Gun & Prepping News #47

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

•  "Building the 'Okay, Boomer' Rifle"--New Rifleman. The author admits that he is getting up in his years: his eyesight is failing and he has reached the point in life where he lifts weights not to get stronger but just to retain the muscle mass he had. So he wanted a rifle that would be a better fit for his age and condition. Although not chasing the lightest weight possible, it still had to be lightweight (his final build was under 7 lbs.), use an optic in order to address the vision issues, and be simple to operate. The article discusses his thought process and the options he selected for his rifle.
• Necessity is the mother of invention: "New Russian 5.45x39 Anti-Drone Ammunition"--The Firearm Blog.  The article relates that "the Russian company Tekhkrim has recently introduced 5.45x39 ammunition loaded with birdshot in a metal discarding sabot." 

This new Tekhkrim anti-drone ammunition is loaded with seven 4.5mm (.177”) hard cast birdshot pellets encapsulated in zinc-plated two-piece precut discarding steel sabots. The overall weight of the projectile is 5.5 grams (85 grains). This ammunition cycles the action of the rifles (tested in AK-74s and AK-12s) and has a muzzle velocity of 650-700 meters per second. Tekhkrim states that it is forbidden to use muzzle devices other than the standard ones with this ammunition due to the risk of separating sabot petals hitting the muzzle device; probably a lot of other brakes and flash hiders will work just fine and with this statement, they are likely trying to prevent the use of suppressors with this ammo. 

• "Concealed Carry: The First Steps"--Shooting Illustrated.  This article is directed toward the person who is just starting to carry a concealed handgun but still nervous or apprehensive about carrying. He advises:

    ... If you understand that you are your own first responder and want to take charge of your personal security, the only way to do it is to do it. Take that first step, and carry your pistol on your person in a safe holster with a round in the chamber.

    There are ways to make this first step a bit easier. The first is to carry your pistol in your holster around the home as you go about your daily routine. After all, we didn’t learn to drive on a freeway, we learned on the streets in our neighborhood that we were used to. Same thing here. Get comfortable with your gun in a comfortable environment. This has the added bonus of giving you a chance to find out if some of your choices about holster, belt and pistol are less than optimal.

    Once you’re comfortable carrying inside the house, it’s time to take it on the road. ...

His recommendation is, while carrying concealed, to go to a big box store, walk to the back corner of the store, select something to purchase, go pay for it, and leave. "Once you’re in your car, reflect on what happened. Did anyone notice you were carrying? Were there any incidents with your firearm, or was it just a normal day doing a normal thing?"

• "Concealed Carry Corner: When To Carry Certain Firearms"--The Firearm Blog. Basically, the author is discussing when its appropriate to carry a full size pistol with all the accessories, and when a small revolver or micro-sized pistol would be better. The author prefers the larger handguns for when traveling or in winter when it is easier to conceal; but the small handguns for formal events, hot weather, or when size constraints prohibit a larger firearm. The author comments:

I’ve been to a number of events where I wanted to have something on me for self-defense, but had to rely on a really small handgun in my pocket. There have been a few times where I had a formal event but took off my jacket halfway through, so an IWB style holster doesn't always work for situations like that. Having a very small setup that you can easily conceal without much work at all, whether that's in your pocket or a belly band, is certainly a useful option that should be on everyone's list.  

• "Does It Fit Your Mitt?"--Shooting Illustrated. The author explains:

Fitting a gun to a shooter’s hand(s) is paramount to the two main objectives of using a firearm, which are safe handling and being able to hit a target on demand. Both require a conscious awareness of the position of the gun’s muzzle and the shooter’s trigger finger to be effective. A gun fitted to the shooter’s hand aids where it is pointed and where the trigger finger is located with the appropriate attention paid to both.  

The author also mentions that "[t]he Wall Drill, mentioned in this column previously, is an excellent diagnostic tool to ensure the sights, trigger and grip on the gun are optimized and working together." I couldn't find his reference, but here is a video demonstrating the Wall Drill:

 

VIDEO: "The Wall Drill - Tactical Tuesday"--USCCA (4 min.)

• "The Best Centerfire Options For Small Game"--Shooting Times. By "small game" the author means "squirrels, rabbits, birds up to the size of pheasant, and similarly sized critters." The author notes two basic considerations in selecting a firearm and cartridge combination: it needs to be accurate enough to hit these small animals at ranges in excess of 20 yards, and it must not cause excessive damage to the meat. The top contender? 

With a handgun capable of that kind of accuracy, we can talk cartridges and bullets. The .38 Special is one of the finest small-game handgun cartridges. The old standby 158-grain lead RN factory load comes close to perfection. The velocity is just right, and the gentle tip design of the bullet will not damage too much edible meat. 

• "Shotgun Choke Explained Simply (No Math, We Promise)"--NRA Family.  A good explanation of what are chokes, how they work, and so on. An excerpt:

     If a shotgun has a true cylinder choke, that means there is no constriction in the barrel whatsoever; the measurement of the barrel diameter is the same thickness from breech to muzzle. If a shotgun has an improved-cylinder choke, the constriction in the barrel is 0.010 inches. If a modified choke, 0.020 inches. If an improved-modified choke, 0.030 inches. A full choke, 0.040 inches.   

    Full choke will place 70 percent of the pellets from a shotshell inside a 30-inch circle at 40 yards. However, increasing the barrel constriction any further does not increase the pellet percentage, which is how the 0.040 choke restriction became known as “full choke.” That said, what choke should you use for various distances?

    The ideal range for a shotgun with an improved-cylinder choke is 20 to 30 yards. Modified choke is 26 to 42 yards; full choke, 30 to 50 yards. Improved-modified choke distances would fall somewhere between modified and full.    

• "Shotgun Basics: 3 Types of Shotshells (& Why It Matters)"--NRA Family.  A primer on birdshot, buckshot, and slugs. 
• "5 Things Missing From Your Range Bag That Tell Me You Aren’t That Serious"--Concealed Carry.  The five items are: (i) a shot timer; (ii) dummy rounds/snap caps; (iii) a trauma kit; (iv) note-taking and record keeping supplies; and (v) maintenance gear. 
• Bendingo Strange's Weekend Dispatch (8/31/2024):

    One can not help but notice the recent trending on Social Media of the venerated Smith & Wesson Model 10 .38 Special Revolver, and I am glad for it. The Model 10 is a well balanced sixgun, it’s medium size frame lends well to conceal carry. 

    In the modern era there are other guns that are readily concealable with greater cartridge capacity, but that does not by default render The 10 obsolete. 

    It is very much a shelf stable firearm, up to handling most tasks when properly loaded, and there are plenty of proper loads for it. 

    It does well for the urban dweller, the single mother, or the outdoorsman. I have known personally three individuals who shot it out with badmen on the streets in 1970s and 80s. All three sent their aggressors into the next life. None of them emptied the cylinder of all six shots. 

    Down-loaded with wadcutters or lead round nosed bullets it can be used very nicely on small game, such as rabbits or squirrels without substantial meat loss. Anything the .22 pistol will do, the .38 Special will simply do better. The cartridge itself being a breeze to reload.

    It remains at the top of my list to recommended handgun list, and I contend that the Smith Model 10 may be the most practical handgun ever devised.  

• "Radar Love: Three Chronographs To Consider"--The Truth About Guns.  The three reviewed are the Athlon Rangecraft Velocity Pro, Caldwell Velociradar, and Garmin Xero C1 Pro. The basic takeaway is that "[t]he Athlon and the Garmin are very useful for sticking in a pocket," but "[r]ifle shooters who are interested in downrange ballistics should opt for the Caldwell" because of its better downrange capabilities in that it "display downrange velocities and energies out to 100 yards," whereas the other two apparently show the information for pre-set distances of 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 yards. 
• "Weird (But Incredibly Useful) Prepper Gear for $10 or Less"--The Organic Prepper.  Items mentioned include a 4-way silcock key, binder clips, sewing awls, silica gel packets, a set of heavy equipment keys (apparently these are pretty much the same key across a brand). 
• "SHTFriday: Zones of Assessment - Every Day Carry"--Blue Collar Prepping. One of the early posts from Blue Collar Prepping from back in January 2014. After some background about the author, she moves into the substance of her post: adapting Les Stroud's "zones of assessment" to determine what equipment or resources he has to a prepper format. Stroud assessed what you had on your body (Zone 1), what you have access to in your immediate surroundings (Zone 2), and what you can get (i.e., with just a short walk) (Zone3). The author reworks this for the prepper into the following:

•     Zone One: Every Day Carry
•     Zone Two: Car Kit/ Get Home Bag/ Bug Out Bag
•     Zone Three: What you can get from the environment

 She then does a deep dive into her EDC gear (most of which is kept in a belt pouch). 

• "Storing Food The Right Way"--Self-Reliance.  This is a detailed article looking at how long you can store different types or sources of food: store bought fresh food, food from your garden, commercially canned food, home canned food, frozen foods, eggs, dry foods, spices, dehydrated foods, etc., as well as advice on rotating your foods. Be sure to read the whole thing.