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Jim:
Some of us just ignore our left-eye dominance and train to work with it instead of training out of it. 😉 I don’t have much trouble with mine.
Kit @ Forevervain.com

Hi Jim,
I am cursed with being a Left Eye Dominant, Right Handed shooter. To further confuse things, I shoot pistols Right Handed and rifles Left Handed. After getting back into the gentlemanly sport of firearms in 1999 and doing much research, I looked for guns with ejection paths that did not scare me. I found that although Benelli has Left Handed models available, their Right Handed semi-automatic shotguns worked just fine when shot Left Handed. I ended up with the predecessor to the “M2 Tactical”. I love the Glock for its K.I.S.S. design (no confusing external safety levers) and have become a Glockaholic. Finally, my Bushmaster AR-15 (16”) is just so cute to shoot.

Today, seven years later, I am still satisfied with my choices. However, I am toying with the idea of getting a “true” Left Handed AR-15 design from Stag Arms in New Britain, Connecticut. The downside is that their rifle uses proprietary parts that would not be available in a post SHTF scenario. But, Jim… I have this lust for one. LOL! Regards, – Doug S. in Connecticut

James:
Stag Arms makes a very nice left handed [variant of the] AR-15. My best friend has one and it shoots just as well as my right handed one. They are reasonably priced, too. – D.C.

JWR Replies: My guidance on the Stag Arms rifle is the same as that for any other firearm that uses unique or proprietary parts: Buy a lot of spare parts. And be certain that the spares are truly “drop in” replacements, that do not require hand fitting. Otherwise, you may end up with a useless ornament instead of a practical tool for post-TEOTWAWKI.

James:
I am a long time fan of the products from Kel-Tec in Florida. They offer stuff that is affordable, practical and strong. They have gained well deserved notoriety from their credit-card sized .32 and .380 pistols and their folding .223 rifles, but this is not the only compact rifle they offer. Their best backpack offering is the Sub-2000, a folding pistol-caliber rifle that, when collapsed, is only 16.5″ long. It is available in 9mm or .40 S&W, and you choose which type of pistol magazines it feeds from when you buy it (Glock, Beretta, SIG, S&W). Mine is a .40 S&W and feeds from Glock [M23] magazines, so that I have interchangeability between my sidearm and long gun ammo and magazines. It fits handily into a day pack, which is even more stealthy than a full sized backpack. It fits inside the semi-hidden water-bladder pouch in my Camelbak, even when it’s full of water. When hidden behind a half-full water bladder it is very difficult to find even if you’re doing a hand-search of the pack. I’ve had law enforcement friends search it to see if they could find it. None did, unless I told them there was a something in it and to keep looking. The weight of the rifle is concealed beautifully by the water bladder, so it doesn’t even seem heavy enough to be hiding something.
There is a short tac-rail you can purchase that can be used to add a light, laser, pistol grip forend or some combination. The stock is slotted for a single-point sling. It comes with a key that can be used to lock the rifle in the folded position which provides a method to preclude un-authorized use, but there is no way that the lock can possibly interfere with any of the firing components when it’s not in use (unlike many other manufacturer’s built-in locks).
Practical accuracy and “shootability” is very good. I can usually hit a soda can at the 100 yard berm 13 out of 15 shots from offhand. My best bench group is in the 2.25″ range at 100 yards. They are very stealthy too, with a report that is about the same as a .22 LR carbine. Reliability is unprecedented. Mine has never had a single malfunction in over 5,000 rounds fired. Standard velocity ball isn’t much improved in the longer barrel, but any of the hotter defense ammo gets quite a pick up in speed and lethality. CorBon 165 grain loads leave the muzzle a good 150 f.p.s. faster than they do out of a standard pistol barrel. Price is under the $300 mark at most dealers. This is the best stealth carbine ever. – P.M.

JWR Replies: I have never been a big believer in pistol caliber carbines. I’ve met far too many consulting clients that have become enamored with them, at the expense of substantial defensive weapons. Plain and simple: pistol caliber carbines are no substitute for a rifle firing full power cartridges. They are not up to the task of reliably stopping men that seek to do you harm. Buy yourself a .308 and accessories first, and then if your budget permits it consider getting a pistol caliber carbine. With that said, I do see the utility of pistol caliber carbines for specialized purposes such as small game hunting and concealed carry. Again, only if they are seen in their proper role as supplements to a proper battery of full-power battle rifles. In their specialized role, I agree the that the Kel-Tec is one of the best.

Full points, BTW, for your Camelbak concealed carry idea, P.M.. Clever, clever! Most SurvivalBlog readers already own a Camelbak. (If they don’t, they should!) Methinks that the same technique could be used for carrying handguns or other small weapons. Camelbaks (or comparable clones) are available from some of our advertisers like Captain Dave’s and Ready Made Resources, as well as several of our Affiliate advertisers. You might check of these: Backcountry.com,  Altrec.com Outdoors, Paragon Sports,  and Moosejaw.com Outfitters

Dear Jim:
I was again reading in Boston’s Gun Bible and he was discussing the M1, M1A, and the M14 as excellent candidates for a “Main Battle Rifle” (MBR). Unfortunately, I am pretty much confused on these terms and have a few questions I’d like to ask.

1.) What are the differences between the M1, the M1A, and the M14?

2.) What do you feel are each’s strong and weak points?

3.) Which, if any, do you like as a MBR?

4.) If you don’t care for any of these, what do you recommend for a MBR?

Thanks for clearing all of this up. Baruch atah Yahweh Eloheinu Sincerely, – Dr. Sidney Zweibel

JWR Replies:

1.) You aren’t the only one that is confused! Here are the nomenclature basics: The M1 rifle was the U.S. Army’s primary battle rifle of WWII and the Korean conflict. It is chambered in .30-06 and uses a top-loading 8 round en bloc clip that ejects after the last round is fired. The U.S. M1 Rifle is not to be confused with the U.S. M1 Carbine, another semi-auto of the same era, which shoots a far less powerful .30 caliber pistol-class cartridge. The Army’s M14, introduced around 1959, is chambered in 7.62 mm NATO (dimensionally the same as 308 Winchester, but lower pressure than some soft nose hunting loads). The M14 uses a 20 round detachable magazine. It is selective fire (semi or full auto.) Thus, they are restricted “Class 3” machineguns in the U.S. This necessitates a $200 transfer tax and background check for the purchase process. Currently, transferable (pre-1986 registered) M14s are selling for $7,000+. (Congress weaseled in a “freeze” on new machineguns for civilians back in 1986. With supply frozen, prices have been rising ever since.) The M1A is a Springfield Armory semi-auto only (civilian) variant of the M14. They sell for around $900 to $1,500 depending on options. To add to the confusion, some M1A clones from other makers (such as Fulton Armory–another great brand) are sold under the designation M14, but these are semi-auto only. See Boston’s Gun Bible for details.

2.) The main advantage of the M1 Rifle is cost. My father and I got M1 Garands for $125 each through the DCM, back in 1982. But sadly, the days of those prices are gone. They can still sometimes be found used for $600 to $700. Service Grade M1s are available to rifle club or state rifle association members through the CMP for $550 plus $22.95 shipping. But you will get luck of the draw. (Sometimes you get a “minty” rifle, but other times you will get a “beater.”) The M1 is a bit slower to load that M14s and M1As. The biggest disadvantage is the limitation of the 8 round en bloc clip, which cannot be refilled while it is in the rifle. Thus, in a combat situation, once you have fired a couple of shots, the only way to reload the rifle is to fully unload it and insert a full clip. (In contrast, an M1A’s magazine can be kept “topped off” with 5 round stripper clips during a lull in firing, without having to remove the magazine.) Another drawback is that .30-06 ball ammo is more expensive than 7.62 NATO ball , since the surplus supplies of “Aught Six” ammo dried up long ago. All three rifles have similar weight, reliability, and accuracy. IMHO, the ergonomics of the M1 are not as good as the M1A or M14.

3.) and 4.) I like M1As. I owned them for 24 years. At one time I had five of them and they were the intended MBRs here at the Rawles Ranch. But given the current high price of spare M14 magazines and spare parts, I now prefer FALs or L1A1s. In 2003, I sold all of my M1As and bought five L1A1s. For the same money as I had invested in the five M1As with 10 magazines each (and a scope on only one of them), I now have 25 magazines per rifle, a scope on every rifle, and a huge array of spare L1A1 parts. Parenthetically, my preferred scope for .308 battle rifle is the Trijicon TA-11E ACOG . Again, see Boston’s Gun Bible for detailed descriptions of FALs and L1A1s. Another great resource are the archives and discussion boards at The FAL Files.