Category: Self-Defense

Jim: Reading the letter from the gentleman who mentioned on all the western states instruction opportunities compared to the eastern ones, I noticed my all-time favorite instructor was not mentioned: Pat Goodale, of Practical Firearms Training. His primary range is located in West Virginia, and I wholeheartedly recommend his courses. Last year I decided I was slacking off with my practice and signed up for a full summer of his courses (he also owns a company in Montana, so there are courses offered here as well). I took Defensive Handgun I, II, and III, Precision Rifle, Tactical Rifle, and will …

Dear Mr Rawles, I recently bought and read your book, “Patriots, Surviving the Coming Collapse.” Can I say congratulations on penning such a great read, great story and heaps of useful info. I have read it twice and my wife has just finished it, she loved it too. We live in the lower part of the south island of New Zealand, in the countryside about 30 km from the nearest town, reading your book has inspired us to make ourselves more self sufficient, thank you. As an interesting point, I read an article written by you regarding the L1A1 Rifle, …

James: I am getting a Model 1893 Turkish Mauser. I know that these actions are not as strong as the Model 98. However, they are German Mausers made in Oberndorf. What finer pedigree can a rifle have? I have read some posts on forums that these are marginally safe with commercially available ammo. I was warned that the Turkish ammo was dangerous, it is known to be the hottest of the milsurp ammo. I was also warned against the Yugo [ammo]. One or two guys even said you only should shoot hand loaded mild loads. I am just wondering what …

James: Regarding the recent posts, I want to make a few posts about folding knives. First, while larger folders are definitely better for larger tasks and of course for self-defense, One needs to take time to learn what is legal to carry in their state. My state, for example, only allows a maximum blade length of 3.5 inches. I follow the law, but carry TWO such folders. It would be a massive hassle to get in trouble with an overly zealous police officer. Better to be sure, and know the law. As for folders, I like several Spydercos, such as …

Jim, I’m a strong fan of shotguns. Until recently, I was quite happy with whatever load was around the house stacked in the [shotgun magazine] tube for home defense. However, last year I was referred to The Box of Truth web site.The scary part is the comments on bird shot at the bottom: “I saw a gunshot victim, about 5′ 10” and 200 lbs, taken to the operating room with a shotgun wound to the chest. He was shot at a range of six feet at a distance of just over the pectoralis muscle. He was sitting on his front …

Jim, I came across this .223 rifle made by Kel-Tec that folds down to 25″ and would fit into some backpacks. Let me know what you think. – G.C.P. JWR Replies: The Kel-Tec SU-16s are reportedly fairly reliable and accurate. It is nice that they use standard AR-15/M16 magazines, which have become ubiquitous in the U.S., the Philippines, and several other countries. However, I have heard that SU-16s have three significant detractors, the first two of which concern the stock: 1.) The stock is relatively fragile and hence not suited for vigorous field use. They might suffice for target shooting, …

Mr. R.: I read SurvivalBlog regularly – great site – and have been a contributor. It’s worth every penny. I would strongly encourage folks to check out Smokey Mountain Knife Works. I’ve gotten both CRKT and Cold Steel items there at very deep discounts. They’ve had both Kasper and Steve Ryan folders and fixed blades on sale at less than half their sale pricing elsewhere, both CRKT produced versions of those gentlemens’ customs. The Ryan Plan B fixed and the Model 7 folders are knives to have. They’ve had both full-size and compact Pendleton Hunters from Cold-Steel – not just …

Dear Mr. Rawles: To amplify on some of your points is a recent reply to a reader letter, here is some data; Number 4 [bird] shot is .13 inch in diameter. Number 4 buckshot (BK) is .24 inch in diameter and weighs 20.5 grains. (one pound avoirdupois is equal to 7,000 grains, 437.5 grains is equivalent to one ounce.) OO BK is .33 inch in diameter and weighs 53 grains. We have several levels of power in buckshot loads. Lets look at 12 gauge 2-3/4 and 3 inch shells. 2-3/4 inch standard OO BK has 9 pellets at 1,325 feet …

Mr. Rawles: Concerning an advertiser on your site. I have done business with George over at The Pre-1899 Specialist and have had outstanding results. Without getting into specifics I bought from him and the Post Office managed to damage my order severely. I notified George and as always received a very swift and positive response. All was made right and I couldn’t be more satisfied. All was sent as advertised and in perfect (except for the gorillas at the USPS) working order. The prices were great too. I am looking forward to doing more business with George in the future. …

Sir, I cannot speak higher praise than for the Benchmade line of folding knives, specifically those with the Axis Lock mechanism. $100 may seem steep to some for a folding pocket knife, but its one of two tools I use every single day, and potentially might have to trust my life to some day. The only folding blade I’ve found with a lock I trust that much is the axis. The two specific models I favor are the Ares and the AFCK. I have done things with these knives one should probably never attempt with a folder, but they continue …

Dear Mr. Rawles, I look forward to reading your blog every day. One of the nice things about a shotgun is the wide variety of ammo available for them, but that does bring up a question: what type of shells should one stock up on? I currently keep about an even mix of 00 buckshot (primarily for defense) and #8-bird-shot (for practice, pest control & small-game hunting). I also have a small quantity of slugs, but not many; I figure that a situation that would best be served with a slug would be even better served with a rifle. Do …

Jim, Good to see your using the CRKT knives. They are very affordable. I also like the 12 series tantos. Thery have a good portable size. I followed the link that you provided. I hope you didn’t pay the $48.00 price though, I sell that same knife on eBay for $34.99. Go to ‘Knife Brigade’ if you are interested. I can normally beat the prices of most of the other vendors. I’m just happy to get $10-to$15 dollars over what I pay per knife (guess I wont be getting rich). Best Regards – Jason P.S. Remember–Monday May 1st is ‘American …

Hello, We have a copy of your novel “Patriots” published by Huntington House; and even had the 8.5 x 11 [self-published] precursor to the book. I’d like to ask you a question. Do you know of any tactical/SERE knife evaluation forums out there. I’d like to obtain the best folder out there for my son. I have an old Al Mar SERE, but am curious if anyone has compared the various folders such as Al Mar, Masters of Defense, Benchmade etc. Keep up the great work, James! – R.S. in Ohio JWR Replies: I am by no means a knife …

Dear Jim, I love the site and have learned much. As soon as I can scrape together some extra money, I will be joining the Ten Cent Challenge. “Some Guy” wrote about the lack of availability of spare parts for the XD series pistols and the lack of certified armorers. One is true, the other is patently false. Springfield has indeed been less than forthcoming with spare parts. Most of this seems to be just a lack of manufacturing capacity. If I remember correctly, they can barely get enough parts to make the pistols, let alone keep extras around. Why …