Category: Weapons

Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Ruger P-89 9mm

In our ongoing quest to test and review more “metal” semiauto handguns, as requested by many SurvivalBlog readers, I thought it important to review the Ruger P-89, in 9mm. The P-89 is an updated/upgraded version of Ruger’s first centerfire semiauto handgun. The original was the P-85, and Ruger was hoping to get it out in time for the U.S. military trials for a new handgun. Alas, the Beretta 92/M9 won out. There were some early teething problems with the first batch or two of P-85 handguns. There were a few reports of the firing pin slamming forward when the pistol …


Letter Re: Just In Case: Preparing for the Evening and Day After Election 2016

JWR, I took your advice to heart. I’m actually not waiting for election day and am assuming the worst case scenario (a Hillary win). However, one issue I have been worrying about, and I rarely hear anyone discussing it, is the possibility of the government cutting off ammunition and reloading supplies (especially powder). As far as I know, there is only one powder manufacturer in the U.S. The rest are in Canada, Germany, and France. It seems it would be extremely easy for a president to issue an executive order to cut off sales to the commercial market or at …


Letter Re: Just In Case: Preparing for the Evening and Day After Election 2016

JWR, Excellent article regarding ammo and magazine purchase strategies for a worst case scenario outcome of the election. I would urge readers to go ahead and resupply ammo stocks now while the prices are still low and supplies are still relatively plentiful. After reading the article, I immediately checked my inventory and discovered I had dropped below my comfortable minimum for the calibers I shoot. Here is what I found while researching common calibers: Pistol Calibers 9mm, .40, and 45 ACP were readily available through the major online retailers; however, bulk range ammo was available but not in the quantities …


Letter Re: Ammunition Buying OPSEC

Mr. Rawles, In response to Cliff’s e-mail regarding ammunition OPSEC, I just wanted to write in and express my firm belief that the worst thing one can do, unfortunately, is to conduct e-commerce for bulk ammo via any Internet sites. I have nothing against any of the online vendors, but their records are kept and not immune from subpoenas or government seizures. I have had particular luck with bulk ammo sales on Sunday afternoons at gun shows. The fact of the matter is that no vendor wants to carry that weight of unsold inventory back to their trailer after the …


Letter: Stock Up on Magazines!

Dear Editor: The upcoming Presidential election is cause for concern. As an avid daily reader of your awesome blog, I would highly encourage those out there to buy those full capacity, or really any magazines that they need today. Not tomorrow, right now. Now! Stop reading the blog for a few minutes and find what you need. Some sellers are already selling out of AR-style magazines. Ruger factor-made 10/22 BX-25 (25-round) magazines are presently available at one of the major outdoor retailers online for less than $20 each. As an example: HK G3 alloy 20  round magazines (for HK91 rifles …


When and How Do We Fight? That is the Question, by X. Liberal

This message is more on a serious note. Before we get started I want to make an attribution to Lavoy Finicum. My wife and I had the privilege of being present in Utah to pay respects to him and his loved ones as we were driving back from our final Redoubt Property inspection in Montana while traveling home to Nevada. His sacrifice sparks this message: “THEY” say Lavoy Finicum and his cohorts were illegally occupying the Wildlife Refuge in Burns Oregon. THEY say nothing about the Occupy Wall Street Movement illegally occupying City Squares. THEY say that it was unsanitary …


Just In Case: Preparing for the Evening and Day After Election 2016

There is a substantial risk that Hillary “Hitlery” Clinton will become our next President. She is notoriously anti-gun, and has made many promises to her gun-grabbing campaign donors to give “gun control” (read: civilian disarmament) her top priority. Consider the guidance in this article just a contingency. You can simply ignore it, if Donald Trump is elected. (Since he is outspokenly pro-gun.) But if Clinton is indeed elected, then gun, ammunition, and magazine prices will surely start to rise immediately. And by the time she actually takes office, prices might well have already doubled or tripled, and shortages of some …


I Love Sharp Things, by Phil M.

In any survival situation a defective tool is pretty much worthless and will cost you dearly in frustration or even your life. I’m sure you can think of a lot of examples. Effective tools are a big part of my life and most all of them need to be sharp, and some of them very sharp, like chisels and planer blades. When I started thinking of all the tools that I keep sharp the list started running into the dozens, everything from a potato peeler to a chainsaw. A lot of you are like me in one way or another …


Letter Re: Glock 30 Pistol Product Review

Good Morning, I have used the Glock 30 and Glock 30S as back-up guns along with the Glock 21 and Glock 41 a primary carry guns. I started carrying a Model 21 several years ago after training at Front Sight. I changed to the Model 41 after it was introduced by Glock because I prefer the longer sight radius and increased muzzle velocity that  it offers over the 21 or 30. I also switched from a Glock 30 to the Glock 30S as a back-up gun when the [lighter, thin slide] 30S became available.   One item that Pat left …


Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Glock 30 Pistol

There seems to be some kind of stigma with the term “step-child”, for some reason. I should know. I had a step-father and was, therefore, a step-child. I can’t say that I was always treated the same as my half-sisters, but that’s another story. How many times have you heard the phrase “I’ll beat you like a red-headed step child” in your life? I know I’ve heard it thousands of times over the years and probably used it myself for some reason. There are some firearms that are considered a step-child for some reason, and I don’t quite understand why. …


Beyond Basic Weapon Maintenance, by J.B.

Be it a gun, knife, or a bow, if you are going to own and use these tools for survival, it is in your best interest to have more than a basic understanding of these tools in order to keep them functioning. There is nothing worse than being in the field and having a malfunction right when your life may depend on it. Our U.S. armed forces require their recruits to know and understand the function of their weapons, because their lives literally do depend on this equipment. They are trained how to disassemble and reassemble their weapons, giving them …


Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Springfield Armory TRP vs TRP Operator

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The 1911 handgun has been around since, well, 1911, so the design is more than a hundred years old. For an old work horse, the design shows no signs of slowing down. As a matter of fact, there are probably at least 50 companies producing the 1911 in one form or another. We can have a 1911 in the basic mil-spec version or a fully decked out custom gun with more bells and whistles than we could ever use. We can find 1911s imported from The Philippines for well under $500 or acquire custom guns that easily cost tens of …


Pat Cascio’s Product Review: SIG Sauer P250

I saw my first SIG handgun back in 1980, when I was running a gun shop and new to the gun biz but not new to guns. A customer wanted me to order him a Browning BDA .45 ACP pistol. I hadn’t heard of it, to be honest. So, I did some research and found that the Browning BDA (Browning Double Action) was actually made by SIG and was being imported by Browning. When the gun came in for my customer, I was more than a little impressed with it. It had excellent workmanship all the way around. That was …


The Time Is Short, Stock Up!- Part 2, by J.H.

What Do You Need? (continued) Black Rifle Accessories/Parts As mentioned, I am not a gunsmith by any means. Fortunately for most enthusiasts, however, most issues that develop can be resolved without a professional, and broken/worn parts can be easily replaced yourself. With this in mind, I recommend purchasing one entire bolt carrier group for each of your black rifles. These contain every piece that will commonly need replacement over the course of your rifle’s lifetime. The chance that you will need all of them is slim to none. However, in addition to ensuring you have the necessary parts to repair …


The Time Is Short, Stock Up! – Part 1, by J.H.

The world, as most SurvivalBlog readers understand, is a place full of unpleasant truths and harsh realities. It is not, nor has it ever been, nor (until our Lord returns) will it ever be a place where the lion lies down with the lamb. We are charged to pray for our nation and its leaders and to hope for the best, but we are to prepare for the worst. We would all like to believe, as Abraham Lincoln put it, in the angels of our better nature. I would like to believe in this as well, though the stark facts …