Category: Weapons

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 …


Personal Defense Weapon (PDW) Bag Guns, by Joe H.

Personal defense weapons (PDWs) or “bag guns” have seen a recent surge in popularity due to concerns over the COVID-19 quarantine and urban riots. This has come just at the availability of more attractive PDW options is expanding. For the sake of this discussion, a PDW will be defined as a compact detachable magazine-fed semiautomatic firearm that can be shouldered. Such weapons are desirable as they can be discreetly transported and have greater firepower than conventional handguns. PDWs have been used by military and security details for these reasons. They are also included in pilot survival kits. Security details employ …


Kershaw Knives Fringe, by Pat Cascio

Kershaw Knives, never ceases to amaze me, with the number of new and exciting knives they come out with each year, and what is even more amazing, are the prices on these knives – very affordable, to say the least. I like Kershaw products, they are right here in my “adopted” home state of Oregon. Actually, I was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois – but I’ve lived most of my life in Oregon – it is my selected home state, even with the messed-up Liberal politics they have, it’s still a great state to live in. We have it …


Springfield Armory Hellcat, by Pat Cascio

I don’t really hate anyone in this world – I mean, really hate them, but I do have some serious dislikes when it comes to some people. Many readers will know that I have been carrying a Glock Model 26 as my daily carry gun for several years now. About the only time that I didn’t carry it was when I was testing other handguns – and I really do carry every handgun that I test. Sometimes I carry a test gun for a week, other times, it might be carried for two weeks. However, I always go back to …


Fighting .22 Rimfires, by Steve in Missouri

The .22 rimfire cartridge is the oldest self-contained round still in use today.  It was introduced in 1856, and you would be hard-pressed to find a shooter who didn’t learn to shoot with a .22 caliber firearm.  Even many non-gun people have a .22 somewhere in the family, and I’d hazard to say a home is not properly kept if there isn’t a .22 rimfire pistol or rifle available.  It is considered by many to be the optimum round to have in a long term survival situation, and is perhaps the most useful cartridge one can have. That being said, …


Ruger PC9 #19122 Variant, by Pat Cascio

In January of 2018, I did a review of the then fairly-new Ruger PC9. I was more than impressed with this little 9mm carbine, as was my wife. She insisted on getting one, and loves shooting it. I have to ration the 9mm ammo when we go out shooting, or she’ll shoot-up every round we bring with is…she is fast on the trigger and deadly accurate as well. I knew it was only a question of time before Ruger, brought out different models. I correctly predicted that they’d bring one out with a telescoping stock and a pistol grip. The …


Why I Chose a .308 Winchester AR – Part 2, by Dusty

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Handguard and Barrel Nut The final parts of the upper include the barrel nut and handguard. The barrel nut is used to secure your barrel to the upper and is generally included as part of your handguard. There are some handguards that don’t supply a barrel nut so you will want to check for that when purchasing your specific handguard. You will also want to match your handguard, gas tube, and barrel to make sure they all match. Standard barrel lengths are 16, 18 or 20 inches. There are various gas tube …


Why I Chose a .308 Winchester AR – Part 1, by Dusty

The arguments for .308 Winchester over 5.56 NATO are well known and far spread through many internet forums. Undoubtedly many of you realize the advantages in firepower of the .308. We know of the incredible amount of reloading data, DOPE, and other consumer information available from the .308 community. This information will help you find a load that meets your needs or give you a great starting point to load your own high quality ammunition. If you have decided to invest in a weapon chambered in .308 Winchester chances are you have seen rifles being referred to as AR-10 or …


The Reality of Aging and Prepping – Part 2, by Muscadine Hunter

Now, let’s talk more about ham radio: Beginning in February, 1991 the FCC, in their infinite wisdom, did away with the Morse Code requirement for Technician Class Operators. What that means is there are nolw a lot of ham radio operators who do not know Morse Code. Why is this important? It takes a lot less technology and output power to successfully transmit a message using code. And if you have developed your own alphanumeric code for your group (as we have) then it is even harder to break if sent in Morse code because so many people now days …


To Keep and Bear, by Joshua G.

“To conquer a nation, you must first disarm its citizens.” That was spoken by Adolf Hitler, one of the twentieth century’s most hideous leaders. These words serve as a dire warning to all freedom-loving Americans. As active shootings have become more and more publicized so has a rising clamor for stringent government action. Screeching fabricated mendacities from between their parched lips, liberal politicians, some openly communist, encourage people to support new Red Flag gun laws. They vigorously insist that these laws will keep Americans “safer”. This is false. Many have been deceived. The danger is real. Common sense refutes their …


Springfield Hellcat Review, by G.L.W.

I am an amateur shooter at best and three years new to concealed carry. My goal is to give you my impressions of this newly-introduced gun and hopefully assist anyone considering one of these “micro-compact” handguns. I am in no way affiliated with Springfield Armory. After beginning our family in 2015, it was clear that the best, most responsible way for us to protect ourselves was to relocate us into the beautiful American Redoubt. You can be protected by the biggest arsenal, but in my mind, if your own local government is against you, you are at a disadvantage. Following …


Taurus G3 Pistol, by Pat Cascio

I’ve been a fan of Taurus firearms for a lot of years. This wasn’t always the case, however, Taurus has come a long way in improving their quality. Back in Chicago, when I was the Investigation Manager for a huge detective agency, with offices all over the USA, I also was their armorer, and most of the handguns issued to security officers, were made by Taurus. I had my hands full caring for those guns, and I kept a good supply of parts on-hand, for making repairs. Today, that isn’t the case, Taurus manufactures most of their handguns in Brazil, …



What if a Riot Comes Down My Street? , by T.S. in Ohio

A few weeks ago, I jumped on SurvivalBlog hoping to see discussions about the riots and good ideas being shared but I was very surprised with such a major disaster unfolding to see that there was barely a mention about the riots. (Sorry, I meant “mostly peaceful protests”!) But I was glad to see the discussion pick up a few days ago with the article titled: Is It Time to Worry? by Jim S. because I believe these riots and the groups behind them are the most “clear and present danger” that the citizens of America currently face. I believe …