Kimber America Stainless LW 1911, by Pat Cascio

6

Long-time SurvivalBlog readers will know that I’m a sucker for a well-made 1911 – in any configuration. However, my thinking has changed over the years. And, with the current climate all around the world, meaning political, and of course, the many wars taking place. I wouldn’t pick any 1911 as my one and only handgun for an End Of The World situation. As I’ve mentioned before, I’d go with a handgun with a larger magazine. Still, I love the 1911, and have carried one on and off duty in law enforcement, and as a civilian. Even to this day, I’ll …


Zero Tolerance 0393GLCF, by Pat Cascio

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Some knife designs only last about a year on the market, or so I was told, by the owner of a large knife company.  So, whenever I see a “new” design, that really isn’t new at all, but an updated version, it catches my attention. It takes a lot – a big gamble – for a knife company to come out with the basic same design, it did years ago, but with some updates and improvements. So, it is with the Zero Tolerance 0393GLCF folder that I’ve been testing. Zero Tolerance is a division of KAI Corporation, and they also …


Rock Island Armory GI Standard 1911, by Pat Cascio

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Most folks don’t realize that more 1911 style of handguns are manufactured in the Philippines than are now being made in the USA. There are actually three main companies making most of the 1911s that come out of the Philippines, but there are a few other smaller manufacturers. Owning 1911s made in Philippines isn’t new to me. I’ve owned more than a dozen, and they came marked with various names on them. Today, we are looking at the Rock Island Armory 1911 GI standard model 1911. It is imported by Armscorp in Nevada. For many years, I carried stock (full-size, 5-inch-barreled) …


Mossberg MC2c, by Pat Cascio

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Believe it or not, Mossberg hasn’t made a handgun in about a hundred years. Of course, they are known for their shotguns and rifles, but not for their handguns. Some time ago, I did a review on their MC1sc 9mm handgun, and it is one sweet little shooter in 9mm. It comes with a flat bottom magazine that holds 6-rounds as well as an extended mag that holds 7-rounds, and I much preferred the extended mag for a better grip on the gun. Mossberg promised another 9mm was coming, and it was about a year before I saw the first …


Only One Gun?, by Pat Cascio

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I get a lot of questions asked of me, all the time, but many of them are really one in the same question, just phrased a little differently. Over my lifetime, I’ve been asked, literally hundreds of times: “What is your favorite gun…?” or, “If you could only own one gun, what would it be…?” and other similar questions from those seeking a truth or “the” truth about firearms. And, I can’t give a pat answer to these questions and no one else can, either. I can only reply based on my own experiences, the facts and my finding over …


Glock Model 44 Pistol in .22 LR, by Pat Cascio

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Look, I don’t care how many firearms you own, if you don’t own at least one firearm chambered in .22 Long Rifle (LR), then you don’t have a survival battery! When I worked for the late Colonel Rex Applegate, he had more than 850 firearms in his collection. Quite a few of them were chambered in .22 LR. If the good Colonel needed firearms in .22 LR, then so do you. For many years, I used to recommend that the first firearm people purchased, should have been a 12 gauge shotgun of some type. I was wrong! I honestly believe …


Bushnell Powerview 2 Binoculars, by Pat Cascio

6

I don’t pretend to be an “expert” in anything – just a serious student, or many things. Having spent 35 years in the martial arts, and I have Black Belt rank in five different styles of martial arts disciplines, I don’t consider myself an expert – just a serious student. I’m just like most folks, just a hard-working stiff, who demands the most for my hard-earned dollars, so that means I shop around – most of the time – for things I need or want. At times, it is difficult to walk away from a particular firearm, but if the …


Springfield Armory Ronin Compact M1911, by Pat Cascio

3

Having spent 35-years in the martial arts, I knew what the word “Ronin” meant, but many people don’t. The short story is that a Ronin is an out of work Samurai – one who has no master to serve. I can understand Springfield Armory selecting this term for their newest 1911, and I’m only going to cover their newest model, and it is a lightweight model, with a 4.25-inch barrel.  (Commonly called “Commander” size.) To put it bluntly, the Springfield Ronin, is in search of a brave person, a man (or woman) of honor, and this Ronin wants to serve …


Ruger LCRx .357 Magnum, by Pat Cascio

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We can’t please all the people, all the time – as much as we’d like to. I get quite a few requests for more articles on all-steel pistols, or revolvers. As I’m sure many readers know, the tread for the past couple of years has been for polymer-framed semiauto pistols, not many all-steel or steel and alloy pistols are being made these days. As to revolvers – because everyone wants a semiauto handgun, there isn’t a lot of brand-new revolvers on the market. And, let’s be honest, everything that can be said about revolvers in general, has already been said …


Zero Tolerance Knives ZT0308, by Pat Cascio

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I’ve always liked folding knives on the larger side, for a number of reasons: First of all, I believe a larger folder can accomplish a lot more daily tasks than a smaller folder can. Second, this comes down to survival – and while no folding knife is the best choice for survival, a large one can do many of the chores you ask of it. Third, a larger folder is better suited for self-defense work. Now, I’m not advocating that you take a knife – any knife – to a gunfight, however a larger knife in your hand, when being …


CRKT Ken Onion Panache, by Pat Cascio

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Ken Onion is one of the most famous knife designers on the planet. I’ve never met him face to face, but I’ve spoken with him a few times on the phone and discussed his knife designs, as I was preparing articles about them. He is a wild man, to be sure! But he knows everything he needs to know about making some of the most in-demand knives in the world – both for collectors and practical users alike. To be sure, original Onion handmade knives don’t come cheap, so we have CRKT (Columbia River Knife & Tool) to thank for …


Taurus G2C and G2S, by Pat Cascio

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A quick test: Who is the largest maker of handguns in the free world? Nope, you’re wrong if you guessed anyone except Taurus Firearms. Most people would have probably guessed Ruger, Smith & Wesson, SIG-Sauer, or take your pick. However, Taurus produces more handguns than any other gun company in the world. Then we have the gun buyers who complain that Taurus doesn’t produce good or reliable firearms – and they would be wrong, once again. Look, every gun maker, no matter how good of a company they are, has some “lemons” sneak out the door – it just happens …


Glock Model 45, by Pat Cascio

18

Just as I reached the back of the gun shop that I haunt, one of the owners, Mark, reached into the display case, and asked me: “Have you seen the new Glock forty-five?” Before I could even answer, it was in my hands, and I liked it – a lot. Wow! A single-stack Glock in .45 ACP, and it feels sooo good…” Boy, what I wrong, I should have known better – you can’t tell what a Glock is by the model numbers they assigned to their handguns. I admit that I don’t keep up with all the latest firearms …


Ruger Officer-Style SR1911, by Pat Cascio

Anyone who has followed my articles for the past 28 years, will surely know that I have a love affair with 1911-style handguns – all of them, in all sizes and calibers. I still prefer a 1911 in .45 ACP over any other calibers, but I’ve owned them in 9mm, .38 Super, .40 S&W, 10mm, and a few others. The latest FBI findings state that the 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP calibers are all about the same when it comes to stopping power – I just don’t buy into that. I’m not going to believe that a 9mm – …


Six Wristwatches for Survivalists, by Pat Cascio

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I’ve always been a real stickler for being on-time, for everything – and I’ve been wearing a watch since I was a child. I believe I can count on one hand, the number of times I’ve ever been late for work, and at that, there was usually a good reason for being late. At that, my tardiness was only a few minutes being late from my scheduled starting time, with one exception. Back in 1976, I was briefly driving a dump truck for a living. The prior evening, some buddies and I went out drinking – I stopped drinking shortly …