Savage Axis .30-06 and Trigger Kit, by Pat Cascio

I’m a sucker for a great deal on firearms, and my local gun shop knows this. They are always putting guns in my hands. One really caught my attention: the Savage Arms Axis chambered in 30-06. That is one of my favorite big game cartridges. I don’t get out and do a lot of hunting these days, however when I do, its usually for deer, or black bear, and my all-time favorite caliber is .30-06. It’ll get the job done – every single time – with the right bullet placement, and the right bullet. I completely missed hunting this past …




Age-Adjusted Prepping, by Wandering Will

It is said that prepping is not a movement or a philosophy. It is a way of life, and a way of life must accommodate changes in life. Having squarely arrived into my “Golden Years,” I was reluctantly forced to take a fresh look at my prepping agenda. Not exactly a newbie to the game. I’m still eating Year 2000 Problem (Y2K) food, I have accumulated food, gear, and training over the years and have reached a somewhat reasonable level of comfort. However, we all know what happens when we start feeling confident. After a few recent practice drills and …




Springfield Armory SAINT AR Pistol, by Pat Cascio

Editor ‘s Note: This review is of the standard Springfield Armory SAINT AR pistol. It is not to be confused with the Saint Edge, which Pat reviewed on January 21, 2019. Pat also reviewed the Saint rifle, in February, 2017. — Most of the time, I have at least 25 products awaiting testing and a follow-up article. So, my plate is always full. When the Springfield Armory Saint AR Pistol first came out, I had to take a pass on testing it – just too much of a backlog. When things settled down a bit, I requested a sample of this AR …




S.42: How a Freedom Becomes a Felony

The U.S. Congress is now on the cusp of passing a horribly unconstitutional law. It is designated H.R. 8 in the House and S.42 in the Senate. These bills would criminalize the American tradition of private party sales, trades, and gifts of firearms. It would become a felony crime to transfer any post-1898 firearm without first visiting a Federal Firearms License (FFL) holder to fill out an ATF Form 4473, paying a transfer fee, and having that FFL phone the FBI to conduct a background check on the transferee. Without a “Yes you may” response from the ‘Mother May I?” …




Telling You a Thousand Times Wasn’t Enough – Part 2, by Orofino

Part 2 (Continued from Part 1, posted on Wednesday, February 13, 2019.) I have recently been giving this subject a great deal of time in introspection. I was motivated when John Lovell at the Warrior Poet Society web site recently urged his followers to “weaponize consistency”. As if on cue, I recently read a well-written piece, from an author who recounted receiving a charge many years ago, from a sage Japanese gentleman that, “An elephant doesn’t bite, but fleas do.” Consequently, I resolved to incorporate those congruent principles into my personal training, before overtly encouraging my tribe to do likewise. …




Telling You a Thousand Times Wasn’t Enough – Part 1, by Orofino

Self Discipline: Principles in Practice Trainers, educators and parents constantly contend with push back from professionals, students, and children when “the trainer” asks for consistent, repetitive attempts at otherwise banal tasks. What is the best germane rejoinder to such grousing? Worse yet, those of us who don the mantle of Prepper or Sheepdog probably wrestle with the same demons that would have us believe that we are competent in our fitness level and proficient in our gardening, animal husbandry, bushcraft, food preservation skills, etc. The stark reality is that we probably need to settle into the idea that we need …




JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. This week the focus is on MagPul PMAG magazines. (See the Gear & Grub section.) Books: Nation of Cowards: Essays on the Ethics of Gun Control. o  o  o Complete Works O. Henry Authorized Edition 12 Volume Set   Movies & Television: The Korean War – 60th Anniversary Commemorative Documentary Collection o  o  o The second season of the very cleverly-crafted parallel universe television series Counterpart began airing last month on Starz, and will wrap up on Sunday, February 17, 2019. Most of …




Becoming a Savvy Pre-1899 Antique Gun Buyer

After posting my recent warning about potential passage and enactment of H.R. 8 / S.42 and an interview about this on the Reluctant Preppers podcast, I’ve had several readers and consulting clients contact me.  They’ve been asking these questions:  “How do I actually find pre-1899 cartridge guns in good condition?”, “Where can I find antique guns at reasonable prices?”, and “How do I know what I’m looking at”? Here is my summary on how to get savvy: 1.) Do your research. Visit a local gunsmith and have him show you how to spot a gun that has been reblued. (Blurred …




CRKT Maven Folder, by Pat Cascio

The nice folks at Columbia River Knife and Tool (CRKT) sent me their Maven folder for testing. That is a strange name for a folding knife, “Maven”. It means someone who is an expert in their field, or who has acquired expert knowledge. The Maven folder was designed by Richard Rogers. Richard Rogers is a working cattle rancher in Magdalena, New Mexico. His toughest critic is probably himself, and when he set out to design a no-frills folding knife, he kept this in mind – keep it simple, yet functional. Simple is always better if you ask me – less …




The Importance of Christian Self-Defense, by A. Benjamin

Disclaimer: I am not a theologian, just a believer who is fed up with a trend I’ve noticed. There is a distressing passivity and fatalism in the church these days.  Many have been suckered by the false meekness of pacifism and even flaunt their defenseless, as if it is a badge of honor!  To them, trusting in God means denying themselves the God-given right and command to defend themselves and others.  For them, faith is submitting to all authority, even if that is the ‘authority’ of a scumbag caving their head in, or the head of their child with a …




Letter: Steel Job Site Boxes as a Valuables Storage Option

Hugh and James: It’s often mentioned at Survival Blog that firearm magazines are a critical component. As Tamara K. of the View From the Porch blog has written: “The correct number of magazines to have is: ‘more.’” So, some of us buy magazines, especially lots of them when we find a very good price. But…as valuable as magazines are to us they’re just as valuable to anyone else, which is why we buy way more than we need, even considering that they are “wear items” that will eventually require replacement. Magazines have substantial value as trade or barter items. They’re …




Cold Steel Storm Cloud Folder, by Pat Cascio

“One gorgeous folder” aptly describes the Cold Steel Storm Cloud. It is one tough, but lightweight folding knife. It is one that you might want to add to your collection. When new knives come to my attention, and I think it is something our readers will really like, I request a sample. This folder from Cold Steel Knives, the Storm Cloud, really caught my eye when I first saw it. Only “bad” thing with many Cold Steel products is, supply seems to outstrip supply – and folks have to wait. I put in a request for the Storm Cloud, as …




Preparing for a Private Gun Transfer Ban

There is some bad news from the halls of the U.S. Congress: H.R. 8 has been introduced by Representative Mike Thompson–Democrat of California. Dubbed the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, this is horrible piece of legislation that is likely to become law! The word from the District of Criminals is that this Private Gun Transfer Ban bill is on the fast-track through committee, for passage. Ominously, it quickly gained 225 co-sponsors. And President Trump has given mixed messages about whether or not he would sign such a bill. Uh-oh! A Private Transfer Ban, But it Sounds So Reasonable The …




Springfield Armory Saint Edge AR 5.56mm Pistol, by Pat Cascio

Several weeks ago, we introduced our readers to the Springfield Armory Saint AR 5.56mm rifle. Today we’re taking a close look at the newest sibling, the Saint “Edge” AR pistol, and it is quite a firearm.  Note: This is not to be confused with Springfield’s standard Saint AR pistol, which I will be reviewing in a couple of weeks. According to the Springfield Armory web site, the Edge AR pistol combines the most popular features of their premium Saint Edge AR rifle, with compact shootability in an AR pistol platform. This compact AR pistol, is everything Springfield claims it to …




The Legislative Onslaught Begins: Federal Gun Grabbing in 2019

As they promised, the Democrat Party majority in the U.S. House of Representatives is wasting no time in gun grabbing in 2019. They are launching a raft of new civilian disarmament legislation. Although there is still a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate, there is a risk that some of these bills may be passed into law, following some across the aisle quid pro quo deal-making or legislative bundling. What I fear most is President Trump accepting such a deal, in order to get his coveted Border wall funded. I’m also concerned that some grand “compromise” might be reached, with …