were famous for writing what are often called cozy catastrophes.

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Actor R. Lee Ermey passed away yesterday. Ermey was known far and wide as the sadistic Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Stanely Kubricks “Full Metal jacket” but I loved him best in his role in “Mail Call”. We will miss him.

Also passing away is Art Bell of the “Coast to Coast AM” show. JWR was a guest on the show several times of the last few years.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

This has been another entry for Round 76 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 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 76 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.

Birth- Part 1, by A.E.

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Typically, when we think about a survival situation, like TEOTWAWKI or SHTF, our minds race to food storage, defense, clean water, growing gardens, and raising livestock; often times, we forget other necessities, like good medical care and childbirth. According to the CDC, about 11,000 babies are born in the U.S. every day. If anyone in your family or group is of childbearing age, you might want to think about preparing for an out-of-hospital birth. Most people have never witnessed a “natural” or med-free birth. Therefore, they have no idea what natural birth looks like or how to prepare for it.

If you are a Bible-believing person of faith, you might also remember the verse in Matthew where Yeshua (Jesus) was speaking of the end of days and his second coming.

“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.… let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:” – Matthew 24:7-8,17-20

Important We Prepare for Mothers and Children

If Yeshua openly foretold of these mothers, it seems mighty important that we prepare for them and their children. Unfortunately, almost everything that we have ever been told about childbirth comes from dramatic television shows and movies, designed to play on our emotions based on this sudden “emergent” event. But what if I told you birth doesn’t look anything like this in real life? How could I best prepare you for a true, med-free delivery in a survival situation, that would help you feel confident if the situation arose?

Continue reading“Birth- Part 1, by A.E.”

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, JWR asks: “What will be the Rolex Submariner Successor?” (See the Tangibles Investing section, near the end of this column.)

Precious Metals:

Gold and Silver Post Second Straight Weekly Increase

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The Louder the Drums of War, the Greater the Allure of Safe-Haven Gold

Commodities:

Goldman Sachs Says You Must Own Commodities in These Tense Times

 

Economy & Finance:

At The Telegraph (UK): America faces a debt abyss but the politicians just sit on their hands

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Next, at Zero Hedge: This Really Is The Everything Bubble: Even Subprime Mortgage Bonds Are Back

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds this most minute solar system of the atom together.
We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent mind. This mind is the matrix of all matter.” – Dr. Max Planck (His surname is also sometimes spelled Planek)

Preparedness Notes for Sunday – April 15, 2018

April 15th, 1912, is the anniversary of the sinking of the “unsinkable” Titanic. 1517 people lost their lives on the maiden voyage. As research into the incident has progressed over the last 100 years, it seems as if, one way or another, the ship was just going to sink. Impact with an iceberg, raging coal fires in the fuel supply, wrong turns, locked-up binoculars, weak rivets, too few lifeboats, and more. Perhaps this whole incident was really the result of man’s hubris.

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Sunday April 15th, 2018 marks the 15th anniversary of Commander Zero’s blog: Notes From The Bunker. I believe that it was the original blog on individual and family preparedness. (Yes, Jerry Pournelle talked a bit about survival topics in his famous Chaos Manor blog, but that could hardly be considered a preparedness blog, per se.) Notes From The Bunker had already been up and running for two and a half years before I ever started SurvivalBlog. Consider this: 15 years in Blog Years (sort of like Dog Years), makes it an Ancient, Grizzled, and Pioneering blog. Congrats, Commander Zero!