Category: Target Shooting & Marksmanship

G9 Defense 9mm EHP Ammo, by Thomas Christianson

G9 Defense 9mm External Hollow Point (EHP) Personal Defense Ammo offers a powerful self-defense round in a standard pressure loading (1480 FPS), or in a more powerful +P loading (1520 FPS). The flutes on the outside of the solid copper bullet create cavitation in liquids and soft tissue, thus transferring energy laterally upon impact. They do not create cavitation in solids, thus allowing the bullet to effectively penetrate barriers like drywall, glass, or sheet metal with minimal deflection or projectile deformation. At the time of this writing a 20-round box of either load cost $36.99 from www.g9defense.com . That is …


Hunting in Desperate Times – Part 6, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 5. This concludes the article.) In the ballistic charts that follow, the best zero for each type of ammunition is determined and we can see how much to our advantage it is to determine the actual trajectory of the ammunition and find the zero that makes the best use of it’s flat trajectory. I used the JBM ballistics calculator and the manufacturers data to find out what the true maximum point black range is when using a 24 inch barrel. The following data (and much more) can also be found at the highly-recommended  JBM Ballistic Calculator website. …


Hunting in Desperate Times – Part 5, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 4.) More on the 6.5 Creedmoor In its development, many aspects of the 6.5 Creedmoor were combined to produce a very accurate cartridge. The 6.5×55 barrel twist rate is 7.8:1 and the twist rate for most 6.5CM rifles during its introduction was 8:1. This is ideal for the heavier 140 to 160 grain 6.5mm projectiles that give both of these 6.5 cartridges very desirable ballistic properties and fine accuracy. The long bearing surface of heavy-for-caliber bullets impart stability inside the barrel and outside the barrel as yaw rates are lower and the bullet settles down and could …


Hunting in Desperate Times – Part 4, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 3.) 7×57 Mauser Here is one good 7×57 Mauser load: Federal Power-Shok Jacketed Soft Point 175 Grain 7mm Mauser.  It has a muzzle velocity of 2,390 fps. 6.5×55 Swedish Mauser My preferred roundnose 6.5×55 Swedish Mauser load uses a Hornady 160 grain RN at 2,400 fps. Round nosed bullets are falling into disuse. I was only able to find one manufacturer offering loaded 6.5×55 round nosed soft point ammunition and it was at an excessively high price. Reloaders have either Hornady or Sierra RN bullets to choose from. I have plenty in stock. Brace for sticker shock …


Hunting in Desperate Times – Part 3, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 2.) Two .30 Caliber Big Game Hunting Loads My bolt action rifles are in two separate groups, precision rifles, and hunting rifles. All of my 6.5mm rifles are precision rifles capable of extreme long-range shooting. They will be handled with care and not bumped around while hunting. They are too valuable because of what they can do. Of course, the ammunition they use can also be used on deer out to 300 yards, and elk in a pinch with well-placed shots inside of 200 yards, yet they are not suitable for bear and elk when the angle …


Hunting in Desperate Times – Part 2, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 1.) Every year I see lots of hunters hunting from their vehicles. This is more like drive-by shooting than hunting. Most modern hunters are seasonal hunters who mostly shoot off-hand and are lousy shots. Haste makes waste. It is best to use a rest or shooting stick if possible, and it helps to use a cartridge that is perhaps more than needed to help compensate for a poorly placed shot. I would rather risk losing meat than risk losing the entire animal. Standard “cup and core” soft point ammunition is plenty for deer, yet some cartridges could …


Hunting in Desperate Times – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit

I hope that this article will serve as a starting point for novice hunters who should continue to seek more on the topic. Even after decades as a hunter, I continue to learn more. Hunting will be a serious business in the near future. So I will do my best to present tried and true practices and advice, and attempt to describe what I believe hunting conditions and practices might be during the coming bad times. If we are hunting to survive, then losing a game would be unacceptable and perhaps tragic. High-quality protein during a famine or lean times …


Building a Versatile AR, by Bulldog

Living the prepper lifestyle for many decades has fas its perks…well, sort of! It typically means there are mounds of extra supplies, boxes of spare parts, jars of both home and commercially canned foods, dry-canned foods, buckets of grain and beans in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers, and shelving anywhere it can possibly be built. Yeah, I’ve probably left out a few things, but you get the idea. It also generally means you are often versed and proficient in tasks the average person has never even considered. This of course can be a hindrance when you and your wife are …


Learning How To Be a Marksman – Part 4, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 3. This concludes the article.) Precision shooting is the pursuit of the ability to hit small targets at long ranges with one shot. As hits count and misses do not, given the battlefield level of accuracy that most rifles and shooters are capable of, limiting our range to 300 yards is realistic and practical. Training at 400 yards and then shooting at 300 yards will make the shooter work harder and better ensure that they can hit the first time, every time at closer ranges. Do not let the enemy get closer than 300 yards. At 200 …


Learning How To Be a Marksman – Part 3, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 2.) Understanding Ballistic Coefficients As a rule of thumb, projectiles with a ballistic coefficient (BC) of 0.400 or less and velocities of less than 2,750 fps (such as 77 grain .223 bullets out of 20″ AR barrel) will have a much more difficult time striking targets past 600 yards when compared to projectiles with greater ballistic coefficients and the same or higher velocities. The larger diameter projectiles with heavy for caliber bullets used in other cartridges beginning with 6mm ARC, or .243 Winchester can have higher ballistic coefficients and the same or greater velocities. Therefore they are …


Learning How To Be a Marksman – Part 2, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 1.) The Killing Power of Firearms: More is Better The 20 gauge or 12 gauge shotgun and semi-auto handgun is a good combination for close-quarters combat or with home defense distances of 35 yards or less. If using Federal Flight Control buckshot, the maximum effective distance can be 50 yards. A modified to full choke can also extend the range of the shotgun. A shotgun loaded with buckshot shells can stop the fight instantaneously. If you hit somewhere in the torso, it would be lights out and they will drop like a sack of potatoes, dead before …


Learning How To Be a Marksman – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit

I taught myself to shoot at an early age on my Grandma’s farm. I do not understand how or why, or if it was natural or instinctive. As I look back, I simply cannot imagine how I knew what do to. I did not have a father or older male relative to teach me. The same thing happens when I am engaged in carpentry or similar work today. Often it is better to simply stop thinking and just do it, and it just happens. It is scary to see how this manifests itself as I see the project come together …


Ballistics, Rifle Marksmanship and Why They Matter – Part 2, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article. Handloading to Getting Top Performance from Classic Rifles For the same reasons that the military has developed high-performance ammunition, I’ve worked hard to find this load in a common cartridge that is the .30-06 and 6.5×55 for my personal rifles.  It is competitive or superior at mid range to extreme long ranges out to 1,200 yards with .300 Winchester Magnum commercial hunting loads, because the bullets used have extremely high ballistic coefficients.  Like the .300 Win Mag, 7mm Magnum, .30-06, and others in this class, they are good all-around cartridges for any …


Ballistics, Rifle Marksmanship and Why They Matter – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit

Introduction I would argue that if Donald Trump’s would-be-assassin on July 13, 2024 had used a bullet with a higher ballistic coefficient, or if the wind had changed, regardless of the cartridge actually used, then Trump would have been killed or gravely injured.  How is it that Trump turned his head just before the bullet passed by?  This attempt on Trump’s life is a clear indication of the lateness of the hour.  Only by an act of God do we have more time to prepare.  Like many other SurvivalBlog readers, I was an admirer of the late Bob Griswold who …


Letter Re: Prepping and Squaring Away Rifles

Reader M.M. sent this letter, in response to the two-part article titled Prepping and Squaring Away Rifles, by Tunnel Rabbit: I would like to add my opinion to the recent article by Tunnel Rabbit (TR): I do not know how anyone [in the U.S.] can live on $5,000 per year. I understand that the purpose of the article was for an example of “getting by” on low income. He is making the best quality equipment he can on a low budget which shows that it can be accomplished. Let’s start with the AR rifle design. It is not perfect but …