Feature Articles

About the scariest thing I can think of is to lose contact with my children in a world over the brink of collapse. Most young people don’t even have a land based phone line these days, so if the cell networks go down, that’s it. But there is a way, if you do it now, to establish a communications protocol with loved ones who are hundreds, or even thousands of miles away. As I’ve discussed a few times before in this column, the Amateur radio bands, otherwise known as the Ham bands, under 30 megahertz, are capable of reaching around the entire globe at certain times of the day. Full access Ham radios, covering several bands, or even all the Ham bands, sell for $300 to $10,000, but I found some small radios that cover only one frequency for as little as under $10. You have to still buy an antenna, but the overall cost could be as little as $50. As a bare bones mode of communication on a very tight budget I don’t think you can beat these little radios.

Looking for a place to carry that pistol, but limited by your wardrobe? Men may have this issue, but not like women do. Check out the Flashbang. Bra carry at its best.

Some pistols seem to simply exist. They’re fun on the range, but they lack defining purpose. And then there’s the Dan Wesson ECO. This is a compact single action that has every feature you could want on a single action meant for concealed carry. Check out our review.

When the import bans made the Saiga shotguns much more precious, many of us went looking for an alternative. Today, we’re kicking the tires on a Vepr 12–and we like what we see. Could this Russian import be even better than the Saigas? It is much easier to find, and priced right. But how does it handle the abuse?

If you are a regular reader of this column you know that my subjects here of late have been extremely thick, and expensive. I try to be aware of just how much I am loading on, so I decided that this week is a good time to devolve into a bit of prepping theory again. I went to two movies this week, The Martian, and Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials. Between the two, it was as if Hollywood put on a clinic for what survival post-collapse is all about.

Walther is best known for a gun they designed in the middle of the last century. But the new polymer pistols are geared for the American market. Walther’s making guns for daily carry, for competition, and concealed carry. We had the rare opportunity to shoot all of them recently and are here with a retrospective.

The Century PAP M92 might be the most AK you can buy for the money. The over-sized pistol is formidable right out of the box. But with a few modifications, this gun becomes a serious tool for close quarters work. Check out what we’ve done to the M92.

Pop quiz hotshot, which guns on the market require the least amount of skill to operate with some proficiency? Here is a list of the top five guns for bad shooters.

Talon Grips are a simple addition to most guns, but the extra texture they provide is a great advantage. We recently had the chance to visit the factory and get the inside scoop from the team at Talon.