Ghost Gunner Review- Part 1

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Last year, SurvivalBlog decided to find out exactly what all the hubbub was about, and we bought a Ghost Gunner along with a number of AR-15 80% lowers. We wanted to know just how easy the unit was to use. We also wanted to make a determination as to whether the unit was worth the money or if it was just an exercise in declaring your inherent right. What we found was interesting to say the least.

Delivery, Packaging, and Setup

The first impression of a product is dependent upon the time it takes to receive it and the condition in which it arrives. Packaging is a key part of this. Then, there is the ease in which it is assembled for use and instructions that are easy to follow to aid in this endeavor.

Delivery

The box that came was sturdy enough to handle the USPS delivery without any issues. It arrived within the expected amount of time with the box in good condition.

Packaging

The package was heavy, with the Ghost Gunner weighing in at a hefty 50+ pounds. However, the cardboard was obviously designed to handle its weighty contents.

I’m one of those people who saves the packaging/packing materials for most small- to medium-sized things. While storing empty boxes does require some storage space, when it comes time to resell the item, original packaging can go a long way towards getting a premium price. If you have the original box something came in, people know that you tend to take care of things. One of my gripes is when a company skimps on packaging. In their short term thinking, some believe that the goal is to just get the product to you and then their obligation ends. A company that produces cheap packaging on a product that is likely to pass through many hands of ownership is shortsighted.

A Carefully Designed Box

Once the box is opened, you can see the care that they put in the design. The packing is obviously designed to be reused. About the only way they could really improve it would be to move to a wooden crate or wooden framed box. However, I don’t think that is necessary in this case. If the product pushed north of 75 pounds, I might expect that, but the current packaging fits the product quite well. The foam is the same closed cell foam you find in upper-end cases like Pelican.

You’re going to want to find a place to keep this box in good condition. Depending on your needs, you will need it to pass the Ghost Gunner on to the next owner, or you may need it to have it upgraded to the newest improvement, like we did.

Following Directions

There is a written manual, but you really don’t need it. The whole process is about as simple as you can get. I used a 15 foot USB cord so that I could set the Ghost gunner on my dining room table and still reach my main computer. However, you could also use a laptop sitting right next to the machine. Connect the machine up to your computer, power it on, insert the included USB stick, and run DDcut straight off of the USB stick. No installation is required.

Windows and Linux Computers

My particular setup was a bit more complicated because DDcut is designed to run off of the Windows operating system, though all of my computers in house are run as Linux computers. I could have borrowed my son’s computer, but instead I had a contingency. Every once in a while I run across software I need that requires Windows, so I keep a copy of VirtualBox on my system with Windows 10 loaded on it. I only boot it up on occasion, but some programs don’t like to be run in an emulator. Thankfully, DDcut had no such issues and ran just fine. Once DDcut is started, it tells you exactly what to do, when to do it, and is easy to follow. I do like the fact that it is self contained on the USB stick and no installation of software is required.

Setting the Jig Up

I had two different sets of AR lowers. The first one I ran was the lower, purchased from Defense Distributed. This lower has had more machining operations done on it than the others I’ve had from Tactical Machining. While both lowers provided an excellent finished product, the Tactical Machining lowers required some modifications to the jig in order to work. There were a few places on the lower that had more material on it than did the Defense Distributed (DD) lower. I actually prefer the Tactical Machining lowers because they have a cleaner look with subdued edges right out of the box. There are fewer finishing operations required on these lower to achieve an excellent look, but it’s only cosmetic. Structurally, the lowers are the same, and both are easy to use.

Continue reading“Ghost Gunner Review- Part 1”

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 Winchester Rifles.  (See the Tangibles Investing section, near the end of this column.)

Precious Metals:

Sprott Gold Report: Gold Resilient Despite Market Volatility

 

Credit Card News:

Citibank has shown its true anti-gun colors. It is high time for American gun owners to cancel their Citibank credit cards and to close their Citibank accounts. For maximum effect, I recommend cutting your Citibank card in half, and mailing the left half of it to Citbank with a terse (but polite) “nastygram” letter explaining why you are closing your accounts. Mail them to: Citibank, Attn: President James A. Forese, 99 Park Ave., New York, NY10022

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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 Rosenstrasse protests in Berlin during World War II. (See both the Books section and Movies section.)

Books (Rosenstrasse):

Resistance of the Heart: Intermarriage and the Rosenstrasse Protest in Nazi Germany

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I haven’t yet read it, but this newly-released novel (for Kindle) looks like it would be of particular interest to SurvivalBlog readers: The Divide (A Great State Book 1). It is the first book in a planned trilogy, and comes recommended by John Jacob Schmidt of Radio Free Redoubt.

Movies (Rosenstrasse):

A recommended movie: Rosenstrasse. This poignant film is loosely based on true events. It is available on DVD. It is also available for free download for Amazon Prime members.

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I also highly recommend this 2016 documentary on the monumental struggle between collectivism and individualism: Agenda 2: Masters of Deceit. Available on DVD. It is also now available for free download for Amazon Prime members.

 

Continue reading“JWR’s Recommendations of the Week”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“The strategic plans of our armed forces for the defeat of Japan, as they stood in July, had been prepared without reliance upon the atomic bomb, which had not yet been tested in New Mexico. We were planning an intensified sea and air blockade, and greatly intensified strategic air bombing, through the summer and early fall, to be followed on November 1 by an invasion of the southern island of Kyushu. This would be followed in turn by an invasion of the main island of Honshu in the spring of 1946. The total U.S. military and naval force involved in this grand design was of the order of 5,000,000 men; if all those indirectly concerned are included, it was larger still.

We estimated that if we should be forced to carry this plan to its conclusion, the major fighting would not end until the latter part of 1946, at the earliest. I was informed that such operations might be expected to cost over a million casualties, to American forces alone.” – Secretary of War Henry Louis Stimson, from: The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb (February, 1947)

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – March 27, 2018

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March 27th is the birthday of the late Robert W. Ford (born 1923, died 20 September 2013). He was an amazing man who had a remarkable life. His book, Wind Between The Worlds (an account of experiences in Tibet, captivity by the communist Chinese, and his fight against brainwashing), is highly recommended. It is available for free download.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 75 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 75 ends on March 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.

Florida Gun Owners, I Feel Your Pain, by Swamp Cracker Yankee

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This past week Florida Governor Rick Scott, a Republican, signed a new Florida “school-safety” bill that bans bump stocks, extends a three-day waiting period for handgun purchases to include long guns, and raises the minimum age to buy long guns from 18 to 21. This was all in response to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida on February 14, 2018.

Wouldn’t Have Believed Gun-Friendly Florida To Enact Restrictive Legislation

If you had told me years ago that a state like Florida with “gun-friendly Republican lawmakers” would enact such legislation, I would not have believed you. Since you already needed to be at least 21 to buy a handgun in Florida, the most intolerable part of this law is the fact that you now have to wait until you are 21 to buy any firearm in Florida. Apparently, at eighteen, you are considered enough of an adult to be drafted into military service and sent halfway around the world to die in service to your country, but you are not enough of an adult to have full Constitutionally guaranteed rights at home.

A Lot of Us Have Rested On Our Laurels

Since Trump got elected, a lot of us have started to rest on our laurels. Many were so relieved that Hillary Clinton wasn’t president that they thought they deserved a vacation. I wasn’t one of those people. You see, I live in the Peoples Republic of Corrupticut. I live in the state where the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre took place on December 14, 2012.

Media Blitz Leftists Ran Against Gun Owners in Corrupticut After Sandy Hook

You would not believe the one-sided media blitz that the Leftists ran against guns and gun owners in this state. When the Sandy Hook tragedy occurred, Corrupticut already had in place a state law that partly emulated the Clinton assault weapons ban that the rest of the country discarded in 2004. We were already severely restricted in 2012, as to what guns we could buy. But it wasn’t enough for our Democrat-dominated legislature and Democrat Governor Dannel Malloy.

Continue reading“Florida Gun Owners, I Feel Your Pain, by Swamp Cracker Yankee”

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 economic contribution of the Columbia River Basin. Combined, the dams in the region provide more than 40% of U.S. hydroelectric generation.

Idaho (Columbia River Basin)

One of the nation’s furthest-inland seaports west of the Mississippi River is the city of Lewiston, Idaho. It is Idaho’s only seaport. Located at the confluence of the Snake River and Clearwater River, and connecting to the mighty Columbia River, Lewiston is considered a secondary seaport city. It can be reached by seagoing barges, but most of the barge traffic is river or coastal barges that carry wood chips, wood pulp, and grain down to Portland, Oregon. There, this cargo is typically trans-shipped into large seaworthy cargo vessels.

According to Wikipedia: “Lewiston’s main industries are agriculture, paper and timber products production at the mill owned and operated by the Clearwater Paper Corporation (until December 2008, a part of the Potlatch Corporation), and light manufacturing.”  Wikipedia also notes:  “Ammunition maker CCI, and Speer Bullet (both now brands of Vista Outdoor) are headquartered in Lewiston and Howell Munitions & Technology has a plant in the city as well.”

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Redoubt News reports: Trespass Bill Protects Property Rights In Idaho

 

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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”. China is reacting to Animal Farm this week.

Animal Farm

All books are equal, but some or more equal than others. President Xi Jinping, who is very nearly dictator for life in Communist China has ordered the banning of any online post that referred to George Orwell’s dystopian novel Animal Farm and the letter “N”. We can only assume that the letter is being used as a form of dissent, but it sure will be hard to write sentences without this letter. Note that this is not the first decree suppressing free speech in China, the word “lifelong” and “disagree” have also been banned.

Gun Control

Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large posted an article over on his site that looks at some issues of gun control. Gun control artificially raises the price on the guns that it targets. Contrary to what gun control idiots enthusiasts think, it doesn’t stop the guns from circulating. Restrict the gun enough and you simply drive it to the underground black market. Despite being poised to make money from any gun control law passed, he’d vote to eliminate all of them in a heartbeat. It’s an interesting perspective and one that those pushing the laws have obviously not thought through.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The whole object of science is to synthesize, and so simplify; and did we but know the uttermost of a subject we could make it singularly clear.” – Percival Lawrence Lowell (March 13, 1855 – November 12, 1916) was an American businessman, author, mathematician, and astronomer who speculated that there were canals on Mars

Preparedness Notes for Monday – March 26, 2018

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March 26th marks the anniversary of the historic peace agreement ending three decades of hostilities between Egypt and Israel and the establishing of diplomatic and commercial ties between them. Less than two years earlier, Sadat had traveled to Jerusalem to seek permanent peace. Most of the Arab world was outraged, but Despite criticism from Egypt’s regional allies, they pursued peace. While the efforts earned both Egypt’s Sadat and Israel’s Begin a joint Nobel Prize for Peace in 1978, Egypt was expelled from the Arab League and in 1981, Sadat was assassinated by Arab extremists.

Ruger/CRKT All Cylinders, by Pat Cascio

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We’re taking a look at the collaboration between custom knife maker Bill Harsey, Ruger firearms, and Columbia River Knife & Tool (CRKT) today. And this one is a real winner.

Col. Rex Applegate and Custom Knife Maker Bill Harsey

I worked full-time for the late Col. Rex Applegate for three years, and he was not only my friend but my mentor as well. He taught me a lot about knife and gun fighting as well as military infantry tactics. It was more than I ever learned in the military. Applegate had his Applegate/Fairbairn double-edge fighting knife made by Oregon’s own custom knife maker, Bill Harsey. Unfortunately, I never crossed paths with Harsey in all the years I worked for Applegate, when Harsey delivered a batch of his knives.

Bill Harsey designs and makes knives, especially folders, that I dearly love. The man is talented, and he doesn’t live all that far from me. One of these days, I’ll have to pay him a visit and tour his operation.

CRKT Knives Made For Ruger

CRKT has a separate catalog from their regular line-up. It is loaded with Ruger knives, all made by CRKT for Ruger, and the line-up is very extensive. You can request catalogs from Ruger or CRKT to see all of the products.

Continue reading“Ruger/CRKT All Cylinders, by Pat Cascio”

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 Bitcoin, and its alternatives.

Precious Metals:

The proverbial Elephant in the Room is the silver-to-gold price ratio. When I last checked, it was an insane 81-to-1. That doesn’t match market fundamentals, industrial usage and recovery fundamentals, and certainly not Earth’s crust scarcity fundamentals. To me, this seriously out-of-whack ratio can only indicate a major economic recession or depression is ahead. This is because silver is more of an industrial metal, while gold is still seen as an inflation hedge.

If we start to see the silver-to-gold price ratio narrow before a recession then that is a huge red flashing light that says: World War III. And if we see the silver-to-gold price ratio narrow in the midst of a recession then that would signal either war or an incipient economic recovery.  OBTW, speaking of price ratios, seeing spot platinum priced far below the spot price of gold is another indicator of a recession in the near future. “Good Times” economically are indicated by platinum selling about 20% over the price of gold.

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Video: The Most Gold & Silver You’ve Ever Seen? Mike Maloney

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Take a look at this piece by Jeff Clark at GoldSilver.com: The Potential Big Surprise for 2018, and What It Means for Gold

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“If a person is too dangerous to have a gun, that person is dangerous enough to arrest or commit. Taking people’s guns on the say-so of a jilted lover or crazy neighbor isn’t a slippery slope, it’s a cliff.

I’ve often thought the NRA should move from Fairfax, one of the richest cities in the country—median family income is deep into six figures—and a leftist suburb of Washington DC. When the NRA endorses yet another cockamamie law like this, I have to wonder who’s influencing who.

Remember, the phrase ‘common sense gun law’ so beloved of anti-gun activists was first deployed by the NRA to help promote the Gun Control Act of 1968. This odious phrase has been thrown in our faces for fifty years now.” – Ol’ Remus in his weekly Yer Ol’ Woodpile Report blog