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Two Letters Re: Mr. Romeo's Retreat Owner Profile

Dear Mr. Rawles,

I read Mr. Romeo's retreat plans, and I would like to add a couple of things to his preparations list. The one glaring omission I see in his list is a lack of HF communications gear. VHF radios are line of sight communications, which is great if you're planning on staying within range of the coast. If he plans on heading out to deeper waters though, HF gear becomes a lifeline to Pacific maritime nets, weather information, and other useful resources. Even if he doesn't plan on transmitting, an HF receiver would allow him to listen to shortwave broadcasts. Radio Australia and Radio New Zealand broadcast to the Pacific almost around the clock, as well as other world services. I would think he could even tune into a lot of American medium wave AM stations at night as these radio waves carry well over water.

I think his case might be one of the few where an upgrade to a .50 caliber [BMG] rifle might be warranted as well. If the coasts of East Africa are any guide, the high seas could be an extremely dangerous place to be after a major disruption. The 50 caliber would make his a vessel that most pirates wouldn't want to bother with.

Just my $.02 worth, adjusted for inflation. Keep up the great work! - Tim in Baltimore

Hello,
Thanks for all you do: I read your recent advice to a mariner to buy several parachute flares if they are within his budget. At ~$70 USD per flare that's a bit steep when compared to buying a east-bloc (mine's Polish,) 26.5mm flare gun as seen here for $30. These flare guns are not considered deadly weapons by the BATFE, so there is no restriction on their shipment by mail.
Furthermore, a box of 10 Czech army surplus white parachute flares will run $40. [Although they don't reach the same altitude and are not as bright as the ones that JWR suggested,] this would allow anyone to have 10 flares for the price of one. Multiple colors are also available. For full disclosure, I have no connection to the "Ammo to Go" company other than being a regular customer of theirs who is quite happy with the service and their prices, and I recommend them to friends. BTW, I recently got 20 rounds of AP ammo for my 8x57mm Mauser--something that is nearly impossible to find elsewhere!) Keep on rocking in the free world! - Eminence Frontman

JWR Adds: I also own a 26.5mm flare pistol, and recommend them. Mine is a Bundeswehr surplus P2A1, manufactured by Heckler und Koch (HK). I should also mention that there are chamber adapters made by several companies that allow US-standard 12 gauge nautical flares to be fired in 26.5mm flare pistols. One manufacturer of these adapters that I recommend is Tactical Innovations. And, BTW, the same company makes excellent milled aluminum 25-round magazines for Ruger 10/22 rimfire rifles. My family has extensively tested one of these magazines here at the Rawles Ranch and found that they are very reliable and trouble-free. It might be wise to order a few of these magazines before the upcoming election. Any new ban on full capacity magazines will sure cause prices to triple overnight.

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