Odds ‘n Sods:

Snow damage to Idaho-Oregon onion industry nears $100 million. A lot of people have no idea of the ripple effect of this disaster. Migrant workers will have to move on to find work, and the schools will lose a lot of students, which means cuts in teachers,. This will affect every business in town. The local Walmart closed several weeks ago, because their roof was collapsing from the snow. Many people are out of work. – Pat Cascio

o o o

Jaw Dropping – Mexican Official Threatens to Unleash Cartels, Flood U.S. With Drugs and Narcotics – B.B.

o o o

A “Color Revolution” Is Under Way in the United States – I think that the author of this article has some astute observations, not that I would endorse everything he has to say. But if what he says is really happening, then we are definitely approaching a crisis moment. – ShepherdFarmerGeek

o o o

Bomb-shelter builder stays busy as customers prep for ‘Trumpocalypse’ – G.G.

o o o

What is this – bad dream?Is Hillary Clinton Looking to Launch a TV Talk Show as a Springboard to 2020 White House Bid? – B.B.





Notes for Sunday – January 29, 2017

Today is the birthday of journalist and inventor Thomas Paine (1737–1809). This is also the birthday of actor Tom Selleck (born 1945), best known for playing the title role of Magnum, P.I. He once dropped by my tables at the Reno gun show, and we had a great conversation. He is an avid shooter and quite pro-gun. – JWR



Wolves in Women’s Clothing, by Sarah Latimer

This recent “Women’s March” was anything but a march for the benefit of women, “civil” rights, or Americans! Instead, it appears to me to be a strategic manipulation of women by an evil force with intent to stir up trouble. Whether, all of its leaders are aware or not, it is a tool for this purpose. I am confident that many, if not most, of those participating in the march are unaware of the evil force using their emotions against them. They are pawns in a greater evil than they can imagine, because they have never experienced the kind of evil that is preying upon them. They may have experienced some injustices, upon which they have latched and based their passions, but their choice of solutions is sadly misdirected. The divisiveness that the leaders clearly have set up to take place is one that is taking place within marriages, hardening hearts of employers against out-of-control women, dividing our nation, and serving the interests of the Muslim Brotherhood’s radical Islamic agenda.

While some women argue that in the area where they were marching it was a peaceful demonstration, the march’s organizers and speakers were clearly not about peace among women or in our nation or our homes. The first evidence of this was their selective acceptance of which women deserved the “right” to march with them. Secondly, their speeches were angry and nasty, pro-choice, and even pro-Islam. They propelled the emotions of women to accomplish an agenda of death, not just for the unborn but for the “infidel” through their support of Sharia Law.

Shockingly, even Hillary Clinton, who has long been a strong voice for women’s rights around the world, was snubbed by the “Women’s March”! To me, this was a clue that its agenda went beyond feminism and abortion, of which she is a strong proponent. She wasn’t alone; there were other organizations as well, and it wasn’t just the pro-life groups excluded either. It appears that they were looking for the most angry, isolated, and naive groups to generate sympathy for an Islamic agenda under the guise of protecting against “Islamaphobia”. I could not stomach watching much of this march myself, as the nasty, vile, anti-male and anti-family hate speech spewed forth, but after reading about its leaders and watching some of the videos as well as listening to people who were there, it is apparent to me that the dangers to our republic of the march and particularly the agenda behind it are much more vast than merely the issue of abortion.

Abortion is a significant violation and a great assault against our Creator, but we are dealing with an evil bigger than even this. This march, I believe, was part of the Islamic agenda to rally the LGTB, the most extreme feminists (as many were excluded), and other groups that feel most outside of the normal population of America to sympathize with the Islamic people in America and to defend them as they initiate their infiltration plans under the Muslim Brotherhood agenda.

There is an article circulating that a friend gave me written by Cheri Berens. She has written her memoirs called “An American Woman Living in Egypt” describing her memoirs of the “shocking truths and horrifying events that took place after the Moslem Brotherhood takeover”. In the article I recently read from her, she describes the Egyptian women’s enthusiasm over Trump’s comment to eradicate radical Islam around the world and also their shock and gasps when they watched the rioters and then the “Women’s March” on television. These Egyptian women had watched the inauguration with hope, gathering in coffee houses during the night to view the live broadcasts, and then watching the subsequent events including the march. The people in the coffee house were shocked by the terrorists acts upon the streets and that American women would put on the hijab that Egyptian women have been fighting to take off, because of the abuse that seems to come with it. The words “Muslim Brotherhood” were heard around the coffee house as they watched the broadcasts and reflected upon what they, in Egypt, had experienced prior to 2012. Thousands have lost their lives fighting against ISIS in Egypt. The Sharia Laws, symbolized by the mandatory hijad headcovering, result in women being raped and killed in horrific manner for things as minor as riding a bicycle or sitting on a chair in various Muslim countries under the Muslim Brotherhood influence. Non-muslim women who refuse to wear the hijab have had their hair cut off, been raped, and some even thrown from fast-moving trains.

From what I saw, this mob of angry women looked like rabid, nasty animals readily willing to turn and feed on their own. I saw a video of one marcher setting fire to a female Trump supporter’s hair as well as various attacks by women upon women. The Brotherhood agenda, hiding behind and stirring the fire of these Women’s Rights and LGTB activists, is determined to intimidate (castrate) our law enforcement, push anti-hate legislation that protects their aggressive religious ideology and activism, and build sentiment and legal protections for the most vile and oppressive institution against women– Sharia law and the Muslim Brotherhood/ISIS!

This is the same cycle that has been described by women in Egypt and in other areas where the Muslim Brotherhood worked to gain the sentiment and support of naive and sympathetic onlookers for what they describe initially as “peaceful” lifestyles. How can anyone describe ISIS as peaceful? How can anyone describe the burning alive of a young woman for being raped as a peaceful and righteous act? Yet, they do! In extreme cases, it’s even the family’s responsibility to publicly kill their female family member who “lured” a man into raping her and causing family shame by looking at him, uncovering her face or hair, or in some cases by still covering her hair but just being outside her home and being “attractive” under her veil! They kill their own in mercifully ways…quickly. Non-muslims are often killed in more torturous ways, like burning alive or burying alive. I don’t need to go into the evils of Sharia law with most of you. You know about it, and it is sickening!

It may seem beyond your imagination to believe that ISIS could come into the U.S. and try to take control, as it has in other countries. Twenty-five years ago, I would have had trouble imagining this also. I’ve seen a lot within that time. I’m boggled with how easily Americans follow the media and how soft we’ve become in our reasoning. I’ve troubled about how our higher learning institutions have been infiltrated with pro-Muslim professors and student activists that have brainwashed our young adults into believing that Israel is the enemy! We have sympathy for those who are the “underdog”. It’s our way in movies, sports, and also in how we care for those who are disabled, minorities, and so forth. As believers, we are supposed to have compassion on other people, even those who are different than us. However, if those “underdogs” have an evil, aggressive intent, we must remove ourselves from their support and be prepared to engage it. If we can turn it away and suppress it, that’s the best! We certainly don’t want to unwittingly enable or join sides with evil aggression, and we must be prepared to stand against it, too!

When those who are seemingly the “underdog” are crying for power that would enable them to dominate and they are aggressive in their ideology, we must be alert and, at a minimum, not aid them as these women at the march did last weekend. Our nation is not like many. We have not been one to pursue world domination at any point in history and we have believed ourselves to be immune in modern times from outside domination, but what about from within? Sure, historically, our nation pushed to control a considerable portion of North America, but we have backed off when we had opportunity elsewhere. It’s not our nation’s goal and character to pursue world domination. It is the Muslim Brotherhood’s.

The Muslim Brotherhood has made it clear that it is their agenda to populate and conquer the world. Abortion is merely a tool to control their enemy’s population growth while they multiply; infiltrate our communities, government, businesses, and education institutions; gain political power; and prepare. In the meantime, they need other people to who sympathize with their “oppression” to give them more legal protection against initial resistance. Thus, they are joining with the issue of abortion and homosexuality, both of which is illegal within their religious and culture. They are preying upon women who feel victimized. They won’t be able to get legal support and authority unless they have legislation that gives them protection to put their religious beliefs and distorted, evil Sharia law above our laws and the people have become “soft” to their ways and vulnerable to sympathize with them. That is, in fact, what they are pursuing under the guise of religious freedom and “hate” protection laws.

The Muslim Brotherhood has a clear agenda to use anyone with tender emotions and feeling of oppression or isolation to sympathize with “Islamaphobia”, one of the latest ridiculous terms used to demean those with their eyes wide open to the real dangers of Islam’s radical ideology. It is real, and some of us actually do know a bit about history and have contacts with people who live or have lived in areas persecuted by this radical Muslim organization and its ideology. Some of us remember that it was not only the German Nazis who have perpetrated a holocaust. There were also 1.5 million Christians killed in the Armenian holocaust in Turkey in 1915. Many of these, if not the majority, were killed by their Muslim small community non-military neighbors who were signaled with a trumpet when it was time to initiate the periodic, day-long rapes and massacres for which they were rewarded with pillage and then awarded forgiveness of any “sin” committed on this day. There were also mass killings of men and then women and children sent on death marches into the desert. Years ago, I met one woman who as a child survivor of this holocaust and lived to tell the story to me and others! I have not forgotten the horrors I heard! I was stunned in hearing her story and also stunned that I had never heard anything about it, though I had considered myself to know a lot about foreign missions and Christianity. Today’s young, Christian people generally have less knowledge than I did at that age and, thus, are more vulnerable to having history repeat itself. (Yes, this is a plug for home schooling, where history should be emphasized!)

These Muslims target Jews and Christians, yet they prey on our compassion. We are and should be compassionate toward the Muslim people who are in need, but we cannot be vulnerable to their authority or injury. There is a difference, and we must remember that there may also be Christians and Jews living quietly among them in Muslim-dominated lands, as they must remain well hidden in order to survive in some places.

As we remember the Holocaust of 1945, Israel’s Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef on Thursday, during an inter-religious meeting with Palestinian Muslim clerics hosted by President Reuven Rivlin, said “Millions of refugees are homeless, hundreds of thousands of others are starved, under siege. They are not our friends, but they are human beings who are suffering a small holocaust. As Jews we must not stay silent. The call must be heard from here: A genocide will not be allowed to go by quietly — not in Syria and not anywhere else, and not against any people.” It is important that while God loves His human creations and values them– male and female– equally, they are not the same any more than a lion is the same as a giraffe. Both are beautiful creatures with purpose and strength. He loves the people of Islam, too; however, their worship of a false god and loyalty to an ideology that instructs them to destroy life and target women, Jews, and Christians are all offenses to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They are also offenses to the Constitution of the United States and particularly its Bill of Rights, as they are threatening life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We should have compassion on hurting individuals without aiding in their campaign. Israel is doing this well with day clinics to help the injured Syrian Muslim women and children and in other compassionate services, without supporting the aggression. Those who are receiving care are beginning to question who is really their friend and who is their enemy, as they now look upon Israel more as a friend than some of their Muslim aggressors they formerly thought were “friends”. That’s a win!

Ladies, we must keep Islam at arm’s length and not let your heart strings of compassion make you naive and vulnerable to manipulation, where you want to give them rights above your own! Do not let your feelings deceive you into thinking that you share in their oppression. You do not! I say this from experience. There is very little serious hardship that I have not experienced intimately in my life, whether directly or as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, or very close friend helping carry the burden daily. I am not diminishing anything that you may be going through. Instead, what I am saying is that the oppression that U.S.-based Muslim women have is mainly from Islam, Sharia Law, and the very organizations that are pursuing special “rights” and protections from sympathizers who are following their emotions, like many of those at the march. Our laws are marvelous, and our legislative system, while it has its flaws, is the best there is!

The sympathy that these Muslim organizations are pursuing is not going to benefit you or any American. It won’t even benefit the Muslim woman in America! I spent days in personal communications with a former Muslim woman, Nonie Darwish, hearing her story and her warning to the U.S. (outlined in her book Cruel and Unusual Punishment: The Terrifying Global Implications of Islamic Law), and more days reading of other Muslim women’s accounts of their lives. Nonie is in constant danger because for her voice against the religious ideology of Islam. I know women living in Muslim countries and have prayed for women put in prison, beaten, and for the families of those who have been murdered. I have prayed for Muslims and desire good for them on a personal level, but I am not deceived by this evil ideology and particularly by the agenda to conquer the world. I want to help those who are hungry and homeless and then share the truth of our loving, forgiving, kind, and living God who offers abundant life through faith in and following His Son rather than living under the angry, punitive, continuously vengeful god, ideology, and organizations of power masqued as “religion” that they are currently serving. I am grateful to those Christians and Jews who do minister to Muslims and share this truth with them. We read in the Bible to “overcome evil with good”. I believe this! However, as we go about doing what seems good, we must be careful to not enable the power-mongering agenda that wills to conquer others.

The light of our lives lived with integrity and kindness toward those in need as the LORD guides will overcome evil, but we must keep our emotions and our self-centered demands in check. Otherwise, these will be used against us, as it was used against the marchers this past weekend and can, ultimately, used to cause our very demise!

Do not fall into the thinking that it’s necessary to participate in a riot-type march in order to promote equal pay for equal work or to promote pro-life or anything that is perceived as “good”. Truth does not require defending; it requires that it be upheld. God is our greatest advocate. We readily spout off the words “In God We Trust”, but do we? What is far more effective is for each and every one of us to live lives of integrity and to affect people on a one-on-one basis through calm logic and by godly example. It is natural that when someone pushes against someone, they lean back into them to avoid falling. How much better to not create resistance by force but to create change within the heart. While there are times when force is the last resort and becomes necessary, force does not change hearts. God, love, example, goodness, kindness, mercy, and so forth– these change hearts.

It is my desire that women not have to work in the workplace but be able to focus on their homes. However, there are times when women must work. Some are widowed or abandoned. Others have husbands who cannot work for whatever reason. It is necessary at times, and I see nothing wrong with a woman contributing to the family incomes if she is able to do so while keeping up her responsibilities to her home, though it is so much easier if her work is based within the home and part time. Yet, there are many women who feel they are held back from their potential because they are women. I just don’t see much of that anymore, and I have been at senior management/executive levels and in personal contact with CEOs of some of the largest corporations in America. It may happen in some cases, but I see women in CEO positions much more often today than I did thirty years ago. Twenty-five years ago, Working Woman magazine’s list of top CEO executives used to drill down to some fairly small businesses to find 50 female CEOs. In 2014, CEO.com listed the Top 25 Most Powerful Women CEOs, and it is an impressive list of corporations, including Pepsico, IBM, Xerox, HP, Yahoo, Lockheed-Martin, DuPont, General Dynamic, Campbell’s, and more! When we are steadfast in demonstrating our value, worth, and loyalty through excellent work, a honest employer will reward it, in time as he/she is able. My employers saw my heart to give “extra” and do excellent work for their benefit and honor, and they rewarded it when they could. I was given keys to a boss’s personal vacation home for a family vacation. I was given time off with pay when I had family emergency or other need. My position was held open when I had an extended health crisis. They understood and were patient when I had a sick child that required I leave work early. None of these things were contractual obligations of my employer, but I had given far above my contractual obligations in advance, and the exchange between employer-employee was mutually beneficial. I had to give first though, to prove my value, and I did it without raising my fist, slamming my hand, threatening lawsuits, or organizing a march. I did it quietly without a single demand. I’ve been a “first woman” in some positions, even in the “deep South” where it was a shock for some to see me in those positions. I’ve even turned down positions, too, which shocked some women, as I was keeping my priorities in check and knew it would consume me. I took the positions entrusted to me gracious and respectfully without flaunting that I was a woman in that position. It even had to be pointed out to me that I was the first woman in that position, as I never looked at myself as a representative of my gender. Instead, I did my job with excellence and respect for those who worked above, beside, and beneath me in the organizational structure, because I did not want to a “token” female but a respected employee. I identified as a child of God more than a representative of women or any other movement. I wanted to be respected for what I contributed as part of the team. It is so much better to be respected for your contribution to the team than for your ability to intimidate and bully, based upon something for which you had no choice, like skin color, gender, nation of origin, et cetera. I’m sure that in doing this that I paved the way for these men to have open hearts toward other women, who hopefully weren’t bullies about their “rights” for special treatment because they were women either. Instead of participating in violent, angry marches that create push back, make a difference by generating respect for yourself, your point of view, and those like you through your quality of work, humble attitude, persistence, and kindness to help others succeed also. Work and live with integrity, and then your ideas will more readily be heard.

It’s also vitally important to remember that we, as women and men, do not ultimately work for our employers; we work for God.

Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: 23 and whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; 24 knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. 25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons. Col 3:23-24

God tells us to do good work and be constructive. When I see people causing harm to others and to the property of others in a manner that appears out of control, it does nothing to attract me to their cause. We belong to a creative, constructive God who teaches us to love life, respect the life and work of others, and to protect liberty.

Now, I respect that these women at the march have the right to speak their minds; however, they do not have the right to harm others or the property of others. Furthermore, they need to wake up and recognize that they have just spent their day aiding the most offensive women’s rights abusers in the current world and followed a leader who vocally supports them also.

So, basically, I am warning that this March was a ploy by the Islamic agenda to garner the support of people who feel that they are rejected outcasts in some way and are angry. I am warning you to keep your emotions in check and to recognize that it is better to stand alone and let God be your guide and your advocate than to join an angry mob or even a calm group that has a hidden agenda that will be used against you at some point in the future. Finally, demonstrate love and compassion to those in need, but do not succumb to deception that Islam is a peaceful religion; it is not! Our laws of the land are in place to protect everyone, and no group needs special protections against hate that would violate our freedom of speech or threaten our own freedoms of religion, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

May you be filled with peace this week as you go about doing the work before you with diligence, as unto the Lord!



Letter Re: What is Your Purpose

HJL,

This career Special Operations officer and combat veteran was both shaken and touched by MAC’s self-effacing honesty in his writing. Apparently, I’m not quite as alone as I’ve thought, as clearly we’ve walked the same path in many ways. I write “shaken” because he brought home to me a truth about something that has been troubling me for all the many years I’ve been diligently plowing ahead with this “Prepping thing”. I’ve always approached it as a tactical challenge, a battlefield in which one more weapon, one more plan, and one more tool would accomplish the mission. The truth is I’ve lost my way, not seeing the forest for the trees. I gotta say this revelation is going down hard. Now, I’ll deal with this too, and just want to thank MAC for the compass correction. – TWH



Economics and Investing:

UBS Clients Pull $15 Billion in Quarter as Margins Decline

o o o

Things to Watch in the Fourth-Quarter GDP Report

o o o

US UK Trade Talks to Begin Immediately In Defiance of EU Rules: What’s Trump Up To?

o o o

Don’t Threaten Business with a “Border Tax” — Instead, Make the US A Good Place to Do Business

o o o

SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.



Odds ‘n Sods:

Trump argument bolstered: Clinton could have received 800,000 votes from noncitizens – P.M.

o o o

President Trump Readies Pen to Reverse Anti-gun Executive Orders – RBS

o o o

Facial Recognition at 1000 faces per sec – K.S.

o o o

Prosecutors In Nevada Beg Trial Judge To Protect The BLM From Scrutiny During Bundy Trial – B.B.

o o o

What to make of Trump’s Inauguration. Lauren Southern and Faith Goldy of TheRebel.media look back at their trip to Washington, DC to report on Donald Trump’s inauguration. – T.J.



Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” – Romans 9:14-15 (KJV)



Notes for Saturday – January 28, 2017

January 28th is the anniversary of the rescue of General James L. Dozier from his Italian Red Brigades kidnappers. Tangentially, Colonel Jeff Cooper created a shooting drill in honor of those who freed him– The Dozier Drill.

o o o

Our sincere thanks to all the folks who ordered a limited edition SurvivalBlog 2005-2016 Archive loaded on a 8 gigabyte waterproof USB flash drive. Those orders have all been packaged and labeled, and about half of them have now been mailed out, via First Class Mail, with tracking. The rest should be mailed on or before Monday, January 30th. That means they all should be delivered by February 14th. So please WAIT until February 15th before asking us for tracking numbers. And for anyone who missed out: The Digital Download version is still available, for just $14.95. Once you have that on your computer, you can make a copy on your own (locally procured) 8GB USB stick. – JWR

o o o

If the 2nd Amendment is important to you, then please visit Whitehouse.gov and sign this petition: Petition Title: Repeal the NFA ”We the People wish to see the National Firearms Act of 1934 repealed in order to remove regulations on our 2nd amendment rights, increase national economic strength, and provide protection against threats to our national security.” The NFA has never been Constitutional and must go!

Oh, and while you are it, please also sign another petition there, which would rerevoke the Transferable Machinegun Freeze: Repeal the 1986 Hughes Amendment – JWR

o o o

Ready Made Resources has a great deal on a Deluxe 4-Person kit with 1,500 pounds of long term storage food, and it includes an Anytone Radio Ram Radio Transceiver Kit with it. The sale ends on January 31st, 2017 so get yours while you can.

o o o

Today, we present another entry for Round 68 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $15,000 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 that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 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 with a hammer forged, chrome-lined barrel 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, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul PMAG 30-rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt; (an equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions),
  6. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  7. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package (enough for two families of four) plus seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate (a $325 retail value),
  8. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  9. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $2,400 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. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  8. An infrared sensor/imaging camouflage shelter from Snakebite Tactical in Eureka, Montana (A $350+ value),
  9. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  10. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Third Prize:

  1. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A custom made Sage Grouse model utility/field knife from custom knife-maker Jon Kelly Designs, of Eureka, Montana,
  4. 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,
  5. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  6. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  7. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  8. Montie Gear is donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a $125 Montie gear Gift certificate.,
  9. 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), and
  10. Fifteen LifeStraws from SafeCastle (a $300 value).
  11. A $250 gift certificate to Tober’s Traditions, makers of all natural (organic if possible) personal care products, such as soap, tooth powder, deodorant, sunscreen, lotion, and more.

Round 68 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.



Reloading And Accurizing For The 45 Colt Revolver- Part 2, by “Papa Bear”

Reloading

The 45 Colt is a great choice for reloading. The size of the 45 Colt cartridge helps to make it an easy one to reload. The cartridge can be easily inspected along every step of the reloading process. Also, the handloader has many component options to produce high quality ammunition at a cost much lower than purchasing factory new ammunition. There are some safety considerations that deserve mentioning before getting into the actual reloading instructions. For some reason, there are many people who find it necessary to load the 45 Colt to pressures WAY above safe limits, even exceeding 44 Mag levels. This is very foolish! It only takes one cylinder failure to cripple, maim, or even kill the shooter or a bystander with gunmetal shrapnel. Besides that, quality weapons are too expensive to destroy with reckless abuse. If a person will not be satisfied with the power of a 45 Colt, they should just buy a 44 Mag or 500 S&W, instead of trying to make the gun do something it is not designed to do. Additionally, some reloading recipes will state the loads to be safe in only certain makes and models of 45 Colt caliber firearms. The wise and prudent person will follow these recommendations. Heeding these safety tips will prevent the handloader from being injured or destroying a weapon.

Historically, there has been variations in the bore diameter of 45 Colt revolvers. Newly manufactured weapons should have a bore diameter of .451 inches. Antique weapons may have a bore diameter of .454 inches. It is not unheard of to encounter revolvers that fall somewhere in between these measurements. To get the best accuracy out of handloads, projectile diameter needs to be appropriately matched to the bore diameter. If there is any doubt about the bore diameter in a new production revolver, the manufacturer should be able to provide a definite answer. For older weapons, it is best to slug the barrel. This is accomplishted by using a mallet and wooden dowel to drive a slightly oversized soft lead slug, like a .457 inch muzzle loader round ball, through the bore and then measuring the slug with calipers. If reloading using jacketed bullets, the bullets should match the bore diameter. If reloading with cast lead bullets, bullets that are 0.001 to 0.002 oversized will usually give the best accuracy even when used with gas checks. When reloading with cast lead bullets, have the revolver’s cylinder handy. When setting the bullet seating and crimping die, adjust it so that the bullet sets as far out of the cartridge as possible while still fitting easily into the cylinder and staying within the recommended cartridge overall length. Test the loaded cartridge length for fit by dropping a completed round into the cylinder. If the rounds will not seat fully into the cylinder, the bullet must be seated further into the case. Setting the bullet out further will increase the accuracy of the hand load by slightly reducing the bullet jump. It is a small improvement, but the synergistic effect of combining many small improvements will give great gains in accuracy. Once the proper bullet diameter has been determined and the proper seating depth and crimp has been set, it is time to load up some test rounds.

Gather all components and begin loading between six and 12 cartridges, starting with the lowest recommended powder charge; accurately label this batch of cartridges with the amount of powder they contain. Six to 12 cartridges are loaded, instead of just three to minimize the chance of always shooting out of the same cylinders and to minimize the effect of any one cylinder being more accurate than the others. Like a good representative democracy, each cylinder will have an equal voice when firing test groups. Next, load up 6-12 more cartridges, adding 0.1 grains of powder, and then accurately label this batch also. Repeat this process, increasing the powder charge 0.1 grains each time until the maximum powder charge is reached. It is not a bad practice to always stop 0.1 to 0.2 grains short of the maximum recommended load. Of course, never exceed the maximum recommended powder charge. It is always better to err on the side of caution than to risk a cylinder failure. For the 45 Colt, magnum pistol primers are not always necessary, and the use is left up to the reloaders personal preference and reloading recipe recommendations. When loaded within safe limits, the handloader can produce accurate and very capable 45 Colt ammunition. The attention to detail and time spent reloading will be rewarded with a productive shooting session.

Shooting/Testing at the Range

Now it’s time for the fun part, shooting at the range! Discovering a consistently accurate load is the reward for putting in the time and effort in accurizing and reloading the 45 Colt. Here are a few suggestions to maximize the results and time spent at the range. Many people will shoot for accuracy with handguns at 25 yards. However, smaller improvements in group sizes will become more apparent when the distance is doubled to 50 yards. So, set up a steady shooting rest and shoot at 50 yards to determine which test batches will group the tightest. The shooting rest and target set up will have an effect on the reloader’s ability to shoot accurately and consistently. Support for the revolver should closely align the gun to the target without the shooter needing to apply much physical manipulation to the weapon; just make sure to have the area around the revolver’s cylinder gap clear. Many nice shooting bags have been ripped open by propellant gasses escaping from the cylinder gap. The next consideration to improve the human component of accuracy is target selection. The target should be well visible at the intended range. Targets with central shapes that are too small may appear blurry or too obscured when the aligned sights are placed on them, while target areas that are too large will make it difficult for the shooter to align the sight picture exactly the same way on exactly the same spot with every shot. The specific target area should be big enough for visibility and small enough to ensure maintaining the exact same sight picture on every shot. It is helpful to make an “X” from corner to corner of the target out of brightly colored duct tape. The top half of the “X” makes a “V” shape. The lower point of the “V” shape makes an excellent aiming point to help maintain precise sight alignment for more repeatable shot placement. Another trick is to take eye drops to the shooting range. Tired, dry, and blurry eyes can be helped by a few eye drops, greatly improving shooting. These few suggestions can help get the most consistent shot groups.

Now it’s finally time to get shooting! Get warmed up by loading up the revolver and shooting a few cylinder fulls of ammo at the target. Examine the shot groups for indications of any shooter errors, such as inconsistent breathing or trigger squeeze, and then correct the shooting form before shooting up the limited number of test loads. Using a new target each time, shoot each batch of test ammo. Save and label each shot target appropriately. It is a good practice to clean the revolver to some degree between test loads. A bore snake will make this process much faster and less arduous. After all of the test loads have been shot, measure the size of the shot groups. The shot group that measures the smallest will be the powder charge that will give the best accuracy when loaded with the other selected components. Since everything has been labeled accurately and the best load in known, it is now a cinch to load up as much ammo as desired with the newly proven recipe for accuracy. Just remember, a 250 grain bullet traveling at 850 feet per second smashing through an animal’s heart is much more effective than the same bullet traveling at 1,000 feet per second and only slicing through air. The goal is a load that shoots exactly where pointed, every single time. This is the reward for all the time spent working on the gun and the handloads.

Benefits of the 45 Colt

In conclusion, the 45 Colt is a fun gun to shoot. This big revolver carries a lot of nostalgia for fans of western movies and people who pretended to be cowboys as children. Aside from that, it is a very capable round and can be an accurate weapon with some careful treatment to the firearm and precise handloading. The heavy bullet with large frontal area is quite effective at handgun ranges; it’s big medicine indeed! This capable weapon has some advantages for the preparedness community also. The action is strong and without moving parts bearing the energy of the cartridge. The single action revolver will provide a long service life and is mechanically dependable to the extreme. Firing the weapon produces comparatively lower chamber pressures, which translates to longer cartridge case life and less wear on the firearm, again adding to longevity and longer runs between any servicing or repairs. The resourceful prepper can gather lead and cast bullets at no cost, cutting ammo supply cost significantly. The 45 colt is useful for hunting at handgun ranges and has been used to kill surprisingly large animals. It’s definitely more than adequate for whitetails. For self defense, it is dependable, powerful, and accurate; however, since it is slower to reload, every round needs to count. One of the greatest attributes of the 45 Colt revolver is that it is fun to shoot! There are many things that a fan of the 45 Colt could say to sell it to the preparedness community. With a few easy gunsmithing tasks and some good handloading, this old gun has a place in the modern preparedness culture as a powerful, accurate, and rock solid dependable weapon. With such an increase in first time gun owners and new preppers, spreading the good word about reloading to the online community is my passion. Happy reloading!



Letter Re: Oregon Snow

Hugh,

Many years ago we had a winter in the Spokane area that was threatening to put nearly three feet of snow on our rooftop. Roof rakes sure looked like a lot of work to use, and they raised the question of damage to the roof shingles (though the nicer rakes have wheels).

So I hunted for a better solution and found the Roof Razor.

This amazing tool makes me laugh every time I use it (which hasn’t been in a while!). For less than $150 I’ve got a tool that can clear my one-story roof of 2+ feet of snow in about a half hour. A D-bracket on a pole holds a straight edge with a trailing tarp that gets pushed under the snow. The snow comes zipping off in big blocks! Watch the video above; that’s really how well it works.

The straight edge has wheels on it to keep it from actually contacting your roof shingles; there’s no damage! And you can get pole extensions for reaching second floor roofs.

They all have to be pitched roofs. This isn’t going to work very well on a flat roof, sorry! (But I bet some clever person can figure out how to use one there too, and it’s probably less work than shoveling: The tarp with the snow load on top is sliding over a thin layer of snow/ice, so it has very low friction if you were to pull it back over the flat roof edge…)

Don’t wait until there’s three feet of snow on your roof. But on the other hand you don’t have to dread clearing the roof if you’ve got a tool that can do the job with a minimum of exertion! Who would know how to handle heavy snowfall better than the folks in Minnesota?!

Trust God. Be Prepared. We can do both. – ShepherdFarmerGeek





Odds ‘n Sods:

I spotted this over at the ZeroGov Forums: Passphrases That You Can Memorize – But That Even The NSA Can’t Guess – JWR

o o o

Jeremiah Johnson: This is How You Can Dodge Facial Recognition Software

o o o

Brody File Exclusive: President Trump Says Persecuted Christians Will Be Given Priority As Refugees

o o o

Well, as a Limited Edition, it was inevitable that the Rawles XL Voyager knives would sell out. Now they have. If you want one, jump on it before the price on the secondary market escalates. You can still find them for under $75 on Amazon.com. But at this time next year, I predict that they will be hard to find for $90.





Notes for Friday – January 27, 2017

January 27th is commemorated at International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

This is also the birthday of the late Helen Chenoweth (born, 1938, died October 2, 2006). She was a controversial Republican congresswoman from Orofino, Idaho.

o o o

Camping Survival is moving to a new location just a few miles away. Their new address is 1000 North Horner Blvd in Sanford, North Carolina. You can take advantage of this today with a 10% discount off of everything with a coupon.

o o o

Today, we present another entry for Round 68 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $15,000 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 that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 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 with a hammer forged, chrome-lined barrel 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, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul PMAG 30-rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt; (an equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions),
  6. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  7. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package (enough for two families of four) plus seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate (a $325 retail value),
  8. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  9. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $2,400 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. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  8. An infrared sensor/imaging camouflage shelter from Snakebite Tactical in Eureka, Montana (A $350+ value),
  9. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  10. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Third Prize:

  1. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A custom made Sage Grouse model utility/field knife from custom knife-maker Jon Kelly Designs, of Eureka, Montana,
  4. 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,
  5. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  6. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  7. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  8. Montie Gear is donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a $125 Montie gear Gift certificate.,
  9. 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), and
  10. Fifteen LifeStraws from SafeCastle (a $300 value).
  11. A $250 gift certificate to Tober’s Traditions, makers of all natural (organic if possible) personal care products, such as soap, tooth powder, deodorant, sunscreen, lotion, and more.

Round 68 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.