Category: Self-Defense

Letter Re: Advice in Investing in a Belt-Fed Semi-Auto 7.62mm NATO

Mr. Rawles: I am interested in diversifying out of the dollar and was thinking of buying a belt-fed semi auto [as a “tangible” investment.] (I already have the rest of my gear, guns, and food storage well squared away.) Since 7.62 [mm NATO military surplus ammunition] is less expensive than [commercially loaded] .308 [Winchester], can you recommend a belt fed 7.62 semiautomatic? Any that you would avoid? Thanks! – S. JWR Replies: I would recommend buying a semiauto-only Browning Model 1919A4, since they have legendary “bomb proof” robustness, great versatility in mounting, and broad chambering convertability. I recommend that you …


Six Letters Re: New-Found Respect for .223 as a Potential Man Stopper

Jim- I couldn’t help but respond to the blast of letters re: “.223 as Man Stopper”, as most of my time in the employ of our Uncle Sam was engaged in the testing and evaluation of small arms, OPFOR and NATO. (As a matter of full disclosure, I did not offer any opinions or make decisions regarding their respective performances; rather, I merely conducted the tests and recorded the results. Therefore my opinions were/are not colored by the political intrigues of small arms procurement procedures). The trap we, as survivalists/retreaters fall into when looking at our weaponry is to look …


Preparedness While on Business Travel–What to Pack, by LP

If you’re like me, there are times when you have to leave almost all your preparedness stuff behind as you journey by air to strange, far-off places on behalf of your employer. No access to your well-stocked SUV. You are alone, and home is hundreds if not thousands of miles away. But disaster will not be consulting your personal travel itinerary before it strikes. How best should you prepare? Let’s first discuss the objective, as it determines the approach. For most of us, we leave family, friends, and a (more-or-less) well-stocked homestead behind. This means Your primary objective is to …


Five Letters Re: New-Found Respect for .223 as a Potential Man Stopper

Jim, In response to Martin’s recent letter [“New-Found Respect for .223 as a Potential Man Stopper]: While the .223 (5.56mm NATO) round may work on the unsuspecting deer or thin-skinned varmint that is standing still, the situation changes when you are dealing with larger animals or highly aggressive and motivated individuals. In times like these, a .30 caliber round, i.e. the .308 (7.62×51 NATO) or Soviet 7.62x39mm is a more dependable man stopper. Why do you think there was a move to the larger 6.8mm round to replace or at least supplant the 5.56mm? Poor performance on the battlefield. Most …


Letter Re: New-Found Respect for .223 as a Potential Man Stopper

Jim: When you stop an think about the thickness of the human chest as compared to a large well-muscled deer they are about the same. This is what my family and our friend have done with the same .223 rifle this year: – Buck 150 yards one shot one kill. Dropped on the spot, dead. – Doe 125 yards one shot one kill. Walked five feet and dropped dead. – Doe 220 yards one shot one kill. Dropped on the spot, dead. – Doe 275 yards one shot one kill. Dropped on the spot, dead. – Buck 400 yards one …


Letter Re: Recommended Spare Parts for Firearms

Sir: I am interested in acquiring a good stock of spare parts for my firearms but am not sure where to start. For my AR-15 I got a spare parts kit which covers all the likely culprits for failure (I know it well enough to be sure of that). Eventually I will get an extra bolt carrier group for it. However I do not know enough about the parts that tend to fail for other firearms in my collection. The other firearms I am concerned with are: Springfield Mil Spec .45 [Colt M1911 clone] , Mossberg 500 12 gauge, Ruger …


Letter Re: Comments on FAL Rifle Gas Regulation

Mr. Rawles: These sage comments on FN FAL gas adjustment from my friend and colleague, John Krupa, Director of Training for DSA [an American maker of FN FAL clone rifles. The following is re-posted with the permission of DSA]: “Not knowing that one can control gas-flow on this weapon has led to countless customer-service calls to DSA, complaining that the rifle ‘doesn’t work.’ The following is laid out in great detail in the Owners’s Manual, of course, but we are happy to explain to each owner how the gas-regulator works and then walk them through correct gas-regulator adjustment. Invariably, when …


Letter Re: Curious About “Curio and Relic” Firearms Laws in the US

Hi Jim, I read from time to time “C&R eligible.” Can you please post a quick note on the SurvivalBlog that explains what that is referring to, as it relates to firearms. Blessings, – Mark B. JWR Replies: I often write about the full exemption in the Federal law for pre-1899 guns, but I haven’t given much attention in the blog to Curio and Relic (C&R) guns. A Type 03 Federal Firearms License (FFL) is issued by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) . It allows individual C&R collectors to purchase across state lines some specifically …


The Demise of the US Dollar–The Handwriting is on the Wall

The major news outlets have finally started shouting about the collapsing value of the dollar and the bull market in precious metals. (Looking at the charts, $820 per ounce seems to be the new floor for spot gold.) Just as I predicted, it was a move by China that precipitated the latest drop in the dollar. Thanks, BTW, to the five readers that all sent that link. I should mention that several SurvivalBlog readers mentioned that article. Reader Mike the Blacksmith noted: “The remarks by Cheng on world currency status is the most important point in this article.” The currency …


Letter Re: Advice on Sources for a FN FAL Clone Rifle

Hi, I am a relatively new but loyal reader and can use some advice. I am looking to purchase a .308 battle rifle (eventually five or six of them) and wonder if you have any resources for fairly priced new FN FAL (type) firearms and magazines? Thanks, – Ryan JWR Replies: If you don’t mind a paper trail, some of the best bargains are some of the “builds” done by individual members at The FALFiles Forums. Depending on circumstances (such as car repairs, loss of jobs, and divorces) they are sometimes sold below cost. For example, here is a very …


Two Letters Re: Advice on Rifle Stock Pouches

Sir I saw in the blog someone mentioning the stock pouches soldiers have on their rifles overseas. Sadly these pouches are there because our servicemembers are not trusted with a loaded weapon while on the FOB. We are required to maintain possession of the weapon and a minimum amount of ammunition (usually one magazine) but we are not allowed to have the weapon loaded. Unfortunately we don’t teach our servicemembers to be safe with weapons–we simply don’t allow them the possibility to have an accident. – Jake Dear Jim: I use the SpecOps [brand] Ready Fire Mode pouches, and second …


Letter Re: Advice on Rifle Stock Pouches

Mr. Rawles: In television news footage and magazine articles about U.S. troops stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, I often see soldiers with nylon pouches attached to their rifle [butt]stocks. They seem to hold extra magazines. That seems pretty handy, so you always have a spare magazine, even if you get separated from your “Deuce” [web] gear. Do you recommend doing this? If so, what sort of pouch do you suggest for my M1A and AR-15? I also have several bolt actions, but only one of mine takes [detachable] magazines, and only four rounders are available for it. What should …


Letter Re: Eating The Food That You Store

Mr Rawles, First off, let me start by saying, I loved “Patriots” Kudos to you. The thing I’m writing to you about is an idea I came up with after reading one or the suggestions for single survivalists using # 10 cans of foodstuffs in their preps. The reduction of waste is a serious subject. I think it would be a good idea for all of the folks that use these food stores, to invest a bit of their survival funds on a vacuum sealer system, and kitchen scale. The cans could then be opened, divided into individual portions, [labelled] …


Letter Re: The Falling Dollar–Sheltering Your Assets in Steel and Alloy Tangibles

Jim, I really appreciate your web site and your wisdom. I agree with your evaluation of the need or the wisdom in storing magazines. You recommend original factory or military surplus. My question is what would you advise as far as AK mags go? Any thought on the polymer mags would also be appreciated. Thanks, – Andy JWR Replies: For steel AK magazines, I recommend buying any of the magazines made in the former Soviet Bloc that have a full length standing metal rib on the back. Virtually all of those are quite robust and reliable, regardless of the country …


Letter Re: Advice on a Rust-Resistant Method to Store Spare Magazines

Hello Mr. Rawles, I just read your recent post on investing in full capacity magazines and was motivated to place several large mag orders. I already had at least 150 rifle mags, so I have quite a few mags around. I recently have been trying to get my preparedness storage organized so that items can be stored for long periods without being damaged. As part of this I have been vacuum sealing mags in my Tilia Food Saver with an oxygen absorber thrown in for good measure. These will then be stored in bins in my clean, dry attic. (I …