Columns

Some prepping subjects are sexy, and some are decidedly not. But the one thing you always have to remember is that you have to eat and drink, first and foremost. Then it comes down to what you think is going to happen. I spoke to a guy this week who has been a prepping expert for years, including some cool alternative energy stuff. But when pressed, he admitted to me that he isn’t prepared for anything longer than a month or two. That’s great, and it’s way better than sticking your head in the sand and doing nothing, but I think we have a long time of off grid living coming our way, and if you have a bunch of people to feed, that means you would have to grow and regrow some of your own food at the very least. That sounds simple, but gardening is not as easy as you might think. Even if you get things to grow reliably, pests will come along and eat them all up. And then you have to save seeds for next year. That is the spectacularly nonsexy topic of this week’s article.

The GunsAmerica crew spends a lot of time sweating over the groups we shoot with modern rifles. But there’s more to guns. Sometimes building a working piece of history has its own appeal. Terril Hebert built this left-handed Fusil de Chasse and has this perspective on the old muzzleloader.

Former President John F. Kennedy’s personal M1 Garand will soon be auctioned to the public courtesy of Rock Island Auction Company.

The gun world is dominated by men. But we’d all be remiss if we didn’t consider the needs and interests of the other half of the world’s population. Well here’s one woman’s take on everyday carry, and she doesn’t shy away from the pink…

The first thing that many survivalists buy is often a gas mask, but they seldom ask themselves why. “NBC” stands for nuclear, biological and chemical, so the answer is obviously “well duh, that. Hello!” But what do those scenarios look like on the ground if/when they happen, and what help will a gas mask be if they do? Also, what’s the budget? You can find gas masks with NBC filters on Ebay for $10 up to $700 sometimes. Which ones work? Can you get away with the cheap models? I heard Russian filters have asbestos? And what about kids? Are there any gas masks for traveling with children?

In many ways, the upper and lower receivers on an AR-15 are just shells that hold pieces and parts together. But the barrel? Now we’re getting complex. How much you can expect from your rifle depends in large part on its barrel. Here are some things to look for and some answers to the complicated questions.

Just because I like to have fun with every aspect of my life doesn’t mean I don’t take things like every day carry seriously. Hey, I can make fun of Shannon Watts and her outrageous lies while always realizing the serious threat people like that pose to our rights. Here’s what I’m carrying…

This old Smith Model 30 is made on the J frame and is marked 30-1 on the crane. It dates from about 1970 and shows a bit of wear here and there from its 45 year or so life. This Smith belongs to Jon Hodoway and was his grandmothers revolver. He said she kept it in the towel drawer in her kitchen for defense against 2, 4 and no legged varmints.

I’ve had lots of conversations with gun-geeks about barrels and lowers. We can talk triggers until we’re blue in the face. But I’ve yet to anyone truly debate the AR upper. Uppers are just not that sexy. But this is a crucial aluminum shell that holds some of the AR’s most active components. It can’t be overlooked!