Columns

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!

The “disposables of life” is what we talk about this week in Prepping 101. It is kind of an icky subject, but these are things that you have to think about in a post collapse world. Nobody can foresee all of the pitfalls of survival, but as the end approaches it is important to tie up the details of things that are unavoidable as potential survival disasters. Dirty is dead in a survival situation. Most of the alternatives we look at this week are affordable, and they work!

GunsAmerica is looking for a few writers who can handle their keyboards and cameras as well as they handle their guns. Interested? Read this post for instructions on how to apply.

Every Day Carry. What’s yours? What gun do you carry everyday? What else? Knives, lights, tools… we’ll be looking at the practicality and functionality. This is the introduction to a series we’re dedication to the here-and-now.

Jacob Epstein, our Tactical Editor, volunteered for a classic pocket dump. He didn’t have much choice–concealed carry is in his job description. So what’s in his pockets? More than guns. Check out what he’s carrying.

When deciding how you want to build an AR-15, the lower often takes center-stage. The lower receiver ties the whole rifle together. And it is a popular stating point for most builds, which means there are numerous options for material construction, style, and how much effort is required to finish them.

If there is one thing I have learned since starting this column, it is that survival is very detailed. The byproduct of this is that survival can also be very expensive, because the cheaper options, while they look viable, fail in the details. To stay on the topic of bugging out which I started three weeks ago with pack basics and essentials, I got to thinking about family tents. In any disaster scenario, a large percentage of those who survive will end up displaced, and third only to food and water is shelter. And while small tents may be the way to go if you are lighting out alone or as a couple, if you have a family, with supplies, being able to drop everybody and everything into a dry single secure shelter is going to be a very big deal.