Category: Review

Spartan Blades Talos Folding Knife, by Thomas Christianson

Spartan Blades makes some really nice knives. Unfortunately, most of them are a little pricey for plebeians like me. But beginning in 2019, Spartan Blades was purchased by KA-BAR and expanded their product line to include the more affordable Field Grade models. Spartan Elite and Pro models are manufactured in the USA, but their Field Grade line is made in Taiwan. The intent is “to provide a dependable knife or tool for anyone regardless of budget.” The Talos Folding Knife is a good example of the Field Grade line. It has a 3.12 inch long, 0.12 inch thick, straight back …


The Springfield Armory M1A, by Pat Cascio

I was introduced to the M14 rifle in Basic Combat Training (BCT) in the summer of 1969, at Fort Ord, California and I fell in love with it. I was only 17 years old and weighed a whopping 135 pounds at the time. But when I graduated from Infantry School in December of 1969. I had beefed up to 165 pounds. I longed for my very own M14 – however it was not to be, you see the US military M14 was a select-fire rifle, capable of fully automatic fire. When I returned to my National Guard unit in Chicago, …


Savage Model 220A in 20 Gauge, by Thomas Christianson

My maternal grandfather owned two shotguns. One was a rusty old 12 gauge with a cracked buttstock and a broken butt plate. The other was a nice little Savage Model 220A in 20 gauge. When I was in my teens, I said to Grandpa, “I would like to try to repair that 12 gauge for you. If you like the work, you can give me the 20 gauge in payment.” That was a foolish offer on my part. Why would Grandpa want to give up a dandy 20 gauge just to get a battered old 12 gauge repaired. But for …


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 2, by Thomas Christianson

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) LinuxLite Attempt One Since I was more satisfied with the Linux apps that I was running under Chrome OS Flex than with the native Chrome apps, I decided to experiment with another Linux OS. I went to www.linuxliteos.com and attempted to downloaded LinuxLite 7.4 . That was easier said than done. That site was so choked with ads and deceptive links leading to other software that it was virtually impossible to find a link leading to the correct download. After more than 30 minutes of searching, I finally gave up and decided …


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 …