Category: Self-Defense

The Winning Edge: Safe Dry Practice, by John Parker, Jr.

I’ve often been asked for advice on how a shooter can improve his or her proficiency at arms, and it seems that the questioner is almost always expecting some magical tidbit of “gouge” that will bring out their “A” game. Apart from analyzing form and talking about mechanics, one thing that I universally recommend, and almost always find lacking in the normal routine of many shooters, is dry practice. The term “dry practice” includes many things, but to put it simply and encompass all applications, it is firearms training conducted without live ammunition. Far from a replacement for live fire …


Letter Re: Gun Show Report–The Full Capacity Magazine Feeding Frenzy Continues

Mr. Rawles: I took your advice you posted last year and have been investing in some high cap magazines. I’ve bought about $2,000 worth since the [November 2008 presidential] election, and I haven’t had any second thoughts. Thank you sir, your advice is making me a tidy profit. The 75-round Romanian [RPK] drums that I bought for $135 each the day after the election are now going for $250 each. And the 31-round Glock 9 milly magazines that I paid $33.50 each for are now going for $65 each. Oh, I found +2 [magazine floorplate extension]s for those, so now …


Survival Retreat vs. Neighborhood Survival — Part Deux – Galt’s Gulch vs. Idiocracy, by E.B.

Introduction This is a response to a previous article written by the esteemed Dr. Richard of the Virginia Prepper’s Network. Dr. Richard and I agree completely on a great many issues but disagree on the issue of the Survival Retreat vs. Neighborhood Survival. Here are my thoughts on the issue: Dr. Richard makes some good points with respect to the desirability of an informed and prepared neighborhood, but in the end it all depends on your particular neighborhood and neighbors. Because I saw the collapse coming in 2005 I sold my home in Northern Virginia at what the Washington Post …


Real World Observations on Fighting Crime and Criminals, by Eli

I sat down to see what I could offer to share with other SurvivalBlog readers. Many topics have already been covered, so I will attempt to go somewhere new. I am a law enforcement officer by trade, and hope to provide a unique perspective as such. I have seen shootings, stabbing, burglaries, robberies, etc. I have served both search and arrest warrants. I work in the southwest US, and have worked in very affluent areas as well as very poor areas. What follows are some observations of my time on the job, relating to a few different areas and crimes …


Letter Re: Getting the Right Training and Preparing Methodically

Dear Mr. Rawles, I wanted to thank you for what you are doing and your work. I think that the reality is that you are saving a lot of people’s lives in addition to helping people to continue to be “in” the world but less and less “of” the world. I have been able, in turn, to pass along to other people a lot of things that I have learned from you and your readers, and I hope help them to focus and remain calm in their preparations. (I have also pointed them all to your web site). Now three …


Letter Re: Gun Ownership in Chile

Hello JWR, I hope everything is going well for you and your family! Every day that passes makes me realize how blessed I am to be out of the states and living at a great retreat location in Chile. I was reading your site yesterday and saw your article asking for information about foreign gun laws. I recently purchased a new shotgun in Chile and will share that experience with you. First, I don’t think most Chileans follow the gun laws here. The law is that you must register every weapon you own, and registration is limited to three per …


Letter Re: Advice on Shogun Selection–Do I Need a 3-1/2″ Chamber?

Jim: I am soon buying my first shotgun and wanted to know if you would recommend it. It is a Remington 870 Express Super Magnum which handles everything from light 2-3/4″ loads to heavy 3-1/2″ magnums interchangeably, in a ribbed 28″ barrel. I am looking at it for home defense. Best regards, – Greg JWR Replies: The 3-1/2 inch chamber is only an issue here in the US when shooting at high-flying ducks and geese, using the now-mandatory steel shot. For home defense, a 3″ chamber, or even a 2-3/4″ chamber on the older guns is sufficient. Don’t pay extra …


Bloom Where You’re Planted, by Gertrude

I write this to encourage everyone to begin preparing right now, whatever your financial situation and physical location in life. We are one of the many families that don’t live in a sparsely populated western state and don’t have a retreat that is fully stocked, off-grid and off-the beaten path. But we are very aware of the precarious situation that our country is in and we are trying as best we can to be prepared. Doing a little bit consistently every day will add up very quickly and you will be better prepared every day as you go along. Doing …


Four Letters Re: Preparedness Through Tapping in to the Craig’s List Culture

Sir; By way of profession, I am a CPA (M.S. in Taxation), economic survivalist by persuasion. One thing you may want to caution readers about is the Internal Revenue Services’ position on bartering income. Always, always, always talk to a competent tax advisor regarding your particular situation. Under the current administration, self-sufficiency activities such as bartering with others for services or goods may be considered a reportable and taxable activity on the part of both parties. Just a “heads up” to all, we all want to stay within the letter of the law. Thanks for the listen – C.   …


Letter Re: Advice on Accurizing a FAL or L1A1 Rifle

Dear Mr. Rawles, I was lucky when I purchased a Century Arms L1A1 (British Commonwealth inch pattern FN/FAL) Clone a few years back. Not only does it function flawlessly, it also can use both metric and inch pattern magazines reliably. I purchased the rifle at a gun show for $400. Like I said, I was lucky. I see that in the past few years you have changed from the M1A to the L1A1 as your primary weapon. I could do the same, if I could get anywhere near the accuracy from the FAL that I get from my AR. But …


Letter Re: Advice on AR-10 Rifles (Updated)

Mr. Rawles: I’m thinking about buying a Bushmaster AR-10 type rifle that comes with with one clip. What features should I look for, especially these days? Are the magazines an issue? Thanks, – C. in Oregon JWR Replies: Let me start with a pet peeve. The terms clip and magazine are not synonymous. A clip holds cartridges only at one end, whereas a magazine complete surrounds a cartridge. In the context of modern detachable magazine battle rifles, a clip is what is used to fill a magazine. Please do not call a magazine a clip, especially around children. They are …


Letter Re: Mini-14s as Battle Rifles?

Hello, Is a Ruger [Mini-14 .223] Ranch Rifle a good low cost battle rifle choice? Apparently they are not for anything past “medium range”. (Honestly I don’t know what that means.) Although the new Mini-14s [with] 580[-prefix] serial numbers are supposedly more accurate at longer ranges than previous Ranch Rifles. I am interested in going to an Appleseed event sometime later this year and was wondering if this might work for their program. Also if it is a good gun I was going to go ahead and buy the 20 round factory Ruger magazines. Thanks, – Clint C. JWR Replies: …


Another SurvivalBlogger’s Experiences at Front Sight

Mr. Rawles, I finally had a chance to use the Front Sight certificate that I won in your writing contest. I took the Practical Rifle class and it was great. My shooting improved dramatically in just a few days. I wanted to get out of the Washington, DC area for the inauguration of Barack Obama and shooting an AR-15 rifle seemed like an especially good diversion. Its a long trip for me but it was worth it and I hope to make it again and send my boys when they are old enough. I was able to use frequent flyer …


The Big Roller Coaster is Picking Up Speed

The following are few random observation on current events: 1. Economic News 1A. The recent turn for the worse for Great Britain’s economy has sent shock waves around the globe. I expect this bad news continue, and intensify in the months to come, especially once the full implications of the Credit Default Swap (CDS) derivatives fiasco become known. 1B. It is interesting to see that the COMEX spot silver and spot gold markets are breaking out of their doldrums. Apparently, the big investors have come to realize that there are simultaneous credit market-spawned economic problems in North America, Europe and …


Letter Re: The Sad State of Private Firearms Ownership in Australia

Jim: I’m a SurvivalBlog reader in Australia. I want to describe the current situation for Australian gun owners, but first a bit of background information is needed to compare then and now: I grew up in Australia in the 1960s. My parents came here in the 1950s from a war torn Europe to have a better life here in a climate away from the cold and starving masses in Europe after the war, the so called “gun culture” in Australia was very free then, you could go on public transport with a 22 rifle tucked under your arm after a …