Preparedness Notes for Thursday — August 20, 2020

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20 August 1935 was the birthday of former Congressman Ron Paul. Dr. Paul is to be commended for fighting the good fight for many years.

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August 20th, 1866 is also the day that President Andrew Johnson formally declared the Civil War over.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 90 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. 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).
  5. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 90 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.


11 Comments

  1. On the night of August 20 – 21, Soviet forces invaded Czechoslovakia to crush the Prague Spring.

    Rusové jdou domů

    Rusi idú domov

    Русские идут домой

    Russians go home

  3. We hopefully have a battle rifle, ammo, and a ton of magazines to feed it, but what about a way to carry it all to the battle. You’ll need one for each rifle, otherwise the rifle is of very limited use. The best bargain out there is the Condor chest rig, and saves the uninitiated the hassle of having to learn about ALICE gear . It can handle AR or AK magazines and perhaps other mags as well. Most defenders will need only the essentials, and no additional weight other than additional loaded magazines and water in an optional small back pack to carry what the chest rig cannot handle.
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007VHHJFE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    The Condor chest rig is not the best, but it is good enough and of decent quality and faster to put on, especially over bulky winter clothing. In warmer weather, I prefer the old LC2 LBE (Load Bearing Equipment), but have several different rigs that this professional would recommend for differet seasons and different load outs. Here is his advice and overview.

    Brent0331 Gear and Equipment
    https://youtu.be/B1B80EJVH2E

    I would also think about combat resupply methods that he covers here.
    https://youtu.be/XPahdicCr4w

    Unfortunately this supplier is sold out of bandoliers and cardboard pockets sold here, https://www.cleanammocans.com/4-pocket-bandolier-kit,
    yet we can load ammo on stripper clips and pack it in a light weight plastic ammo box and add a strap to it. But do not forget to the speed loader, or as some Marines would say, the ”spoon”, that allows one to quickly reload precious magazines if you do not have enough previously loaded up:

    Stripper clips:
    https://www.cleanammocans.com/100-pack-ar15-10rd-usgi-stripper-clips.html

    Speed loader (spoons):
    https://www.cleanammocans.com/20-pack-.223-5.56-ar15-stripper-clip-guides.html

    1. Ammunition Resupply, Repackaging Kit, Individual bandolier:

      https://www.ebay.com/itm/USGI-Repack-Kit-5-56-Stripper-Clips-Bandolier-Cardboard-Inserts-Guide/132208856884?epid=0&hash=item1ec8430f34:g:2aIAAOSwcB5ZJiTn

      Most suppliers are sold out. Fortunately I was able to find one that is not, and has the lowest prices on the gear they offer. I would buy additional ‘spoons’ and include them in each bandolier pocket, or use cordage to retain the ‘spoon’.

      A general observation. It is not only ammunition, and reloading components that are becoming sold out, other gear essential for operations that is lower on the list is also being sold out as well. The supply is broadly distributed, yet thin. Do not hesitate to purchase and check off the list of battle field essentials, including hydration methods. I am of the persuasion that a nesting U.S.G.I. metal canteen cup should be included, even if one will only use a ‘camel back’ style bladder. Once the essentials are in hand, look at night vision, as that too is flying off the shelves. If even the less effective Gen 1 equivalent digital night vision scopes that are dependent on infra red illumination are too expensive or too complicated for the user, consider a quality red dot type optical with night time settings. The problem of seeing the front sight is solved with the red dot that can be used in low light conditions where only outlines are back lit with ambient light. I also use a red dot that is offset from the scope for acquisition at closer ranges.

    2. From MainPrepper, First Sgt, U.S.M.C, Ret., here is another perspective and reasons why LBE should be set up a certain way.:

      https://youtu.be/__igL2lupFY

      We will likely only one opportunity to get this right. Because I’ve never been in the military, I am all ears when veterans offer their advice. And if someone has had Advanced Infantry School or better yet, real world experience, it good to review so as to better train us who have not the benefit of such experience. Unfortunately I am stuck in that role, and have the burden to have to train others, best as I can. Most of us are civilians, and will have to do this on our own. Stack it deep, as gear is lost and is worn out, and most of all, cram as much between the ears as possible. At least it weighs nothing, and costs little on-line, but time, lots of time. Those with tons of stuff are not as well equipped, if they have little between the ears. Fortunately old farts tend to have more time than the young and fit, and they will need this information and gear. It is far more than just about buying stuff. The mind and spirit is the first and best weapon. Even if you are crippled up, you can be a force multiplier by simply passing along the basics to those who can take it, and run with it.

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