Category: Weapons

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 …


The Dragon’s Breath Nonlethal Home Defense for the DIYer, by AJS

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Persons in their own home may encounter an intruder who intends to take what they have and do them harm. They might run away, if they could. What if there is no way out? They may have no choice but to stand their ground, and unfortunately many people in a situation like this are reluctant to use deadly force, even if they stand to lose their possessions and possibly sustain personal body harm or even death. So what can these, who desire a nonlethal solution do if they have been forced into a confrontation when the time for talking is …


Sig Sauer P229 “Legion”, by Pat Cascio

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It’s almost like belonging to an exclusive club, with the Sig Sauer “Legion” line of handguns. They are custom in many ways, and we’re checking out the P229 Legion model today. Sig Sauer Anyone who knows even a little bit about firearms, knows that the Sig Sauer line of firearms are some of the best-made guns, period! The workmanship is second to none, and they are all super-accurate, too. I’ve never had any Sig that passed through my hands, used or new, that had a problem of any kind. The Sig Sauer Legion line of handguns are as close as …


CRKT M16-04KS Folder, by Pat Cascio

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The M-16 line of knives has been in the CRKT lineup longer than most other knife designs, and this is for good reason. They are great knives, with that certain tactical look about them. Today, we look at one of the newest in this stable of folders– the CRKT M16-04KS. CRKT Folders I still remember sitting in the Columbia River Knife & Tool (CRKT) offices during one of my visits to their operation in the USA and spying some new folding knives that weren’t meant for public viewing. I was sitting on the desk of Rod Bremer, the (now) sole …


S&W M&P .22 LR Compact – By Pat Cascio

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It’s just hard to go wrong with a really good .22 LR pistol. Specifically, the S&W M&P Compact .22 LR pistol is a winner in every respect. This is a great little gun for trail, plinking small game hunting, or target practice. The One Gun For Survival Many years ago, and we are talking close to 40 years ago, I used to get asked the same question over and over again. People would ask, when it came to buying one gun for survival, and one gun only, based on a limited income, what did I choose. My pat answer used …


CRKT Goken Folder, by Pat Cascio

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Designed by an award-winning Black Belt martial artist and someone who walks the walk and talks the talk, the CRKT Goken folder is under review. In my opinion, it is a winner in all respects. James Williams, Knife Designer and Martial Artist Having spent more than 35 years in the martial arts myself and earning Black Belt rank in five different disciplines, I was more than interested in some of the knives designed by James Williams for CRKT. To be sure, CRKT has been producing several of Williams’ designs for some years now, and I believe I’ve tested them all. …


Kershaw’s Faultline Folder, by Pat Cascio

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You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a lot of knife– one that will serve your every day needs quite well. The Kershaw Faultline is just such a folder. Kershaw Knives I’ve been reviewing Kershaw Knives for about 25 years, and I’ve toured their plant several times, even the new one that they opened a few years ago and already needs to be expanded to meet their needs. I remember on my very first tour of Kershaw, they had a mere 18 employees assembling knives and one lone gal inspected every knife before it was boxed …


Rock Island Armory 1911 CS FDE, by Pat Cascio

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Imported from the Philippines, this Rocky Island Armory 1911 CS FDE is one hot-selling, Officers-style 1911 handgun. And, it is a a bargain to be had. More Than a Little Familiar With 1911s Long-time readers will know that I’m a real sucker for a good 1911-style handgun. They also know that if a gun isn’t a bargain, a real bargain, I’ll pass it up. I’ve owned more than a few custom 1911s over the years, and they were fine pieces of work. They were super-accurate, with more accuracy than I could begin to squeeze out of them, and just a …


Tips On Buying Used Handguns, by Pat Cascio

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I am no longer teaching NRA firearms classes, though I did that for more than 25 years, mostly giving classes for folks wanting to get their concealed handgun permit. During all those years teaching handgun classes, I had quite a few students ask me about buying used handguns. What To Look For When Buying Used Handguns They wanted to know what to look for. More often than not, I’d accompany them to the local gun shop and help them in selecting a used handgun and talk with them about what to look for in a good used handgun. I’m a …


Cold Steel SR1 Folding Tanto, by Pat Cascio

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20 August 1935 The birthday of former Congressman Ron Paul. He recently retired from congress. Dr. Paul is to be commended for fighting the good fight for many years. Cold Steel SR1 Folding Tanto, by Pat Cascio Under review in this article is one of the most awesome folding knives I’ve ever tested. It isn’t one of those dealer display knives that are huge but worthless. Nope. It is the Cold Steel SR1 Folding Tanto. Many of our readers have requested that we test some more expensive knives. We are happy to do so, when they become available for testing. …


SIG Sauer P220 Desert Model, by Pat Cascio

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I’m a real sucker for super-accurate handguns, and the SIG Sauer line-up has always proven themselves in this respect. We tested the P220 Desert model .45 ACP handgun from SIG and found it to be a winner. Impressed with SIG Sauer P220 Imported Under Browning Name I’ll admit, I haven’t always been on top of the firearms game, when it came to the newest models out there. Even today, I don’t have the time to browse every gun maker’s website once a week or so to see what is new and exciting. I obtained my first FFL in 1980 and …


Some Implications of the NRA’s Recommended Full Auto Amnesty

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Introductory Note: The following is not intended to be legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney in your own state.  This essay is simply conjecture on possible outcomes of a change in U.S. Treasury Department policy, in response to a recent suggestion by the National Rifle Association (NRA). Your perspective might be substantially different, your situation might not match what I’m suggesting, and “your mileage may vary.” Do not do anything illegal. The window of opportunity that I will describe does not yet exist. So this essay is just some conjectural food for thought. The recent national kerfluffle over so-called “bumpfire” …