November 6, 2024

This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

Please continue to pray for the full restoration of health, for Pat Cascio. His recovery from a stroke has been difficult.

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The two most recent gender-confused mass shootings have the liberals in full-fledged screaming “do something!” mode. I suspect that will come in the form of a raft of executive orders from Creepy-Sniffy Joe’s West Wing staff. They might try some quite outlandish ones. But at the minimum, I expect them to ban a lot of imports.  They have plenty of precedents for that. Full-capacity magazines, parts sets, and semi-auto firearms of all descriptions will probably get import-banned.  SIG, HK, Beretta, FN, CZ, and Glock make some, but not all of their magazines here in the States.  (SIG recently announced that they will be ramping up stateside production, but that won’t be nearly enough to fill the demand if there is an import ban announced.)

Take note that Austrian-made Glock magazines are stamped “AUSTRIA”, but their US-made mags just have a part number. So, obviously, a large percentage of their magazines are still made in Austria. And Springfield Armory sources most of their pistol magazines in Croatia.

So, if you own any guns for which the magazines are imported, then it would be wise to order a lifetime supply of those magazines for you and your progeny immediately. I’ve mentioned several good suppliers with competitive prices in SurvivalBlog several times, such as GunMag Warehouse, Brownells, Keep Shooting, Natchez, Midway, and Palmetto State Armory.  I should mention that FN, SIG, and HK also sell some magazines directly in the US, but they only rarely discount them. (Ful disclosure: I have an affiliate relationship with some of the aforementioned companies.)

I’m primarily an aficionado of American-made guns, but if I were a collector of European guns, then my Magazine Panic Buy List might look something like this:

30 ea. – SIG P320 21-rd. factory 9mm mags

20 ea. – SIG P320 30-rd. factory 9mm mags

20 ea. – Magazines for each of my Springfield Armory XD series pistols (Croatian-sourced)

25 ea. – CZ Scorpion 9mm 30-rd. mags

20 ea. – CZ-75 9mm mags

12 ea. – Factory HK 93 magazines (all were made in Germany)

16 ea. – Factory HK 94/MP5 magazines (all were made in Germany)

12 ea. – Factory SIG magazines (all were made in Switzerland)

50 ea. – .45 ACP KCI (Korean) Glock 26-rd. extended mags

100 ea. – 9mm KCI (Korean) Glock 32-rd. extended mags

15 ea. – B&T 30-Round 9mm magazines for USW/CZ-75

80 ea. – AK-47 40 rd. mags

15 ea – Beretta factory 30-rd. M92 mags

20 ea – FN Factory FN FiveSeven pistol mags

30 ea – FN Factory FN 5.7 rifle mags

12 ea. – FN SCAR magazines

Your mileage may vary. Tailor your own list to match your collection. Again, imported magazines should be your highest priority.  If in doubt about the capacity to choose, go big. If there is a ban, it will be easier to trade big magazines for smaller ones. Trading vice versa will be far less advantageous.

Oh, and if you’ve been wanting to buy any imported semi-auto gun, then go ahead and buy it soon. But be sure to get their requisite spare magazines on order, first. As my old friend Bob Griswold of Readymade Resources says: “Panic now, and beat the rush.” – JWR

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John Lovell: Episode 005 — You Need a Tribe. Here’s how to get one. — JLS

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Reader C.D. sent this news of a home-build breakthrough: Introducing the Orca 3D Printed AR-15JWR’s Comment:  “They can’t stop the signal.”

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Deadliest volcano in Western Hemisphere shows signs of increased activity.  (A hat tip to Tracy M., for the link.)

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Bloomberg: Amazon Faces FTC Complaint Alexa Illegally Collected Kids’ Data.

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North Carolina Rep. Tricia Cotham switches to Republican party, says Democratic party ‘has become unrecognizable’. JWR’s Comment: Hopefully, this will become a trend, at all levels of government.

Reader K.N. wrote to suggest:

“It might be a good time to invest in surge protector power strips. Once the grid becomes an on-and-off affair, we will need them. And at that time, they may be hard to come by. Could make a good barter item too.”

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S. had this response to the recent question about the “Agriculture Census”:

I know people around me that have gotten a survey in the past and said they didn’t respond and no SWAT raids or arrests have taken place.”

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And S. in Idaho had this comment on the same topic:

“We have received this survey for the past five years and have never returned it. We’d rather risk paying the fine instead of filling out this intrusion into our property and financial information. We have animals off and on that we raise for ourselves and for our neighbors. We raise the food these animals eat or sell it to the locals for food for their animals. We garden, can, freeze-dry, and preserve which is for ourselves. Our orchard is shared with neighbors. It is none of The Powers That Be’s business what we do with our private lives. Others that receive this census do not return it, either.”

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Avalanche Lily and several readers suggested this link of great concern to anyone living in Missouri — video from Doug and Stacy: Confirmed Cattle and Pork Will Be mRNA Vaccinated.

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Reader Nurse B.P wrote:

“Mr. Rawles, I am sorry to hear that you are ill.  What you described sounds a great deal like what has swept thru the country since last fall.  Starts out with sinus headache, then draining sinus/clogged sinus and then draining into lungs, bronchitis or walking pneumonia.  Sometimes conjunctivitis, but not always.  I want to caution you against prolonged coughing. By that I mean, a coughing spasm that lasts more than a few seconds.  Coughing every few minutes or waking up frequently due to coughing.  Coughing results in inflammation of the upper and mid airways which secretes more mucus which causes more coughing and then more inflammation.  I know you like to rely on natural remedies, but they were not up to the ferociousness of this illness, at least for me.

I was on generic Nyquill/Dayquill for almost a month with moderate relief.  But had to switch to Coricidin. Stopping the cough while also promoting expectoration is key.  Meaning, we don’t want you to cough, but when you do, it should be productive.  Guaifenesin is a mucolytic, meaning it will break up the mucous and allow you to expectorate it.  Sometimes they call this an expectorant. So, I recommend a suppressant and expectorant.  There are different products out there.  Robitussin DM, but you are going to be on this for a while so a tablet form might be more palatable.  It has taken most people well over a month to stop coughing.  You need to stay hydrated if you take guaifenesin.

I would absolutely add things to boost your immune system like elderberry and such.  I would also recommend cough drops to reduce the need to cough as well and keep the post-nasal drip to a manageable level. I am not a physician, just a nurse but can set you on the right path.”

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Forever War: U.S. to Hand Ukraine Another $2.6 Billion in Munitions.

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Reader T.M. wrote this suggestion on where to bury caches, in cold climates:

“[Bury] it not in the open frozen ground but instead in the chicken coop floor where the heat and manure warm the ground, or under a similar structure.”

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North Carolina television news:  ‘Busy like Christmas’: Gun store says sales surging after NC pistol-permit requirement eliminated.

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Mom Files Lawsuit After State Denies Adoption Due To Her Christian Beliefs.

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And lastly, Tim J. sent this video link: Electric Rail Bike – 120 mile ride around the Central Coast on Rails and Trails.

“This is a 120 mile trip on an electric rail bike to explore some abandoned railroad tracks that run along the coast of California. I’m using the same folding outriggers that I had on my pedal bike in my last video. The folding outriggers are on a new e-bike and I also have a new drone to do the filming.”

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