Category: Weapons

Springfield Armory XDm 10mm, by Pat Cascio

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The 10mm round is just one of those calibers that refuses to go away, and this latest handgun addition– the Springfield Armory XDm– which is chambered in 10mm, might just be the best handgun to come along in this hot-stepping caliber. Some History of 10mm Caliber Handguns Let me give you some of the history on 10mm caliber handguns. Many years ago, a company called Dornus & Dixon announced they were coming out with a handgun in the new 10mm caliber. There were many problems along the way, first of which was financing. The second issue was that, while they …


Kershaw Concierge, by Pat Cascio

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Kershaw knives never ceases to amaze me with the seemingly unlimited folding knife designs they come out with. Today we’re checking out the new Concierge folder, and it’s a slick one for every day carry. Folding Knives I’ve been carrying folding knives since I was about five or six years old. When I was growing up in Chicago, just about every kid carried a folder of some kind. We didn’t get into knife fights, either. It was just a tool as far as we were concerned. We also played a game called mumbly peg. I’m not sure what the point …


A Manifoldly Unconstitutional Bill

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I have a legislative alert for SurvivalBlog readers: H.R. 7115, the “3D Firearms Prohibitions Act” is on its face perhaps one of the most unconstitutional laws ever written. It is sponsored by Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr., Democrat, of New Jersey. It will most likely be reintroduced in the 116th Congress. This proposed law, introduced on November 2, 2018, is purported to ban 3D printed guns. But it is actually about milling (subtractive) technology rather than 3D printing (additive) technology. I have news for Mr. Pallone: All guns are “3D”, once they are off the drawing board! Pallone’s bill goes far …


Springfield Armory Range Officer Elite Operator 1911, by Pat Cascio

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Once again, another new and very exciting 1911 from Springfield Armory is under review today. This one is a winner and a bargain as well. Range Officer 1911 From Several Years Ago Several years ago, Springfield Armory came out with the Range Officer 1911. It was meant to be all set up so the user could enter various shooting competitions, and it worked quite well in that regard. However, it wasn’t 100% suitable for street carry, if you ask me; it needed to be refined, updated, or “something” needed to be done. The All-New SA Range Officer Elite Operator 1911 …


Gerber Gator Machete, by Pat Cascio

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It’s often forgotten, but a machete can come in handy in many wilderness situations. Under review today is the Gerber Gator Machete. Machetes I own several machetes of different sizes and from different companies. Some came without a package, so I have no idea who made them, other than to guess that they were made in China, as is this Gerber Gator Machete. All of my machetes are rusted. They are all manufactured out of carbon steel, and all were fairly inexpensive. However, they all work. Gerber I’ve been a fan of Gerber products for a lot of years, and …


Gerber Prodigy, by Pat Cascio

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I’m always on the lookout for knife bargains and knives to test for our readers. This time around Amazon led me to the Gerber Prodigy, a fixed blade survival knife, and we’ll give you a run down on it in this article. Writers Who Test Firearms and Knives Many readers believe that writers, especially those of us who test firearms and knives, make a lot of money doing this for a living. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most of us hold or have held other jobs while pursuing the testing/writing of products. As for me, I worked as …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is on investing in guns from out-of-business gun makers. (See the Tangibles Investing section.   Economy & Finance: I found this linked over at the FreeZoxee social media site: How Private Banks Create Bubbles — with the Help of Central Banks o o o How to …


A Compulsion to Disarm: The History of Grabby Governments Since 1026 BC

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In the wake of the 2018 mid-term elections, so-called “gun control” is back in the news. Even though the murder rate in the United States is declining and at a 33-year low, the mass media’s much-heralded “threat of gun violence” has politicians in a frenzy much like those seen in 1968 and 1994. Gun control laws and decrees should be called out for what they really are: Systematic Civilian Disarmament. In Western nations, most such legislation usually starts small, progressing from registration to wholesale confiscation. First one category of weapons is banned, and then another. Gradually, these draconian laws can …


CZ P10-C, by Pat Cascio

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One of the most in-demand 9mm pistols these days is the CZ P10-C. We have taken a close look at it and are pleased to give our test results here. Everything I Hoped It Would Be and Then Some It’s not often but this sometimes happens that when a pistol is so popular and in-demand they actually sell for more than retail. With this being the case, you know this one is a winner. The CZ-P10-C is under review, and it is everything I hoped it would be and then some. CZ CZ is world famous for their firearms, and …


Lex Mala, Lex Nulla and Some Drama

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The new crop of congresscritters of the 116th Congress will be seated on January 3, 2019. The Democrat Party has regained its majority, and now we can only look on with dread anticipation at their follies. Be forewarned: The whole concept of their being our elected representatives and actually harkening to the will of the electorate is something that seems quite foreign and antique to them. They no longer make even the pretense of genuine representation. They are headed to DC with an agenda. Their stated plan to topple Nancy Pelosi from her Speaker of the House position is indicative …


Ruger EC9s, by Pat Cascio

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For as long as I can remember, I’ve carried a second (or backup) handgun to my main handgun, and these days we have quite a selection of small, compact handguns to pick from. We’re looking at the new Ruger EC9s 9mm handgun today. It is one super, little, concealed carry piece. Ruger- Affordable Handguns I’ve stated this before, but I will say it again; for the most part, Ruger www.ruger.com is producing guns that are for us blue collar workers. Now that’s not to say that they aren’t producing some outstanding upper-end firearms, because they are. However, many of the …


Preparing to Survive Riots, Terrorist Attacks, or a Civil War

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Of all of the “worst case” possibilities that we prepare for, near the top of my “most dreaded” list is a second civil war.  This falls in the category of a “highly unlikely, but profoundly inimical if it were to occur.”  In this essay, I will discuss a full spectrum of threats, including contingency preparations for surviving riots, terrorist attacks, or a civil war. I believe that the United States has entered a period of great instability, born of political divisiveness. The sharp differences between liberals and conservatives are now profoundly felt.  Virtually every topic and issue has become heavily …


Cold Steel Bush Ranger, by Pat Cascio

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In a most fitting tribute to Jim Bowie, Cold Steel recently came out with the Bush Ranger. This is a folder that sure does remind one of the Bowie fixed-blade knife, with its deep clip-point blade. Cold Steel Always In Demand Anyone who has been around the cutlery field for any length of time surely knows the name “Cold Steel” and their outstanding line of knives. To be sure, the Cold Steel line-up is always in demand, and quite often they will be out-of-stock on many of their knives. It is difficult for them to keep up with supply and …


The Well-Balanced Gun Collection

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A topic that comes up in more than half of my consulting calls, is firearms. Most survivalists gravitate toward guns for obvious reasons. If anything, SurvivalBlog could surely be labelled a “guns and groceries” oriented blog, and most of our readers are like-minded. We tend to have large gun collections. We aren’t entirely gun-centric, but our concept of preparedness includes owning guns and having full proficiency in their use. The greatest difficulty vis-a-vis guns for those in our community is not hand-wringing about whether or not we should own them. We’ll leave that pseudo-question up to the leftists. Rather, our …


Springfield Armory’s XD-s Mod 2 .45 ACP, by Pat Cascio

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Quite often, when a gun maker comes out with a Mod 2 version of a current firearm, there really aren’t many new things to write about it. However, we’re taking a close look at the new and improved Springfield Armory XD-s Mod 2 version, and it’s a whole new ballgame. Springfield Armor Shook Sub-Compact Gun Industry When the Springfield Armory XD-s line of handguns came out, they really shook the sub-compact gun industry in many ways. This gun was available in 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP; how could they do it? It’s a good question, but it’s been a …