Husqvarna 26 Inch Clearing Axe, by Thomas Christianson

Dateline: The Swamp. I am writing this in the depths of winter, but I cannot rest from my labors. I must press forward with the ongoing campaign. The objective is to push back the tangled undergrowth threatening to swallow up our property. Only ceaseless effort can prevent the undergrowth from reclaiming our land for The Swamp. Without the protecting cover of leaves, my enemy is more vulnerable to my counter-attacks. I can better see to cut the various tendrils, stems, and saplings. The newest weapon in my arsenal is the Husqvarna 26 Inch Clearing Axe. The clearing axe consists of …


Henry Lever Action Supreme in 5.56 NATO, by Thomas Christianson

A rifle chambered in 5.56 NATO probably offers the most widely available and varied selection of ammunition in America today. A quick visit to cheaperthandirt.com revealed a total of 144 different ammo options in a variety of bullet weights available in 5.56 NATO or .223 Remington at the time of this writing. These options also tended to be more economically priced than ammunition for other center fire rifle chamberings. Rifles chambered in 5.56 NATO also tend to produce negligible recoil and are generally light and easy to carry. Factors like these make rifles chambered in 5.56 NATO attractive options for …


Ballistol Multi-Purpose Lubricant, by Thomas Christianson

Ballistol is a gun cleaning oil. If my sources are correct, it is composed of white mineral oil, potassium oleate, ammonium oleate, benzyl alcohol, amyl alcohol, isobytyl alcohol, benzyl acetate, and anethole. One key characteristic of Ballistol is that it emulsifies with water. This makes it an excellent cleaner for firearms that use black powder or corrosive primers. The best solvent for black powder and the salts left by corrosive primers is hot (almost boiling) water. Ballistol works well in conjunction with that hot water. Ballistol is also non-toxic, and can also be used on wood and leather as well …


G9 Defense Barrier Blind Hollow Point, by Thomas Christianson

Barrier blind ammo is designed to pass through common obstacles like car doors, windows, drywall, plywood, or heavy clothing without significant change to its terminal performance. I recently tested G9 Defense Barrier Blind Hollow Point ammunition in 6.5 Creedmoor. I must admit that I was only secondarily interested in its barrier blind qualities. My primary interest was in the fact that the ammo is machine-turned out of solid copper. According to G9, this gives it greater consistency in density over traditional jacketed bullets. The lower standard deviation of ballistic coefficient, in turn, provides higher accuracy at extended ranges. During my …


WeatherWool Selvedge Poncho, by Thomas Christianson

I recently re-read The Wine-Dark Sea by Patrick O’Brian. It is book 16 in the Aubrey/Maturin series. One episode in the novel describes Dr. Stephen Maturin riding a mule into the Andes to meet with conspirators who are plotting the overthrow of the Spanish government in Peru. As Maturin rides higher into the Andes, the temperature falls, and he pauses in his journey to put on a poncho. I suspect that the poncho that O’Brian had in mind as he penned his novel looked something like the one worn by Clint Eastwood in all three films of the Dollars Trilogy. …


Ontario M3 Fighting Knife, by Thomas Christianson

The M3 Fighting Knife was designed with a single purpose: to kill the enemy. It was designed to penetrate deeply into an opponent during hand-to-hand combat, severing arteries and veins along the way, so that the opponent would quickly lose enough blood to cease to be a threat. The M3 and the KA-BAR were evaluated together for the US military in 1942 by civilians on the Smaller War Plants Corporation Board. It was adopted by that board based on civilian rather than military criteria. The chairman of that board was eager to select designs that could be quickly and economically …


Rejuvenating and Old PC with Linux Mint Xfce – Part 1, by Thomas Christianson

Our Motto; “Use it Up, Wear it Out, Make it Do or Do Without”. Getting the most out of what you already own instead of buying something new is a good way of using your resources more effectively. Then your resources can be used instead for something that will bring you more long-term benefit. Extending the useful service life of an older computer is one way of utilizing your existing resources more effectively. JWR Adds: Given the huge number of online books, web archives, offline copies of Wikipedia, service manuals, military manual PDFs, e-Book Bibles and Bible commentaries, and other …


Midwest Industries AK Multi Tool, by Thomas Thomas Christianson

Built around a rugged windage and elevation adjustment tool for the front sight of AK-pattern firearms, the Midwest Industries AK Multi Tool is a great range-bag-companion for the AK owner. Constructed of heavy-duty, nickel-plated 4140 steel, the tool provides a gas tube wrench, handguard cap lever wrench, and multi-function knubs for muzzle brake detents or recoil button compression in addition to the windage and elevation adjustment tool. The tool comes with a clear set of directions for those who are new to adjusting the sights on an AK. It is made in the U.S.A., and cost $84.95 at midwestindustriesinc.com at …


Woodhaven Fire Starters, by Thomas Christianson

The Bottom Line, Up Front The Woodhaven Fire Starters provide excellent material for igniting a useful blaze. Each disk is four inches in diameter, one inch thick, and weighs 4.2 ounces. They are composed of cedar sawdust bonded together with refined paraffin. One full disk burns for 20 to 30 minutes. It can also be broken into smaller pieces to start multiple fires. The fire starters are safe to use in fireplaces, firepits, wood stoves, and similar applications. The disks come in packages of 12, 50, or 100. At the time of this writing, those packages cost respectively $19.99, $65.00, …


Cold Steel Recon 1 XL Folding Knife, by Thomas Christianson

“That’s not a knife. This is a knife!” (Paul Hogan as Mick Dundee, in Crocodile Dundee, 1986). When I took the Cold Steel Recon 1 XL out of its box for the first time and deployed the blade, the attempted mugging scene from Crocodile Dundee immediately came to mind. The Recon 1 XL is bigger than the average everyday carry (EDC) knife: a lot bigger. It has a 5.5-inch blade that is 0.15 inches thick and 1.63 inches wide. It is 12.25 inches long when the blade is deployed. And it weighs 8 ounces. The knife is 6.75 inches long, …


Traditions Nitrobolt Rifle, by Thomas Christianson

This will sound self-contradictory, but it is not: the Traditions Firearms Nitrobolt Rifle is a bolt-action muzzle-loader. The primer and the powder charge cartridge are loaded through the breech via bolt action. The bullet is loaded through the muzzle with a ramrod. This hybrid action offers the powder-charge-consistency and weather-resistance of a breechloading rifle while being legal to use during muzzleloading season in 29 states at the time of this writing. The Nitrobolt uses Federal Premium FireStick polymer encapsulated powder charges. The FireStick charges use Hodgdon Triple Eight powder. Triple Eight burns more cleanly than black powder or other black …


Gamo Swarm Magnum Pro Gen 3i in .22 Caliber, by Thomas Christianson

The Gamo Swarm Magnum Pro is a break-barrel air rifle that loads from a 10-shot magazine whenever it is cocked. This significantly speeds the pellet loading process. The Swarm has a two-stage adjustable trigger, comes with a surprisingly good 3-9x40mm scope, features a suppressor integrated into the barrel, and includes a well-designed glass-filled-nylon (GFN) stock. Designed for small-game hunting, pest control, and target shooting, the rifle is reasonably accurate, reliable, easy to use and economical to operate.


Uncharted Supply Company Seventy2 Pro Survival System, by Thomas Christianson

Given enough time, most of us would like to stock our own survival-kit/bug-out-bag with our favorite, hand-picked equipment. But sometimes there is not enough time or enough hand-picked equipment to go around. We want to add a bag to an additional vehicle. We are just getting started and don’t yet know what equipment to pick. Or we want to help a family member on short notice. The Uncharted Supply Company Seventy2 Pro Survival System is designed to provide two people with the basic equipment and supplies to survive the first 72 hours after an accident, disaster, or disruption. I am …


EZARC ARC-Edge Reciprocating Pruning Blade, by Thomas Christianson

The EZARC ARC-Edge Reciprocating Pruning Blade is designed to make a Sawzall or similar reciprocating-blade-saw into a pruning tool. The 15-inch, chrome-vanadium-steel blade has an aggressive tooth design optimized for pruning with five teeth per inch. A shorter 12-inch version is also available. I tested the 15-inch version. Based on my testing, I would suspect that the shorter 12-inch version would work better than the 15-inch version. The extra length of blade that extends beyond the object being cut tends to whip violently to the left and right as the blade moves backward and forward. This creates extra friction, vibration, …


Tyrant Design TDC 002 Folding Knife, by Thomas Christianson

The Tyrant Design T.D.C. 002 Folding Knife has a 2.75-inch Tanto blade that is 0.13 inches thick at the broadest part of the spine. It has a black nitride finish and is made of D2 steel. The blade opens smoothly around a ball bearing pivot point using nicely textured thumb studs. It is secured in the open position by a liner lock. Jimping on the spine of the blade gives better control during delicate cuts. The grip of the handles is enhanced by textured EPDM rubber panels with a decorative chevron pattern. Chevrons on the accent spacer on the back …