Category: Self-Defense

Mr. Rawles, I’ve just finished reading your novel “Patriots”, and wish to thank you for providing such an insightful guide to preparation and the survival mindset, and a pretty darn entertaining read, to boot! My question concerns your preference for the M1911 .45 ACP pistol as a sidearm for one’s survival preparations. I wholeheartedly agree with you on the round’s advantages over lesser-powered cartridges such as 9mm or .40 S&W. And, since the ergonomics of the 1911 design in particular tend to suit me well personally (indeed, to whom does it not), I was wondering what your thoughts were regarding …

Jim, I agree about getting a real HK91 and not a clone. The HK91 is a great rifle with a few easily corrected but serious weaknesses. The trigger is heavy and poor, but an inexpensive and excellent fix is available from www.williamstriggers.com. The sights are mediocre, but the “1200 meter sight”, which can be found on the gun boards such as www.hkpro.com or www.sturmgewehr.com is much better, and can be drilled or fitted with an insert to provide the ideal aperture. The narrow, hard plastic butt stock can be punishing, but the butt end piece can be replaced with a …

Jim: A note on you post of 12/15 about the SAR-8. I wish I could point you to a single place on the Web where you could verify this, but there isn’t one. I gathered this info from a number of gun discussion boards after my (opportunistic) purchase of an SAR-8 at a gun show. There are two distinct SAR-8s, both handled by Springfield Armory. One is a steel receiver, made in Greece on original HK tooling. Known there as the SAR-3, it was changed to the SAR-8 by over striking the markings on the gun. Being an import, there …

Is the sling that David is referring to in his latest piece; “David in Israel Re: Firearms for Survival” the same type as that shown in this link? http://www.israelmilitary.com/product_info.php?cPath=6295&products_id=547  – Thanks, C.W. JWR Replies: Yes, believe that is the type that he was referring to.Ther Israeli sling arrangement is nice in that the sling is top-mounted so that the rifle doesn’t flip upside down when you let go of it. Sling arrangements for rifles tend to be very subjective and personalized. Use whatever works best for you, your stature, your personal circumstances, and your intended use.  For me, a plain …

You gotta love a well put together MIA. Too bad that Springfield Armory doesn’t seem to be up to the task. The M1A, my favorite battle rifle, but is probably the worst as far as scoping goes. Scopes of conventional eye relief have to mount very high for the ocular to clear the rear sight assembly, this makes for funky stock welds and other problems. As well the side position on the receiver of the scope mount generally has the ocular too far back and close to the eye, causing grief when shooting from all positions even when cantilevered rings …

JWR: A couple of tidbits regarding the king of the battle rifles: M14 magazines are now just $10 each at Midway – they have secured a lot of Taiwan mags – these are made on USGI machinery that we sold to the Taiwanese. Yes, I feel stupid for having bought my supply @ $35 each!  [JWR’s Comment: If they are blued, then they are Taiwanese. If they are gray phosphated (Parkerized), then odds are 90% that they are mainland Chinese.] The “chopping” of the barrel from regular length to scout length is a very complicated operation requiring the re-milling of …

To reply to the reader about the [Springfield Armory] M1A SOCOM [variant]. First, I have had and do have several M1A-A1 Scout rifles. I would not trade any of them for any other main battle rifle. Second, I personally know several [former] SEAL Team 2 members and other men who have worked with BlackWater in Iraq. The SOCOM is there preferred weapon, other than what would be Class 3 weapons for us [civilians]. – “Woo” Sir: While I cannot speak to the SOCOM, I am the proud owner of an M1A Scout (my understanding that the primary difference in the …

Hi Jim, I’m writing to see if you, or any of your readers, have any input re: Springfield Armory’s M1A SOCOM. I am considering putting one on layaway as a bugout rifle, but have read mixed reviews. I seem to remember that I saw a recommendation on SurvivalBlog to dispense with the full size version (my MBR) and go with the SOCOM, but I can’t find it. Any info you could provide would be greatly appreciated.