The last Krag variant - the NRA-DCM 22-inch barreled carbine, which turned out to be an ideal size for hunters.
The Krag-Jorgensen .30-40 is a historically significant rifle in that it transitioned the U.S. military from black powder to smokeless. It started looking at it in 1878, a scant two years after the defeat of General George Custer at Little Bighorn. By 1892, the Krag had officially been adopted by modern militaries and put into production.
In The Last Krag, a feature article appearing in the 2013 edition of Gun Digest, John Malloy looks at the final variant of this important military gun, the NRA-DCM 22-inch barreled carbine.
But if you’re not familiar with the Krag-Jorgensen, here are 5 interesting facts that make it a no-brainer for the military gun collector.
The First High-Velocity Small-Bore
As Malloy points out, “The Krag-Jorgensen rifle, often simply called the ‘Krag,' had an interesting place in our nation’s history,” he writes.
“It was the first U.S. high-velocity smallbore rifle … The cartridge was an American design. The rimmed, bottleneck cartridge case was a bit over 2¼ inches long. It used a .30-caliber 220-grain round-nose jacketed bullet in its ½-inch-long case neck. Forty grains of a new smokeless powder pushed the bullet to a velocity of about 2,000 fps. It was known variously as the .30 Government, .30 Army, .30 USA, or, more commonly later, as the .30-40 Krag. It was a good cartridge, one that would stand the test of time. It proved effective in military use and became a favorite of American big-game hunters.”
The First Smokeless U.S. Military Rifle
“[The Krag] was also the first American smokeless powder military magazine rifle,” he notes. “European countries had been rapidly converting from blackpowder big-bores to smallbore smokeless powder military rifles, since 1886. In that year, the introduction of the 8mm French Lebel was shaking the military world.”
Since the U.S. was still hung up on the blackpowder .45-70 single-shot Trapdoor Springfield — while the French, Germans and Russians were developing high-velocity repeaters — “U.S. military planners realized they must modernize the issued rifle of the soldier, and so they did, adopting a new, high-velocity .30-caliber cartridge and a fast-operating repeating rifle.”
The unique Krag magazine, shown here with the right-side cover open, held five cartridges. The American Krag used the .30-40 Krag cartridge, and five original military cartridges are shown near the rifle. The Krag magazine could be loaded with the bolt either open or closed.
A Most Unique Mag Arrangement
The Krag’s mag was really something to write home about:
“This new bolt-action rifle had a unique magazine. The cartridges were fed in from the right, passed horizontally in a passageway under the bolt, and came up on the left side of the receiver. At that point, the bolt could push a cartridge forward into the chamber. To insert the cartridges into the magazine, a special hinged mechanism on the right side was opened, and cartridges could be dropped into the cavity of the magazine. When the mechanism was closed, a spring-loaded follower arrangement pushed the cartridges into line and fed them across to the left, then up into the path of the bolt.”
A Silky-Smooth Action
“The design of the bolt and its locking system, while not the strongest, made the Krag one of the smoothest bolt-action rifles ever produced — some would say the smoothest,” wrote Malloy. “The Krag bolt has only one actual locking lug, but it has a long guide bar on the bolt that contributes to its glass-smooth operation.”
Used By Roosevelt’s Rough Riders
“[T]he Spanish-American War was a war waged over Cuba. Cuba meant San Juan Hill, and San Juan Hill meant the Rough Riders and their Krags; of course, it was not that simple, but the Krags, both the carbines in the hands of Roosevelt’s Rough Riders and the long rifles in the hands of the regular Army, performed well.”
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Editor’s note: Ohio-based author Scott Wagner recently experienced a power outage from the powerful storms that have swept across America in recent days. Here is his journal during the blackout.
I am writing this post on laptop battery power by the light of a propane lamp. This past Friday, as many of you also personally experienced, the eastern states were hit by a sudden and powerful group of thunderstorms propelled by straight-line winds (known as a derecho). Straight-line winds are akin to a tornado without the rotation, and the main difference in a straight-line wind event is that large and small debris isn’t sucked up into a vortex and deposited elsewhere as in a tornado and the swath of destruction is much larger. The straight-line winds in this storm were clocked at 90 mph leaving power lines down everywhere.
There are hundreds of thousands of people without power in day three and 22 dead across multiple states. There is not a generator to be found as far as I can search on the Internet, which I did at my in-laws home, since they had power. Today is July 1st. In my area, we may not have power back on in until July 8th.
I was prepared for something like this, but not prepared enough. My weapons status was fine. An AR-15 or M1A1 Paratrooper carbine was in the car; depending on which one I drove, as was an ample ammo supply. I upgraded my “on-the-body gun” from my Smith and Wesson 642 .38 to my Beretta 92 9mm in a fanny pack, just in case since the basic necessities such as gasoline, ice and in some locales, food, were getting hard to come by.
I had my lighting needs taken care of. I have three rechargeable heavy-duty flashlights, a Streamlight SL20, a Streamlight LED Polystinger, and a 5.11 Light for Life light that contains a capacitor instead of a battery and recharges fully in 90 seconds. When they get low, I just pop them on a car charger.
In addition, I have a new Maglite 3-cell LED flashlight that is rated at 131 lumens and runs on common D batteries (although in my area, those aren’t so common now), with an Intelligent Energy Source Management run time of an incredible 79 hours with progressively descending brightness. There is something to be said for good old-fashioned D-cell alkaline batteries combined with modern technology.
In addition I have an assortment of tactical lights, oil lamps, and a double-mantle propane lamp. There is also an emergency supply of food on hand for up to a week for both my wife and I, and a propane camp stove for other cooking needs.
As the event unfolded, I realized I had a large gap in my basic plans (this blog is about weapons for defending oneself in these times, not the entire preparation gamut, so I am not ashamed to admit where I made mistakes on the rest of the plan) that I needed to address.
We have a well at our house with three pressure tanks, to allow the water to keep flowing in outages. I stored 30 gallons of treated water in the basement for general use including flushing toilets. The faucets and toilets worked from Friday night until Sunday. In years past it was no big deal. But, I will be 55 in August. When the faucets stopped, I reached and exceeded my fun threshold. I am getting a generator once they become available again. I put it off since we are trying to sell our house. Big mistake.
Further, while my wife is more of a tomboy than anything else, she doesn’t like this new “no running water” aspect of country living. A portable LP generator is in our future and the wife is all for it now.
Fortunately, this dress rehearsal came without civil disorder. Use any dress rehearsal to sharpen your game and make ready. Be honest with yourself. Find the chinks in your armor and fix them. Long-term disaster preparation is new to most folks. The last time people prepared at anywhere near this level was in the days of the Cuban missile crisis. This storm was a minor event. Once the electricity comes back on, things will be back to normal. Learn from minor events, because a major event won’t be so forgiving.
Martin Young, a 67-year-old antique gun collector in England, is battling Oxford city council to have his 350 guns returned and his gun license renewed. He has 30 days to arrange for the guns to be moved or the police will auction them off. Mr. Young believes that his collection might be one of the biggest in the country. Some of the guns date back to the 18th century. To make matters worse, the police have devalued the guns and believe they are worth around £65,000 ($101,116) but Mr. Young says they are worth £350,000 ($544,740). Quite a difference.
Martin Young from the Oxford Times
“We are not talking peanuts. It’s a life’s work,” said Mr. Young to the Oxford Times.
Mr. Young's gun license was revoked in 2008 when he made an inappropriate comment over the phone to a council member: “I am armed, blood will be spilt.”
Not a nice thing to say to a public official but not all that threatening, either. Read the full article to understand the context in which the statement was made.
He is also fighting with city council to appeal their decision to block him from developing his real estate property.
Could the seizure of the gun collection be a petty retaliation by the Oxford city council?
As it turns out, Mr. Young is the reason why the Oxford city council has an embarrassing criminal record. They are responsible for illegally crushing Mr. Young’s car that was legally parked on private land in 2007. It was the first time the council was convicted of a criminal offense. Mr. Young won the case and was reimbursed for his troubles.
“The money I have received will be to pay my lawyers’ fees, none of it benefits me. I wanted to make this point essentially for the public benefit – as well as giving the council a dose of what it had given me – and to disabuse the council officers of their general attitude that they are always right and we ‘peasants’ must do as we are told, and without complaint,” he said.
With an American attitude like that, it's no surprise Mr. Young has problems with British authorities.
Hopefully the guns that took him a lifetime to collect are returned to him and not unfairly sold at a fraction of their value.
If you ever end up in a serious dispute about gun values like Mr. Young, you better have some literature to prove their value. Gun Digest's Standard Catalog of Firearms is the authoritative source for figuring out how much your guns may be worth.
At the recent 2012 Roger Maris Celebrity Golf Tournament in Fargo, North Dakota, Anthony Imperato, president of Henry Repeating Arms, presented a $61,000 donation to the Roger Maris Cancer Center.
“Because of the proximity to Yankee Stadium [to the Henry facility] many of the Henry Repeating Arms staff are great fans of the accomplishments of Roger Maris,” said Imperato. “We are proud to produce this special tribute to honor his achievement and to recognize him as the great gentleman and sportsman that he was. We are also delighted that this special edition Golden Boy will support the Roger Maris Cancer Center.”
An active participant in the tournament auction since 2006, Henry Repeating Arms auctioned 50 limited edition rifles last year in honor of the 50th anniversary of Maris breaking Babe Ruth's record with 61 home runs in 1961. The special auction raised $43,000, and the company contributed an additional $18,000 for a $61,000 gift.
“Henry Repeating Arms has been a great supporter of the Roger Maris Tournament for the past number of years,” said Jerry Rostad, auction chairman. “Their beautiful rifles have consistently been the marquee items at the auction and they always bring top dollar to the tournament's charities.”
In 1985, Roger Maris died of Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph tissue.
Gun Digest is the source for firearms news, pricing and guns for sale. With a subscription to Gun Digest, readers benefit from in-depth editorial expert advice, show reviews, how-to instructions and Second Amendment issues.
Jack O'Connor's Custom Ruger M77 in .280 Remington.
I love to find old hook-and-bullet magazines, the older the better, and read the old-school gun writers. I like the grainy black-and-white photos shot in the field. I like the horn-rimmed glasses, canvas shooting jackets and the Jones hats they wear. Some of these writers have penned stories for Gun Digest over the years. Terry Weiland, shooting editor at Gray's Sporting Journal, curated some these writings for Classic Sporting Rifles, a collection that is a “who's who” of gun writers from the twentieth century. And such a collection would be incomplete without something by Jack O'Connor. His 1958 article that is included in the book, “The Sheep Rifle,” makes an argument about what kind of shots are actually taken while pursuing sheep (shorter than you think) and what rifles are suited for the job.
O'Connor writes in the opening paragraph, “Lads who have never hunted mountain sheep but who would like to do so almost always imagine themselves shooting at rams far across great empty basins above timberline or lying down, taking deliberate aim from one peak and knocking a bighorn off another.”
He continues, “This sheep-and-hunter picture, by the way, is, along with the leaping marlin and the charging African lion, one of the favorite cliches among cover paintings for outdoor magazines.”
O'Connor is known for being a strong advocate for the .270 Winchester but the last custom rifle he owned was a .280 Remington Ruger M77.
In the soon-to-be released 67th edition of the 2013 Gun Digest annual, Tom Turpin, author of Custom Rifles: Mastery of Wood and Metal, delves into how the writings of Jack O'Connor influenced his life and love for custom rifles:
“As a youngster, I devoured every copy of Outdoor Life magazine I could find. In my old hometown in rural Kentucky, copies of Outdoor Life were hard to come by, but I managed to find one now and again. While I did read an occasional yarn by other writers, it was the prose of Jack O’Connor I lusted for. I don’t think his writing influenced me to become the avid hunter that I am—that basic instinct was apparently already embedded in my genes. He did, however, influence my preferences in rifles and their stock designs. Through his writings, O’Connor also motivated me to try the .270 Winchester cartridge, which became my favorite hunting round. Even today, so many years later, it still is—and for good reason.”
Through networking and some historical research, Turpin comes across a letter from the Al Biesen, the rifle maker, noting what work was done on the .280 custom rifle:
“Stock French walnut in a nice grained contrasty piece not so elaborate with Deluxe Fleur-de-lis checkering, ebony forend tip, skeleton grip cap and skeleton butt plate. Old Win. Style swivel studs. Metal work Barrel was recontoured to light weight dimensions. Trigger guard hand made Blackburn style one piece model etc. Bolt handle knob hand checkered in four panel design, trimmed for style and shape. Trigger reworked and tightened with a nice let off. Action trued and hand polished, hand finished inside and polished for smooth working etc. Bolt jeweled. Special scope rings and mounts hand made to lighten them. Leupold 4 power scope. All metal parts blued with a Black Velvet non glare finish. Front swivel stud on barrel. Safety reworked and a Silver letter “S” ahead of safety showing safe position. Al Biesen Gunmaker Spokane Wn And Rem. 280 in Silver on the barrel.” [Sic]
It's an interesting story of a gun writer and his relationship with a gunsmith and the masterpiece rifles they envisioned and created.
O'Connor passed away before he could see the finished firearm and Turpin ends with this anecdote: “Biesen related to me that, at the funeral, he intended to drop a couple of .270 cartridges in O’Connor’s casket so that, whichever direction he went, he’d have some ammunition. Thankfully, shortly before he did so, he learned that O’Connor was to be cremated! ‘Not wanting to send the old boy out with a bang, I didn’t follow through,' Biesen told me.”
The author’s custom-made .280 Ackley Improved was built on the CZ-550 action, fitted with a Montana Rifleman barrel and decked out with a nice, heavy piece of English walnut. The barrel band swivel was intended to give it a European “safari-style” flair.
As far as deer cartridges go, the .280 Ackley Improved (AI) is not as well known as the time-honored .30-06, but perhaps it should be. It gives the 7mm Remington Magnum a run for its money, yet burns less powder, recoils less, yields theoretically longer barrel and case life and is generally much nicer to shoot.
The .280 Ackley — named after noted gun writer, gunsmith and wildcatter Parker Otto Ackley (1903-1989) — could be described as a mild-mannered deer cartridge with surprisingly hot performance. In the 1996 edition of Gun Digest, author Rob Lucas compared it to one of the hottest 7mm wildcats of the day, the 7mm STW.
“Ask yourself if 3500 fps (sometimes) with a 140-grain bullet in a necked-down 8mm Remington belted case is all that much better than 3300 fps from the ’06-sized 280 Remington Improved,’” he wrote.
Improved Cartridges Explained
One of the better groups shot from the author’s custom .280 AI. The Nosler Custom 140 gr. AccuBond outshot reloads in the accuracy department.
Improved cartridges are commonly associated with the wildcat family. They start off as standard numbers — in this case the .280 Remington — and are shot in an improved gun. Pressure fireforms the case to the shape and dimensions of the improved chamber.
P.O. Ackley himself noted that the 280 Remington factory cartridge was a very good round. It was essentially a .30-06 necked down to .284, or 7mm. Based on the 7mm-06 wildcat, some have even argued it to be more versatile than the .270 Winchester.
An improved cartridge gives you a few advantages: You can load the cartridge hotter than its pre-fireformed state for increased velocity.
It minimizes body taper, creating a sharper 40-degree shoulder angle and pushing case capacity closer to its efficient limit.
The increase in case volume allows you to load more propellant for a faster, flatter shooting round, but in some cases with significantly less (5-10%) powder than in a comparable magnum. Thus, there is less recoil.
Nosler is one company factory producing .280 Ackley Ammo. The 140-gr. AccuBond ammunition from Nosler Custom is a superb performer.
Ackley did not take kindly to magnums. He viewed them as an exercise in the law of diminishing returns. He understood extra powder in a given bore capacity relative to case capacity negatively impacted case and barrel life. It didn’t really help cartridge efficiency.
By contrast, my .280 Ackley is downright pleasant to shoot. Pushing a 140 gr. Spitzer at around 3100 fps, it sends a projectile as flat as you could want in a 7mm deer rifle.
For whitetails, I feed her with Nosler’s excellent 140 gr. Accubond, one of the few factory-loaded choices out there in .280 Ackley Improved.
I used it to put down my best rifle-killed buck ever at 175 yards — a rather long poke by central Wisconsin woodland standards.
The Cooper Model 52C Custom Classic is available in .280 Ackley Improved.
The .280 Ackley Goes Mainstream
Nosler is factory producing two offerings in their Custom Line of ammunition. One is the aforementioned 140 grain AccuBond and the other a 150 grain E-Tip. In testing the Accubond, it was among the most accurate ammunition I have ever shot in my custom rifle — better than reloads. Nosler also factory produces both a 140 gr. and 160 gr. cartridge in .280 AI from their Trophy Grade line, using the Accubond and Partition bullets respectively.
The author took this Wisconsin whitetail using his .280 AI custom rifle, shooting Nosler Custom ammunition, the 140 gr. Accubond .280 Ackley factory-loaded ammunition.
For handloaders, Hornady, Lee Precision, Redding and RCBS all offer dies for the cartridge. L.E. Wilson, makers of case trimmers, offer a case holder and neck trimming die specifically designed to accommodate the .280 Ackley’s 40-degree shoulder.
You can even get 40-degree shoulder brass from Norma in .280 AI, eliminating the need for initial fireforming. There are no shortages of recipes, either, with both Sierra and Nosler publishing reloading data in their current manuals.
The cartridge is featured in the 12th Edition of Cartridges of the World.
In 2007, Nosler showed up with the Nosler Custom Rifle chambered in .280 Ackley Improved. And for the more budget-minded, Kimber’s Model 84L Classic Select Grade and Montana are both available in .280 AI and are excellent guns.
Conclusion
The .280 Ackley is an improvement over a standard 280 Remington, and that’s not easy to do. It’s a hot cartridge — as good as any hard-kicking over-bore capacity magnum in similar calibers — but without the harsh recoil.
When it’s time to head to the deer stand, I could grab a .30-06 or .243. But why? The .280 Ackley Improved was in Ackley’s day, and remains today, a better choice. Next deer season give it a try, and see if you don’t agree.
Editor's note, this article originally appeared in the Gun Digest 2013 annual book.
Video: Ham radio operator Matt, K0MOS activates a portable, emergency communications ham radio station atop Mount McConnell in Colorado. He demonstrates the ease with which amateur radio contacts are made with stations as far away as Wisconsin and Arkansas.
A 5:15 a.m. phone call Sunday asked amateur radio operator Randy Long to find more volunteers to aid communication in the High Park fire zone — and warned him to evacuate his home.
Long, an Amateur Radio Emergency Service coordinator for Larimer and Weld counties, fled his house southeast of Buckhorn Mountain and started rallying more licensed ham operators to work the fire.
Since Saturday, he has been managing operators staffing eight-hour shifts around the clock. They're doing such things as setting up portable radio repeaters and relaying messages between the fire lines and command posts. About 40 operators have volunteered.
To assist in the Colorado wildfire, the volunteer radio operators reportedly set up over 50 portable repeater stations in the mountainous regions and surrounding population areas to keep communications going.
An amateur radio repeater is a self-sufficient, automated station which receives transmissions on one frequency and retransmits them on another frequency at higher power. It allows “weak signal” stations to be heard over large areas, making them ideal for emergency communications.
The amateur radio operators are assisting agencies like the Red Cross, FEMA and local and state law enforcement by passing logistical traffic such as supplies needed, ground reports, and other critical data for emergency responders over the wildfire area.
As we approach the Independence Day holiday it my be more important than ever to exercise your CCW rights.
Most often this space is used to present information about new products, training tips and other important “tangible” CCW issues. I try to avoid political grandstanding. But I'm taking this time to remind you that there remain large and powerful groups of people out there who would happily take our guns. We need to stand up to them.
Carry your concealed handgun anywhere you legally can. Protect your rights by exercising them.
One of the best ways to do this is to be an ambassador for good conduct with a firearm. Yes, I know the news media only reports that bad news, but your friends and neighbors have lots of influence, too. If you show the world that you are a rational, reasonable, gun-owning citizen, you become the person they think of when they hear about CCW issues on the news.
Become an advocate for gun ownership and concealed carry. Talk about it. Talk about it rationally. Let people know that you believe in the right of law-abiding citizens to be able to protect themselves anywhere they go. We never know when a criminal will strike. If we could accurately predict crime, there would be none. You don't have to tell people when you are carrying, that gives away your tactical advantage. Just let them know you approve of concealed carry laws. Stay calm during the discussion. That really gets liberals cranked up. They typically want a passionate argument based on emotion, not a calm discussion based on the facts. If you remain calm, you prove that you can keep your head.
Finally, during this holiday celebration carry your firearm anywhere you are legally allowed. Check your local laws, then strap up and step out. It is your right. Many people have died defending your rights. Don't let those rights be eroded.
We're all in this together.
This is your day. Use your rights or lose them.
Other great books for those who carry concealed handguns:
The Waldo Canyon fires ravaging Colorado will go down as one of the worst in the state's history. In Colorado Springs alone, an estimated 350 homes have been destroyed by the flames, according to USA Today. Dangerous conditions forced thousands to flee the area.
It's a dire survival situation. Unlike floods, which tend to follow predictable geographic routes, fires can quickly change course with the wind. Thick smoke can travel miles in minutes, affecting air quality of areas not close to the blaze.
Faced with a total loss of property, a short-term bug-out bag isn't going to cut it in this situation. Now is the time to follow the full-fledged disaster plan preppers should have already created. This should include the five home survival kit items listed here that most people forget.
Fires like the one in Colorado do afford more time to evacuate, unlike flash floods. But don't count on taking your sweet time. Develop that disaster plan now.
If you need help, click here for home survival kit ideas from Build the Perfect Survival Kit.
It’s the knife you can’t have in New York! That’s reason enough to own it right there. The Spyderco Delica4 is the latest in an evolutionary trail that dates back to 1990 when Spyderco released the very first Delica.™
The Delica4, like its predecessors, is a lightweight, easy-to-open pocket knife that is big on performance and easy on the budget. The Delica design is one of Spyderco’s top two sellers and the minor tweaks in things like blade steels and ergonomics helped to create a term within Spyderco called simply CQI: constant quality improvement.
The Delica4 had tough nylon grip plates with aggressive texturing. Stainless steel liners serve as a lightweight but super-tough backbone and the blades are ground from VG-10 steel with a design that offers a stronger tip and great cutting ability.
And for those of you who feel the need to keep everything sparkling inside and out, the Delica4 is assembled with screws, making cleaning and adjusting a snap. Of course, the four-way pocket clip allows you carry the knife anyway you like.
All this sharp-edged goodness for less than $65 – you can’t beat it. But if you buy one, you have to move out of New York.
Stag Arms was recently supplied the Cleveland Ohio Police Department with 100 of its Stag Arms Model 2s, now the official rifle of the department.
Working with the Cleveland PD to keep costs down, Stag Arms created a modified, accessorized version of the Model 2 built “from the ground up,” that came complete with the department's logo engraved on the lower receiver.
In addition, the rifles feature an Eotech 517 sight as well as an ambidextrous safety selector.
“The new rifles are necessary for today's climate and will be standard issue for officers who meet the qualifications,” said Sgt. Sammy Morris.
Comparing the PD's new Stag Arms rifles to the standard issue shotguns still in use, Morris added, “Perhaps the greatest advantage [of the rifles] is the pinpoint accuracy. They also weigh less, are more compact, hold 20 rounds compared to five [in the shotguns], and are much easier to operate with reduced recoil.”
A compact, extended range long gun is the best choice for survival guns on vacation.
For the past 32 years as a cop, I have never traveled on vacation without an off-duty gun. Whether driving or flying to my destination, I always had an off-duty gun with me. In years past, that gun was usually something small and concealable—a Smith and Wesson .38, a Colt Mustang Pocketlite in .380, or a Mini-Glock. About three years ago, in addition to carrying the small gun, I began packing a full-size duty pistol on driving vacations. If I had to fly, I packed just the full-size gun.
I have watched our beloved nation decay at an alarming rate. Recently in Miami, a naked man attacked another man and gnawed off part of his face. Officers shot him. I have reconsidered whether I have enough firepower with me to protect my family and fight my way through throngs of angry, desperate citizens bent on harming me and mine.
I came to three decisions involving vacation travel for my family and myself:
1. I won’t fly anywhere unless it is absolutely necessary for a variety of reasons. While you can check firearms into the baggage compartment, you are limited as to the amount of ammunition you can transport.
2. Taking a long gun on vacation is now required.
3. Additional survival gear is essential. That means food and water, flashlights, first aid kit, and a heavy fixed-blade knife or prying tool. My long gun choices for vacation are different than daily travel guns. Even as a cop, I don’t wish to call a lot of attention to the fact that I may be heavily armed, alarming citizens and having the local authorities called on me. This means instead of taking along a full-size rifle, I need a compact firearm that can be carried in a small, discreet case or in a suitcase, yet be effective from 100-200 yards or more.
An emergency survival kit, like this one, is just as important as a survival gun.
Emergency food and water supplies are also taken along. The very best travel supply is the Food Insurance Essentials kit. Priced at $199.95, this rugged backpack contains three meals per day for two weeks for one person. The pack includes a stove, matches, fuel, water bottle and water filtration kit. The food is very high quality, and Food Insurance has many long-range food plans available for home preparation.
While there are many viable choices for a compact extended range gun, I have selected a few examples that meet the requirements of compactness, reliability, effectiveness and reasonable cost. They are, in no particular order:
1. The FN-P90S. This short PDW is shorter than a collapsed M4 carbine due to its bullpup design. Totally ambidextrous and with a 50-round capacity of 5.7×28 ammo, it is a nearly ideal vacation gun, and can be wielded from inside a vehicle and still deal with threats out to 200 yards. Retail is around $1,600.
2. Auto-Ordnance .30 caliber M-1A1 Paratrooper Carbine. This great firearm and its full stocked sibling are too often viewed as nostalgia pieces rather than effective combat weapons. The “wire” stock folds easily out of the way, yet still allows the carbine to fire when folded. The low recoil generated by the intermediate power .30 carbine round allows comfortable firing with the stock extended, which is not always the case for folding stock firearms. Our soldiers fought with M1 and M1A1 carbines as primary weapons across Europe and the Pacific theatres in WWII, and again in the Korean War and into Vietnam, with the M2 full auto-version being added to the mix. American law enforcement fielded surplus M1s in years past. The M1A1 can be fired from inside a vehicle with the stock folded, and is effective to 200 yards or better. They are available for around $900.
3. Century Arms International UC-9-A. It is a 16-inch barreled semi-automatic version of the famed UZI submachine gun built from UZI and U.S. manufactured parts. Capable of handling 9mm ball or hollow-point ammo, the UC-9 is as compact as the M1A1 carbine, and comes with four steel 30-round magazines. With the stock extended, hits at 100 yards or greater are easy and recoil is non-existent. Best of all, the UC-9 is reliable and is available for around $837.00
Any of these weapons can be transported in luggage or cases that don’t scream “gun,” and will not draw undue attention when being taken from your vehicle to a hotel room or vice versa. They are military grade and designed for combat use, as opposed to guns that are tricked up to mimic combat weapons.
Just remember to know and follow all gun laws within the jurisdiction you are traveling in (which may mean there are some places in the U.S. that you may want to give up visiting if you are concerned about your safety), and that your traveling companions know how to operate the travel weapon of choice in case you are disabled or otherwise occupied.
Which direction, and how far, are clues. Track them with a new rifle, and if they ever change, you know something is up.
Learn AR-15 disassembly – how to field-strip and completely disassemble your AR and get it all back together again – for routine and advanced cleaning, maintenance and repair.
The basic AR-15 disassembly is field-stripping, where you take the rifle apart well enough to clean it. Cleaning is important. Have you seen the movie Major League? Charlie Sheen (who pitched in college, by the way) is a rocket launcher-armed pitcher who can’t hit the strike zone. He can’t see. He gets glasses, very ugly glasses. The coach remarks “It’s important to see.” One of the other players counters with “It ain’t that important.”
Stripping to clean is that important.
Field Stripping
In order to safety-check and to clean or begin armorers work, you must be able to field-strip the AR. Place the safety on “SAFE.” If there is a magazine present, remove it. Pull the charging handle to the rear and lock the bolt open. The bolt hold-open is the lever on the left side of the upper receiver. Keep the charging handle pulled to the rear.
Either pull the wider, serrated paddle part of the bolt hold-open out from the receiver, or press the smaller, lower portion of the bolt hold-open into the receiver body. Ease the bolt forward. Once it stops, you can release pressure on the bolt hold-open. (If you did not pull the charging handle back far enough, the bolt may appear held open, but will snap forward with any slight vibration. Be careful until you have looked at the bolt.)
Press the charging handle forward until it locks in place. Look into the chamber. Use a light if you need to, as an oxidized brass case, or a steel case, may be so dark that you’ll overlook it except in bright light. If your finger fits, reach in and check the chamber. (The ejection port is small, and not many people have fingers small enough to reach. The only method most can use is to reach up from the magazine well.)
With the chamber verified empty, close the bolt. It is best to build correct habits even while doing administrative tasks on the rifle, so close the bolt by pressing or slapping the hold-open lever. The bolt will crash closed. Stop cringing, that is the way it operates when you fire it, so closing the bolt that way is not abuse.
Press the rear takedown pin from the left to the right. Pull it until it stops at its full movement. The upper will hinge away from the lower. (Be careful to control the upper so it doesn’t swing up and strike you in the face.)
Pull the charging handle halfway back. Then grasp the carrier and pull it back, down and out of the rifle. Place it on the table. Pull the charging handle back until it stops, then pull it down and out. Press the front pivot pin from the left to the right until it stops.
The upper and lower receivers can now be separated.
In the field, or in a range class, this is all you need to do to gain access to the working parts for a quick cleaning. From here, aerosol cleaners and lubricant can clean what needs to be cleaned, lubed and reassembled.
But, since you have it apart right now, let’s do a quick inspection and functions check. After all, if you own an AR, or plan to be doing any work on them, these are things you’ll be doing on a regular basis. Best to learn how right away.
Operational Checklist
An operational checklist is a process whereby you inspect a rifle for proper fit and mechanical function, without firing it. Any fault you covered in an operational check should be corrected before that rifle can be used in a match, practice or for defense. Right now I’m not going to cover the causes and corrections of the faults found, only the process.
The rear hole is the one where the rear takedown pins plunger and spring go.
Faults uncovered are divided into two groups: those that require immediate correction (or at least correction before use) and faults that can be overlooked in an emergency, where the fault would not impair function sufficient to prevent use as emergency equipment. An example of a fault in the first group would be a rifle lacking sights.
There are very few faults that fall into the latter category, as a rifle as emergency equipment is not like a fire extinguisher that only has 87% of its charge. A fault in the second category would be a stock that is present, but loose. Usually, most faults on firearms are an “all or nothing” situation, especially defensive firearms.
Properly done, an Internals/Selector check takes two minutes, and you should get into the habit of doing this check every time you pick up your AR, or any other firearm, for that matter. I know, I know, you did it last week, and the week before, why do it again? Because since the last time you may have been doing some work on your AR, got interrupted, and left it as-is. Having now forgotten, if you don’t do a check, you may be depending on an inoperative rifle.
Internals Check
We’re already at the field-stripped stage, right? If not, move back up, read and field-strip your rifle.
Inspect the lower.
Make sure the hammer springs are on either side of the trigger pivot, and above the trigger pivot spring. Check to make sure they are intact, and one or both legs are not broken. Look at the hammer and trigger pivot pins, and make sure they are flush to the outside of the lower, and not protruding. A pin that sticks out indicates it is not secured, meaning some spring in there is out of place. Move the selector back and forth from “Safe” to “Fire” (and on to “Auto” or “Burst” if the rifle/carbine in question is a select-fire weapon) and visually inspect the lower to ensure there are no debris, dust, lint, threads from cleaning patches or loose primers present.
Inspect the carrier. Grasp the carrier in one hand and the carrier key in your other hand. Try to move the key. Any movement at all means the rifle must be pulled from service until the key can removed, reinstalled and locked in place.
Inspect the bolt. Are the locking lugs clean and oiled? Any visible chips or cracks in the lugs require the rifle to be pulled from service until the bolt can be replaced. Does the ejector move in and out of the bolt when pressed with a small rod? (It won’t move under finger pressure.) Does the extractor flex when pushed? Too much or too little movement requires service on those parts.
Finally, pull the bolt forward in the carrier, and stand the bolt on its head. If the weight of the carrier causes the bolt to collapse towards the tabletop, the gas rings are worn and must be replaced.
Install the bolt back into the rifle and close the action. Close the upper to the lower and press the takedown pins back in place.
Selector Check, SEMI
Lock the bolt back. Inspect the chamber. Once clearly unloaded, press the bolt hold-open lever and allow the bolt to close under its own power. Move the safety to all positions. If it does not move, the problem must be found and corrected.
On the range, it is more important to figure out why your rifle has just malfunctioned than it is to immediately leap into your field drills. “Why's this happen?” should be your focus in testing.
Press the selector to SAFE. Press the trigger with 10 to 12 pounds of force. The hammer should not fall. If it does, the trigger mechanism is defective, broken or improperly assembled, and the fault must be found and corrected. Release the trigger.
Press the selector to FIRE. If the hammer falls when the selector is moved, but before you press the trigger again, again the mechanism is either defective or improperly assembled and must be corrected. The selector function when on SAFE acts by blocking movement of the trigger. If the hammer falls, the selector did not prevent trigger movement, and when it was moved to FIRE the trigger completed that movement, allowing the hammer to fall.
With the selector on FIRE, press the trigger. The hammer should fall. If it does not, it is obviously not ready for issue, use in a match or for defense and must be corrected. If it does, now hold the trigger back. Grasp the charging handle with your other hand and cycle the bolt. Gently release the trigger.
You should feel it “click” as the hammer resets off the disconnector hook and onto the sear nose of the trigger. If there is no click, open the upper receiver. If the hammer is forward, or still caught on the disconnector, the mechanism is either improperly assembled or the parts mis-timed. Find out why, and correct it.
If the rifle passes the SAFE and FIRE checks, you must then check for disconnector retention during cycling. Cycle the charging handle to cock the hammer. Press the trigger and allow the hammer to fall. Hold the trigger back. Briskly pull back and release the charging handle, allowing the bolt to close under the full power of the buffer spring. Gently and slowly release the trigger.
The hammer should “click” from the disconnector to the trigger sear. If it does not, it must be adjusted. Then leave your finger off the trigger and briskly cycle the charging handle and allow the bolt to crash home at full power. Then dry-fire again. If the hammer has followed the bolt forward, the disconnector is (again) either improperly installed or mis-timed and must be corrected.
All those faults are covered in their own chapters, so read on.
Visual Inspection/Tightness
Inspect the fit of the upper to the lower. While a certain amount of looseness is often customary, and does not hinder proper function, an excessively wobbly fit indicates either serious wear or a dimensional mis-match. Excessively loose upper-to-lower fits can be solved by exchanging uppers until the uppers and lowers you own all fit properly.
I have this discussion often in the law enforcement classes: While “mix-and-match” rifles will almost always function properly, remember that the accuracy of a rifle goes with the upper, not the lower, but the felt trigger pull goes with the lower. A matched upper and lower used in a precision marksmanship role must not have the upper and lower swapped with patrol car issue rifles, or the accuracy and/or trigger pull of the precision marksmanship rifle will be lost.
Inspect the stock for tightness. Solid stocks (A1 and A2) should be immovable. Tele-slider stocks will usually have some wobble in the sliding portion, but the buffer tube itself must be tight. Loose A1/A2 stocks or loose tubes in either rifles or carbines must be corrected.
Inspect the barrel for tightness in the upper receiver. An upper with a loose barrel cannot be accurate, and the cause must be found and corrected.
The origins of the gas flow. The gas gets vented out of the barrel, through the front sight housing, and down the tube towards the carrier key.
Inspect the front sight for tightness to the barrel.
Inspect the sights to be sure all parts are present and that any paint markings to indicate zero settings have not been disturbed.
Visually inspect the rifle to see if there are any obvious signs of having been dropped, abused, altered or parts exchanged. Also, check the serial number to ensure it is the weapon being issued and signed for.
Range Analysis
Range analysis differs from the bench checks you’ve done, in that you are firing the rifle.
A range checklist is done to ensure that a particular rifle functions perfectly, is zeroed and that all accessories on it are working within accepted limits. A range test-fire session is performed to ensure that corrections, alterations or repairs have been correctly performed. As an example, a rifle with a worn barrel that does not shoot accurately enough will require a new barrel.
Once installed, the new barrel must be test-fired to ensure that not only does it shoot accurately enough, but also that the sights are zeroed and that the rifle performs with sufficient reliability. (The only acceptable standard is 100%.) A new barrel is not like changing the oil in a car. The replacement must be tested.
Function-testing a rifle on the range is not the same as getting a recalcitrant rifle working in a shooting incident. On the street, getting the rifle working quickly, or safely disposing of it and using another weapon, is paramount. At the range, uncovering the origins of the fault is the prime consideration. (That, and safety.) When a rifle malfunctions on the range in a testing session, your immediate response should be to stop all activity. Inspect the rifle and note the condition of all parts, the locations of all controls, and the position and status of the bolt and carrier.
As an aside, as I was writing this chapter I happened to have a link to a video on the internet sent to me. I watched as some poor guy was firing an AR. He had a problem, yanked the charging handle and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. So he hammered the forward assist. Nothing happened, so he swapped mags, worked the charging handle and hammered on the forward assist some more.
I thought to myself: “This cannot end well.” Then he pulled the trigger and the rifle disassembled itself. Typically with these events, he was not harmed. But the rifle was trashed.
Even if the zombies were pouring over the wall, his problem-solving process was flawed. If you are in a tough situation you may have to get a rifle working again quickly, but on a target range, any problem means you stop shooting and study the situation.
When firing you should note the direction and distance of the empty brass when ejected, as this is important information that can aid the diagnosis.
Officers: In a law enforcement setting, any weapon being “debugged” and serviced should have extensive notes taken on it during the process: ammunition used, to include lot number, firer, magazine type and number if the department gives it one.
Direction and distance of empty brass ejection, location and size of group fired, etc. An attitude that is well-known in the law enforcement and other communities is: “If it wasn’t written down, it didn’t happen.” All testing, changes and procedures used must be documented. For you, the non-sworn reader, that isn’t a career requirement, but the information gained can be very useful.
Cleaned and Reassembled.
Another note: a big-name High Power shooter once wrote that he was checking his shooting log when he realized that his basic zero for long-range shooting on his rifle was now two minutes higher than it had been the season before. While his rifle was still shooting “X” ring accuracy, it clearly had a worn throat. (How is this obvious? When the bullet moves forward, it slows at the impact with the rifling.
That increases pressure, and velocity. His bullets were traveling further forward, getting less of a spike, and thus shorted on velocity. Less velocity meant more clicks up to hit the target at distance.) There was no way of telling how much useful life was left in the barrel, when the barrel would quit and stop shooting accurately. Accurate record-keeping allowed him to change the barrel before accuracy went away.
Most problems can be solved by one of the four problem areas discussed later, and rarely will a rifle need more than attention to the “Big Four”:
Weak extractor spring Lack of lubricant Loose carrier key Faulty magazines
AR-15 Reassembly
The charging handle and carrier-bolt assembly can be installed in the upper before or after you connect the upper and lower receivers with the front take-down pin. If you install them before, insert the charging handle into the upper receiver.
Then press it upwards until it stops against the inside. Move it forward and back in the top track until the retention flanges on the charging handle drop into the access slot cut in the track. Then press the charging handle forward halfway. (If it drops, or tries to drop out, you missed the access slot. Try again.)
Take the carrier-bolt assembly. Make sure the bolt is fully forward by snapping your hand forward while holding tightly onto the carrier. The bolt, if not all the way forward, will slap forward to full extension. Insert the gas key into the charging handle recess and press the carrier forward.
Once it reaches the charging handle, the carrier will push the charging handle ahead of it. Press the carrier and charging handle fully forward, until the charging handle latch catches on the receiver. (There is a slot machined on the receiver for it to latch onto.)
Close the dust cover door. The charging handle latch, and the dust cover door, have enough retention to keep the carrier in the upper against gravity. However, if you have the rear of the upper receiver pointed down and something jars the upper, the catches may not hold. So while you have the upper off the lower, keep the muzzle level or pointed muzzle-down to keep the parts in.
Place the front takedown lug of the upper in between the flanges of the lower, and press the takedown pin from right to left to secure the upper. Then hinge the lower down until it is closed and press the rear pin across.
As one of the most innovative revolvers to be marketed to the American shooter, the Chiappa Rhino revolver fires from the bottom chamber to reduce reset time and recoil.
The Chiappa Rhino is the most innovative revolver to be marketed to the American shooter in more than a hundred years. It fires from the bottom chamber of the cylinder instead of the top for a more straight-line recoil that reduces muzzle jump and perceived recoil. Its innovative lockwork gives a 50 percent shorter trigger pull and a faster reset.
It is a major improvement in revolver design. This extends to the layout of the gun as well; the hand rides much higher on this gun than on conventional revolvers. Cowboy Action shooters will appreciate that, because one of the secrets of shooting the Colt Single Action Army was to hold it as high in the grip as possible; only then did it live up to its reputation as a natural pointer.
This also aids in putting the recoil more in line with the arm, instead of having the axis of the recoil above the hand as in a conventional revolver. Thus you don’t have the muzzle flipping up like that of a conventional revolver. The layout of the revolver results in its being 1 1/2 inches shorter in overall length than conventional revolvers with the same barrel length. Its imprint under clothes or in a pocket for the 2-inch barrel model is not as easily recognizable as a handgun as a conventional revolver is.
The Rhino is available in both fixed and adjustable sight versions and in barrel lengths of 2, 4, 5 and 6 inches, so there is something for everyone. Rifling is 6 grooves with a 1:18 3/4 inch twist. Working parts are steel and the frame is made of a high strength aluminum alloy called Ergal.
The Rhino’s low bore axis (bottom) results in more controllable recoil than that of a conventional revolver (top).
The mechanism is far different from that of conventional revolvers, as you would expect. Pulling the trigger moves an interlink lever by means of a connecting rod. This lever in turn moves both the hammer and the cylinder rotation pin, compressing a spiral spring through two levers. The interlink lever drives these two levers to push on the two spring ends which then propel the hammer and return the trigger and the rest of the mechanism to rest.
The Rhino’s double action is operated through a mobile hammer sear that cocks the hammer until it is released upon reaching the preset position, similar to the operation of a traditional revolver. The single action requires a different method due to the low position of the hammer. It was necessary to use an external hammer actuator that uses a lever to push the hammer down until it engages the counter-hammer, blocking it in the armed position.
When the trigger is pulled, the hammer is released by the interlink lever which pushes up the counter-hammer and allows the action to fire. If you wish to uncock the gun it is necessary to push down the counter-hammer, pulling the trigger to the end and gently releasing the hammer actuator as you would with a standard revolver.
The Rhino’s cylinder is released by a lever on the left side of the revolver. When pushed down, this lever engages the locking pin in the center of the rotation shaft. A spring makes the locking pin recoil and at the same time pushes back the pin in the breech shield, thus releasing the cylinder. Once the cylinder is released, it can be pushed to the left to allow the loading and unloading of the weapon.
A closer look at the Rhino’s inner workings.
You will encounter a slight resistance when pushing the cylinder to the left as you have to overcome the spring pressure of the second locking system of the cylinder. This consists of a spring loaded detent pin placed in the frame of the gun on the opposite side of the breech shield, which is wedged into a specific seat in the rotation arm of the cylinder. The arm of the cylinder is wedged in a special joint which allows ample space for opening of the cylinder for quick reloading.
Safety is a big part of this revolver’s design. The gun cannot fire without the cylinder being locked in place because if the small piston placed in the center of the rotation shaft of the cylinder is not perfectly seated into its notch in the breech shield, the cylinder opening lever will be in the low position, blocking rotation of the cylinder and stopping the whole mechanism.
The revolver cannot fire if the cylinder chamber in the six o’clock position is not aligned with the barrel. A pin placed on the trigger interferes with the plug blocking the cylinder and prevents the trigger from being fully pulled if the plug has not gone into its corresponding notch in the cylinder.
The internal hammer makes the Rhino extremely safe from accidental firing caused by falls and shocks. Nevertheless a special safety prevents the accidental release of the hammer when the revolver is cocked in single action. An accidental release of the hammer could happen only if the gun fell from a great height or as a result of abnormal wear of internal parts.
The Rhino’s light-gathering front sight.
In this case the hammer cannot hit the firing pin as a solid plug on the left side of the frame would interfere with the interlink lever preventing the gun firing. This safety can only be disconnected by pulling the trigger fully through.
Advanced design means breaking with tradition and this makes the Rhino a real attention getter. When my 6-inch barrel sample gun arrived at Tucker Guns, it created quite a stir among the employees and customers. There were two standard reactions: “What in the Hell is that?” followed by “That’s weird!” Then the comments start to become complimentary: “Nicely machined!” “Points good!” “Has a good trigger pull,” etc. Everyone had to see it and play with it and all came away liking it.
I was the first gun writer to get one of the 6-inch barrel guns. Up to then everyone had gotten the 2-inch barrel snubnose. That’s fine for it’s purpose but I wanted to get all the accuracy and hunting potential out of the .357 Magnum. I am one of a long line of hunters who condemn the use of the .22LR for game shooting because of the high number of wounded animals that escape to die a lingering death after being imperfectly hit with the diminutive .22LR.Like many older hunters, I say the .32-20 is the best small and medium game cartridge, but it’s a bit hard to find today. Cost trumps humanity and sportsmanship for many folks so the .22 gets used and a lot of game dies a lingering death.
However, the .357 Magnum can be considered a larger-bored .32-20 with a little more killing power – not enough for deer but a far more sure and humane killer of small and medium game than the lowly .22LR. No, the .357 won’t spoil a lot of meat or be too powerful, and anyone with enough hunting ethics to want to kill their game cleanly without suffering will feel a lot better about using it than the .22LR.
Exploded view of the Rhino.
The Rhino is produced by Chiappa Group in Azzano Mella in Northern Italy from all milled parts made on site. This is a very high-tech, modern facility dedicated to turning out a quality product. Its American subsidiary is Chiappa Firearms Ltd. This group is headed up by Ron Norton and their job is the development and marketing of Chiappa products in North America.
I test fired the Rhino extensively. I had 770 rounds of .38 Special and 500 rounds of .357 Magnum for a total of 1270 rounds. The breakdown was: .38 Special 100 rounds Georgia Arms 148-grain wadcutter 100 rounds of CorBon 147-grain FMJ 150 rounds of Winchester 130-grain FMJ 100 rounds of BVAC 158-grain lead HP 100 rounds of Remington 158-grain lead RN 100 rounds of Federeal American Eagle 158-grain lead RN 120 rounds Winchester 130-grain JHP Bonded PDXI 150 rounds of NWCP 110-grain Manstopper .357 Magnum 300 rounds Winchester 125-grain JHP 100 rounds Remington 125-grain JSP 100 rounds of North West Custom Projectile 110-grain Manstopper
I find the FMJ loads very useful. They offer increased penetration on bear or attackers in heavy clothing or behind cover. Sometimes more penetration is better, and not enough can get you killed. The military doesn’t use FMJ ammo for nothing. If the advantages of FMJ over expanding bullets in combat weren’t clear, no nation would have signed the treaties banning expanding bullets in combat. Creating a casualty behind cover is more important than stopping power in most military situations.
Anytime you fire a lot of .38 Special and .357 Magnum lead bullets you will have a lot of leading in the bore to clean out, and that is a feature that is no respecter of brand names. It is important to clean the residue at the front of the .357 cylinder out thoroughly if shooting .38 Specials as fouling can quickly build up on any revolver and interfere with chambering the longer .357 Magnum cartridges.
Firing the Rhino was a lot different from firing a conventional revolver. The grip rides much higher in the hand and what appears to be the hammer is a cocking lever that goes back down after the totally hidden internal hammer is cocked. A bright red cocking indicator pops up at the rear of the receiver to let you know it is cocked if the rearward single action position of the trigger wasn’t enough.
The cylinder is opened by that strange looking lever on the upper rear left side. Once moved back, this lever permits the flat-sided hexagonal (for concealability) cylinder to swing out for loading or unloading. The rear sight is framed by two green dots and the front sight has a red dot.
These are formed by plastic rods with exposed surfaces to catch the light in front of the sight blades, so you always have a bright group of dots even in poor light. Trigger pull was 4 pounds single action and 11 pounds double action as measured by the Lyman trigger pull gauge from Brownell’s gunsmithing supplies. This is quite acceptable, although I would prefer both to be lighter.
The Rhino stainless is quite an eyeful.
The Rhino’s barrel lies much lower than on other pistols and you can appreciate that and the short trigger travel on double action rapidfire. It is very fast and controllable. I just wish Bill Jordon was alive to see this because I think he would like it. Accuracy is all you need for hunting.
At 25 yards I was shooting and hitting 1 1/2- and 2-inch chips easily and centering a gratifying number of them with all ammo fired. I am not worried about missing any game fired at with this gun. I can think of a lot of rifles I would have less confidence in. The pistol points well for instinct shooting and is easy to hit with.
Aside from hunting, there are those who use the .357 Magnum revolver for police work. These users should try out the Rhino and see if its qualities make it the best choice for them. There is a lot of personal preference involved in choosing a revolver but many of those using the .357 Magnum revolver will be glad that they tried out the Rhino.
There are many factors one considers when selecting a revolver, some real and some imagined. The realities of the advantages the Rhino offers should more than offset its unconventional looks. Remember, the first revolvers looked pretty funny to everyone in 1836 but they sure did displace the single shot pistol. The moral? Don’t be afraid to try something new. You might like it.
Two different kits for two different needs. On the right is a U.S. Palm plate carrier with Level III ballistic protection an entry tool from Tops and Blackhawk mag pouches for the AR-15. On the left, a basic emergency kit for any sort of violent encounter: Pistol, ammo, trauma kit, light, multi-tool.
The hot topic these days is the bugout bag. You know, a bag of important stuff you think you will need when the excrement hits the oscillating blades. What do you need really depends on what you expect. I have one kit made just in case I have an active shooter situation in my jurisdiction. It is a Level III plate carrier with extra soft armor, four magazines for the AR-15, a Tops Pry Knife to help open doors and a trauma kit on the back. I can put the plate carrier right over my uniform, thus giving me added ballistic protection and the tools I need to stop the threat and render aid.
I also have various other kits in various locations that will provide me things like extra ammo for my duty sidearm, a multi-tool, first-aid gear, flex cuffs. There is another kit in which I keep a spare sidearm, ammo, a trauma pack (are you noticing a trend on the trauma kit theme here?) flashlight, knife, multi-tool and more. And I have one of the Mossberg JIC shotguns in a tube, loaded up with extra ammo, first-aid gear, a knife or three, a water filter and sheet of heavy plastic for a basic tent. I think I'm ready.
A good handgun and a stout knife are very important tools. Keep them both handy with your other must-have items in the bug-out bag.
For me, the bug-out kit requires some sort of firearm or spare ammo. When things are very bad, people might want to fight. They might want to take what is yours. The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. So… Rule #1: Have a gun. Be trained in its use. Be familiar with its operation. Know its capabilities and, perhaps most importantly, be mentally ready to use it.
Rule #2: Have a trauma kit. An exchange of gunfire usually means someone is going to need medical help. If that someone is someone you want to save you will likely need, at the bare minimum a tourniquet, a compress dressing, first aid tape or wrap, bandage material or surgical sponges and gloves.
Looking to go armed, but are stuck in the weeds as to what to arm yourself with? Here are 20 excellent concealed carry gun options that will keep you on the defensive.
