Feature Articles

Are you a hero? I’m just asking because as much as I hate it, I probably am. It is so stupid from a survival perspective to rush in to the face of a disaster to help people, but the reality is, most of us reading this column are going to do it. So if you believe that there will be an event of some sort to distract the sheep away from who caused this mess, it might help to buy some trauma bandages and learn how to clean wounds now. There is no worse feeling than wanting to help but not being able to do so because you lack the proper tools. It also sucks for the people who would be trying to help of course. You can pull off your shirt, rip it, tie it as a tourniquet, then use a stick to tighten it. But after a couple of those, helping people naked is just asking for trouble. You could use their shirt duh, but how hard is it to get a shirt off of someone screaming in pain? Wouldn’t it be better to get a few tourniquets in advance?

When deciding on the perfect optic for your AR build, the very first thing you need to do is match the performance window of the optic with the performance window of your rifle. And we’re here to help. Here’s a guide designed for those building their own AR-15s.

Everyone I know who owns a shotgun started out with a pump. Where do you go when you want something just a bit faster, or more responsive? Automatics have a reputation for being finicky–at best. But not the Benelli M4. This may be the most complete tactical shotgun in production today.

Monday Gun-Day giveaway time is here again, and this time Springfield Armory is giving away a stainless Mil-Spec 1911. Looking for a new single-action that offers the best mix of nostalgia and potential? This just might be your lucky day.

The process for buying a silencer can seem intimidating. And that’s before you ever get the various suppressor technologies. Griffin Armament has taken care of the later by building a bare bones can that cuts out the complexity, and the cost of 5.56 suppressors. Check out our review.

As many of my regular readers know by now, this column is about actually surviving a complete collapse of our infrastructure. Headlines titled “Bug Out Bags” and “Which Gun is Best for SHTF” get a lot of clicks, but compared to food, water, shelter, and keeping warm in the winter, they are virtually immaterial. Those who survive are going to be those who sat tight and waited for everyone else to kill each other. If you live in the northern climes, it is coming to be that time of year again where you’ll have to consider keeping warm in the winter, without city gas, or an oil or propane delivery. I have covered a simple and cheap woodstove, a military heater that burns home heating oil and gasoline without a pump, and even a cookstove that would also heat your home. If you live where firewood is plentiful and you don’t have worry about people shooting you for taking wood off their land, a woodstove can be a long term solution, but if not, you probably should think about the sun.

The Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife is a British blade with a deep history. The blade came with a manual that included bleed-out times for specific wound points. It is an iconic blade, and a design that is almost absent from our current line-up of fighting designs.

The GLOCK 43 is a gun with a lot of potential. And now that XCaliber Firearms has threaded barrels available for the 43, it has become even more fun to shoot. We’ve got a big can on the little gun, and like what we hear.

Ever wonder exactly what happens when you move from a full-sized 1911 to government or commander sized pistol? Will bullets expand? Will you lose significant velocity? Will there be more recoil from the shorter barrels? We know because we’ve tested it. Read more…