Category: Self-Defense

Your Friends, by D.D.

Most people don’t see the need to prepare. To them, these funny stories about the end of the world (in one form or another) are nothing but a passing amusement, at best, or the ravings of paranoid doomsayers, at worst. Still, though, they have a backup, fool-proof plan, just in case they are wrong. This plan, of course, is to come to your house. As soon as they hear of any of your preparations, they casually invite themselves over: “If anything does happen, I know where I’m going…” They speak as if you’re preparing to carry their burden, too, and …


Prepare Without Looking Prepared, by Farm Operator

“Have you watched Doomsday Preppers? Man, those people are crazy!” “We’ve got this neighbor down the street who’s prepping for the end of the world. What a weirdo!” We’ve all heard these comments (or similar ones). As for the wife and me, when friends, delivery men, in-laws, out-laws, offspring, or third cousins (who only show when they need something) come by the house, we don’t want them thinking we’re crazier than we are. Most importantly, we don’t want them knowing we’re prepping. For obvious security reasons, we don’t want those cousins to be the first at our doorstep when SHTF. …


Getting Started With Reloading, by M.H.

Here’s a little about where I am coming from. My Dad first started me reloading ammo, casting and swagging bullets over 50 years ago. In that time I have reloaded and fired ammo from the .380ACP to the .50 cal BMG and, to a lesser degree, shot shells in skeet gauges. I operated an “at home” business, where I have cast millions of pistol caliber bullets, which paid for my shooting “addiction”, and sponsored a IPSC Grand Master and a CAS state champ. In addition I carried the big, brand names in bullets, powder, primers, brass, and reloading tools to …


Letter Re: OPSEC and Paid Security

Dear Jim and Hugh, I agree with the statements about private security. However, having too much visible security implies you have something worth protecting inside, and with the glut of marijuana production getting legalized in many states, the price of that drug has dropped, meaning the growers who were used to a certain income are now scrambling and desperate. There have been many reported incidents of home invasions in pot growing areas, with violent outcomes, and it is likely there are many that weren’t reported because the invaders were all killed and buried. Falling crop values and potential full legalization …


Three Letters Re: Tumbling Live Rounds

In reply to HJL: Which begs the question: “Why are commercially-produced rounds going Ka-Boom then?” Hi, It’s sabotage, just like what has been going on in Syria. An awful lot of mortars seem to detonate in the tube over there. If only one in a few thousand or million rounds are altered, it would be very difficult to figure out since the effected round is destroyed and most of the rounds in the same batch or many batches in series are just standard production. Probably it is all just some sort of defect in the manufacturing process that has yet …


Letter Re: Kansas Bill

Sir, I am writing in response to the article link about the Kansas bill seeking to legalize police retaliation. I will first state that I do not agree with a second agency not being able to do an investigation– a fair and impartial investigation should always be the case. That said, I served 13 years in the infantry ending as an LRS team leader and currently serving with 15 years at a large, midwest police department. My department will take any complaint. A complaint can and has been taken over the telephone (even anonymously) with nothing more than the allegation …


The Warfighter and the Auxiliary Opinions

There are many that want to be the cool guy running in the hills with a rifle, taking out targets, conducting raids, and setting up ambushes. Several think that they can sit on a hill top with their rifle and take out any targets in sight. Just about everyone wants to do something tactical. While learning, knowing, and practicing those skills is great, it is not practical to have everyone in the prepper community running and gunning. Everyone in this community needs to know how to run their rifles, pistols, and shotguns, but it is not necessary for everyone to …


In Defense of the Humble Shotgun, by V.F.

As a longtime reader and supporter of survival blog I must first and foremost thank JWR and the many contributors. Your wisdom and insight have taught me many things that will help me and mine in the times of trouble now upon us. My first exposure to the shotgun was as a youngster hunting pheasant in southern Arizona with an old 16-gauge double barrel, which was a little bit more than my 10 year old body could handle. I learned to shoot it, nonetheless, with the help of my grandpa and my dad. The two of them had many a …


Letter Re: Glock 27 .40 S&W Pistol

I thought Pat did a great review on this little pistol. Very thorough and insightful. While looking for a backup and off-duty gun, I purchased a G27in 1999 and have carried it daily since then. I spent the extra money and got mine with Meprolite night sights, but as he notes,the plastic with white outline are excellent. Pat does make a great point about the Glock 26 9mm being easier to shoot, though I have found that I shoot the 27 just about as well as my department-issued G22. Another point in favor of the 9mm is that in today’s …


Pat’s Product Review: Glock 27 .40 S&W Pistol

Many years ago, when I worked for the late Col. Rex Applegate. We worked with Paladin Press, on the very first video they produced, titled “Manstoppers.” In this video a large selection of semiauto handguns were tested and fired by Tom Campbell, who at one time was Smith and Wesson’s top shooter. I acted as range officer and a consultant on the video, that was shot at the old Applegate pioneer homestead outside of Yoncolla, Oregon. For this video, Col. Applegate obtained a prototype Glock 23 handgun, and we were all impressed with it, albeit there were many malfunctions, due …


Firearms: Understanding the Performance of Your Rifle Through Trials and Tribulations

Many times, we get so caught up in buying our toys and getting them out of the package to play that we don’t pay attention to the fine details that really matter. It’s no surprise that prepping has generally been all about more, bigger, and better firearms and ammunition. Yet, there is so much to be learned about the proper use and care of your firearms that becomes lost on the average person. Many times we buy the gun, we get it out of the package, throw all of our tacti-cool stuff on it, maybe shoot it a few times, …


Letter Re: Building Your Own No-FFL AR From an 80% Complete Receiver

Dear JWR, The mere fact that folks such as Carl X. and C. are discussing, researching, and indeed, well informed on the subject of 80% lower receiver completion gives me hope! I can’t begin to express just how pleasing it is that good people are informing themselves on the subject. Anyway, I’d like to clarify a couple of things, if I may? As C. notes, an inexperienced builder will likely spend at least two hours milling and shaping the fire control pocket. However, a slip of the Dremel does not necessarily mean the blank’s doom. One must remember that the …


Letter Re: Storing Ammunition

JWR, I’ve been reloading for almost 30 years and have tried many solutions for boxing up all the ammo including bulk in zip lock bags as well as just filling ammo cans and of course hard plastic boxes. If it’s made, I’ve tried it and nothing really worked well nor are they very compact. Until now. I have stumbled on RepackBox.com and found their cardstock boxes great. So far I’ve loaded 5.56, 7.62×39, 9mm and .45 ACP.  What I like is their boxes are made so the quantity will fit most standard magazines…i.e., the 5.56 box holds 30 rounds as …


Two Letters Re: Building Your Own No-FFL AR From an 80% Complete Receiver

Dear JWR, Regarding the recent article by “Nomad”: I strongly urge all AR-15 owners to get an 80% complete lower receiver, even if you do not finish it now.  [Under American jurisprudence,] if gun confiscation comes, the only thing that must be turned in is the stripped lower receiver.  The BATFE recognizes that the stripped lower receiver constitutes the firearm as it contains the serial number.  The rest IS NOT a “firearm”, by their own regulations.  With the non-registered (as per regulations, again) lower receiver, you can build a fully functioning AR-15 that is not on their books. – Carl …


Who Shall Protect Us?, by Shepard Humphries

Imagine you and your family are asleep in your home and at 2am you hear a downstairs glass window breaking.  You hear voices laughing and cursing, saying that they are going to F-Up you and your family.  Based on the historical length of violent encounters, you know that this whole violent situation will likely be over in 1 to 3 minutes. This is not a pleasant scenario, but I am setting the stage for you to do a mental exercise.  I will not give you solutions; rather you will.  As Gavin DeBecker describes in his must-read book, “The Gift of …