Letter Re: Sad Silent Prepper

HJL,

I too am dealing with a family that does not grasp the dire situation we are in, in this country. My wife is of the opinion that it has never happened here and thus never will. My children (all grown and out of the house) think I am looney and will actually get up and leave the room if the conversation even starts to go in that direction. I am prepping as best I can and don’t care what they think. I pay all the bills at my house, so if I decide to spend money and on what I will spend it, it is totally my decision. My wife works outside the home, and she spends her money as she will. She pays none of the bills. I recently have closed on a small tract of land in Georgia and hope to establish a “hobby farm” there, one that is well supplied!!! Much ridicule and derision on my buying a farm!!?? To Sad Silent Prepper, I say, “Prep on!!” – Also within an hour of Hotlanta.

Odds ‘n Sods:

A relative mentioned this handy home/ranch/retreat security device: The Mini-Sentry Alarm. Be sure to watch the accompanying video, for some safety and installation tips. – JWR

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Here is one of the “Safety First” reminder videos: The Definitive 11Foot8 Bridge Crash

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Orlando cop who mistook doughnut glaze for drugs is disciplined – T.P.

JWR’s Comment: And I always assumed that policemen were experts on everything related to doughnuts!

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N.Y. Law Enforcement Officers Using Plastic Covers to Obscure Their License Plates – N.T.

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This is how 10 million illegals have been voting for decades! Grand Prairie Woman Sentenced To 8 Years In Prison For Voter Fraud – P.M.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.” – Exodus 17:6 (KJV)

Notes for Friday – February 10, 2017

February 10th is the birthday of Zvi Zvika Greengold(born 1952), a Centurion tank commander who was one of Israel’s most notable heroes of the Yom Kippur War. He was awarded the Medal of Valor.

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A reminder: Gun owners should visit the whitehouse.gov petitions page 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.” More than 68,000 people have already signed the petition. Please help get it past the 100,000 mark so that it gets the attention it deserves! – JWR

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SurvivalBlog has a new sponsor for Round 69 of the Writing Contest. The Wertz’s Farm Market, (who was mention on Odds ‘n Sods about a week ago) is now providing a selection of canned meats containing a 10 pack of 28oz cans of Premium Beef and a 5 pack of 28oz cans of Premium Pork for the contest. We have also had very good feedback about them from our readers.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 69 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. An infrared sensor/imaging camouflage shelter from Snakebite Tactical in Eureka, Montana (A $350+ value),
  6. 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),
  7. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 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. A selection of canned meats containing a 10 pack of 28oz cans of Premium Beef and a 5 pack of 28oz cans of Premium Pork from Wertz’s Farm Market (a $300 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 69 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.

Bugging Out West of the Mississippi- Part 1, by C.L.

Upon relocation to Texas by truck from the East through the Midwest I realized there will be numerous logistics and potential threats that may come into play during TEOTWAWKI that few might consider beforehand and won’t be able to check on-the-fly without cell service and WiFi. I hope my Midwest and East coast friends can use this information as a tool if they want to make a move West of the Mississippi and appreciate why. As I will show you, there is a huge night and day difference between each side of the Mississippi River. My range of concerns and personal solutions begin with operations security (OPSEC) and traveling risks to end with specific, affordable home defense measures no matter where your eventual destination may be.

Comparing a U.S. population density map of the 2010 census as one dot per person with a NASA night image map reveals the contrasting networks and densities of our current “techno society”– those in severe anxiety.

If a primary survival strategy is to avoid other humans for the first few months after any potential Black Swan events, then bugging out west beyond the Mississippi river is a viable solution. Potential Black Swan Events prior to TEOTWAWKI may include:

  • Financial/Communications/Societal Collapse/Martial Law
  • Solar CME (coronal mass ejection)/EMP (electromagnetic pulse)/Martial law
  • Geophysical (earthquake, tsunami, super eruption) or Spacephysical Events (asteroid strike, meteor rain, comet cloud)/Martial Law
  • CALExit/Aztlan/Martial Law
  • USA Terrorist attacks/WWIII/Martial Law (Invasion scenarios predict adversaries splitting the country by trying to control the Missisiippi River; I choose to be west of Fig. 3 in that conflict.)

I think you’re getting the bigger picture!

Understanding Our Highway System

Our U.S. Interstate Highway system labels N-S highways with odd numbers, which increase from West to East, and E-W highways with even numbers, which increase from South to North (to avoid confusion with the U.S. Highways, which increase from east to west and north to south), though there are exceptions. The ubiquitous mile markers located one mile apart typically indicate the distance to the next state border or end of road and identifies exits through urban circular loops using clockwise numbers from the south IH intersection. Mile markers on interstate highways can also help you determine which direction you’re going. On most interstates, mile marker numbers begin at the southern state line on north-south routes and increase as you travel north. On east-west routes, the numbers begin on the western state border and increase as you travel east.

Traveling OPSEC

Operational security and situational awareness while traveling is a fluid concern but can be based on scenarios planned ahead and scripted with contingencies for unexpected encounters. A group traveling in separate vehicles should utilize basic two-way radios for communication, always assuming others are listening. Communications using prearranged simple coded messages and keywords protects OPSEC. Never reveal location information; rather, use a scrambled system of reference to mile marker numbers, which to decipher require adding a set quantity (changed each week) and the current days date for the correct number. For example, the transmission refers to MM 68, but you have to add 19 and today’s date to get the correct MM of 96 (further distance than transmitted).

My take on travel OPSEC is focused more toward Risk Analysis with the Impact and Scale vs. Likelihood of a particular event occurring. Using basic traveling knowledge and scripted scenarios helps determine basic alternative routes and responses appropriate to the conditions encountered and maintains the five principals of OPSEC:

Step 1. Track critical information about you, your plans, and resources that could be used by an adversary.

Step 2. Identify who your adversaries might be based on time, location, and circumstances.

Step 3. Determine the various ways your critical information could be compromised, indirectly or overtly.

Step 4. Assess and prioritize the items of information that are the most likely to be used by your adversary and the related countermeasures to use.

Step 5. Apply and integrate your countermeasures and other security for the most vulnerable items, in a priority order.

The military might keep logs for these steps and revisions, but you will make your lists, scripts, maps, et cetera to memorize and then burn them before you leave, since you are protecting your family’s “lives” first. Only keep basic travel document copies available, and the originals safely hidden. Do not keep maps, brochures, or notes of where you are going; just use an available USA atlas for orienteering with non-descript marks as reminders. Consistently tell inquiring minds a destination far beyond and north or south of where you would like to stop, thus explaining the supplies.

Scenario No.1 (Primary)

You and your family are traveling with friends to see relations in another state far away and provide care for a sick relative. Your vehicles are common, basic transportation but with LT-E rated tires, loaded with camping gear to avoid paying for lodging on your limited cash and resources. You carry extra gas to limit your stops and use personal urinals (plastic bottles for men) while traveling. Everyone wears loose fitting,“Good Will” type clothing and old sweaters, jackets, shoes, et cetera without urban tags, graphics, affiliations, or other identifiers; you have a camping upgrade from the “Great Depression” look. Accumulated trash in the car or truck from traveling long distance is apparent, and kids are whining with only comic books to read. Do not wear jewelry, expensive rings, accessories, designer anything, hunting/military/camo gear, or personal electronics you can’t afford in this scenario. OPSEC will require children to be seen but not heard in most scenarios. Remind them of their important contribution to a safe trip, and test them along the way. Read Pslam 8:2, for what it says about “from out of the mouths of babes”.

This scenario is your family training script! Do not attract undue attention, and be sure to look the part you are adopting in every aspect, from clothes to attitude (eyes down respect) and quiet demeanor even when provoked. You don’t behave as a victim but quiet confidence and determination to get where you’re going.

Create similar scenarios from the priority list, and everyone memorize them, including the children when appropriate. Make a verbal travel game out of the exercise for all to share in. Scenarios requiring evasive actions or self defense should be scripted on a need-to-know basis (NSFC– not safe for children). Do not write them down to carry in the car; burn them before leaving. Good OPSEC will include a comprehensive list of things to burn before you leave, because you may not be coming back. Don’t leave anything behind or in the trash that identifies you or your plans. Create a travel cover story for the neighbors just before you leave to explain your recent garage sales, using Craigslist, finding pets new homes, et cetera. Traveling to care for a sick family member can work, if you sell it with conviction and concern. Don’t leave a vacant looking house but ask the neighbors to watch over things and maybe pay them to mow the lawn for a season until you return (sic).

Traveling Risks

To head West you follow the sun, so why the big whooop? The Mississippi River is a major physical barrier to cross, and floating down it will be treacherous during TEOTWAWKI, particularly where it flows through major urban areas. Dredged to a depth of 9-12 feet by the U.S. Corp of Engineers, the northern stretch above St. Louis varies from 1-2 miles wide to 30 feet (N. Minn.) before floods. When considering potential Geophysical Black Swan events, a repeat of the New Madrid earthquake has to be considered along with its related areas and scope of impacts. The Mississippi bridges are generally oriented W-E, and the New Madrid seismic acceleration will occur in the same general direction. These bridges are not designed to handle large differential horizontal movements and may collapse, or the numerous utilities they carry will snap; both scenarios are dangerous to be around, much less attempting to cross during. The following map shows how the Midwest geology will accentuate and expand these movements as in the 1895 New Madrid, 6.8 quake compared to the areas affected by the 1994 Los Angeles, 6.7 earthquake. The earlier New Madrid earthquakes (four quakes plus after-shocks) from Dec. 16, 1811 to Feb. 7, 1812, registered from 7.5 to 8.0 and created a severe damage zone into southern Iowa and southwest Illinois along the river valley.

If this disaster strikes, crossing the Mississippi will require crossing north of the Ohio river (Cairo, IL.) and probably using an Iowa bridge. Of course, crossing any bridge is subject to political whims, so avoid the big city problems, Interstates, U.S. highways, and railroad bridges. Here is a list of the bridges you might consider:

Iowa Miles north of Ohio River

  • Black Hawk Bridge IA 9/WIS 82 Lansing, Iowa (663) 43°21?55?N 91°12?54?W
  • Marquette-Joliet Bridge US 18/WIS 60 Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin (634) 43°02?38?N 91°10?33?W
  • Eagle Point Bridge (Historical) Former US 61 / US 151 Dubuque, Iowa (583) 42°32?14?N 90°38?34?W
  • Dubuque-Wisconsin Bridge US 61 / US 151 Dubuque, Iowa (581) 42°30?56?N 90°38?08?W
  • Dubuque Rail Bridge Canadian National Railway, Dubuque, Iowa (580) 42°29?55?N 90°39?01?W
  • Julien Dubuque Bridge US 20 Dubuque, Iowa (579) 42°29?30?N 90°39?22?W
  • Savanna-Sabula Bridge US 52/IA 64/IL 64 Sabula, Iowa (537) 42°06?16?N 90°09?38?W
  • Sabula Rail Bridge Railroad Canadian Pacific, Sabula, Iowa (535) 42°03?51?N 90°09?58?W
  • Mark Morris Memorial Bridge IA 136/IL 136 Clinton, IA.. and Fulton, IL. (520) 41°51?53?N 90°10?23?W
  • Gateway Bridge (Illinois-Iowa) US 30 Clinton, Iowa and Fulton, Illinois (518) 41°50?16?N 90°11?02?W
  • Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Bridge Railroad, Union Pacific Railroad Clinton, Iowa and Fulton, Illinois (518) 41°50?11?N 90°11?05?W
  • Fred Schwengel Memorial Bridge I-80 LeClaire, Iowa and Rapids City, Illinois (495) 41°34?49?N 90°21?54?W
  • I-74 Bridge I-74 / US 6 Bettendorf, Iowa and Moline, Illinois (485) 41°31?12?N 90°30?48?W
  • Government Bridge Automotive and Rail Davenport, Ia. and Rock Island, IL. (483) 41°31?09?N 90°34?01?W
  • Rock Island Centennial Bridge US 67 Davenport, Ia. and Rock Island, IL. (482) 41°30?54?N 90°34?54?W
  • Crescent Rail Bridge Railroad, BNSF Railway, Davenport, Iowa and Rock Island, Illinois (481) 41°30?42?N 90°35?41?W
  • I-280 Bridge I-280 Davenport, Iowa and Rock Island, Illinois (478) 41°28?45?N 90°37?56?W
  • Norbert F. Beckey Bridge IA 92/IL 92 Muscatine, Iowa (456) 41°25?21?N 91°02?01?W
  • Keithsburg Rail Bridge Railroad (abandoned) Keithsburg, Illinois (428) 41°06?18?N 90°57?10?W
  • Great River Bridge US 34 Burlington, Iowa and Gulf Port, Illinois (404) 40°48?43?N 91°05?44?W
  • Burlington Rail Bridge BNSF Railway, Burlington, Iowa (403) 40°47?55?N 91°05?31?W
  • Fort Madison Toll Bridge IA 2/IL Fort Madison, Iowa (384) 40°37?37?N 91°17?45?W
  • Keokuk Rail Bridge Keokuk, Iowa (364) 40°23?28?N 91°22?24?W
  • Keokuk-Hamilton Bridge US 136 Keokuk, Iowa (363) 40°23?25?N 91°22?24?W

Missouri

  • Quincy Rail Bridge BNSF Railway, Quincy, Illinois (328) 39°56?30?N 91°25?51?W
  • Bayview Bridge US 24 Quincy, Illinois (327) 39°56?00?N 91°25?17?W
  • Quincy Memorial Bridge US 24 Quincy, Illinois (327) 39°55?53?N 91°25?14?W
  • Mark Twain Memorial Bridge I-72 / US 36 Hannibal, Missouri (309) 39°43?13?N 91°21?30?W
  • Champ Clark Bridge US 54 Louisiana, Missouri (283) 39°27?24?N 91°02?52?W
  • Louisiana Rail Bridge Railroad, Kansas City Southern Railway, Louisiana, Mo. (282) 39°26?43?N 91°02?01?W
  • Clark Bridge US 67 Alton, Illinois (202) 38°52?56?N 90°10?44?W
  • New Chain of Rocks Bridge I-270 St. Louis, Missouri (190) 38°45?53?N 90°10?25?W
  • Chain of Rocks Bridge US 66 Bicycle trail St. Louis, Missouri (190) 38°45?38?N 90°10?35?W
  • Merchants Bridge Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis, MO.Missouri (183) 38°40?29?N 90°11?10?W
  • McKinley Bridge Automobile and former Illinois Traction System railway US 66 St. Louis, Missouri (182) 38°39?54?N 90°10?58?W
  • Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge I-70 St. Louis, Missouri (181) 38°38?40?N 90°10?42?W
  • Martin Luther King Bridge (St. Louis) Route 799 St. Louis, Missouri (180) 38°37?52?N 90°10?46?W
  • Eads Bridge Road and Railway, St. Louis, Missouri (180) 38°37?45?N 90°10?47?W
  • Poplar Street Bridge I-55 / I-64 / US 40 St. Louis, Missouri (179) 38°37?05?N 90°10?59?W
  • MacArthur Bridge (St. Louis) Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis, MO. (178) 38°36?53?N 90°11?01?W
  • Jefferson Barracks Bridge I-255 / US 50 St. Louis County, Missouri (168) 38°29?14?N 90°16?38?W
  • Chester Bridge MO 51/Illinois Route 150 Perryville, MO. – Chester, IL. (109) 37°54?11?N 89°50?11?W
  • Grand Tower Pipeline Bridge Natural gas Grand Tower, Illinois (80) 37°38?31?N 89°31?03?W
  • Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge MO 34/74 Illinois Route 146 Cape Girardeau, Mo. (51) 37°17?43?N 89°30?57?W
  • Thebes Bridge Railroad Southern Illinois and Missouri, Thebes, Illinois (43) 37°13?00?N 89°28?01?W
  • Cairo I-57 Bridge I-57 Charleston, Missouri-Cairo, Illinois (7) 37°01?23?N 89°12?42?W
  • Cairo Mississippi River Bridge US 60 / US 62 Cairo, Illinois (1) 36°58?43?N 89°08?52?W

If that weren’t enough, any large scale Midwest geophysical event may trigger some hidden dangers that span portions of south/central Illinois, southeast/central Iowa, Ohio River valley, and north/northwest Missouri in the form of old and current underground coal (and mineral) mines, many abandoned. Most are shallow mines less than 30-80 feet below the surface and use the “room and pillar” excavation technique where large rooms of coal are removed leaving pillars behind in a grid pattern to support the surface above. These rooms are typically 7’-9’ tall, due to the layered coal seam depths. A major earthquake or aftershock in these areas has the potential to collapse many of these mines, resulting in corresponding sinkholes and surface pits of similar depth.

Letter Re: Baking Soda

Sarah,

I too am laying by a lot of baking soda. I too have spent enormous amounts of time pondering the absence of it. I found the answer in Carla Emory’s Encyclopedia of Country Living. It’s on page 220 in my book, under Acid-Base Leavenings. “In the real old days, they used to leaven with wood ash. Ashes are alkaline. If you add a teaspoon of ash to a mixture that contains an acid, such as real sour cream, buttermilk from slightly soured milk, or yogurt, then the two make bubbles. You have to work fast because the bubbles don’t last very long.”

My mother-in-law also confirmed this as the method used many years ago. – A.L.

Economics and Investing:

State, county, and city governments cannot print money, and the current elected officials cannot kick the can down the road on this one: ‘Politics of intimidation,’ or family feud? Anger grows as Dallas Police and Fire Pension System looks for fix – P.S

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World’s largest hedge fund manager predicts bleak future for markets

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Healthcare Is Not Immune to the Laws of Economics

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Bank of America Tests Peopleless Banks

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

Odds ‘n Sods:

The recent publication of the much-discussed BATFE White Paper on possible loosening of firearms restrictions is an oddity. It strikes me as some sort of frantic backpedalling. It is as if a thirteen-year-old was left at home in charge of his younger siblings, and they’ve spent an entire day acting like cruel, slovenly, brats. Then comes the sudden realization that their parents will soon return. “Quick, clean the house and get the cat out of the clothes dryer, or Dad is gonna spank us, for sure!” Well, in this case it wasn’t just one day. It has been more like 50 years of bad behavior. (For example, do some reading about Ken Ballew.) The White Paper’s list of changes won’t even begin to be proper recompense. Daddy is coming, and there will be lots of real change around the house. Among other things, the White Paper mentions ALLOWING us to shoulder pistols equipped with arm braces. Well, whoop-de-doo and thanks for your magnaminious gesture, Oh Lord and Master. How about instead doing something SUBSTANTIVE and completely do away with barrel length and pistol foregrip restrictions? (The $200 tax SBR and SBS technicalities.) Or even better, how about disbanding the BATFE entirely? There’s some genuine Hope and Change for you. – JWR

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From Wranglerstar: We Are in Deep, Deep Trouble!!

JWR’s Comment: We are in similar snow conditions here at The Rawles Ranch. We’ve had so much snow in the past eight weeks that our horses and cattle are confined to their pastures only by The Honor System and by their force of habit. They could step over their fences with very little effort. They know where we feed them their hay and they know this is where we keep their stock tanks full and heated (free of ice), so thankfully they stay put.

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From Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large: Need an AR but on a tight budget? Build it!

One of the big savings is not paying the 11% excise tax on a whole rifle, only on a receiver.

I would additionally note that several components should be milspec or better for durability. Many cheaper components are of cheaper materials and thereby weaker.

For a carbine, you should absolutely have a hammer extruded receiver extension, not a milled one. It will be almost twice as strong and have more thread mating surface over one that isn’t. The phrase “milspec” in advertising often refers only to dimensions. You must look for the phrase “hammer extruded.”

Your bolt carrier group should be shot peened and at least batch tested, if not individually tested, per the mil spec. I do recommend either hard chrome or nickel boron finish instead of parkerizing– they are newer coatings, with lower coefficients of friction, resistance to corrosion and buildup, and easier to clean.

If you plan either long service life or a lot of cyclic fire, then the military spec alloy barrel is a big plus.

With all this, it’s still possible to get a very personalized, highly durable AR rifle for far less than the factory cost.

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Jihadist Groups in the US: What Next? – B.B.

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Your Anonymous Browsing Can Still Identify You – C.F.

Notes for Thursday – February 09, 2017

February 9th is the birthday of Major George Charles Nonte Jr. (born 1926, died June 30, 1978). I had the privilege of attending ROTC Basic Camp at Fort Knox in the same company with his daughter Yvette, in 1981. Some of the stories that she told me about her father were amazing. He was quite a guy. Cadet Yvette Nonte went on to a career in Army Intelligence, retiring as a Colonel.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 69 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. An infrared sensor/imaging camouflage shelter from Snakebite Tactical in Eureka, Montana (A $350+ value),
  6. 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),
  7. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 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. A selection of canned meats containing a 10 pack of 28oz cans of Premium Beef and a 5 pack of 28oz cans of Premium Pork from Wertz’s Farm Market (a $300 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 69 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.

A Mother’s Perspective, by B.H.

Prior to 2000, my husband and I had already begun to prepare for the Y2K that, well, never happened. Although this event never took place, we learned valuable lessons on what we were missing, and we were not parents at that time. First aid was not at the top of my priority list. We were planning on bugging in, and we naively thought we would be good with staying put in our sleepy town of 1200 people. I remember that we spent $10,000 on preparing for that event. We had more disposable income (again, we had no kids yet), so we got a grain grinder, Berkey water filter, and grains in 5-gallon buckets. The 50-gallon water drum started to make our UPS man a little suspicious. In a small town, we were being watched with what was delivered to our house. It got comical after a while. Then we moved on from the tragedy of 9/11 and again thought, “Could this be it?” We were so unprepared. We had no food stored, and again the first aid was lacking. We did not have kids at that point, so we began to prepare on a conservative level. Looking back, I would have done more.

Then 2008 came. The crash of the stocks and the big bailout created a ripple that was felt in the heartland– Kansas. My husband was a manager of a factory, and the parent company closed it. We quickly ran through our savings and what food stores we had as well as cash saved. Then he found a good paying job in a different city. We left our sleepy little town for another and rented an apartment for a year. Then the company moved to a city of 50,000 people. We chose to buy a small, 15-acre farm 20 miles north. There, we said this will be our refuge and we will live to prepare. By this point, we had two children, ages ten and eight. They loved the place. It was a hundred year old farm with a barn, chicken house, and multiple pens for animals. Immediately I got chickens and started buying fruit and berry bushes that would come on clearance. We planted some fruit trees and grapes. We also were lucky enough to live in a valley where we have wild berries, grapes, and edible plants. I was feeling pretty secure, until I started reading about the details and quantities needed for a family to face a tragedy that would be a year to long term.

SurvivalBlog has been an invaluable resource for us to gather ideas and prepare accordingly. Networking is highly encouraged, and I think it is a necessity. We started to think of what family members we could have join us. If we did leave, we thought to have a plan, map it out, and give a copy to the person we would be staying with in the event God forbid we don’t make it. We thought, if they choose, they can come looking for you.

That was when I read about bug out bags and skills that will get you into a group. I have had a medical background for over a decade in areas of ER, surgery, pharmacy, and wound care. I also have an extensive herbal knowledge. So, I started focusing on if we needed to leave in two hours, which is a generous time frame I know, what would I pack and is it organized enough that I can just grab the boxes and know that I have it all. I have to say the bug out bag was the hardest by far to figure out what to put in. I am a scenario thinker, and I just thought of a million things that could go wrong and then went off of those scenarios. If you begin to get bogged down by thinking about too many scenarios, then quit; please take a break from it. When you have taken a break, please realize that most of the supplies can cross over to many disasters. The first aid kit I feel is the most important thing in the bug out bag besides clothes. We will be living in an age of no more antibiotics and where a scratch can eventually turn to sepsis (a system wide infection that is deadly). This may not be orthodox for the people on this site, but for me and my background I feel these are needed things in your pack.

I tried to remind myself that I was not packing a forever pack but just a temporary pack. That was really hard for me to wrap my mind around. I kept wanting to pack deodorant, for example, plus other non-essential things. The idea is that this will get you to your next location, where you have made arrangements ahead of time with supplies at the ready when you get there. Of course, there is that worst case scenario where all that you had is gone and your pack is it. That is the point where we can in no way plan for every eventuality. Some will disagree with me, but I feel that at that point you do your best and put your wilderness skills into practice. Divine providence is one that is so important to me and my family. Relying on God and His guidance will be paramount in a disaster scenario.

Now the toughest part of prepping are the kids. I have two– a boy and a girl. Their packs look a lot like mine, with some exceptions. I packed more personal comfort items for them, just a few, and make it lightweight, of course. If I can provide a little comfort to my kids during this horrific event, I will. A simple teddy bear can be bungeed to the kids back pack on the outside, so that precious room is not taken. I would carry several plastic store sacks to keep those things dry. Also, most people recommend three day’s worth of food. I try to have small packages (instant oatmeal, ramen noodles, et cetera) or bars to get us through a three-day journey. A small bit of candy can be a mood enhancer for anyone in this situation. The hard candy is inexpensive and every pack I feel should have some. It can help kids as somewhat of a comfort item. When everything else is absolute chaos, a little sucker or candy can just make a person feel kinda normal, temporarily. If you have room in your pack, please do not forget some sort of multi-vitamin and laxative. Our diets will change rapidly; our nutrition will be extremely important, especially for children. Our immune systems will be under a large amount of stress, so taking this simple precaution can save you from many illnesses. Remember, the ever-so-popular laxative, ha ha. As I mentioned, our diets will change and so will our bowel habits. Like it or not, being able to go is vital. Having laxatives in your pack can seriously save your life. Be sure to package appropriate laxatives for children. I feel they may have the toughest time adjusting to their post-SHTF diet. Constipation is no joke and can be life threatening. It is so worth it to have those in every bug out bag.

My husband and I have been prepping since our kids were little, so they were used to the drill of grab your pack and go to the basement in a tornado or if there was a prairie fire and we had to leave. This became routine, and every year I would take everything out and reassess what we need. At first, this scared my children, but it became routine, and it eventually became fun.

I have always tried to involve them in packing and storing food. My daughter has helped me seal and can food for many years. She is well aware of the world situations, and we discuss it as a family. She is 14 now, so she gets it, I think. When I am planning on a two-hour warning, I have a shelf in the garage dedicated to evacuating. There are totes, and all we have to do is pack those, get kids and pets, then leave to our pre-planned destination. The totes are broken down into Food, Shelter, Clothing/warmth, First aid/Hygiene, Cooking, Sleeping bags and Tent. Each are loaded separately. If time allows, then we can afford to put more items in the vehicle. I personally use the 33 gal. plastic totes from say Dollar General or Walmart. They usually cost around $5 each and are a mostly rodent- and moisture-proof way to keep your supplies at the ready to evacuate. If nothing else, this will keep you organized so that you can find items quickly and easily. Another suggestion is to put a list of supplies in the tote so that you have your label “Hygiene” for the tote and inside there is a list of the contents. If you do not want to be exact in quantity, then put a rough idea of what is in your tote. Do what works for you and that your family will understand, if the need arises.

As a mom and wife, I strive to make sure that most of my family’s needs are met. I feel proud to look at the preparing we have done and know that we can do well if anything is to occur. God willing, it doesn’t, but I think most of you can feel it in your bones. Maybe it is just mother’s intuition.

Letter Re: Baking Soda

Sarah,

I just finished reading your article on “all about baking soda” and found this to be very informative. Thank you for your time in researching and writing it. Now I know the technical details of this wonderful product I had been using, same as you, for many years! I also had my question answered as to why my quick bread recipes worked by replacing the valuable egg with vinegar. The seven years my husband and I were sailing with our two children around the world, eggs were very dear when our passages were 1-3 weeks at a time. One cruiser shared with me the substitution of vinegar in quick breads allowing us to use the egg for hardboiled, in quiches or just scrambled, which helped tremendously in stretching our meals during long passages or when the fishing line came up empty. Here is my “tip” on saving eggs, if one is in need or perhaps allergic to eggs: one teaspoon of vinegar in place of one egg. One tablespoon of unflavored gelatin in place of one egg works also. (This is a tip I learned about years after our return to America.) Thank you for your informative articles, and I also enjoy trying the posted recipes. I might post some of the ones I used while cruising. – K.R.

Economics and Investing:

Are These OPEC Members Sabotaging The Output Deal? Increased oil production from OPEC member states Nigeria and Libya could undermine the OPEC deal in H2 2017.

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Oil Trading Alert: Gold And Oil Link – What Does It Say?

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Workers Set to Strike at World’s Largest Copper Mine

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Russia Shows Why China Should Just Stop Burning Up Its Reserves

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

Odds ‘n Sods:

Three Gun and other competitive shooters are anxiously awaiting the release of the Keanu Reeves movie John Wick 2, on February 10th. Reeves does nearly all of his own stunts in this film, and his countless hours of REAL WORLD firearms and martial arts training is apparent.

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RepackBox.com (one of the loyal supporters of our bi-monthly Writing Contest) has expanded their line to include many more cartridge box varieties, desiccants, and now special heavy duty storage bags for loaded magazines. Don’t overlook this important prep! – JWR

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A good reason to have several day’s of food on hand. Avoid the streets: Police Go On Strike In Brazil, Cities Being Wiped Out In “Purge” Fashion – Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large.

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Successful Prepping in an Urban Environment – G.G.

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Watch Ikea’s flat-pack refugee shelter unfold in minutes