Gun & Prepping News #66

 Just some gun and prepping related links that I thought interesting or useful:

• "Cold Weather Carry"--Handguns Magazine.  Richard Nance begins:

    As a native Californian, I sometimes forget the whole world doesn’t walk around in T-shirts, shorts and flip flops year-round. Recent trips to northern Illinois and central Pennsylvania reminded me not everyone has it so easy when it comes to concealed carry. Clearing a baggy T-shirt to draw your handgun is a lot different than having to fish your handgun out from under layer after cold-blocking layer of garments.

    Add a pair of cozy gloves to the mix and getting to your gun in a hurry can be next to impossible. Even worse, if your gun snags on a garment during the draw stroke, it can be dropped with the muzzle pointing who knows where. If moving to a warmer climate isn’t in your plans, here are a few tips for cold-weather concealed carry.

He has some tips for concealing, drawing, and reholstering a handgun. For instance, if you are wearing multiple layers, he recommends carrying the gun outside all but the outermost layer which will act as the concealing garment. 

• "Handguns: Carry Rotation Downside"--Shooting Illustrated.  The author discusses some of the difficulties had has experienced in switching between different firearms, and concludes: "For a pistol that’s intended as a lifesaving tool, there’s no reason to switch heaters because you’re in a 'different gun mood.' You don’t move the brake pedal around in your car on a whim, so why would you want to randomly cycle through carry handguns to essentially the same effect?" 
• "Underestimating Your Opponent"--Tactical Professor. He comments on a photograph circulating on social media showing an anti-ICE protestor with a an M&P 15-22 .22 rifle with a partially loaded magazine and the mocking comments:

 Within their performance envelope, which covers many urban situations, .22 rifles are incredibly lethal. One of my colleagues calls them ‘three step guns.’ After being shot with one, the shootee takes three steps and falls down dead as a hammer. Underestimating their lethality is a grave mistake. I have many incidents in my database of people killed by a single round to the chest from a .22 rifle.

• "How To Shoot Long-Range Consistently: Rifle Setup"--Rifle Shooter Magazine. An excerpt:

 Whether it’s a stock or a chassis, consider getting (or doing it yourself) the action bedded into that stock or chassis. A lot of stocks and chassis claim that they don’t need to be bedded but I’ve found that even those need to be to get the best, consistent performance out of your rifle system. This creates a 1 to 1 fit of your action to that stock or chassis. This will keep things from moving around under recoil or while you are driving down a bumpy road. This will help ensure first-shot accuracy. On top of bedding the action, make sure you have proper clearance in the barrel channel. The stock around the barrel must not contact (be free floated) the barrel for the most consistency.

• This looks fun: "Automatic For The People: Now You Can DIY A Gatling Gun"--The Firearm Blog.  The article explains:

The M1337 uses AR-pattern barrels and other parts, with all the mechanical hard parts held together by 3D-printed parts. The files for those 3D parts are freely given away online. The creator sells a parts kit that has some of the parts that you don’t make yourself, and you can source other bits yourself.   

It is belt fed according to the article. You can learn more at the designer's website here. Per the website and videos, it uses disintegrating belt links. Per the author's website, he has also been developing a suppressor for it to be used with .300 BLK. 

• "SAINT Victor 7.62 20": The Do-Everything Rifle?"--The Armory Life.  There seems to be a lot more interest in a "do-everything rifle"--truck gun, ranch rifle, scout rifle, are common types of rifles being thrown around in that regard. The author of this article offers both a review of the SAINT Victor rifle and an argument on why .308 makes an ideal "do-everything" round. The article doesn't mention it, but the rifle is 8 lbs. 1 oz. according to the manufacturer. 
• And Ruger re-imagines their scout rifle: "Ruger American Gen II Scout: Built For The Real World"--The Firearm Blog. The older Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle was based on the Ruger M77 rifle which used a Mauser style action, including push feed and large claw extractor. It was also more open at the top allowing better access to the chamber. As the name indicates, the newer rifle is based on the Gen II Ruger American rifle. Both feature 16 inch barrels, but the new rifle is lighter than the Gunsite Scout at about 6.5 lbs. The iron sights on the new rifle seem better than the older models, which were based on the sights of the Mini-30. 
• A different type of do-it-all weapon: "EAA Brings Back Affordable Combo Guns"--The Firearm Blog. Most of the article is about what is a combination gun and some of the models historically offered in the U.S. (they are far more popular in Europe than the U.S. and never achieved lasting success). But it mentions:

Now, EAA says it’s bringing combination guns in from Turkish manufacturer Balikli. We’ve seen these guns before; Balikli was exhibiting them in a corner of the SHOT Show basement in 2024. At that time, we noted that they had some unusual chambering choices, including .300 Winchester Magnum, .30-30 and .357 Magnum—not that there’s anything out of the ordinary with these calibers, but they’re rarely found in combination guns made in Europe. 

No word on what calibers or prices, yet.  

• And on the topic of "do-it-all" rifles: "Best Ranch Rifles: A Modern Ranch Rifle Revival"--Recoil. The author defines a "ranch rifle" as "a handy, compact, intermediate-caliber rifle, carried around all-day long from dawn to dusk while on a ranch." And, in that regard:

While an AR-15 fills the same role very capably, some might prefer the slim profile and feel of a traditionally stocked rifle. Many shooters find a traditional stock to point and handle very naturally and intuitively. When transporting your gun, such as in a scabbard on horseback, a ranch rifle is slimmer from top to bottom than typical pistol-gripped modern sporting rifles.

So of the four rifles that are considered, the author's top three picks are all AR variants that mate an AR to a standard style stock: the CMMG BR4 Dissent, the Fox Trot Mike Ranch Rifle, and the now discontinued SIG Sauer MCX Regulator. Rounding out the list is the Mini-14. 

• "Free SBRs Are Coming! A Horrible Idea"--Guns America.  The author warns: "Zero-dollar NFA transfers sound amazing until you hit the real costs. Before you turn that brace AR into an SBR, read the travel rules, trust traps, penalties, and long-term risks that most shooters ignore."
• Some firearms history: "First M16 Rifles in the Vietnam War"--The Armory Life. ARPA (now DARPA) and Project Agile.
• "AR-15 vs. Bullpup Rifles: Which One Is Right For You?"--American Rifleman. The author goes over the advantages and disadvantages of both. The bullpup has the edge with providing a full length barrel in an SBR length package. But it does not do as well shooting off a bench or from a bipod and I've heard complaints that they aren't as accurate as an AR with a free-floated barrel. The article also mentions that they aren't as easily accessorized. In fact, from a military perspective, one of the issues I've heard complaints of is that even with additional rails, most bullpups don't have the room to mount all the lights, lasers and emitters, optics, and other stuff that commonly show up on modern combat rifles. I'll admit up front that I have zero experience with bullpups, but I've long thought that they would be better for the home defender and prepper because they are more compact which will be a major benefit moving in and around a structure or in and out of vehicles, whereas the disadvantages won't be as significant to the majority of civilian shooters who will not be mounting the full panoply of gear to their rifles as military operators. 
• "The 6mm ARC Cartridge: Why the Military Needed It"--Guns & Ammo.  The reason it was developed:

    America’s military has been at war against terror for 20 years. We have certainly learned a lot along the way, but so have our enemies. For example, the Taliban in Afghanistan knew that most of our guys shoot carbines chambering 5.56 NATO; if they stay 600 yards away, there’s no need to fret small arms fire much.

    The unit that adopted the 6mm ARC decided that they still wanted to get good hits at 600 yards and beyond, so they started issuing more rifles chambered in .308 Winchester because it is capable of that kind of performance. The problem is that the rifles and ammunition are both heavier than their 5.56mm NATO counterparts.

The solution was the 6mm ARC which "can keep a 108-grain bullet above 1,800 fps out to 580 yards" and stays supersonic out to 1,350 yards from an 18-inch barrel at chamber pressures of just 52,000 psi. And it does this using the AR-15 platform. 

• "Fanny Packs Can Add Versatility to Everyday Carry"--Handguns Magazine. And one important point:

First impressions are important, and the goal is for your fanny pack not to make one. Avoid a pack that appears overtly tactical. A pack that hangs from your belly button to your knees, or one with MOLLE webbing and emblazoned with gun-themed patches, will garner unwanted attention. While the interior of your fanny pack should be specifically designed for carrying a handgun, the exterior should look like any other pack. 

And for goodness sake, please avoid black unless it is leather. To me, at least, nothing screams "gun" more than a black Cordura fanny pack. 

•  Knives: "Skallywag Tactical Riptide Review"--The Armory Blog. These look like they would be good tactical or survival knives. Blades are a little over 6 inches long with either a Tanto or spear point style, with either a partially serrated edge (which I dislike) or a plain edge. However, there are a lot of good knives out there, so for me I tend anymore to look more at the sheath than the knife. In this regard:

The Riptide family of knives comes with an ambidextrous, pancake-style Kydex sheath. The sheath features a unique dual-retention system. The form-fitted sheath provides a secure, rattle-free friction fit. It’s augmented by a spring-release tab that further secures the knife in the sheath. It’s easily released in a single motion when drawing the knife by simply pulling up on the ambidextrous button on the tab. Skallywag Tactical is incorporating the dual-retention system in the sheaths of all of its new knives. 

That sounds good. The question I always have to ask myself with gear anymore is "does it do anything better than what I already have or a less expensive option," and, if so, "is it that much better that it is worth spending the money on it"?

• And speaking of "does it do anything better" and "is it worth the added cost" is this article: "Gen 2 vs. Gen 3 Magpul PMAGs – New Tech Worth Extra Cash?"--The Shooter's Log. Probably not enough of a benefit unless you need to buy it because of the particular caliber of your weapon or you have a weapon that is not compatible with the Gen 2. 
• And on the topic of Magpul magazines: "Quick Magazine Tip"--Arctic Specter. Using luminescent tape so you can more easily locate your magazines in the dark. He recommends removing the floor plate, cutting out a bit of tape large enough to go across the tab at the bottom of the floor plate, and when you put the floor plate back on it will cover the extra bit and hold it in place. 
• "Best 243 Ammo for Deer & Other Hunts"--The Shooter's Log.  Some ballistic charts for different commercial loads. 
• "Why You Don't Need "Survival Food" Until You Have Months Worth of Regular Food"--The Late Prepper.  The author advises:

    It’s not a great situation if a family is already breaking into their survival food that has a 10+ year shelf-life a couple of weeks after a long-term emergency strikes. Instead, individuals or families should have several months worth of “regular” food rotating in their pantry. Much of this will be medium-term food such as canned meals, pastas, grains, and even dehydrated meat.

    Keep in mind that I own a long-term storage beef company, yet I still advise not buying any of it until a family has at least several months worth of normal foods. It doesn’t make sense to have to bust open a bucket of freeze dried lasagna on week 3 of bugging in.

    The reason is simple: Freeze-dried meals and meats are more expensive than their canned or boxed counterparts. Canned tuna, chicken, and beef can supply a lot more protein per dollar spent than survival meats. Granted, canned beef is, in my humble opinion, far less appetizing than tuna, chicken, or even Spam, but it fills its purpose.

• "How a Simple Piece of Advice from John “Shrek” McPhee Helped Me Drop 25 Pounds"--Fleeting Survival. The advise was simply to start walking. He has some tips to help you get into the habit and stick to it. 
• Related: "I lost 50lbs thanks to a tiny lifestyle change after years of failed diets and workout plans"--Daily Mail.  The woman in the article lost her weight by adopting a challenge of walking 20,000 steps per day. 
• "How to improve your flexibility – the body’s secret weapon for staying healthy and active"--The Conversation. The article discusses the benefits of stretching and flexibility and includes advice for different stages of life, e.g.:

    For older adults, flexibility is crucial for maintaining mobility and independence.

    Gentle stretching exercises, such as chair yoga, are great options for improving flexibility without putting too much strain on the body. These exercises can also prevent stiffness, which is common as we age. Research also shows older adults who regularly stretch have a lower risk of falls and better quality of life. Older adults should also aim to stretch 2-3 times weekly.

•  "The forgotten art of squatting is a revelation for bodies ruined by sitting"--Quartz. An excerpt:

    “Every joint in our body has synovial fluid in it. This is the oil in our body that provides nutrition to the cartilage,” Jam says. “Two things are required to produce that fluid: movement and compression. So if a joint doesn’t go through its full range—if the hips and knees never go past 90 degrees—the body says ‘I’m not being used’ and starts to degenerate and stops the production of synovial fluid.”

    A healthy musculoskeletal system doesn’t just make us feel lithe and juicy, it also has implications for our wider health. A 2014 study in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that test subjects who showed difficulty getting up off the floor without support of hands, or an elbow, or leg (what’s called the “sitting-rising test”) resulted in a three-year-shorter life expectancy than subjects who got up with ease.  

•  "Are You Emotionally Ready for the Coming Collapse?" (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) by Peter Cannon. From the authors introduction:

     Much has been written about physical prepping for a future societal collapse. However, what about the mental and behavioral side of preparation? Is it possible that Christians will live through part or all of the Tribulation? If your children are crying due to hunger, would you accept the mark of the Beast to feed them? Are you willing to die for your faith and/or other convictions? These are tough questions, but we need to face them. In the future, whether it’s a grid-down blackout, an economic depression, riot-ravaged neighborhood, war-torn country or a pandemic-plagued world, are you emotionally ready for the coming collapse?
    
    This five-part article series will include excerpts from my book, “Revelation: Illustrated and Explained.” It is a study of the final book in the Bible, including verses, commentary, photos, and illustrations. ...