The inclusion of a manual safety on a handgun is an intensely personal choice for a shooter. There is no right or wrong answer as a safety lends itself better to certain kinds of shooters and certain situations better than others. A shooter’s own preference for a safety is usually formed by the sum of … Read more
Disclaimer: This article is a piece of speculative fiction written from the perspective of the “bad guy.” It is in no way intended to inform, encourage or incite any criminal or malicious activity under any circumstances. It is intended to be used as a thought-provoking exercise so you can shore up any weaknesses in your … Read more
Modern pistol design has embraced the striker-fired action as the current paradigm. There are good reasons for this, greater mechanical simplicity and a moderate consistent trigger pull being two of the most common. Of course, the blockbuster success of a little pistol called the Glock (though not the first striker fired handgun by a long … Read more
Self-defense minded citizens and preppers both are regularly admonished to stay alert, to keep on watch, to be vigilant for the predatory humans that we know are always out there, somewhere, sniffing for their next easy mark. Situational awareness might as well be made the 8th Virtue. Just one problem though; we are rarely told … Read more
Prepping in an urban environment is in most ways much the same as it is in suburban and rural environments, as I and other authors on this site have written of in the past. But urban preppers face quite a few challenges that their brethren in less populated areas will not, at least not with … Read more
Imagine a scenario where you are low on ammunition. You used the last of your supply some time ago and despite your searching high and low for more, you have come up with nada. A gun without ammo is little better than a clumsy club, or an intimidation tool at best. You know you won’t … Read more
So your hard work and vigilance paid off; you sacrificed, scrimped, saved and religiously laid in supplies and stored provision ample enough to see you through a crisis that you hoped would never happen, but lo and behold it has. Mercifully you and your family survived. Your house is intact. You should be okay, after … Read more
All kinds of preppers carry knives and a quite a few of them have probably given some thought to using it for self defense, if they had to. A smaller fraction of those preppers have given the topic much thought, and have sought out both a quality knife suitable for fighting and the skills to … Read more
Concealed Carry of pistols is a subject of enormous breadth and depth, covering such intricacies as who you are and what you do for a living versus where you are carrying and under what conditions you will be carrying: is the environment, permissive, semi-permissive, or restrictive? What consequences are there for you legally and socially … Read more
Smith & Wesson revolvers are iconic and nearly timeless firearms that remain the fabled manufacturer’s flagship product. Their excellence in manufacture and highly innovative designs has set and continue to set very high benchmarks for wheelgun performance. There is no doubting that S&W makes effective and reliable guns for self-defense. Without question some of the … Read more
It is a scenario that all preppers ponder and fear: a major disaster or incident has resulted in a situation where law and order have broken down, one where the professional protectors and watchmen that keep our enemies at bay and criminal elements under close watch lose their cohesion or direction and stop functioning as … Read more
The shotgun has remained a popular weapon for personal preparedness since shortly after its inception and it is, aside from innovations in the action departments, virtually unchanged since. The adaptability and versatility of the shotgun makes it a solidly dependable choice for hunting and a deadly defensive weapon. If it is a humble wood and … Read more
Water is one of the most essential compounds for life. While water is very plentiful the world over a given water source often has some gotchas that prevent anyone from grabbing a gulp whenever they please. It might be frozen, too salty, too contaminated with germs, bugs and other biohazards or trapped way, way underground. … Read more
I am of the opinion, and I know it will be unpopular, borderline offensive to some, that most preppers really have no idea how dangerous disasters and other SHTF events can be. Unless they have had the misfortune to live through one, that is. Natural or man-made, accidental or divine wrath, it really does not … Read more
EDC is shorthand for everyday carry, describing both the procedure and choice to carry useful tools and other gear on your person daily, but also describing the things that are carried, for instance your EDC knife, EDC gun, etc. EDC has also been picked up as a sort of “movement” where advocates and enthusiasts try … Read more
BOBs, or bug-out bags, those big packs preppers keep loaded with all manner of vital survival equipment and provision, feature so centrally in prepper doctrine and planning that you’d understandably think them utterly vital to survival. BOBs are important, no doubt about it, but how important are we talking, here? If a bug out bag … Read more
Ruger is one of the most iconic and popular of American firearms manufacturers. While they may not have the cache and history of Remington, S&W or Colt, they have carved a place as one of the most innovative and market-disrupting of the “Made in the USA” gunmakers. Starting from literally nothing with an idea for … Read more
Bug-Out Bags form a sort of central hub of prepping. A bug-out bag, or BOB, is a self-contained survival stash containing tools, weapons, clothing, shelter material, medical supplies, calories, a way to get clean water, a way to start a fire and many other items essential to human survival when the niceties of civilization give … Read more
It will be a rare shooter who born in the 70s or 80s who will not admit to falling madly in love with a bullpup of one kind or another. Or at least falling in love with the idea of a bullpup. Admit it: the compact, menacing appearance. The invariably futuristic lines and curves. Bullpups … Read more
If you are reading this article, chances are you have made the decision to start living a life of self-sufficiency and personal responsibility. Congratulations! While sometimes derided as paranoia or doomsday prophesying, prepping is really just a modern resurgence of specialty skills that would simply be called life skills a few generations ago. Even so, … Read more
You have all seen the Gadsden flag, whether you know it or not. On bumper stickers, on patches, on signs and on flag poles, the Gadsden is an icon of Americana and remains a powerful symbol today. The highly distinctive yellow field with a coiled rattler poised and ready to strike above the admonishment of … Read more
There is something primally appealing about tomahawks. Something about a crescent blade on the end of a stick that gets the blood up. Maybe it fires the imagination with a vision of a lone, rugged individual making his way against nature. Perhaps its history as a vicious and brutal close combat weapon is an object … Read more
It is a common refrain: “I wish I knew that before I…” Hindsight is always 20/20 as the epigram goes. It’s true. You just don’t know what you don’t know. Worse, ask anyone with a little seasoning and they’ll usually tell you how often the wisdom they try to impart to the new and the … Read more
by Tim Makay Smith & Wesson makes all kinds of nice guns these days, even rifles, but to the faithful the name conjures images of only one thing: revolvers, and damn good ones. For 100 years S&W has been making wheelguns that have served citizens, cops and soldiers continuously all over the world. They continue … Read more