Weekend Reading

Greg Ellifritz has posted a new Active Response Training "Weekend Knowledge Dump" with a new collection of firearm and self-defense related links. Some of the articles (and video) that caught my attention included:

• An article on corrosive ammo (which is really a matter of corrosive primers) going into the history and chemistry, a discussion of headstamps to look for, and instructions on how to clean your firearm to remove the salts that create the conditions for corrosion. I have a couple of issues with the article, though, which may seem somewhat nitpicking. First, the author mentions potassium chlorate and describes it as "plain old salt". Well, it is a salt, but it is not "plain old salt" which is sodium chlorate [sic: chloride]. Potassium chlorate, on the other hand, is toxic. 

Second, he indicates that ammo that uses Berden primers is corrosive, while ammo with Boxer priming is not. The design of the primers has nothing to do with whether they are corrosive. The U.S. has historically used Boxer primers, but older ammunition (e.g., WWII surplus) will be corrosive (the U.S. military transitioned to non-corrosive primers in the 1950s). Berden priming is more common in Europe including in the former East Bloc. The Soviet Union and its allies used corrosive primers longer than did Western militaries, which is why you are more likely to come across corrosive surplus ammo from the East Bloc. China also produced corrosive ammo for longer than used in the West.  

And although not mentioned in the article, I would also mention that ammonia (including Windex with ammonia) can be used to neutralize the potassium chlorate salts.

• And some firearm history about the Remington Model 8 rifle.
• Some advice on teaching your children to shoot.  
• An article discussing the steps in the semi-automatic firearm operating cycle.
• Power setups for grid down emergencies. 
• The firearm industry's "big lie": that you need a different firearm for each task. The author suggests that preppers actually can get by with between 1 and 3 different firearms, with an AR rifle being the key one and the other two being from the following: a .22 LR firearm, a handgun, or a shotgun. 

 And a lot more, so check out the whole thing.