Category: Investing/Barter

Pat’s Product Review: Ruger SR22 Pistol

If you’re serious about survival, you have to have some type of .22 Long Rifle (LR) firearm in your battery. Some will argue against the effectiveness of a .22 LR but I’m not one of them. You can take all manner of small game and fowl, with a well-placed shot from a .22 LR handgun or rifle. And, in a pinch, it will serve as a self-defense weapon as well. No, I’m not advocating the .22 LR as your one and only self-defense firearm, but it will sure do in a pinch, and make the bad guys wish they were …


Letter Re: A Lifetime Gun and Magazine Purchases in Just a Few Months?

Brother Rawles, Thank you to you and Ulysses in Montana for the detailed article on .308 battle rifles.  The current political environment kicked me into high gear, buying one.  Ulysses information helped me out tremendously.  It will help me save time and money on getting familiar with a new caliber and rifle.  In the beginning hours of the Gun Grab I picked up an Armalite AR-10 lower receiver and mags. I’ve got a number of 5.56 AR’s but have been putting off getting my “dream” rifle for a couple of years.  Depending on what happens in Washington DC, I might trade it toward a FAL …


Marksmanship and .308 Battle Rifles, by Ulysses in Montana

Like a lot of guys I did some shooting and hunting while growing up, only to set it aside in early adulthood as the frantic task of making it in life overcame interest in such ‘boyish’ pursuits.  When I returned to shooting later on it was with an emphasis on self-defense, particularly pistol shooting, which provided a fresh and stimulating way to ease back into it, as I had previously never fired a pistol.  I quickly settled on the Glock models in .45 ACP, keeping it simple and relatively inexpensive, and have kept at it steadily ever since, wanting above …


Why Civilian Disarmament in the U.S. is Just a Statist Fantasy

I often have SurvivalBlog readers forward me alarmist e-mails, warning of “total disarmament” of the civilian populace. While there indeed may be plans or schemes to disarm Americans, I don’t consider these threats credible. Let me explain why: I would conservatively estimate that there are about 316 million firearms in private hands in the United States. Of these, less than 10% are logged in any formal registry. Perhaps another 30% have Form 4473s filed with the FFL dealers where they were first purchased, but that is a fractured mishmash of records with a quite perishable life span. It is notable …


Letter Re: Firearms Feeding Frenzy

Dater JWR: I am a retired police officer, SWAT team member, firearms instructor, armorer, First Aid CPR/AED instructor, and consider myself and my wife into prepping at a moderate level. While we do not have everything that I would like to have in my arms and accessories I know I am so far ahead of many of my friends that my confidence is high on that point. I must tell you I was shocked when we visited a Southwestern Ohio gun store  about a week ago. My friend, an employee and also retired law enforcement officer, looked at us like …


Letter Re: 3D Printing Rifle Magazines

Hello, James. I was wondering about something. If it is possible to build an entire lower assembly for an AR-15 (though a bit more fragile than what most people are aware of) using a 3D printer, wouldn’t it also be possible to program that same printer to make composite construction 30 magazines (or larger) for AR series rifles. All that you would need to do then is buy the springs. Everything else can be produced using the printer. Sincerely, – Gerald H.   JWR Replies: Unfortunately, with current technology I don’t think that the plastics used have the requisite tensile …


Letter Re: My Travails in Buying Rifles, Magazines, and Ammo

Mr. Rawles, I wanted to write to you about my recent experience with the US shortage of semi-automatic rifles, full-capacity magazines, and .223 ammo.   I am relatively new prepper.  So far, we’ve got the bug-out bags, the bug-out bins, the emergency plans, the food and water, some other stuff, and a start on guns and ammo.  As of last week, I had my 9mm Glock, a 12 gauge Remington 870 shotgun, various pellet guns (and ~2500 rounds of various ammo).  I had been thinking of my next gun purchase, and leaning toward the Ruger 10/22 takedown model.  That would have gotten me …


Last Call For Full Capacity Magazines!

The Nanny Statists are on the war path, here in the United States. While their incessant calls for a ban on semi-auto firearms will probably fail, I predict that a bipartisan compromise in Congress will result in a new ban on full capacity magazines. This renewal of the 1994 to 2004 ban will likely have a grandfather clause, but no sunset clause. So TODAY is the day to do your best to round out your family’s multi-generational supply of magazines. Even if you’ don’t already own an AR-15 or and AK-47, buy a dozen magazines for each. And for all …


A Cottage Industry Suggestion: Holsters and Slings

It is well-reported that America is a land of 312 million people and somewhere between 310 million and 320 million guns. (There is no firm figure, because thankfully only a small fraction of Americans live in locales with gun registration.) Of those, there are about 80 million handguns in circulation. And of that 80 million, I would venture an educated guess that there are less than 50 million holsters, to match. This is because most handgun owners are not regular handgun carriers. The most lopsided “gun-to-holster” ratios are with .22 rimfire handguns, and large-frame, long-barreled revolvers. I suspect that perhaps …


Letter Re: The Barter Store — Update #2

JWR: To make the most sense of this note, please refer to the SurvivalBlog archives for the December 22, 2011 original post with an update March 29, 2012.   The range of feedback to the post and update ranged from supportive to beyond hostile–which was more or less what I expected. Those critical to the “Barter Store” concept mostly missed the premises–that at least in some smaller, conservative towns/cities, small-scale commerce will help preserve order and civilization; security is handled and will not be a driving issue; that “preppers” have stocked up on and will be willing to sell/trade/barter some …


Gun Shopping for Self-Defense, by Chief B.

I have read article after article on gun reviews, the best pistol to buy, how to fire one, etc.  However, what about those who don’t even know where to start on what type of gun they need? I will give a brief synopsis on where to begin when buying guns for self-defense. First, we need to look at what exactly you will be defending yourself against.  For self-defense away from home, there is no better protection than a pistol. But before you go and buy yourself a sidearm and pack it inside your waistband, be sure you know the legalities …


Letter Re: Synthetic Motor Oil as a Gun Lubricant in TEOTWAWKI

Sir: During my two tours to the Sand Box with the U.S.M.C., we encountered some of the worst conditions weapons can endure. The sand in the Middle east is fine “moon dust” similar to talcum powder. The problem is that when mixed with water or oil commonly used in cleaning weapons systems it turns to a mud like paste. We discovered that the regular issue Cleaner, Lubricant, Protectant (CLP) [which is a Mil-Spec lubricant, sold commercially under the trade name “Break Free CLP”.] CLP was contributing to the problem more than fixing it. It is true that we cleaned our …


Pat’s Product Review: Masterpiece Arms M11/9 Clone

About this time last year, I did a review for a print publication on the Masterpiece Arms MPA10T – a semiauto only .45ACP MAC-style pistol. The gun was fun to shoot, and worked 100% of the time. The only thing I didn’t care for was the weight of the gun – it was heavy, and a little bit bulky, especially with the 30 round magazine in-place and fully loaded. If you’re interested in a short history of the MAC-style of submachine guns, check out this web page.   When I lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado some years ago, a friend …


Letter Re: American Ingenuity–Oil Filters for Firearms Suppressors

Good Day, Mister Rawles. Thank you as always for the good work you do. I was trawling around on the interwebs and came across this DIY suppressor solution. This may be old news to some but for everyone living in nations where suppressors are banned (or far too heavily regulated) then this is absolutely vital viewing. The fitting displayed is what would be registered as the suppressor in this instance, but I can think of a few particular plumbing fittings at the local hardware store that I might be needing in the near future. For home renovations of course… Kind …


Letter Re: Weapons Maintenance — A Missing Element

SurvivalBloggers: A note on finding Lanolin, for making Ed’s Red bore cleaner: Lanolin is readily available in the breast feeding supply section at most big box department stores, or baby specialty stores. A full tube the (last I checked) is $8-9 but it lasts a very very long time. (And I once scored an unopened, factory sealed tube at a garage sale for 25 cents.) – Alyssa