Category: Target Shooting & Marksmanship

Loading Your Own Ammunition, by Ken in Montana

With the current shortage of ammunition and the consequent high prices, it makes more sense now than ever before to learn how to reload your own fired brass casings.  I even suspect that in the future, this may well be the only way for the ordinary citizen to obtain ammunition. It’s not at all difficult, it only requires a little understanding of the process, and the ability to follow directions. This will become very important later, as each caliber requires its own set of powders, charges, primers, and bullets. No one can learn them all, there are millions of potential …


Letter Re: Airsoft: Effective Firearm and Tactical Training for Adults and Children

James, Just wanted to amplify the recent contribution on Airsoft which focused mainly on Airsoft battle rifle emulations. Our concealed carry instructor had mention Airsoft handguns as CQB/indoor training and drill options. In particular he thought well of the “GreenGas” Blowback emulations of semi-auto handguns. I filed this under someday and didn’t begin to investigate Airsoft handguns until the recent spike in ammo prices.  The propellant, Green Gas, is propane with a bit of silicon oil added for a lubricant. Adapters are available so you may use larger (lantern and torch size) propane tanks which are more economical.You can purchase …


Airsoft: Effective Firearm and Tactical Training for Adults and Children, by So Ed

To many people, Airsoft is just a toy gun that annoying 12-year olds spray at each other with plastic pellets in the back yard.  But to the military and creative survivalists, it’s a training tool that saves lives. The Japanese invented Airsoft in the 1990s and militaries worldwide soon discovered that the inexpensive, safe Airsoft guns are a realistic method for training tactical movement, magazine change drills, building clearing, and much more. What is Airsoft? There are a myriad of different types and styles of Airsoft guns, but the common attractive feature is that they are modeled in size and …


Letter Re: Practice, Cub Scouts, BB Guns, and the Old Guy

Dear Jim and Readers, I want to start out with a little bit of pre-history. About five weeks ago I had my first heart attack, and the doc installed a stint. That was a wake-up call! Wow. Of course the subject by the doc was diet, lose the lard, get exercise. I started losing by cutting back, but I needed a bit more help. Work would be nice, it would help with my activity level plus I needed some extra finances to come in as some big bills were hitting all at once. So when all these things begin to …


Airsoft, Pellets, and BBs: Inexpensive M1911 Practice, by M.M.

With the continuing ammunition shortage, inexpensive firearms practice has become impossible.  .45ACP centerfire pistol ammo, when available, pushes a dollar a round.  I haven’t seen .22LR for a lot less than fifty cents a round either.  Ridiculous!  However, there are replica, 1:1 scale copies, air or gas powered guns and ammo that simulate the M1911 firearm shooting experience in every respect except the noise and recoil.  You can practice indoors, in any weather, without disturbing a sleeper in the same room with a “weapon” indistinguishable from the real thing at a price that isn’t just low but down right cheap!   Notice …


Air Guns as Long Term Survival Weapons, by M.D.W.

The term Air Gun brings to mind the classic Red Ryder BB gun to many. It is often met with the question “You mean Airsoft and BB guns?” Those are not what are being discussed here. We are talking about weapons that are capable of taking deer, bear, buffalo, and two legged predators. We are talking about weapons that can take squirrels from 50 yards with Hollywood like quite. We are talking about weapons that can make ammo from a tire weights, previously fired bullets, or any other source of lead. We are talking about weapons that you can shoot …


Michael Z. Williamson Re: Mass Versus Bullets (and Hail Stones and Gamma Radiation)

Dear Jim, I notice that 5.56 is again getting an unrealistically bad rap.  It’s not as powerful as many other rounds, but some online epithets seem to suggest you can hide behind a sheet of paper and be safe. As a reminder, I’d like to repost the following demonstrations from the fine folks at Box O’ Truth: 5.56 will go through four interior walls. It will shoot a hole into an engine block. A steel front door may stop shotgun pellets, but WILL NOT stop 5.56mm. Level IIIA body armor without plates will not stop 5.56mm. Car doors will not …


Three Letters Re: Studying Guerilla Warfare Tactics

Dear Captain Rawles, I would like to thank Al H. for his letter on the importance of studying Guerrilla Warfare tactics and also for his mention of one of my book, Contact!: A Tactical Manual for Post Collapse Survival There were two purposes in writing ‘Contact’: firstly, to pass on tactical self-defense information to aid the survival of law abiding prepper folks in a post-SHTF situation. The second was to give information on how to tactically fight a resistance campaign, although at the time I left some of the reasons for the tactics a little unsaid. Its all in there, …


Letter Re: Selecting a Prepper’s Firearms

Jim: I’m writing in response to: Selecting a Prepper’s Firearms, by Frog. First I can say that I like the idea of adding a Bushnell red dot to a few of my ‘tools’ – I wanted to add one with out getting stuff that would fail, and have been unwilling to buy anything overly expensive due to today’s crazy market with it’s inflated prices.  Red dot scope for say a 10-22 with a folding stock would be perfect match. (and it’s around $100) – totally good call. I only see a few issues with selection of firearms like the glock …


Marksmanship and .308 Battle Rifles, by Ulysses in Montana

Like a lot of guys I did some shooting and hunting while growing up, only to set it aside in early adulthood as the frantic task of making it in life overcame interest in such ‘boyish’ pursuits.  When I returned to shooting later on it was with an emphasis on self-defense, particularly pistol shooting, which provided a fresh and stimulating way to ease back into it, as I had previously never fired a pistol.  I quickly settled on the Glock models in .45 ACP, keeping it simple and relatively inexpensive, and have kept at it steadily ever since, wanting above …


Two Letters Re: Knob Creek After Action Report

Jim, Sorry to be late on my Knob Creek roundup I was indecisive as to the interest level in the past, as it concerns those mostly east of the Mississippi.   Arrived Friday morning and was shocked at how sparse the crowd was compared to past events. It was still a good sized crowd but I could actually get around and wasn’t standing room only. I am guessing that a couple of rain fronts that came through in the week previous dampened enthusiasm, along with the economy and people have been on an ammo buying spree for over a year, …


Letter Re: Knob Creek After Action Report, by Louie in Ohio

Dear SurvivalBloggers: This past weekend (12-14 October, 2012) was the Fall Knob Creek machinegun shoot in West Point, Kentucky. The Knob Creek (“KCR”) shoot is normally a bi-annual event, held in April and October each year. It is the World’s largest machine gun (MG) shoot and machine gun show. Although none of our group are really “into” machine guns this event was on the “bucket list” of one of our party. With the spring shoot canceled last April because of heavy rains washing a bridge out, we were determined to make this one. Web sites were checked, reservations made, bags …


Three Letters Re: Adapting Preps as We Age

Hi Jim, You were spot on in your response to he article by “Retread”.   However, for anyone who does choose to use .22 LR for self defense, like the writer of the article, I would go with the Mexican Aguila brand ammo. Due to necessity, they’ve had to invent some man-killer .22 LR (It’s legal for people there to own .22 LR, but not anything else. Not that people down there don’t own AR’s and AK’s, anyway).   My favorite solution for this man is the Aguila 60-grain rd., marketed under the name “Sniper Sub-Sonic” (SSS).I think the only …


Adapting Preps as We Age, by Retread

Soon after the Hurricane Katrina disaster we discovered Survivalblog and have since read thousands of (for us) Heaven sent articles. These last seven years has changed our lives for the better. We are dedicated preppers, now living on our new-to-us farm/retreat. We are busy setting it up properly for SHTF, and making good progress. We cannot thank you enough Mr. Rawles.  Prepping is preparing for the day things change for the worse. In all our planning, it never occurred to me that it might be me that changed. I seem to have hit that spot where I was forced to …


Pat’s Product Review: BTB Sport Optics Sunglasses

I don’t care how many times I tell students who are coming to take a firearms class from me to bring hearing protection and eye protection. And, more often than not, at least half the students don’t bring either eye or hearing protection. I keep a box of soft foam ear plugs and safety glasses on-hand at all times, for those forgetful, or maybe they are neglectful students.   My eye doctor tells me, there is no cure for blindness. And, for hearing loss – well, it’s something a lot of people learn to live with, with either hearing aids, …