Gun & Prepping News #46

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

• "3 Positive Points: Countering Common Self-Defense Myths"--Tactical Anatomy Systems. 

1. Find a good CWW package and stick with it--not just the gun, but the holster and how you carry it.
2. Carry your concealed firearm with a round in the chamber--Israeli carry is just stupid.
3. Take a gunfighting class, then take another. The author is not just talking about a basic class in using a firearm or even a class on defensive shooting, but something on real gunfighting (and probably incorporating force-on-force). 

• "The Longevity of Cartridges"--American Hunter. A look at why some cartridges stick around and other fade away or are just a flash in the pan, so to speak. The author discusses good cartridges that have faded into obscurity and the role of timing and marketing. But he believes a primary factor is versatility:

For a cartridge to stick around, it needs to offer the shooter/hunter some versatility. Take a look at so many of those cartridges which have stuck around for a century or more, and you’ll see a cartridge which either offers a wide enough selection of bullet weights so as to be useful, or a bore diameter/velocity figure which can handle a good number of game species.  

It also seems to help if it started out life as a military cartridge that was later widely adopted by civilians such as the .45-70, .30-06, .308, and 5.56/.223.  

• "The 5.7 as a Light Rifle"--Breach Bang Clear.  By "light rifle" the author, Travis Pike, is thinking of something fulfilling the purpose of the M1 Carbine: Something to arm truck drivers, radio operators, cooks, and other logistic personnel that was easily carried or stowed, but gave better performance than a handgun. He looks at the new version of the Keltec Sub 2000 as possible candidate in this video (19 min.). This makes sense since, when you look at the dimensions of the cartridges, you realize that the 5.7 is essentially a necked down .30 Carbine. 
• "Pocket Pistols: the Case for Pocket Poppers"--Tamara Keel.

    First, even with the best concealment holster systems out there, like the PHLster Enigma, carrying a decent-sized handgun requires a certain commitment to the bit. The need to “dress around the gun” is reduced, but not entirely eliminated, and that can cause some folks to pause and reconsider the size of handgun they’re willing to accommodate in their life.

    The second reason is that for some people, the consequences of being caught toting could be life altering… and we’re not just talking people who decide to flout corporate regulations. 

To me, the case for a pocket pistol boils down to this one maxim: the first rule of a gunfight is have a gun. 

• Because fall hunting seasons are upon us and you may be caught away from your rifle (especially if field dressing an animal): "How to Pick the Right Sidearm for Backup Bear Protection"--Outdoor Life.  Two experts give their opinions with one focusing on big bore revolvers and the other on semi-autos. 
• More: "The Best Bear Defense Handguns of 2025"--Outdoor Life. The author lists 11 handguns he recommends, with calibers ranging from .357 Mag. through 10 mm and up to the big bore magnums. Interestingly, 7 of the 11 are semi-auto handguns. 
• More: "Our Readers Tell Us a 10mm Semi-Auto Is a Horrible Choice for Bear Protection"--Outdoor Life. The author had previously done a test between a revolver and semi-auto for bear defense and concluded the semi-auto was the better choice. (See "Bear Gun Shootout: 10mm vs .44 Mag."). In this piece, he responds to criticisms raised by naysayers.  

    The recoil difference between the two and its impact on the speed of follow up shots can be a significant issue, particularly with .44 Magnum. Years ago I was out shooting with a friend who brought out 6 bowling pins and lined them up. He had a .44 Magnum revolver and I had an old S&W Model 10 in .38 S&W (the oddball caliber is because it had been for a British contract). We started at the same time, same distance, to see who could get the most pins down; he starting at one end of the line and me at the other. By the time he had shot his second pin, I already had all 4 of the other pins down and had gotten ready to shoot the fifth (his second). That said, I'm not going to rush out and buy a 10 mm. For one, I don't live in grizzly country. And, secondly, in looking at ballistic tests, I don't see that the 10 mm outperforms the .357 Magnum or .45 ACP +P in any meaningful way, and I already have handguns that can shoot the latter two cartridges.  

•  More: "Podcast: What Happens After You Kill a Grizzly in Self Defense"--Outdoor Life. The legal consequences. 

• "How Often Should You Clean Your Gun?"--Shooter's Log. In the good old days, when people used corrosive primers, you needed to clean your firearm immediately after shooting. Now it is common to read authors or hear YouTube personalities talk of letting a gun go hundreds or even thousands of rounds between cleanings. The author indicates it depends on the gun or use:
• If you are shooting corrosive ammo or your gun gets wet or muddy, the author still recommends cleaning your firearm as soon as possible.
• "If you’ve got a gun that is only used for plinking, target clays, or punching holes in paper, it’s probably OK to let a few months and 3–4 trips to the range lapse before doing an in-depth cleaning."
• "On the other hand, if you’re shooting a match gun or a firearm that is relied upon for personal defense, you should always keep it clean, oiled, and ready to go." 
• "I like to detail strip and clean all my firearms at least once a year, regardless of whether they ever made it out of the gun safe at all," but warns that "[o]n firearms that are just being stored in a safe, ambient moisture in the air and humidity can cause some small rust spots to show up. Desiccants and drying silica gel will help reduce the humidity in your safe and cut down on rust caused by this moisture in the air." 
• "What To Do When Someone Gives You A URX4 Keymod Rail?"--Fleeting Survival.  

    Let’s talk to the younger shooters out there for a sec. KeyMod was actually awesome—yeah, it didn’t have the same pull strength as M-LOK, but when it comes to ease and speed of adding or removing accessories, KeyMod had it beat, and the Noveske KeyMod rail covers are the best ever made.

    So why bring this up? Because KeyMod gets a lot of hate these days, which means you can score some insane deals on rails—or even get them for free, like I did. 

• "A couple of useful resources when planning for emergencies"--Bayou Renaissance Man. He recommends:

1. "Food Storage & Shelf Life Charts From Months To 25+ Years"; and,
2. "Home Prep Guide: What You Need To Last 2 Weeks In An Emergency". 

• "Prepper & Emergency Survival: A Comprehensive Checklist"--Option Gray.  This list doesn't give you quantities to store, but it goes over high level categories to consider (e.g., food, water, transportation & evacuation, etc., along with sub-categories or actual supplies for each). Seems like a good way to make sure you have your bases covered. 
• "How to Jump-Start a Car"--The Drive (via Get Pocket).  Covers using jumper cables, a jump starter, and how to jump start a hybrid.
• "Expert Advice on Evolving Escape and Evasion Tactics"--Skill Set Magazine. Those criminals that specialize in home invasions and kidnapping have been evolving their tactics and techniques. For instance, since there are so many videos out there on how to break out of zip ties being used to secure your hands, criminals have adapted:

... Experienced captors will cut zip tie pieces at an angle and add them to the interior ring of the cuff. Once tightened, these jagged points penetrate the victims’ wrists, making even the slightest movement extremely painful. In some cases opening a gushing wound if one attempts to force them off by breaking them. We have found these modified ties used particularly in cases where crews have been active in the “abduction for ransom” game for a very long time. They call them “vampiros” (vampires) in Mexico. 

•  "Getting Unstuck"--Blue Collar Prepping. Some advice on (i) when to stop trying to get your vehicle unstuck (essentially when you are just digging yourself a deeper hole); (ii) what to do if you are stuck in snow; (iii) what to do if you are stuck in a ditch; (iv) what to do if you are stuck in the mud; and (iv) advice on helping other people get unstuck. 
• I've actually posted quite a bit about using hay boxes or similar insulated heating concepts (see below), but here is a video showing how the 1930s hobos did it. The idea is that you use your cooking fuel to bring your stew or beans or whatever up to cooking temperature (e.g., boiling) and then transfer the cooking pot (or its contents) into an insulated container that traps the heat and keeps it at a high temperature (and continuing to cook) without your having to burn additional fuel to maintain that temperature. 

 VIDEO: "The Hobo Hay Cooker: Lost 1930s Off-Grid Cooking Hack!"
WayPoint Survival (15 min.)

 Related Posts:

• "'Wonderbag' Cooking Bag, Hay Boxes and Other Types of Insulated Cooking (Updated)" 
• "More information on Building and Using Hayboxes"
• "The Wonder-Bag at Amazon"
• "An Example of Using the Haybox"