Category: Weapons

Letter Re: Question About the Transfer of a Pre-1899 Antique Gun

Dear Mr. Rawles, Thank you for your work on the excellent antique gun FAQ page. I have a question regarding a recent purchase. I recently acquired an all matching 1897 dated (barrel and receiver tang, both dated 1897) Tula M1891 Mosin Nagant, Finnish capture marked, from my local Cabelas. I would estimate it at 85%+ condition, and it was Finnish Arsenal re-blued and has no importer markings, shiny sharp rifling and not counter bored. The Finns re-worked the Russian stock into the two piece grooved configuration. The gun was clearly marked “97r” under a T, which makes it an antique …


Letter Re: .40 S&W by Bruce F.

HJL, A while ago I bought a Glock 22 4th Gen .40 caliber hand gun. In my opinion, this was one of the best buys I ever made. In all the firing I have done with this gun, I have had only one malfunction and that was a stovepipe piece of .22LR brass. (There’s more on that brass later.) The Glock 22 does have a considerable recoil in .40 caliber but not so much to make it uncomfortable for a grown man. I’m 73 years old now; maybe I’ll change my mind as I get older. The Gen 4 was …


Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Walther CCP

I still remember the very first Walther handgun I ever owned. I owned it for less than a week. Bear with me; I had just purchased a brand new Walther PPK/s .380 in stainless steel. I still have the receipt showing I paid $125 for it back in 1973. I was working as a private investigator (PI) at the time and living back in Chicago, IL, where you had to register your handguns within 30 days of bringing them into the city. There were no gun shops in the city proper, so you had to purchase handguns at neighboring suburban …


Letter Re: .40 S&W

HJL, I concur with Bruce F. regarding the 0.40 cal. buying opportunity presented by the fickle gun crowd. It’s almost comical to read the gun gurus slamming the same caliber they were praising some years ago. I just wanted to point out one more, plus regarding the used Glocks in .40 that were mentioned, you can simply drop a .357 Sig barrel in them, and suddenly the G23 is a G32, or the G22 becomes a G31! Even the mags are interchangeable, as the base diameter of the .40 S&W and the .357 Sig are the same. Furthermore, drop in …


Letter: .40 S&W

Dear Hugh Service caliber semi-automatic handguns are generally considered to be in calibers 9mm, 40 S&W, and .45 ACP. A lot of people really seem to enjoy Monday morning quarterbacking the virtues of these calibers and their theoretical stopping power. Well, everyone should have a hobby. The reality is that any pistol (unless it is maybe the 500 S&W) is far less effective than a rifle. I am not sure who said it first, but a common quote is that the purpose of a pistol is to allow you time to reach your rifle. Recent events (see below) are resulting …


Firearm Noise Suppressor Overview, by S.M.

It seems that ownership and use of firearm noise suppressors, also referred to as “silencers” or “cans”, are increasingly popular in the United States. Manufacturers have responded to the increased interest and demand with new, innovative products. For those considering acquiring suppressors, I thought it might be useful if I shared my recent experiences. While there are many legal hurdles to suppressor ownership, they can be addressed fairly easily at a reasonable cost and effort. Since I am not a lawyer, I can only provide a layman’s perspective. Therefore I suggest that you research the applicable legal requirements of the …


Letter Re: Rawles Voyager Knife

Mr. Rawles, I thought I would write a quick thank you to all of you over at SurvivalBlog.com. After reading the reviews and letters concerning the knife, I decided to purchase it. So I went over to the coldsteel.com website and had it in my basket ready to check out and pay for it, but a little nagging thought wouldn’t leave. “I didn’t see if there was another reputable place I could get it.” So, I went back to the review and noticed a link to LTSpecPro, so I clicked and low and behold the knife was $30 less. I …


Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Tristar L120 9mm CZ-75 (clone-esque)

For many years, I longed for an original CZ-75, but alas there weren’t very many in the USA back in the 1970s, and the few that could be found were high priced, to say the least. Then, we had the sorta clones, imported from Italy, including Tanfoglio and FIE. It was a hit or miss proposition whether you got one that worked, and they were a decocker model. I wanted a CZ-75 (clone-ish) that I could carry “cocked ‘n locked”. Then along came an almost dead-ringer for the CZ-75, imported from Switzerland, if I recall correctly! I don’t recall the …


Letter Re: A Budget Disaster Response Kit

Gentlemen, Bruce F. gave some good advice about cutting down barrels, but I find that the process is greatly improved by using a standard pipe cutter, not a tubing cutter. Most tubing cutters will fail if put to the task of cutting steel. A pipe cutter is a tool used to cut primarily black steel pipe. It is very similar in design to the tubing cutter but substantially more robust and up to the task. – Tim in CT


Letter Re: A Budget Disaster Response Kit

Hugh, I have a couple of comments on the Budget Disaster Response Kit article by R.S. I found the article useful and thought provoking. For those that don’t have access to a metal lathe to shorten the barrel, I have used a standard tubing cutter, such as you would use to cut conduit or copper pipe, with great results. First, make sure that the cutter will cut square to the tube, I have had a couple that tended to walk down the barrel, cutting a spiral. Second, cover the area with a few layers of masking tape to protect the …


Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Cold Steel’s Survival Edge

1

For many years, I’ve looked that the Cold Steel web site as well as their printed catalogs, and saw among their fixed blade knifes a survival-type knife, with a hollow handle – called the “Survival Edge” and I just didn’t understand why it was in the line-up. To my mind, it just looked like a “cheap” hollow handle survival knife – one that doesn’t really belong in the Cold Steel line of fantastic knives. Lynn Thompson (Cold Steel’s owner) and I have been friends since the early 1900s and if there is one thing we have learned about each is …


The Harsh Truth About Bugging Out of Cities, by Patrice Lewis

A common concern among rural people in a grid-down situation is the concept of marauding urbanites swarming through the countryside looting and pillaging — the so-called Golden Horde. I addressed this issue on my blog a few months ago when a reader noted, “You can hide yourself, but not your garden. Are you going to take your beef herd into your house with you? In any long-term crisis situation, your cattle and garden will be indefensible and therefore gone in a matter of months. You cannot protect them from a determined large, armed group.” This reader respectfully listed what he …


Letter Re: .22 LR Rimfires for WTSHTF

Jim: While I agree that the 10/22 is not a “battle rifle”, I think it will have a lot of utility WTSHTF. The ease of use and flat, fast trajectory make it an outstanding suppression weapon. Untrained troops are easily suppressed and several 10/22s working in coordination, will serve to allow others with battle rifles to maneuver to an assailable flank in both a defensive and offensive situation. Regards, – Dances With Goats in Kansas JWR Replies: I have to disagree. .22 LR has a rainbow trajectory, and very poor energy at long range. The ballistic trajectory of .22LR makes …


A Budget Disaster Response Kit, by R.S.

Opinions regarding civilian possession and use of firearms within our nation vary widely. Many citizens (including most preppers) consider them to be a vital component of personal security while others view them as a scourge upon our country producing thousands of deaths every year. However, among those in the latter camp (at least among my acquaintances) I have noticed a number who have begun to view firearms as a necessary evil in the face of increasing lawlessness and savagery. They still do not like the idea of possessing firearms but have become convinced they must do so as a form …


Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Ruger’s Precision Rifle

2

When I worked full-time for the Illinois National Guard I was on their rifle and pistol team. At the time I was only 18 years old – but I was an Expert (military earned) shot with a long gun. We were issued match-grade M14s and all matches were shot with open sights – and our team used to beat the pants off of other shooters, with scoped rifles. I was a “novice” or so they rated me as such, and I handily bet every shooter I was placed against. I can’t attribute my shooting skills to the military training. I …