VIDEO: Pre-Flood Evidence In The U.S.

In the video below, Ben Davidson discusses the Texas Rockwall and why he thinks that it is evidence of an ancient culture pre-dating the last global catastrophe.

VIDEO: "Ancient Evidence in the USA"

Suspicious0bservers (4 min.)

POTD: Abandoned McMansions

Today's photo is from a short article and photo essay called "Neighborhood Full Of Million-Dollar Homes Is Now An Eerie Ghost Town" at the HuffPost. According to the article, the Beachwood Estates neighborhood in Alberta was built on a floodplain and ravaged by a flood in 2013, after which the government forced the homeowners to move and bought up the homes. The article was published in 2017 and, I presume, the photographs were taken the same year. So, the homes would have been abandoned for approximately 4 years, and show very little wear and tear other than a few fallen branches, one yard with a tipped over playset, and a few other broken odds and ends. Surprisingly to me, the lawns didn't really look overgrown, which makes me think there must be some sort of upkeep of the landscape.

New Weekend Knowledge Dump ...

 ... from Active Response Training. Some of the articles/topics that caught my attention:

• Ellifritz included an article from American Rifleman, noting that his articles on .380s have always been among his most popular. The article was positive about the .380 which is a massive change from when I first started carrying a concealed weapon.
• A link to an article from Ammunition to Go on the best defensive handgun ammunition with links to the results of their ballistic gel tests. I knew of Lucky Gunner's tests, but didn't realize (or had forgotten) that Ammunition to Go had done their own tests.
• Speaking of tests, Ellifritz links to an article on using 5/8-inch thick pieces of sheet rock to test bullet penetration and rough equivalents to penetration in other mediums. The author of the article notes that "40 years ago I discovered 4 half inch layers of sheet rock equaled the penetration of 8 inches of thawed deer meat," and "Each 5/8″ layer of sheet rock MAY BE roughly equivalent to 2 inches of calibrated 10% gelatin. This is roughly equivalent to 1.3-1.75 inches of animal."
• A good article on surviving a human stampede. Ellifritz links to the article because of the risk of being caught up in a human stampede as people flee from a shooter; the article mentions stampedes as people attempt to escape from a fire or similar emergency; I would point out that it seems a regular occurrence of people stampeding to get into concert venues. But, frankly, a lot of the principles apply anytime you might find yourself in an enclosure where people are packed together, such as a commuter train in Tokyo during rush hour (speaking from experience). The part about keeping your hands and arms up is important, not just because of the need to keep literal breathing room around your chest, but also so you can grab things to avoid being shoved or pushed off your feet, but also so you can push back against the press of bodies (such as a sudden deceleration of a train).
• An article on the why of the mid-length gas system for an AR carbine, including an explanation of the different length systems and dwell time. IMHO, there is no reason to have a carbine length system for a 16-inch barreled AR when the mid-length system will be less punishing to the firearm.
• A Guns & Ammo article on "deep practice" which will get you better results for your time investment, the author claims. I will have to try it out.
• An article on how to ease into sprinting. This one really spoke to me because, about 10 years ago now, I tore a hamstring when I decided to participate in a foot race at a church activity. 
• And I also found very interesting an Ammo Land article disclosing the original ATF AR15 classification letter and how it refutes the common claim that the AR15 was not meant or intended for civilian use. The letter makes a clear distinction between the semi-auto AR15 and a select fire model that was provided for comparison.

VIDEO: "Debunking a Jewish Antichrist"

    In the video below, Joel Richardson continues his review and exposition on Revelation, this time addressing theories that the Antichrist might be Jewish. 

    But the gist of the video, so far, is that because the Antichrist--the Beast--is described as a Gentile and leads a coalition of Gentile nations (which scripture tells us are the Muslim nations surrounding Israel), the Beast and his religious system cannot be Judaism, and the Beast cannot be Jewish. 

    Moreover, Richardson believes that there is a unity between the Beast and the Harlot of Revelation 17 ("Mystery Babylon") such that the two must share the same religious system. For this reason, he believes that the Harlot, or Mystery Babylon, cannot be Jerusalem. 

    Along the way, Richardson attacks anyone suggesting that Jews or Israel are part of the Harlot or the Beast's system, or otherwise critical of Jews and Israel. He discusses in some detail about how the Jews were and remain God's chosen people and reminds us that, per Joel 3, the nations will be judged based on how they treated God's chosen people (which he presumes are the Jews and only the Jews). Furthermore, he suggests that any criticism of the Jews or their faith is anti-Semitism and will automatically lead to persecution of Jews. 

VIDEO: "Debunking a Jewish Antichrist THE BOOK OF REVELATION Session 56"

Joel Richardson (1 hr 4 min)

    Overall a good and interesting video. But I have a few concerns and criticisms of Richardson's arguments and assumptions. First, I disagree with his assumption that there is a common unity of the religious system between the Harlot and the Beast because they are briefly shown to be working together. It is a truism that politics (or war) makes for strange bed fellows. Witness our allying with the Soviet Union against Germany in World War II, or the liberal left allying itself with Muslim groups on many political issues. Thus, the fact that the Harlot and Beast appear to be working together and wear the same bloody color does not mean that they are the same. In fact, the later description of the Beast's allies turning on the Harlot and destroying her suggests the opposite: that there is some deep division between the two systems.

    In fact, I think it is a mistake to assume that the Harlot is heading up a religious system in the traditional sense of the word. Although there are many secret combinations and conspiracies, The Book of Mormon suggests that there will be a great secret combination in the last days which Satan will use to tear down Christianity generally and the Lord's works in particular. My personal belief is that, whatever is the system pushed by the Beast/Antichrist, the Harlot represents this great secret combination, which as I've discussed before, is probably Marxism or some variant of it.

• "For My LDS Readers: Critical Race Theory As A Secret Combination"
• "Secret Combinations"

It certainly fits the bill because Marxism/Communism not only denies the existence of God, but puts itself in the position of a substitute for God. And it is quite definitely Anti-Christian. 

    And this brings up a further point of whether the Harlot could represent a Jewish movement. As I've discussed before, Jews have been disproportionately involved in Marxism and Communist movements, such that I think that one could describe Marxism as a branch of Judaic thought. Certainly, Jewish scholars seem to think so. Thus, even if the Antichrist or Beast is not Jewish, that does not mean that the Harlot is not Jewish.

    Finally, I have concerns with Richardson's adoration of Jews. While I agree that it is not our role to "punish" Jews, I think that Richardson makes the mistake of going to the opposite extreme of venerating Jews. It is true that God has named Israel as His chosen people. See, Deuteronomy 14:2. But Christians are also a chosen people. See, e.g., John 17:6-11; 1 Peter 2:9. Through Christ, we in fact become heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ. Romans 8:17. That is, we become part of Israel.

    Moreover, in order to be saved, Jews will have to become Christian for, as Christ states in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." We are told in scripture that a group of Jews will flee Jerusalem following the great earthquake which will split the Mount of Olives, and they will see Christ and His wounds and believe in Him and be converted. See, Zechariah 14:4-11; Zechariah 13:6, 9; D&C 45:44-53. These Jews will then go and preach of Christ to other Jews in preparation for his Second Coming, including building a temple in Jerusalem. The parable of the workers in the vineyard, Matthew 20:1-16, is, I believe, aimed at Christians who might object to Jewish converts at the beginning of the Millennium receiving all the promises and benefits promised to long time Christians although the Jewish converts came, so to speak, late in the day. 

   So, although I fully agree with Richardson that it is not our role to punish the Jews for their ancestors' sin in rejecting the Messiah (the Bible is quite clear that the child shall not answer for the sins of the father), I would also caution about being so in thrall to Jews or Judaism that you accept and tolerate what should be unacceptable or intolerable just because it comes from Jews or the country of Israel. This is no different from the arguments we hear on why shouldn't discuss Islamic terrorism or link Islam to terrorism, or discuss black crime or post photographs of violent criminals, or, thinking of the tragedy of the other day, link the Tennessee Christian school shooter to the transgender movement.  

Bombs and Bants Live! Ep 79

VIDEO: "Bombs and Bants Live! Ep 79" (49 min.)

I wasn't able to make it this week, but I'm sure it was all the better for it because I would have been in a very stressed and cranky mood even if I could have made it. I tried to email John before, but it doesn't sound like he got my email.

Support "Deadly Ingenuity--A History of Unusual Weapons"

Robert Escobar, author of the book Saps, Blackjacks and Slungshots: A History of Forgotten Weapons (a truly fascinating book if you haven't read it) is trying to raise money on Kickstarter for a new book to be titled Deadly Ingenuity- A History of Unusual Weapons. He had previously tried to to kickstart this project last fall, but apparently didn't get sufficient backers. He writes of this new book:

    There are countless books about weaponry that cover well-trod ground. This one will be different. It has 20 chapters that focus on forgotten, fascinating fighting tools and techniques from across the centuries and cultures. I am a court recognized weapons expert and my first book, Saps, Blackjacks and Slungshots: A History of Forgotten Weapons, was endorsed by an award-winning author, a history professor and a legendary weapons expert, among others. To date it is rated 4.7/5 on Amazon with 105 ratings.

    My new manuscript hopscotches through over 50 fighting implements and definitely breaks new ground. I am proud of this book and know anyone interested in weapons and warfare history will enjoy reading it and learn a lot in the process.

I really liked his book on saps and blackjacks, so I've gone ahead and pledged. If you are interested, his Kickstarter page is here.

POTD: Domino Sugar Refinery

Today's selection are a couple of photographs from the article, interview and photo essay, "The Urban Lens: See the last photographs of the abandoned Domino Sugar Factory," at 6sqft.com. Photographer Paul Raphaelson received the chance in 2013 to be the last photographer allowed into the then-abandoned Domino Sugar Factory, and the photographs in the article, including the two here, are from his book Brooklyn’s Sweet Ruin: Relics and Stories of the Domino Sugar Refinery. The article includes an interview of Raphaelson who describes how he got permission to photograph the site, how he tracked down and interviewed former workers, and more. The first photograph I've included is a view of the outside of the factory and then I selected one of the interior shots. But there are lot of other photographs in the article, so be sure to check it out.

POTD: Gary, Indiana (plus prepping/survival articles)

Today's selection is a video from the Lord Spoda channel taking a look around Gary, Indiana, including checking out the interior of a cathedral-like church building that has fallen into ruin. Gary was at one time a bustling suburb of Chicago, home to U.S. Steel. Now it is but a crumbling shell of its former self. Besides holding the number 1 or 2 position for highest homicide rate in the nation, Gary has also seen its population fall to less than half of what it was 50 years ago. The result are whole sections of abandoned houses and commercial buildings. While Gary's demographic decline was due to the destruction of the local economy due to the offshoring of steel production, the declining property values, rows of abandoned buildings, and crumbling infrastructure will be the future of most every country over the coming century as populations decline.

VIDEO: "GARY: The USA's Most Dangerous City? What I Actually Saw"

Lord Spoda (35 min.)

And now some prepping/survival articles that have been collecting in my in-box:

• "Fishing Kayak Setup: How to Build the Ultimate Grab-and-Go Rig"--Field & Stream. There are many cities or locations where bugging out by water may be a better option than trying to leave by car. So, although this article is not a prepping/survival article per se, it has some advice that might be applicable to a water-borne bug out plan.
• "How to Fix a Flat Bike Tire"--Survival Life. If were to face an economic collapse, or gasoline otherwise became prohibitively expensive, we would see many people turn to bicycles for commuting and running errands, much as you would have seen in many Asian countries 50 or 60 years ago. And if you are forced to bug out by some method other than using a vehicle, I think it would be preferable to bug out using a bicycle rather than walking.
• "Homemade Soap"--Blue Collar Prepping. The author explains how to make soap using oil, lye and water.
• "Homeschooling Nuts and Bolts" (Part 1) (Part 2) by R.B., EdD at Survival Blog. The first part discusses why you should consider home schooling your children while the second part covers the topics to include in a home school curriculum. This is a basic overview, so it obviously is not going to have a specific curriculum plan, lists of books, etc.
• "Five things to know about hunting and eating snakes"--Survival Common Sense Blog. The article discusses venomous snakes and dealing with injured and angry snakes before getting to the cleaning and eating:

    Snakes are very easy to clean and prepare for cooking, and snake meat can be roasted, dried, boiled, fried, or even cooked in a pressure cooker.

    Snakes really only have three internal organs, a heart, a brain, and a tube that handles just about everything else. That means gutting a snake is fairly straightforward; just remove the tube, being careful not to tear or puncture it. Snakes do have a lot of bones, though; deboning a snake is similar to deboning a fish. Once you’ve removed the skin, organs, and bones, you’re ready to cook!

The article links to a few videos on snakes, including one on cleaning and cooking copperheads and another on cleaning and cooking rattlesnakes.

• Related:  "New Study: Invasive Pythons Are Spreading North"--Field & Stream. From the lede:

Releasing what it calls a comprehensive synthesis of Burmese python science, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announced early last month that the giant invasive snakes have now spread beyond their core range in the south Florida Everglades and into places like West Palm Beach and Fort Myers, Florida. The study calls Florida’s python invasion “one of the most intractable invasive-species management problems across the globe.” And it says that, as the snakes continue to spread north, leaving a trail of ecological devastation in their wake, eradication of the species is impossible with existing tools.

• "How To Open A Can Without A Can Opener"--Survival Cache. By "can opener" the headline is referring to modern can openers as one of the options is to use the can opener "blade" in a knife or multitool. Most of the other options involve grinding away the rim so the top of the can be removed, although this risk introducing metal shavings or dust into the food. You can also try smashing the can to deform it enough that the top can be removed, but this risks losing some of the contents. My recommendation would be to have a couple extra modern can openers with the handles and cutting disks, and then pepper your preps with military P38 or P51 can openers.
• "How to Turn 'Less' into Everything You Need"--Organic Prepper. The author has been living in Greece for a bit and has some advice based on how the people there have adapted to the austere conditions following the 2009 economic collapse. A big part of its is attitudinal: taking a positive outlook toward what you have as well as taking greater enjoyment from simple things (an example given is going out for coffee instead of an expensive meal). Others are more practical. For instance:

    Ever since the collapse (and perhaps before, I never visited previously) thrift is a way of life. Here, you don’t always have hot water. You have to turn your water heater on about 20 minutes before you need it. This saves on electricity because you’re only heating up the water for 20 minutes a day. If you’re careful, enough water will remain in the tank for you to wash your dishes and have at least warmish water for handwashing during the rest of the day.

    Nobody has dryers and every street you walk down has laundry on lines flying like flags from apartment balconies. There’s no HOA nonsense here. Every balcony is loaded with laundry, tomato plants, and herbs. Rooftops have solar panels and water tanks. Electricity is used in the smallest amounts possible at all times.

    Part of this is that the price here has skyrocketed. Now, it’s all relative. I was pleasantly surprised when my first electric bill was just 43 Euros ($46.50 USD), but if I only made 800-1000 a month, the typical wage for a Greek, that would be pretty devastating.

    If you were to leave your water heater on all day or your heat or air conditioner on while you stepped out, locals would look at you as though you’d completely lost your mind.

•  "Tips and tricks to minimize risk in avalanche terrain when conditions improve"--KIVI-TV.

However, there are some things that people should do anytime they venture into avalanche terrain. Those include not going out alone, carrying an avalanche transceiver, a probe, a shovel and also knowing how to use these important safety items.

• "Gear Stowage"--Blue Collar Prepping.  The author discusses using the Cole-Tac Popcorn Bag for a trauma kit to keep everything in place and easily accessible. She also discusses using USMC Issue Speed Reload Pouches for her ballistic vest as it will hold in place either 9mm stick magazines or AR15 magazines. She uses a 9mm PCC for home defense, but plans on a 5.56 for SHTF, but wanted a magazine pouch that would work with both so she didn't have to remove one pouch in order to make room for the other.
• "How to Make Your Own Seed Starting Mix and Start Seedlings"--Organic Prepper. An excerpt:

    Last year I ended up paying $85 for seedlings because my starts were too runted and diseased to use. It was an excellent investment, however, paying off in food more than 10x my investment. So buying is a viable way to go.

    Starting your own seedlings, however, is much cheaper, plus you get to choose your exact desired varieties. Garden centers will have varieties that grow well in your area, but if you want to try anything a bit more exotic, they can’t help you. Also, if you’re making an emergency run, as I did, you get to pick from what they have left. Starting your own means, you get to pick what you want. 

• "Plant Your Trees in the Spring"--Backwoods Home Magazine. An excerpt:

    Spring is the best time to plant trees because spring planting allows trees to get established earlier, grow more, and do better when hot weather arrives. Spring planting is especially important for bare root stock. Most containerized and container-grown stock, as well as balled and burlapped trees, can be planted throughout the growing season, but benefit from spring plantings.

    When transporting trees, protect them from excessive wind, drying, and rough handling. Planting holes should be dug at least two feet wider than the size of the root system. Trees should be planted an inch or so higher than the depth they grew in the container or nursery to allow for settling. Air pockets should be eliminated through watering and tamping after planting. Fill in the hole with a mixture of existing soil and soil amendments such as organic material or loamy top soil.

A lot more advice on tree planting at the link, so be sure to read the whole thing. 

• "Seasonal Allergies"--Blue Collar Prepping. Some tips (or home remedies) for dealing with seasonal allergies.
• "So, Can You Eat Ants for Survival Purposes?"--Modern Survival Online. Short answer:

Yes, you can survive by eating ants. Though tiny, ants contain lots of protein and a good assortment of vitamins and minerals. However, you’ll have to catch a bunch of them in order to make a sizable portion of food.

A lot more on collecting and eating ants at the link, including the important questions like should you cook them or eat them raw, what they taste like (it varies), and more. 

• "How Much Protein You Need"--Modern Survival Blog. The author notes that recommendations vary according to the source and potential bias toward a more vegetarian diet. The CDC, according to the article, recommends that 10-35% of your daily calories come from proteins. The article also includes the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for protein for the different sexes and age groups:

Grams of protein needed each day:

WOMEN age 19+ (46 grams)

MEN age 19+ (56 grams)

Children

1 – 3 (13 grams)

4 – 8 (19 grams)

9 – 13 (34 grams)

Girls ages 14 – 18 (46 grams)

Boys ages 14 – 18 (52 grams)

The article contains more information about protein and why it is important, as well as information on the protein available from different types of foods. 

• "Take a virtual tour of Norway's Svalbard Global Seed Vault that is safeguarding the world's crops"--Daily Mail Online. This looked interesting. 
• "Paleotsunami Detectives Hunt for Ancient Disasters"--Hakai Magazine. An article describing efforts to identify and learn from prehistoric tsunamis. The article begins:

    A boulder weighing more than 40 tonnes sits on the sand high above the ocean. Dwarfing every other rock in view, it is conspicuously out of place. The answer to how this massive outlier got here lies not in the vast expanse of the Atacama Desert behind it but in the Pacific Ocean below. Hundreds of years ago, a tsunami slammed into the northern Chilean coast—a wall of water 20 meters high, taller than a six-story building, that swept boulders landward like pebbles.

    The tsunami that lobbed this behemoth happened before written records existed in Chile. But we know about it today thanks to the detective work of a small group of researchers who are uncovering the signs of ancient tsunamis around the globe. Using a diverse array of scientific techniques, these paleotsunami researchers have found evidence of previously undocumented colossal waves. In the process, their work is revealing that coastal communities could be in far more danger from tsunamis than they realize.

    As scientists expand their search, they have continued to find ancient tsunamis bigger than those found in historical records, says James Goff, a paleotsunami researcher at the University of Southampton in England. The implications are clear: if a huge tsunami happened once in a given location, it could happen again. The question is whether we’re prepared for it.

I'd read somewhere that a lot of cities founded in ancient times--e.g., Athens, Rome, Paris, London, Tokyo, etc.--are located well inland from their harbors, and the author speculated it might have been because of experience with ancient tsunamis. 

•  Not every "crisis" is a crisis, and a lot of news is manufactured: "When I Covered Climate Change for Reuters I Thought CO2 Was Certainly to Blame for Rising Temperatures. I Was Wrong"--The Daily Sceptic. An excerpt:

    The BBC and the mainstream media regularly frighten everyone with the latest climate disaster news with pictures of floods, fires and hurricanes, always followed by scary predictions that things will only get worse unless mankind mends its irresponsible ways.

    My alma mater Reuters, the global news agency, used to be above all this hysteria and would relentlessly apply its traditional standards of fairness and balance, but even this mainstream outfit seems to have sold out to the hysterics and axe grinders.

    The trouble is, many if not all of these disaster stories, far from being another step in a worsening scenario, are often nothing of the kind. In a recent book Unsettled. What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, And Why It Matters, Steven Koonin uses the UN’s Intergovernmental  Panel on Climate Change data to show that if reporters took the trouble to do a minimum amount of checking, most of these incidents would appear to be natural disasters, yes, but not part of some ever worsening syndrome.

    Economist Bjorn Lomborg has been pointing out for years that humans are having an impact on the climate, but technology will be a match for any problems. Current Government plans to combat climate change will squander massive amounts of taxpayers’ money and achieve very little in terms of stopping rising global temperature, Lomborg says.

    Warmist politicians and lobby groups regularly trash the work of a significant group of climate experts, insulting them with unfounded accusations that they can’t be taken seriously because they have barely perceptible links with ‘Big Oil’ and are ‘climate change deniers’. Criticisms are mainly personal and not aimed at their work. Koonin and Lomborg also suffer the unethical ‘denier’ slur, so let’s destroy that canard first.

    Every scientist knows the world’s climate has been gradually and occasionally irregularly warming since the last Ice Age over about 10,000 years. Nobody denies the climate is changing. The ‘denier’ charge is nonsensical. But it performs the useful function of making clear the user knows nothing about climate science. The argument is about the ‘why’ not the ‘if’. Warmists say all the warming is because of man’s activity. The rest say some, a little or none.

    Education is another area where balance has been replaced by hysteria-inducing propaganda. Children shown demonstrating on the news are often borderline hysterical. No doubt their teachers didn’t bother to tell them that man-made global warming is a theory not a proven fact, and that it’s okay to talk about different opinions.   

    If you wonder why much of the mainstream media seem united in accepting that the world will soon die unless humans don hair shirts, freeze in winter and walk instead of driving, you need to know about websites like Covering Climate Now (CCN).

    Reuters and some of the biggest names in the news like Bloomberg, Agence France Presse, CBS News, and ABC News have signed up to support CCN, which brags that it is an unbiased seeker after the truth. But this claim won’t last long if you peer behind the façade. CCN may claim to be fair and balanced, but it not only won’t tolerate criticism, it brandishes the unethical ‘denier’ weapon with its nasty holocaust denier echoes. This seeks to demonise those who disagree with it by savaging personalities and denying a hearing, rather than using debate to establish its case.

    CCN advises journalists to routinely add to stories about bad weather and flooding to suggest climate change is making these events more intense. This is not an established fact, as a simple routine check would show.

    I asked CCN about the nature of its dealings with Reuters and the likes of Bloomberg. Was it to thrash out a general approach to climate change reporting or to be more partisan?

    CCN hasn’t replied.

• Related: "Study Finds Zero Loss of Antarctica Sea Ice – But BBC Spins as 'New Record Low'" – The Daily Sceptic.

Latest Weekend Knowledge Dump ...

... from Active Response Training. While the blog's author, Greg Ellifritz, always has a good selection of articles, I sometimes skip over articles where the title or subject just don't pique my interest. But there was a lot in this week's collection even for someone as old and jaded as me. A selection:

• One of the articles is from Mind4Survival and includes advice on travelling to foreign countries with your family (including children). I think the author's rule requiring his kids to put away their electronic devices and ear buds while moving (i.e., walking or riding a bus or train) is good advice for everyone whether travelling or not. And the points on trying to learn a bit of the language is good. Just as you might not like hearing people conversing in a foreign language when you are in a grocery store, people in other countries are even less tolerant of it. 
• Greg links to a very detailed article on the rear naked choke hold published by GracieMag. 
• An article from Pistoltraining.com on "Red Dot Considerations". I typically skip over articles on pistol-mounted red dots because I don't have any handguns with red-dots. But if you are considering a red dot, the author shares the two models that have fared the best in heavy testing, and gives his recommendations on reticle types and sizes that have served him well in competition.
• Not all pistol qualification courses are relevant to the person carrying a concealed handgun, but the U.S. Air Marshal Pistol Qualification, described in a Mag Life article, certainly is.
• Greg has included in his post a link to an article from PewPewTactical on the history of the fighting shotgun that goes into more detail on the history of such weapons than I've seen in other articles on the subject. I have a book from Timothy Mullin entitled The Fighting Submachine Gun, Machine Pistol, and Shotgun: A Hands-on Evaluation in which he tests and provides his thoughts on submachine guns, machine pistols and combat shotguns. Although the combat shotgun section is short relative to the rest of the book, it is interesting because he tests some of the common shotguns that had been used in combat up to the time he wrote the book (I believe late 1990s). 
• For those of you interested in terminal ballistics, Greg has included an article from Bev Fitchett's guns on centerfire rifle wounds, which can be very gory when considering contact shots.
• Greg includes a few posts on the topics of civil unrest. One of these, on what criminals will be wearing, is just about using infrared LED lights actually attached to the hood of a hoodie to blind infrared security cameras. But the other two, from Paul Martin and Off Grid Survival, discuss the risk and triggers of civil unrest and surviving an economic collapse, respectively. Martin's article notes the political polarization and how it might influence someone to try and participate in protests or riots or take some other action. He warns (bold in original): 

And some free legal advice: if any of your "friends" suggests you participate in some illegal act as a form of protest, you can safely assume that individual is either a federal law enforcement officer or an asset of a federal law enforcement agency.  They are not your friend.  Please don't assume they are, even if you've known them for a long time.

Martin also includes links to a bunch of other articles he has written on the topic of civil unrest.

    I've noticed a few people write that it is unlikely that explosives will be widely used in a future era of civil unrest, unlike what we have seen in Middle Eastern conflicts. I disagree. For one thing, explosives have historically been widely used in terrorist attacks in the United States, both in the early 1900s by anarchists, and in the 1960s and '70s by various leftist groups. Although it is harder to legally obtain explosives now, that doesn't keep people from stealing or making explosives much as the IRA did during the Troubles. Included in Greg's post are a couple links to articles on blast injuries and their treatment. If you think wide spread social unrest is coming, you might want to also read up on what to do in event of a bomb attack, including first aid and medical considerations. 

China Is Doomed

 I've written myself and linked to many articles about the rapid demographic decline that has already started, including how it will hit China particularly hard because of its one-child policy and rapid industrialization. The only groups that seem immune to demographic decline once it hits a society are the highly religious. But there is only one god allowed under socialism, and that is the government, so of course we read: "Wenzhou, Parents Asked to Sign a 'Kindergarten Family Commitment Not to Believe in Religion'" from Bitterwinter.org. From the article:

    ... At the beginning of March, Christian parents from the Longwan District of Wenzhou, Zhejiang, sent to several human rights media pledges they are required to sign to have their children, aged 3 to 6, continue to attend kindergarten. The documents look genuine, and similar texts have been circulated previously in China. 

    The document is called a “Kindergarten Family Commitment Not to Believe in Religion” and should be signed by the parents, who should indicate the name of the children.  

    The parents promise to lead “civilized families” who “do not believe in religion, do not participate in any religious activities, do not teach religion to children.” Parents commit that they and their children will stay away from “Falun Gong of any other xie jiao,” avoid ‘feudal superstition,” and teach kindergarten children faith in science, socialism, and the Chinese Communist Party.

    Campaigns for atheism may become more or less visible, but never subsided in China. Xi Jinping himself has repeatedly insisted that scientific atheism is an essential feature of Marxism, and popular culture is mobilized to inculcate this idea. The total prohibition of any religious education for Chinese children is part of these campaigns, and kindergartens are just another agency expected to enforce it.

 I believe that China's demographic decline will be even more rapid than the worst case models currently circulating. 

    If you find this topic interesting, you might want to watch the following video:

VIDEO: "The End of Cheap Chinese Labor"

PolyMatter (17 min.)

POTD: The Desolation of Washington D.C.

I typically post photographs or videos of actual ruins, but occasionally I come across an artistic work that captures my imagination. I'm reminded of a vision experienced by John Taylor in which he saw a future United States in tatters. As to Washington D.C., he related: "The next I saw was Washington, and I found the City a desolation. The White House Empty, the Halls of Congress the same Everything in ruins. The people seemed to have fled from the City and left it to take Care of itself."

Source: "Washington Hole"--Deathlands Wiki

Observations on Ammo/Primer Shortage

    I was perusing American Hunter's website the other day and came across an article about Taylor’s & Company introducing an 1875 Outlaw revolver (a copy of the 1875 Remington), but in 9mm. It struck me as a good idea because, as a single action revolver where you have to use a rod to individually drive out the rounds, it didn't matter if the cartridges were rimmed or rimless, but also because it is so difficult to find popular revolver ammunition. 

    Perhaps it is different elsewhere, but there has been a dearth of even popular revolver ammunition in this area, even as shelves were stocked (nay, overflowing) with offerings in .22 LR, .22 WMR, 9mm, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, and other semi-auto pistol ammunition. It wasn't until a few months ago that I started seeing any revolver ammunition, and it was typically cowboy loads or target ammunition in .38 Special or .45 Colt with an occasional offering in .44 Magnum, and I couldn't find defensive loadings in any of the local stores I visited. 

    Today, over my lunch break, I visited a couple stores and was pleased to note that they both were finally stocking some .357 Magnum (although only target ammo as of yet), while one of the stores (Cabela's) actually had two different defensive loads in stock for .38 Special and one defensive load in stock, each, for .44 Magnum and .45 Colt. Quit an improvement over two weeks ago when I visited the same store. 

    Cabela's also had a much greater offering of gun powder in stock, although still no primers. The other store I went to (a place selling bulk ammo just north of the intersection of Five Mile Rd. and Franklin Rd., for those in the Boise area) had small pistol primers for sale, but not in a brand with which I was familiar. The price was pretty good too: $8 per 100 or $80 per 1,000.  

TB Making A Comeback In US

The Daily Mail reports: "Tuberculosis makes a comeback in the US with children most at risk, CDC warns." The article relates that TB rates had declined from 1993 to 2020 to a low of 2.2 cases per 100,000 persons, but has since started climbing. Per the article, "[t]he CDC reported 8,300 new TB cases in America last year. This is up from 7,874 the year prior, a 29 percent increase." It further noted that "[y]oung people were affected most, with cases among people 15 to 24 increasing 23 percent, the CDC said in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report." Also, "[a]lmost three-quarters of all new TB cases in the US in 2022 were detected in people who were not born in the country." 

Bombs and Bants Live! Ep 78 (Streamed 3/22/2023)

VIDEO: "Bombs and Bants Live! Ep 78"--(50 min.)

POTD: Abandoned AMC Dealership

Source: "Abandoned AMC Dealership Is Home to More Than 200 Classics, Muscle Cars Included"--Autoevolution.

According to the article, the dealership is Collier Motors of Pikeville, North Carolina. The dealership opened its doors in 1955 and sold new AMC vehicles until 1979 (when AMC was partially purchased by Renault), after which the dealership focused on older AMC vehicles and Jeep vehicles. There is no information on when the dealership ceased operations but there are apparently about 200 vehicles still on the site. The article goes over some of the more rare vehicles at the dealership and includes a link to a video of the ruins.

VIDEO: Should Cops Have Transitioned Away From Revolvers?

HR Funk addresses the question of whether police actually needed to transition from revolvers to semi-auto pistols in the late 1980s and early '90s. I know that most of you will adamantly say "yes" and think it is obvious because of the advantages offered by a semi-auto including increased ammunition capacity, lighter trigger pull (when compared to a revolver in double-action), and ability to mount lights (and, now, optics). And it seemed obvious at the time that the changeover was needed because, as the argument went, police were being outgunned by criminals--particularly the drug cartels and gangs operating in the larger metro areas. (Although, even in the 1980s, many gun gurus noted that the transition to semi-auto pistols was being driven as much or more by popular TV shows and movies--e.g., Miami Vice and Die Hard--as anything happening on the street). I would argue that the switchover was necessitated as departments were loosening up the physical requirements to be a police officer in order to bring on more female officers, and would have happened by the 2000s because of the overall militarization of the police. Certainly by 1980 revolvers had long been obsolete for combat.

VIDEO: "Cops Should have Stuck with Revolvers?"

hrfunk (18 min.)

    The most interesting part to me isn't really Funk's narrative but the comments he had from police officers (mostly retired now) that had been part of the transition, starting out with revolvers and then later being issued semi-auto pistols. Most of these officers seemed to believe that the switchover was mostly unneeded and undesirable. Many commented that prior to the switchover, there was an emphasis on accuracy that was abandoned after the transition. Most believed that the switchover led to cops being more willing to engage in mag dumps rather than using verbal skills or combatives. For instance, one former officer commented:

 I was issued a S&W 686 in 1991 as a beat cop in large inner city. A couple of years later we were given the choice of "upgrading" to the 92F. Many of us chose to keep our wheel guns. The reason most of us kept our 686s was that it was such a good weapon for beating people when you had to. Civilians don't understand that most bad guys do not give you time to re-holster your weapon when they decide they want to fight. The weight and ergonomics of the 686 made it a perfect "club" for pistol-whipping. For those that frown on pistol whipping i pose this question, "Would you rather that a cop beats a person that is resisting, or do like most of the "police" do today and mag dump them?" We could have had a good-shoot almost every week if we had the mentality of today's "police". We were trained to use our bodies as weapons to subdue the threat. Firing our weapon was always the very last resort, even with armed suspects. We would not fire until they pointed a gun in our direction and even then, in reality, we gave them a chance to seal their fate by popping off a round. Police today, in general, are not confident in their physical abilities and out of fear mag-dump. Training needs to go back to the way it was in the 90s and take away their autos and give them wheel guns. You will see accuracy go way up and less trigger happy idiots. For situations where needed they can always pull out their ARs.

Most patrol cars in the 1980s and 90s were outfitted with shotguns, but not rifles. Would there have been a perceived need for semi-auto pistols if officers had rifles?

Some Firearms Related Articles

VIDEO: "HDR 50 vs Ballistic Dummy"--Airgun Alley Miami (18 min.)

The producer of this video tested various projectiles, including some specialty projectiles, from a .50 caliber CO2 pistol against one of the realistic ballistic heads/skulls. Even though he was testing the projectiles at only 20 feet, most of the projectiles simply bounced off the ballistic gel, a few caused lacerations, and only one produced a slight chip on the faux bone underneath. He did test some arrow projectiles at the end of the video which had good penetration of the soft ballistic gel at the throat, but he didn't strike any areas with "bone" so it is not clear if it would have penetrated. The basic take away is that air pistols shouldn't be used for self-defense, and would probably just make a determined attacker more angry.

• "Federal Judge Blocks California Handgun Restrictions"--The Reload. A federal judge has struck down California's Unsafe Handgun Act (UHA). The UHA, passed in 2001, barred the sale of any new pistol models that did not incorporate certain safety features, which is why Californians have essentially been stuck with old pistol designs and is the only reason that Glock still produces Gen 3 pistols. I fully expect California to appeal the decision, so don't expect new pistol designs to be flooding into California anytime soon.
• Speaking of government trying to overturn court rulings on firearms: "Justice Department asks Supreme Court to overturn domestic violence gun ruling"--Fox News. The DoJ is seeking to have a 5th Circuit decision overturned which decision held that people under domestic violence restraining orders retain their constitutional right to own firearms.
• "11th Circuit Upholds Ban on Sale to 18-20 Year-Olds, En Banc Vote Likely"--Ammo Land. This suit involves a 2018 Florida law prohibiting 18 to 20 years olds from purchasing firearms from federally licensed firearms dealers. Since 18 to 20 year olds are already prohibited under federal law from purchasing handguns, this law effectively was intended to prohibit the purchase of rifles and shotguns. The article notes that "[j]ust hours after the decision of the three-judge panel was published, an order was issued in the case, withholding the issuance of the mandate," which "means a judge on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals is calling for a poll of the judges on the Eleventh Circuit to see if they are willing to accept the decision of the three-judge panel." The article also mentions that the Florida legislature is considering a bill that would repeal the ban.
• "EXCLUSIVE: ATF Gains Financial Information on Potential Gun Buyers for Warrantless Tracking, Documents Show"--The Epoch Times. Basically, the ATF was monitoring firearm purchases and flagging purchasers that the agency deemed too poor to afford to purchase firearms and requesting that the FBI initiated NICS checks and notifying the ATF every time those purchased purchased a firearm. "ATF headquarters will not disclose how it acquired the other suspects’ incomes, employment information, and past gun purchases found in the FOIA forms," the article reports. The examples given were people with either no income or very low income purchasing more than 10 (sometimes many more) in a short period of time, suggesting that they were acting as straw purchasers. The article also mentions a person that was not an FFL that was tracked purchasing a large number of firearms over a short period of time off Gun Broker and then quickly reselling them, and another that had bought a quantity of lower receivers which raised concerns that the purchaser was building AR15s and selling them. The problem is that the ATF is obviously dredging up a significant amount of data about a lot of people in order to get a mere handful of leads.
• "Biden on gun control: 'Do something, do something big'"--AP. An article from last week about Biden having "signed an executive order aimed at stiffening background checks to buy guns, promoting more secure firearms storage and ensuring law enforcement agencies get more out of a bipartisan gun control law enacted last summer."
• "Republicans Helped Biden Implement ‘Backdoor’ Universal Background Checks, Gun Advocates Say"--The Daily Caller. 

Biden directed Attorney General Merrick Garland expand background checks Tuesday after Republicans added language to the BSCA that revised the definition of who is “engaged in the business” of dealing firearms, according to Second Amendment advocate Gun Owners Of America (GOA). The BSCA, voted for by 15 Republicans, mimicked Obama administration language that sought to restrict gun show and online firearm sales, while requiring federal firearm licenses (FFL) for all gun sales, requirements that assist the administration in tracking the movement of firearms.

And:

    Before the BSCA, the definition of someone who “engaged in the business” of dealing in firearms was limited to wholesalers, retailers, firearm repair and pawnbrokers. The definition, in place for 53 years, was used to regulate commercial gun sales and not law-abiding private transfers and sales of firearms, according to GOA.

    Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn, through a compromise with Democratic Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, added a clarification in the BSCA, saying the definition of “engaged in the business” would expand to anyone who earned a profit through the sale of a firearm, according to GOA. Clarifying the definition of a FLL [sic] was a key portion of the legislation.

• The process is the punishment: "Case dropped against couple after gun pulled on Black family"--AP. Even though the charges were dropped, it was at the eve of the trial, which means that the family probably has some impressive legal bills:

    Criminal charges have been dropped against a white couple charged in 2020 after one of them was captured on video pulling a handgun on a Black woman and her daughters outside a Michigan restaurant.

    The trial had been set to start Monday for Eric Wuestenberg and Jillian Wuestenberg, but Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Mary Ellen Brennan dismissed the case after the alleged victims did not show up to provide witness testimony, The Oakland Press reported.

    The Wuestenbergs were each charged with one count of felonious assault for the July 1, 2020, incident in the parking lot of a Chipotle restaurant in Orion Township, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Detroit.

    David Williams, Oakland County’s chief assistant prosecutor, noted that the charges were dismissed Monday without prejudice, “meaning that our office can reissue charges in this matter if and when those witnesses become available.” He declined further comment.

    Takelia Hill, who is Black, told The Detroit News in 2020 that the incident happened after a white woman later identified as Jillian Wuestenberg bumped into Hill’s teenage daughter as they were entering the restaurant and Wuestenberg was leaving with a carry-out order.

    The Oakland Press reported that the Pontiac woman was visiting the restaurant with two daughters when the incident began. A three-minute cellphone video posted online documents part of the ensuing confrontation in the restaurant's parking lot.

    Jillian Wuestenberg can be seen outside her vehicle shouting, “Get the (expletive) away! Get away!” while pointing a handgun at the person who’s recording. She eventually gets back into her vehicle, which her husband drives away.

    The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said both parties called police on each other and that the Wuestenbergs drove away and waited for deputies to arrive. The couple was arrested shortly afterward.

    Following his arrest, Eric Wuestenberg lost his job at Oakland University where he was coordinator of veterans support services. His attorney, Dean Greenblatt, said the Wuestenbergs have lived “with clouds over their head for three years.”

    “Nothing can bring their jobs back, their lives back, their reputations back,” Greenblatt said.

    Jillian Wuestenberg’s attorney, Terry Johnson, said the dismissal of the charges was long overdue.

    “On behalf of my client, we’re excited it only took 32 months for the Oakland County Prosecutor to finally drop the charges. My client’s life, unfortunately, will never be the same,” Johnson said.

• "Here's how progressive lawyers are using public nuisance lawsuits to outlaw guns"--Fox News. 

    A consumer protection group is warning Republican governors against attempts by left-leaning lawyers to use public nuisance lawsuits as a backdoor way to outlaw guns.

    The Alliance For Consumers (AFC), a nonprofit organization aimed at "ensuring consumer protection efforts, class action lawsuits, and attorney general enforcement actions benefit consumers," sent a letter to all GOP governors Friday saying that since the many state legislatures have recently flipped to a Republican majority, they should be on the lookout for progressive activists attacking gun rights through these legal actions.

    "With victories through the legislative process becoming harder to achieve, the progressive left is increasingly looking to an alliance of activists, officials, and trial lawyers to weaponize the judicial system against conservatives and impose key policy priorities by way of public nuisance lawsuits," AFC president O.H. Skinner wrote.

    "Under the guise of compensation for injuries to the overall public interest, these lawsuits open the door to courts imposing sweeping policy solutions outside the traditional governmental processes or otherwise reshaping the economy through massive money transfers," Skinner added.

    Public nuisance laws vary from state to state. Historically, they have been used to protect consumers and the public against things like polluted waterways or hazardous public spaces.

    However, Skinner said "activists have found a way to use the court system as a weapon to force companies and consumers to comply with a progressive worldview without legislative oversight or public scrutiny."

    "If you hear someone say, ‘We should bring a nuisance case,' that is a Trojan horse to accomplish something that you probably don't agree with." Skinner said in an interview with Fox News Digital.

• "Report: Officers with AR-15s Were Scared to Confront Uvalde Shooter"--Breitbart. The headline is incomplete. The report found that officers armed with AR15s (and probably some actual-to-goodness full auto M4s) were afraid to confront the Uvalde shooter because he--a single individual--had an AR15.
• "Eight Great Compact Guns for Small-Statured Shooters"--Guns and Ammo. A look at youth or "compact" models of rifles and shotguns suitable for shorter women or youths. Frankly, even some of you that are of average height might prefer a shorter length of pull. I know that I typically prefer something a bit shorter than normal for my height (I'm 5' 11"). The one firearm I own where the stock was fitted to me according to standard guidelines for my height and arm length is actually too long to comfortably shoot when wearing a winter coat and, so, basically unusable to me for hunting in the Idaho mountains in late fall.
• "A Case For Lever Actions: Old West Nostalgia And Modern Age Shooting"--Skillset Magazine. A look at the modern (or "tactical") lever action rifle.
• "The Last 5 Lever-Action Cartridges Left Standing"--Field & Stream. These "traditional" cartridges, according to Richard Mann, are: 30-30 Winchester, 357 Magnum, 360 Buckhammer, 44 Magnum, and the 45-70 Government. Considering that the 360 Buckhammer was only just introduced this year, I don't consider it to a "traditional" cartridge and it certainly hasn't been out long enough to determine if it should be considered "still standing". Also, what about .22 LR and .22 Magnum--probably more lever actions sold in those calibers than any of the other calibers--or .17 HMR. And .44-40 has made a comeback. Also, Henry makes their Long Ranger lever action rifle which is available in .223 Rem/5.56 NATO, .243 Win, .308 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor; and Browning offers their BLR in a whole slew of calibers generally associated with bolt-action rifles, including, but not limited to, .243, 6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm-08, .270 Win., .308, and .30-06. 
• "TFB Review: The Shooters Box 577/450 Chamber Adapter"--The Firearm Blog. Some of you may remember that about 20 years or so ago, Nepal sold the contents of an armory of weapons dating from the late 1800s and early 1900s that included large numbers of Martini-Henry rifles, like those used in the British colonial wars at the end of the Victorian period. Being a fan of movies like Zulu, I was interested in picking up one of the rougher specimens to fix up so it could be shot (at the time, I couldn't have afforded anything better). But what held me back was the ammunition costs. You see, the Martini-Henry is chambered in an obsolete black-powder cartridge designated the 577/450. If you could find commercial loads--and that was a big if since it was only sporadically manufactured--they typically ran about $10/round (and remember that this was approximately 20 years ago). You could try reloading your own, but even this was problematic because no one made brass for the cartridge. The work around was to get a set of reloading dies (which were available at the time) and find brass shells for 24-gauge shotguns and reform them for the Martini-Henry. If you didn't have the molds and ability to cast your own bullets, you could use bullets intended for the .45-70, but you would have to paper-wrap the base of the bullets in order to get a good gas seal and ensure that the bullet engaged the rifling. The Shooters Box has now introduced a 577/450 Chamber Adapter designed, depending on the model, to accept either .45 Colt or .45 ACP cartridges, making it easier and more affordable to shoot an old Martini-Henry rifle, even if each adapter is running between $50 and $70. Of course, you still have the issue of the bullets being not quite the right diameter for good accuracy, but its better than nothing.
• "Can-May-Must-Should in One Incident"--Tactical Professor. An analysis of an incident involving an armed third party who intervened in a road rage incident between two other drivers. The first driver apparently became enraged at the actions of the driver behind him (the second driver), exited his vehicle, displaying a firearm. The armed third party tried to deescalate the situation, but the first driver turned on him and approached him with the drawn firearm. Fearing for his life, the armed third party shot and killed the first driver. At the time of the article, the police had declined to press charges against the armed third party. Although the third part was able to draw his firearm and shoot without the first driver (who already had a firearm in hand) shooting first, it could have been a very different outcome.
• "The Secrets of Verbal Deescalation"--Shooting Illustrated. From the article:

    When we are dealing with an upset neighbor or the other guy in a traffic accident, we may not resolve anything by getting angry. In fact, that usually is not the way to resolve these problems. We may well be better off using a calming, diplomatic approach. We can do this without surrendering our position if we’ll just give it some thought. And, if they still choose to resort to violence, at least we tried. Remember, you can prepare to defend yourself while you still have a smile on your face and a calm voice.

    Even when faced with a potentially deadly situation, we need to consider the words that we are using. I laugh when I hear someone say, “Put your hands up!” You have just told the attacker to move and now you have to decide if he is moving to comply or moving to go for a weapon to continue the attack. It is far better to command him to not move.

    Also, it is important to use a command voice, even if you doubt that you are really in command of the situation. The command voice is loud and authoritative. It should also deliver a brief, clear command.

    In our defensive classes, this is one of the things we find many students have trouble with—using the command voice. Too often, they are scared and sound scared. Well, anyone in their right mind is a little bit scared when faced with a threat, but you shouldn’t act like it. Instead, you want to act and sound in such a way that the crook thinks this might be the worst mistake he’s ever made.

    It is also important to consider our use of voice when communicating with a partner during a dangerous situation. When things get dangerous and scary, we go into flight mode, and one of the things that happens is that our eardrums often tighten up, impairing our hearing. In the middle of a gunfight, it is probably a mistake to say, “My gun is empty and I need to reload it.” It is far better to shout out, “Loading!” And your partner replies, “Covering!” By doing so, he or she lets us know they heard us and will try to handle things until we get back in the fight.

• "Skill Set: Will You Make The Shot?"--Tactical Wire. In addition to know that you can accurately take a shot, it is important to know whether you will pull the trigger. An excerpt:

    We use pistols to defend against a violent attack, human or otherwise, and train and practice accordingly. However, we all know that shooting cardboard, or even a “life-like” representation of a human is a far cry from actually using violence – in this case lethal force – against another person. This is true for the military, too, which has invested enormous energy to get soldiers acclimated to firing on the enemy – as opposed to aiming high over their heads as is common.

    I’ve met more than a few gun owners who admit they’re not sure if they would shoot someone in defense. As an owner of a “defensive” pistol, you must acknowledge that at some point you may be forced to use it against another person. You shoot to stop the threat – the goal isn’t “killing” - but this act may very well end their life.

    Not only must you be ready to use lethal force, you’re required to react and make that decision to fire in a timely fashion. Most defensive situations only last a few seconds. There’s no time for an internal debate over the morals of using lethal force. “If I don’t shoot now,” you ask yourself, “is the threat going to seriously injure or kill me – or someone I am responsible for?” Chances are, you must make this decision in less time than it takes to ask that question out loud.

    There are plenty of written works on the use of lethal force, the required mindset and the decision-making process. I would start with Jeff Cooper’s writings. After studying these, it’s time to start asking yourself the hard questions. Then, you practice accordingly, working through shoot/no-shoot scenarios that require you to make quick decisions. Force-on-force training is the best method, and gets you used to interacting with others under stress. It helps prepare one to firing on other people.

• "Skill Set: J Frame Revolver"--Tactical Wire. I suspect that most firearms instructors, let alone most gun owners, view the revolver as being obsolete for defensive purposes. Nevertheless, as the author point out:

Although the “J” frame design is decades old, it’s still one of the most popular handguns -- and for good reason. These small-frame short-barrel revolvers are reliable, as are all revolvers, but they’re also easily concealed. They work especially well for pocket carry, as long as you have a pocket holster. This is ideal concealment when you can’t conceal or carry a large frame pistol. They’re very common in the south, when summer wear is often a t-shirt and shorts. “J” frames are ideal for “back-up” pistols, again due to their size and ease of carry. A “J” frame in a well-designed ankle holster is easy to carry, comfortable, and in some cases, depending on your body position, might turn into your primary pistol.

He then goes over some of the other pluses and minuses to the platform.

• "The Colt Officers Model Match .22" by Steven Tracy, RevolverGuy. As Tracy observes:

Every RevolverGuy needs a .22 caliber revolver. Rimfire ammo is much less expensive than any centerfire cartridge and the result is the same for practice or target shooting. .22s are a great way to train and gain experience that transfers directly over to centerfire shooting. Plus, plinking with .22s can be incredibly fun and they’re excellent choices to introduce new shooters to firearms.

Plus, as the author has found out, having retired to a cabin in rural Tennessee, he has more time and opportunities to shoot recreationally and:

Copperhead and cottonmouth snakes keep me on my toes. They’re not common, but I’ve had to dispatch several over the last three years. Beavers cause our lake’s drainage to dam up and they take down way too many of our trees. Armadillos dig up the acreage and make it look like it was bombarded by hundreds of tiny explosive missiles. Lots of game animals abound that a long barrel .22 would be a perfect match to take…squirrels, bunnies, and bobcats when in season.

The article is mostly his recollections of some .22 revolvers he owned in the past and his experience with a recently purchased Cold Officers Model Match, which model came out in 1953 and ran until 1969. 

• For those that can't handle the recoil of a .44 Magnum: "Gun Review: Smith & Wesson Model 610 N-Frame 10mm Revolver"--The Truth About Guns. Okay, I was being a bit facetious. The goal is to practice, and if you can't practice because of the recoil or shock, you are better off going to a less powerful cartridge. The author notes:

    The 10mm is a respectable cartridge in terms of power, but it’s a bit of a compromise round. More than enough for most civilian self-defense encounters, it’s a just adequate cartridge for handgun hunting.

    The opposite is also true. The 10mm is plenty for any self-defense encounter against bipedal antagonists. In the hands of a competent hunter, it’s enough to take deer, black bear, and pigs at short ranges.

To be honest, though, if I were to have to step down to a 10mm in power in a revolver, I think I would go with a .357 Magnum instead. But I can see someone already invested in the 10mm in a semi-auto just sticking to the same caliber in a backcountry revolver, even if using heavier bullets. 

• "Fix It Sticks: The Works — The Last Toolkit You'll Need for the Range"--The Mag Life. A review of what appears to be comprehensive and fairly complete tool and cleaning kit for the range. Pretty much everything you would need for most simply repairs other than a vise.
• "Hoptic USA: Optic Solution for Lever-Action Rifles"--The Mag Life. The author reviews a red dot mounting system for Henry and Marlin lever-action rifles.
• On the other hand: "Does Every Gun Need an Optic?"--The Mag Life. My eyesight is such that the answer is pretty much "yes" when it comes to rifles. The article goes over the transition from iron sights to optics (particularly red dot sights) and discusses why it is still important to be able to use iron sights.
• "How to Choose a Concealed Carry Gun"--Hunting Mark. The author discusses factors to consider such as the size or dimensions of the firearm, capacity (or carrying extra magazines), the effectiveness of the round it uses, ease of use (including comparing the revolver to the semi-auto), carry position and holster, and other accessories.
• "Does Birdshot Overpenetrate?"--Shooting Illustrated. The relevant part:

    Recently I tested an average, 1-ounce, No. 8 load against an insulated, sheetrock wall using cylinder choke. Here’s what I found:

    At 20 yards, No. 8 shot did not penetrate both sides of the wall. At 10 yards it penetrated the wall and went on to strike a cardboard mannequin wearing a T-shirt. The pellets only made slight indentations in the cardboard, indicating it would likely not cause severe harm to a human. At 5 yards it penetrated both sides of the wall and the cardboard mannequin. Now, unless your last name is Bezos, you’re unlikely to have a 20-yard stretch in your house; 5 yards is far more common for a defensive distance in the home. Knowing this, do you still think birdshot won’t pose a danger?

    The conclusion here is that in a 1-ounce load of No. 8 birdshot, after about 7 yards when it starts to spread and behave less like a solid mass, each individual pellet rapidly loses energy. Think about a typical home, though—most don’t have that kind of distance inside. Also, it can be extrapolated that heavier, No. 7.5 pellets penetrate slightly more than No. 8s, No. 6 pellets penetrate slightly more than 7.5s and so forth. (It’s a myth that smaller pellets will penetrate more than larger pellets going the same velocity; it would be true if these pellets were pushed by an outside force such as someone using a stick to push them through the target, rather than via their own momentum.)

    Anecdotally, I can tell you this: I’ve been peppered several times with No. 8 shot at approximately 60 yards while bird hunting, and though it stung, it did not break my sleeve-covered skin. But, I have shot turkeys with No. 6 shot at 60 yards on several occasions, where it penetrated their skin and skulls, quickly killing them. Mathematically, at 20 yards a No. 8 pellet launched at 1,300 fps has 1.7 ft.-lbs. of energy, while the No. 6 shot has 3.7 ft.-lbs.—more than double the energy. That’s big. 

• "TFB Armorer’s Bench: Installing XS Sights on The Magpul MBUS"--The Firearm Blog. I think for most AR owners, the MBUS is an inexpensive backup should our optic fail, but after the initial purchase, installation and zeroing, I suspect that most of us pretty much forget about them. However, if you want to make sure you can use your MBUS in all conditions, the author explains how to install tritium night sights from XS Sights.
• Just put the rifle down and walk away until you have regained your senses: "SKS: The Poor Man’s AK"--The Mag Life. As the author points out, "[t]he problem is the SKS is not an AK-47 and shouldn’t be made into one." But he nevertheless examines why someone might go down the money pit rabbit hole and try to do it anyway. An excerpt:

So where did the term “poor man’s AK” come from? Back in the day, an AK-47 was cheaper than now, but an SKS was dirt cheap. When I was little, you could buy an SKS for under $200 at local gun stores. When they were on sale, you could even get them for under $100. Because the demand for the AK-47 was growing, production went up, but the market was already flooded with SKS rifles. Now everyone wanted the new AK and not the SKS, so the price went down.

The author is a young'un. When I bought my SKS, it was $70 and came with the sling, cleaning kit, and an ammo vest.

Because the AK was harder to get ahold of and cost more, people began buying the SKS rifle and converting as much of it as they could to make it look like an AK. I say “look” like one because you can’t turn an SKS into an AK-47. Companies make conversion kits that allow the SKS to use detachable 30-round mags and you can buy synthetic stocks that have pistol grips like the AK. With these conversions, the SKS does look a little more like an AK. The cost of this setup was cheaper than an AK-47 and thus, a poor man’s AK. But again, it was never an AK because they are not made to the same specs, and therefore, don’t perform the same.

     After I came into a second SKS (I left my first one alone), I sorta, kinda, decided to do the "let's make it into a modern rifle" since the rifle wasn't in its original configuration anyway. 

    I installed a stock with a pistol grip and collapsible butt stock. It wasn't too bad of a stock, but it also wasn't really all that better than the original either (although, being plastic, it probably would handle wet weather better). 

    The original owner had removed the rear sight and put on a cheap peep sight. I upgraded this to a much better quality sight from Tech Sights. 

    Someone had given me a 20-round replacement magazine made of steel, but I never got around to installing it. I purchased a 30-rounder that was supposed to be removable so you could switch them out like regular magazines, but you still had a long doo-dad hanging off the front of it, and because the walls had to be cut low on the front and back to allow for feeding, the top round could easily be knocked loose. And, besides, the magazine wasn't that easy to fit into place. So the original magazine went back into place. Fortunately, I had only purchased the one to play around with so I wasn't out too much money. 

    The bayonet was also missing and I toyed with getting a bipod attachment but never found one that seemed to be any good. 

    The end result, however, was a rifle that I never quite liked as much as the one I had purchased and kept in original condition. I eventually put the original wood stock back on the second rifle and got rid of it. I've owned and shot AKs, but the modified SKS was never as good or fun to shoot. I much prefer just leaving it in the original configuration (which also preserves its value better).