Category: Weapons

Kitting Out The Kalashnikov – Part 2, by A.D.C.

(Continued from Part 1.) Handguards The simplest upgrade to classic wooden handguards is a polymer Russian design, often seen on the AK-74M, which has horizontal grooves for cooling and improved traction. The best versions of this design also have internal metal heat shields. Being much slimmer than other options, they are good for small hands. If you don’t need to mount accessories on the front of your rifle, these are a great option. Among several options for handguards that allow for the mounting of accessories, Magpul offers two types: MOE and Zhukov. Both are excellent, and provide M-LOK attachment points …


A Special Request From JWR: Looking for Old Revolver Boxes

Life is full of little moments of sadness. For me, one comes every time that I fold laundry and come across a sock without a partner. Balance is not restored to the universe until I find that missing sock. Here is my situation: After a 15+ year hiatus, I re-launched my antique gun business. That was back in February. My biz is now called Elk Creek Company. I sell a lot of antique guns, and more than half of those are pre-1899 revolvers. Only a few of those guns are still paired with original boxes. I realize that most of …


Range Report: Browning BAR Mk3 in .243 – Part 3, by The Novice

(Continued from Part 2.  This concludes the article.) Johnny Come Lately Two weeks after the scope arrived, and one week after the rings I ordered from Amazon arrived, a package was delivered from Leupold with the Quick Release Rings to match the Quick Release Mounts they had sent with the scope. They must have belatedly noticed their omission. I appreciated the gesture of sending the rings. Better late than never. But I was quite happy with the rings I had bought from Amazon, so I just left things well enough alone. The Remington 742 Next, I tuned up my Remington …


Range Report: Browning BAR Mk3 in .243 – Part 2, by The Novice

(Continued from Part 1.) The First Cleaning About a week later, the muzzle guard arrived, and I settled down to clean the gun. There was even more rust preventative compound in the barrel and on the other steel parts than I had initially noticed. The bore required extensive scrubbing using kerosene as a solvent before a patch finally came out clean. In the process I spilled my bottle of kerosene on the kitchen table, filling the room with fumes. This created a dramatic scene that disturbed the domestic tranquility for a time. Fortunately, the finish on the table was not …


Range Report: Browning BAR Mk3 in .243 – Part 1, by The Novice

For many years, my go-to deer rifle has been a venerable Remington Model 742 in .30-06 that I inherited from my father. Over the course of time, I became a little venerable myself. As I aged, the old 742 began to kick a lot harder than it used to. Some would say that this is due to global warming, but I have a different theory. In any case, during my last extended range session with the 742, my shoulder got pretty sore. It hurt so much that I dreaded pulling the trigger, and eventually cut the range session short. I …


Range Estimation and Windage with Mil Reticles – Part 2, by N.E.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Windage Ranging distance is pretty straightforward with practice. It also becomes fairly easy to calculate your elevation adjustment in relation your data-card or ballistics app. How long-range shooting becomes an art is trying to calculate the wind. I am going to be straight with you and say reading the wind is an art that can only be learned over time. Calculating wind becomes easier with specific calibers (high BC), the use wind meters, and lots of practice. But, calculating the wind is not nearly as straight forward as ranging distance. There are …


Range Estimation and Windage with Mil Reticles – Part 1, by N.E.

“Tossing a bit of dry grass in the air as he had done at countless high-power matches, T.K. judged the wind. He complained, ‘Darn, I wish I had a windage table for .50 Browning. I’ll just have to guesstimate.’ Getting ready for his first shot seemed to take forever. First, he made several adjustments to the bipod. Then he squirmed around trying to get into a comfortable prone position. He tried placing his cheek on the stock several times before he found a position that was both comfortable and provided a full field of view through the rifle’s ten-power Leupold …


Star BM 9mm Pistol, by Pat Cascio

I’m a fan of military surplus firearms, of all kinds – unfortunately, there aren’t too many in my meager gun collection. Once again, everyone believes that because I’m a writer – mostly about firearms and knives, that I have a huge collection. But in fact I don’t. I can’t afford all of the guns I’d love to have, so I’m a habitual gun trader. My local FFL dealer recently purchased two huge gun collections, and they obtained quite a few M1 Garands and M1 Carbines in these collections. I’d love to own one of each, especially since those are in …


Smith & Wesson Shield M2.0, by Pat Cascio

I’m not going to make any bones about it, I’m a dyed-in-the-wool, 1911 fan. No matter what size, or who makes them. And I love my Glocks – I haven’t found one that I don’t especially like. I still remember getting my first Glock 17, back when I lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado in the mid-to-late 1980s. I believe I got my Glock 17 in 1987. I actually went to the Long’s Drugs store there, and they carried a nice selection of handguns at the time. I was planning on buying a  Model 1911 in .45 ACP. However, when I got there, …


Buck Ground Combat Knives, by Pat Cascio

I’ve had my Buck Knives Ground Combat fixed blade knives for a month and a half now, and wanted to give them a good workout before writing about them. However, this isn’t always the case with many other writers and websites. Many of these writers simply took the Buck press release, that was sent to them – I got it, too – and wrote their articles based on that piece of paper, without ever actually having the knives in-hand to test. As an aside: One big-name knife company – that I won’t mention by name – once had a new …


Why Did it Have to be … Guns?, by L. Neil Smith

Over the past 30 years, I’ve been paid to write almost two million words, every one of which, sooner or later, came back to the issue of guns and gun-ownership. Naturally, I’ve thought about the issue a lot, and it has always determined the way I vote. People accuse me of being a single-issue writer, a single- issue thinker, and a single- issue voter, but it isn’t true. What I’ve chosen, in a world where there’s never enough time and energy, is to focus on the one political issue which most clearly and unmistakably demonstrates what any politician — or …


Finishing an 80% AR Lower Receiver – Part 3, by 2A Advocate

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.) Results I think my lower receivers turned out great (Photos 15, 16, 17 & 18). The machined edges are straight and sharp. The trigger pocket walls are smooth, almost mirror-like. There are slight tool marks from the end mill, but no touch up or sanding was done until after these photos were taken. Then I touched up the side holes and the opening for the trigger slot with some Aluminum Black by Birchwood Casey. It’s quick and hides the raw aluminum edge.   I didn’t treat the entire inside of the trigger …


Finishing an 80% AR Lower Receiver – Part 2, by 2A Advocate

(Continued from Part 1.) WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO? You will need to create a space within this block of aluminum to install the fire control group: The trigger, hammer and safety selector control. Here is how that’s done: Setup of the Easy Jig 2 So, the Easy Jig 2 is a very cool tool! It is extremely heavy duty. Several of the parts do double duty; it is very well-engineered. Assembly is simple: (Photo 1) attach the two square side plates to the top plate. The words “AR-15” are at the top and there is a right and …


Finishing an 80% AR Lower Receiver – Part 1, by 2A Advocate

Editor’s Introductory Notes: This is a three-part article. Consult your state and local laws before buying any 80%-complete lower receivers. Proceed with caution. Remember the eternal rule of machining:  You can take metal away, but you can’t put it back. I recommend buying the Easy Jig 3. Or, if you plan to complete a large number of lowers, then invest in a Ghostgunner 3. Once you’ve completed all of your lowers for your family, you will probably find a private buyer who is willing to pay you 90% or more of your purchase price for your Ghostgunner. The advantage to …


Privately-Owned Weapons in Modern Military Service

Introductory Note:  This feature article that I’ve written is a bit unusual for SurvivalBlog.  I wrote it mostly out of my personal interest in military history. It only has limited practical application, but I’m sure that many readers will find it interesting. You will note that I’ve made it heavy on photographs, since those images often speak volumes, just by themselves. There has been very little documented about privately-owned weapons used by members of modern military organizations. Regulations on Privately-Owned Weapons vary widely, but generally, they have grown more restrictive with the passage of time. Because of these regulations, personal …