Gun & Prepping News #28

 Some items that have caught my attention:

• First up, if you haven't done so already, be sure to check out Greg Ellifritz's Weekend Knowledge Dump from last Friday, April 11 for some more firearm and prepping related articles.
• "The RXM Versus the Glock Gen 3 – Who is the Most Glock?"--Guns America.  A hands on comparison between the new Ruger RXM and a Glock 19 Gen 3. Because the older Glock did not have a slide cut for mounting an optic, the author just compared the two using the standard iron sights each shipped with. Some highlights: the RXM uses a chassis system, so you can get different grip modules; the RXM has better factory sights (including a tritium night sight on the front sight blade); the RXM has slightly better ergonomics because the grip is slightly thinner than the Gen 3 Glock; while the magazine release is basically the same, the author indicates that sculpting of the grip made reloads quicker with the RXM. 
• Back to basics: "How to Clean Your AR-15: A Complete Guide"--The Firearm Blog. Tips, tricks, and recommended tools and supplies, as well as detailed step-by-step instructions. 
• "How To Wield the Shockwave Effectively"--Guns America. Advice on how to effectively run the Mossberg Shockwave firearm and the similar Remington Tac-14. The author also discusses the pros and cons of these type of firearms. 
• "Savage Revel – A New Lever-Action 22"--Guns America. The rifle comes in .22 LR, .22 WMR, and .17 HMR, but the model reviewed is .22 LR. This also appears to be the basic "Classic" model, and Savage also has a higher grade model (the DLX) which comes with a slightly fancier stock and threaded barrel. The two primary items that stick out about this rifle is that it can easily be broken down for cleaning, maintenance, or transportation by removing two pins; and the low price relative to many other .22 lever actions out there. The MSRP for the classic is $439 which means it may be available from dealers for less than $400.
  
• "Ruger American Generation II Ranch Rifle in .350 Legend"--The Truth About Guns. Although the .350 Legend was designed for hunting in states that require using straight wall cartridges, the author thought it would do well in the forests of Pennsylvania. The article reviews both the Ruger American Gen II Ranch Rifle and the author's experience shooting it with the .350 Legend. 
• "Franklin Armory’s Reformation Returns"--The Firearm Blog. The Reformation was a firearm that was manufactured with straight grooves in the barrel in order for it to qualify as merely a "firearm" and, thereby, get around the restrictions on SBRs but without being classified as a shotgun. Because it doesn't have true, curved rifling, it is intended only as a short range weapon. But, as the article reports, "[i]n 2019, however, the ATF classified the Reformation as a GCA-only regulated short-barrel shotgun - last month this was overturned." Consequently, "7.5-inch and 11.5-inch barrel length versions of Reformation are now available for purchase through Franklin Armory’s dealer network in the vast majority of US states." Models are available with or without Franklin Armory's binary trigger, and the weapon is available in 5.56 or .300 BLK.
  
• Some firearm history: "The International Harvester M1 Garand: A New Rifle For The Nuclear Age"--American Rifleman. When the Korean War broke out, the U.S. found itself having to once again manufacture M-1 Garand rifles. Because of the risk of a single nuclear strike wiping out most of the highly concentrated firearms manufacturing base, the Army opted to award one of the contracts to a company hundreds of miles away from the New England firms, which is how a farm equipment manufacturer, International Harvester, wound up with a contract. The article goes on to describe some of the obstacles that International Harvester had to overcome, as well as differences between the WWII and Korean War rifles.
• And more firearm history: "The 'M1917 Carbine'"--American Rifleman. Most of you probably know that when the U.S. entered World War I, the U.S. Springfield Armory couldn't produce enough of the M1903 Springfield rifles as it needed and so turned to Remington (which was already producing rifles for the British military) to rechamber that rifle in .30-06 for use by American forces, thus giving birth to the M1917 "Enfield" rifle. After the war, there were large numbers of the M1917 rifles left over. As the article describes, a large number of these rifles were supplied to China after the outbreak of World War II. But because the rifle was large and cumbersome, a number of the M1917 were cut down--shorter barrels and butt stocks--to make them easier to handle for the smaller Chinese troops. 
• "Kydex Vs Leather Holsters: Which Is Best For You?"--The Firearm Blog.  The author discusses the pros and cons of kydex and leather holsters, and also looks at various hybrid models available. Having carried daily for decades, I much prefer the leather holsters for comfort. However, I still use both--it depends on the use and the firearm. For instance, I have a snub-nosed revolver with a shrouded hammer, which doesn't work well with a thumb-break strap. Thus, I tend to use it with a Kydex/polymer holster if carrying it outside the waistband.  
• "Concealed Carry Corner: Why Less Really Is More"--The Firearm Blog. The article covers several topics, but the first and foremost is a large gun versus a small gun:

When it comes to carrying a concealed firearm, size and weight are two of the biggest factors to being able to carry it comfortably all day long. Sure, you can carry just about anything for one full day, but by the end of the day, you may have hot spots so bad you can’t comfortably carry next day. Various upgrades like a better belt and properly fitting pants can help tremendously, but these items don’t automatically make carrying a larger gun easier. No matter what tricks or upgrades you use, there’s no overcoming just how heavy some guns can be, especially on hot summer days when your skin may be more irritated. 

• Oops: "Chicago Buyback Blunder: Glock Turned In, Ends Up In Teen’s Hands"--Guns America. A Glock pistol turned into police at a gun buyback event "somehow disappeared inside the precinct and magically resurfaced a year later—in the hands of a 16-year-old fleeing a crime scene." 
  
• "The Cheapskate Contrarian’s Guide to Prepping – Learn to Wear Long Sleeves All Year"--Jerking the Trigger. Why you should learn to wear long sleeve shirts year long, including to replace having to use sunscreen (and how much of that do you have in your prepping supplies, anyway). The author notes that thrift stores have plenty of long sleeve shirts for cheap. He also likes the hooded sun shirts.
• "The Disaster Laptop Computer" (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) -- Survival Blog. Part 1 goes into the basic computer system. The author opted for a Nimo N171 I3-1215U computer with the Windows operating system because it could run the software he needed, and it used a USB-C charging system, meaning that it could be charged off a power bank (whereas most older laptops would need a 110 V power supply to charge). It also discusses other hardware, the set-up (including the apps he removed), and a general list of software he intended to load.

    In Part 2, the author goes into more detail on specific software including "unzipping" compressed files, for radio programming, document reading, calendaring and task management, and creating diagrams.

    In Part 3, the author goes over books and videos to download as reference sources, as well as sources to obtain these items. 

•  "Different Fishing Setups You Should Know About"--SHTF Preparedness. These are three basic setups for fishing lakes and ponds: (i) a setup for cast and retrieving; (ii) another for fishing off the bottom; and (iii) suspended bobber and bait fishing.
• "Apartment Safety Upgrades to Consider in 2025"--Apartment Prepper.  Some basic things you can do (and probably without upsetting a landlord) to make your doors and windows more secure, improve lighting, and some other tips. My wife and lived in apartments and rentals for the first 6 or 7 years we were married and a few of the basic things we did were: (a) in one apartment, we needed to install longer screws into the hinges of a patio door; (b) we picked up some simple stick up door alarms that would set off a chime or alarm when a door was open; (c) we picked up a brace designed to fit under a door handle to better secure the main entry; and (d) picked up a brace designed to better secure a sliding patio door.
• "How to Start an Edible Garden for Preppers"--Modern Survival Online. A lot of good tips, so check it out.