Category: Weapons

PVC Survival Gear: How to Make It – Part 2, by J.H.

PROJECT 2: The PVC Recurve Bow There are several different types of PVC bows that can be made using heat, minimal heat, or no heat. The example I will be using here is a recurve bow, using heat, that has an approximate draw weight of 35 pounds. You can change the draw weight by changing the length or diameter of the PVC pipe you choose. I have built bows with a draw weight of up to 70lbs, and I have seen others that have made bows with a pull exceeding 100lbs. There are variations of this bow. It can be …


Letter Re: Firearms Philosophy

I’m writing in response to the discussion about the “narrow, but deep” firearms philosophy. I agree with the author of that post: start with your main rifle, buy quality optics, and then slowly expand your collection. There are several advantages to having guns in lots of calibers: There is always ammo to shoot. I remember several years ago, when ammo was really hard to find in my area. There wasn’t a box of .223, .308, 9mm, .45, or even 30-06 to be found, but I saw several leftover boxes of .40 S&W and .243 Winchester. They were there week after …


Product Review: Springfield Armory XD-45 Mod.2

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Last month, SurvivalBlog readers got an in-depth look at the Springfield Armory XD-9 Mod.2 sub-compact 9mm handgun, and to be sure, it’s a winner in all respects. However, not everyone thinks that the 9mm round is the best all around caliber for self-defense or other uses. Some of us believe nothing less than the .45ACP will make do, and I’m in that group myself. Yes, quite often I can be caught carrying some kind of 9mm pistol, but if I know in advance that I’m headed into harm’s way I’ll elect to carry a .45ACP of some sort. Many gun …



Low Budget Knife Selection for a Novice, by S.G.

I. The World of Knives On the top of all new “prepper” lists is a good survival knife. The knife is a low-tech, multipurpose tool that has served humankind since before the dawn of civilization. To these early men, the side of a chipped flint could butcher an animal carcass for food and clothing. To the modern man, however, there is a dizzying array of choices when it comes to knife selection. This article documents my ongoing journey of knife selection, with my own frugal, low budget perspective. Now, when talking “low budget”, I do not mean cheap. When I …


Letter Re: Firearms Philosophy

In his book– Tools for Survival– JWR states that he is in the “narrow but deep” firearms camp rather than the “broad range” of firearms camp. I suggest a third alternative: Go for the “narrow but deep” philosophy first with a military style rifle with quality optics and a military style handgun and LOTS of mags and ammo for each (and, arguably, a shotgun). Then, slowly supplement that with other less expensive firearms with less ammo. These firearms should be non-military as, for example, lever action rifles, bolt action hunting rifles, and revolvers, with smaller quantities of ammo. Why? The …


Letter Re: Scoping the Garand

Hugh, Here is some helpful information when dealing with the Garand rifle. This video shows how to field strip the Garand rifle. You may remove the operating rod without removing the gas chamber/front sight assembly. Remove trigger group, Remove operating spring, Pull operating handle to the rear where it will come out of notch on upper edge of slot, Pull operating rod back and out of gas chamber. Thank you, – V.S.


Buck Knives Model 245 MWG, by Pat Cascio

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You probably won’t find the new fixed blade Buck Model 245 MWG on the Buck® Knives Official Website list of their Hunting and Tactical Knives just yet, because it is so new; I received one of the first samples. Sure, a month or two ago, many websites released a press release– the same I received– on the Model 245 MWG Buck knife, but these sites do an injustice to the product and the reader, if you ask me, by simply posting a press release without actually testing the product. Everyone is probably familiar with the most famous Buck folding knife …


Scot’s Product Review: Nikon PROSTAFF Target EFR 3-9x 40mm Rifle Scope

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If my rifles had feelings, I bet my .22’s and air rifles would feel slighted. They don’t get the expensive accessories that my centerfire ones get, the most important of which are quality optics. I usually have to pinch pennies, and I view the most important firearms in my collection to be the self-defense and hunting ones, so that’s where the money goes. The importance of self-defense does not need to be stated, while hunting puts food on the table and also serves a critical function. I don’t get to hunt as much as I would like, but when I …


Range Brass to Finished Cartridge, Tips For The Ubiquitous .223 Cartridge, by R.W. – Part 3

On full charge cartridges, you need to watch for defects, so: Look for any swelling, cracks, splits, or thinning of the brass. Check for fouling, debris, or dirt jammed into the cavity of the shell case. It may be generally noted that discoloring around the top of the case at the neck radius is common with most military surplus brass and will often be polished off in the cleaning of the shell cases. Watch for any heavy corrosion or pitting, as this should be a warning that the bullet has lost some ductility and integrity due to the oxidization process, …


Range Brass to Finished Cartridge, Tips For The Ubiquitous .223 Cartridge, by R.W. – Part 2

Why would anyone go to the risk or bother to reload their own bullets, if all things are equal? For instance, why reload if reloading materials are just as available as finished bullets and conversely there are no shortages or sticker shock encountered in either? That’s a good question. My advice is to leave no stone unturned, dig a little deeper, and keep all of your options open. Not all bullets are created equal, of course. Even if all manufacturers made the same specifications, performance and accuracy would vary wildly, or else the science of punching holes in paper to …


Range Brass to Finished Cartridge, Tips For The Ubiquitous .223 Cartridge, by R.W. – Part 1

One of the ways I have saved money in the past, to make room in my budget for other prep items, is by learning to load my own ammunition. I love capitalism, as I believe competition breeds innovation and competitive pricing and usually provides the consumer with a variety of options from which to choose. As a good consumer in a capitalist economy, I try to spread my loyalty (brand loyalty) around as I find products that meet my needs and budget. I believe that trade-offs of quality versus price will need to be balanced with value-added engineering and budgets. …


Scot’s Product Review: Scoping the Garand

Recently, you were treated to my diatribe on the wonders of the U.S. Semiautomatic Rifle, Caliber .30, M1, better known as the Garand after its designer, John C. Garand https://survivalblog.com/scots-product-review-the-m1-garand/. The brief synopsis is that I really like the thing. It fires the hard hitting .30-06 cartridge, which is fully capable of handling any game on the American continents (though I might like something bigger for the large bears), and it can deliver match grade long-range accuracy when tuned. In service grade with a fresh barrel, Garands often shoot just as well as a modern sporting bolt action rifle. The …


Letter Re: Milsurp Ammo

Sir: There has been some back and forth about the utility of milsurp rifles lately. Without regard to the rifles themselves, one of the advantages often given is that ammunition for some calibers can be relatively inexpensive when bought in bulk. Folks should be warned that some of this ammunition is military surplus and may not have been manufactured to Western standards, and it may have been subjected to improper storage conditions as well. It’s surplus for a reason, you know. Case in point: Some years back, I bought a spam can of 7.62x54R, opened the can, and transferred the …


An Argument for Milsurp Rifles

I’ve been reviewing old military rifles off and on, with the idea that they have uses for preppers. I’ve even had letters suggesting that I do these reviews. We recently published a very thoughtful letter from M.M. to the contrary. I wanted to address a few of the points he made and thank him for taking the time to write. The first point is that I wasn’t very good at saying that we are looking for bargains in these rifles. My main goal was to help people realize that if they see a good deal on one, they ought to …