Category: Target Shooting & Marksmanship

Introduction to Suppressors, by Subsonic Scribe

Effective January 1, 2026, the ATF eliminated the $200 tax on firearm suppressors. This change will undoubtedly encourage many shooters to purchase or make a suppressor. In this article, I will share information for those new to suppressors to be able to make an informed decision as to whether to pursue getting one (or several). As a disclaimer, I have no financial involvement with any companies or products mentioned here. What are firearm suppressors? A firearm suppressor is a muzzle device mounted on a shotgun, rifle, or pistol to reduce the sound made when the gun is fired. They are …


TriStar KR22, by Thomas Christianson

The TriStar KR22 rifle has many excellent features. It is well-balanced and feeds smoothly. The synthetic stock is nicely weather resistant. It comes with two magazines. The comb can be adjusted for height, making it easy to get a good cheek weld while using optics. The receiver includes an integrated Picatinny rail. The stock comes with sling studs installed. The barrel is threaded to accept muzzle devices. The magazine-well accepts Ruger BX-series magazines. For me, the KR22 functioned most effectively with a red dot sight. To be useful for pest control, a rifle should be capable of consistently shooting two-inch …


Using GSSF Matches to Prep, by Iowa Dave

Author’s Note: I am not affiliated with Glock or the Glock Sport Shooting Foundation other than volunteering as a range officer at their matches and shooting their matches. JWR likes to say that owning a gun doesn’t make you a shooter any more than owning a surfboard makes you a surfer. You need to learn, train, and practice. Practical pistol disciplines such as International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) and International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) are outstanding ways to practice, but they can be intimidating to the novice. That’s where the Glock Sport Shooting Foundation, or GSSF fits in. Glock started …


Update: Budget Preparedness–Survival Isn’t About Stuff, It is About Skills

JWR’s Introductory Note: This is an update to an article that I wrote for SurvivalBlog back in June, 2008. It includes an adenda from my first wife Linda (“The Memsahib”), who passed away in 2009. It is part of a series of SurvivalBlog 20th Anniversary update re-posts, in recognition of the fact that the majority of readers did not join us until recent years. — I often stress that a key to survival is not what you have, but rather what you know. (See my Precepts of Rawlesian Survivalist Philosophy web page.) In part, I wrote: Skills Beat Gadgets and …


Practical Preparedness Suggestions – Part 2, by R.J.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) 5. Self Defense This segment references reading, training and situational awareness that will be difficult for some people. Use what you can. Learn how to profile people and your surroundings. It happens in many forms, constantly. There are predators who don’t care about how nice you are. (Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”) They will take advantage of the graces and courtesies that we usually employ to soften or de-escalate a problem. Learn what and how those predators think. Trust me, you …


Mantis TitanX 702, by Thomas Christianson

The new Mantis TitanX provides a training pistol that is compatible with both motion-based and laser-based training systems. The MantisX motion-based training system is freely available for iPhone, Android and Kindle devices. It is a sophisticated app that provides an extensive collection of drills and courses. The TitanX pistol is also compatible with the Mantis Laser Academy Kit, which cost $159 at mantisx.com at the time of this writing. As a dry-fire training aid, the TitanX does not expend ammo, can be safely used at home, and provides immediate feedback. In this way, it improves marksmanship while saving both money …


Bullet Drop: It’s About Time, by Mr. Wobbet

This article gives another perspective on understanding ballistics charts. Introduction I am not much of a hunter. Over the past five years going up to my in-law’s place, I’ve taken about a dozen shots at the feral pigs that root up sections of their land. I have zero hits on running pigs. If you line up a handful of soda cans filled with water at 25 yards, I can go town on those. But with the pigs out at 200 yards, I am about useless, even when the neighbor has lent me his really nice hunting rifle. A few weeks …


Christensen Arms Ranger in .22LR, by Thomas Christianson

Every gun cabinet should contain at least one rifle chambered in .22LR. The .22LR rimfire ammo is available in a wide variety of loads at reasonable prices. There is minimal recoil, minimal noise, and .22LR is a whole lot of fun to shoot. For training, for pest control, and for an all-around good time, there are few chamberings to match .22LR. Weighing in at just 5.1 pounds, the Christensen Arms Ranger in .22LR is an amazingly light and well-balanced bolt-action tack-driver with an excellent trigger. The threaded, 18-inch, hand-lapped, carbon-fiber-tension-over-stainless-steel-core barrel is well matched with a carbon-fiber stock with a …


Profound Deafness, and Profound Sadness

This is an open letter to the members of the U.S. House and Senate. I am writing to encourage you to pass the Hearing Protection Act (HPA).  This legislation would remove most of the restrictions on firearms suppressors — devices commonly but erroneously called silencers.  (They do not completely silence guns.) I recently turned 65 years old. Because of my service in the U.S. Army and my many years as a target shooter and hunter, I have developed progressive nerve deafness. My hearing loss is rated at “Profound” by audiologists.  I have spent thousands of dollars on hearing aids in …


Buying and Testing a Dead Air RXD22Ti Silencer, by Thomas Christianson

When the Big Beautiful Bill was signed into law on July 4, 2025, it eliminated the $200 tax on silencers. This change will become effective on January 1, 2026. Many SurvivalBlog readers may want to purchase their first silencer now that the tax has been eliminated. I decided to go ahead with a silencer purchase before the big day so that I could describe what that process looks like for first-time silencer buyers. I contacted Dead Air Silencers to see if they would be willing to provide the silencer while I would pay the tax and the SOT/FFL transfer fee. …


Fully Practicing Your Preps, by A.C.

In our world of unpredictable emergencies, from natural disasters to personal crises, a common saying always holds true; “You don’t rise to the occasion, you revert to the level of your training.” This isn’t just my cynical view of human nature; it’s a powerful call to action, especially to us self-described preppers. It emphasizes that true readiness isn’t about spontaneous heroism or “hoping for the best”.  Instead, it’s actually about the deliberate, often unglamorous work of turning preparation into an ingrained, automatic response. When the “stuff” hits the fan,  our carefully laid plans are only as good as our ability …


An Everyday Pellet Gun, by Lodge Pole

Where I grew up, we called them pellet guns, not pellet rifles or air rifles. I am by no means a pellet gun expert. Nearly all of my experience is with a single-shot, break-action pellet gun. The knowledge and advice I offer in this article is solely based on my experience and familiarity of single-shot, break-action pellet guns. Depending on your age, physical build and desired purpose of use, pellet gun actions vary, though in application, the concept remains the same. There is an option for everyone. About twenty years ago, I was camping with a friend who had a …


The “Come as You Are” Collapse–Have the Right Tools and Skills

Introductory Note From JWR: This article is an update and small expansion to a succinct post that I made back in February, 2008. When the Second World War broke out in September, 1939, the United States had nearly two full years to ramp up military training and production before decisively confronting the Axis powers. In the mid-1970s, looking at the recent experience of the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, the Pentagon’s strategic planners came to the realization that the next major war that the US military would wage would not be like the Second World War. There would not be the luxury …


Zastava ZPAP M70 Underfolder, by Thomas Christianson

AK platform firearms have a well-deserved reputation for rugged reliability. This is due (among other factors) to their simple design, sturdy construction, generally loose tolerances, and over-gassing. As a result, AK platform rifles have been a long-time favorite of mine for potential use in situations in which normal care and maintenance may be difficult. The Zastava ZPAP M70 Underfolder is a credit to its AK family lineage. It is compact (just 26.25 inches long when folded), reasonably accurate for an AK (those loose tolerances don’t make for an ideal sniper rifle), with above-average fit and finish for an AK, and …


Preparedness Primer for an Uncertain Future – Part 5, by Single Farmer

(Continued from Part 4.) Most survivalists tend to concentrate on their area of expertise and interest. The majority of survivalists I know are men and we tend to accumulate guns. It is just part of the nature of man that we like tools and guns are at their most basic level tools. I know of no survivalists or preppers without at least one gun unless they are just starting out. Over time, gun collections have a tendency to grow. Gun control for a survivalist is as the joke says means “buying just one gun instead of five.” One major problem …