Outdoor Survival Info

Archive for the ‘Firearms’ Category

Face it, squirrels are everywhere. When stuck in the woods somewhere, you’ll need to eat. The food you carry with you will only last so long. You may need to find another source of food to get you through to safety.

It seems that eating squirrel has a certain stigma to it. But I don’t care about any negative reputation. Plently of people around here love to hunt the little furballs, and enjoy eating them. I’ve personally never killed or eaten squirrel, but I plan to in a few short days. Since squirrels are such a readily available animal, I thought I would learn how to hunt them and prepare them for eating, in case I need to eat them in an emergency. Having previous experience with the animal may mean I won’t have to work as hard to win a meal.

Besides the survival training aspect of squirrel hunting, I think it will just be fun. Think about it. I’ll be out in the woods with my shotgun (I don’t currently have a .22). I’ll practice my marksmanship, my woodland navigation skills, and learn about squirrels. Those are some very useful survival skills that are also fun to practice. And as my wife will tell anyone, I need A LOT of practice with my navigation.

I’ll post a report with pictures after I go out. The season starts this Saturday, September 8th.

While browsing various AR parts dealers online, I see that I have a lot to choose from. Not only are there several configuration variations for the AR platform (A2, M4, A3, etc.), but there are a wide variety of calibers available.

The first thing I have to do is decide on what kind of rifle I want to build. Do I want a general defensive rifle, that will take the very easy to find 5.56mm/.223 cartridge, or do I want a heavier-hitting .308? Likewise, I could opt for a 9mm carbine or the slow but heavy .450 Hornady.

Money doesn’t grow on trees in my yard, so it would probably make sense to get something that could be considered all-purpose. The .223 AR is a leading candidate for that. The problem with that round is that I hunt deer. While a .223 can kill a 150 – 200 pound animal, there’s little room for error. A more powerful cartridge would be better.

If I go up to a .308 or larger, the ammo starts to get more expensive. So practice with the rifle would be pricey. However, the .308 is a great all-around cartridge, suitable for a wide array of uses.

If I move up to the 6.8 SPC, I’ll get plenty of deer-hunting power, and have a rifle chambered in a round that is picking up popularity fast. So what do I do? 5.56mm, 6.8 SPC, .308, or one of the other chamberings? I could always buy a complete rifle and then buy different uppers and magazines, each one suitable to a particular purpose. But I don’t know if that’s what I really want to do.

The question is whether I want a rifle I can use for anything, or if I want to purchase rifles that were designed for a particular task. Should I build a 5.56/.223 AR for a defensive weapon and buy a rifle designed for hunting, or should I get one weapon for all seasons?

I need to decide that before I decide exactly what I want to build. I do plan on buying hunting-specific rifles, but having something all-purpose really appeals to me.

Guns are expensive. That’s the plain and simple truth. A quality firearm will cost you anywhere from $500 to $3000. Not exactly pocket change, I know. A lot of people I know don’t own any guns at all because they feel that they just don’t have the money to afford one.

Whether you are looking for a hunting tool, a defensive weapon, or just something that will give you hours of fun at the range, you don’t have to save paycheck after paycheck to get it. What you can do is buy the Maverick Model 88 Field. I bought one almost two years ago, and it’s a great little shotgun. Maverick is an offshoot of Mossberg, and the 88 is basically a bare bones version of the Mossberg 500. Barrels and chokes are interchangeable. Brand new, after taxes, I spent less that $160 on mine.

I know what you’re thinking… “What a cheap gun!” Well, cheap as far as money is concerned. Sure, there aren’t any bells or whistles on this shotgun, but thing works. It’s simple, and it works. I took a 200 lbs. buck with it last season, so I know it’s effective. This hunting season, I’ll be using it on squirrel, dove, deer, and duck. Based on its past performance, I am confident that it will get the job done.

The Maverick 88 is a 12 gauge shotgun, with a smooth-bore barrel that comes with a modified choke Accu-Choke installed. It is chambered to take 2 ¾” or 3” shells. The stock is black synthetic, which feels nice and keeps the gun light. I’ve taken a few pictures so you can see what it looks like. Now, I don’t have a proper photography studio setup, so the pics are kind of amateurish. I’ll get better with time. Anyway…

Here is the shotgun (most of it, anyway).

The barrel has standard ribbing to which you can attach clip-on sighting systems.

The integral recoil pad makes this a breeze to shoot. That pad will come in handy on a long day of shooting squirrels or doves.

If you don’t have much money to spend on a firearm, take a serious look at a Maverick Model 88 Field. It’s inexpensive, durable, and gets the job done. Head to your local gun shop and take a look at one.

I read an article today that made a pretty decent case for the .270 as an ideal deer hunting cartridge. The article was in the current issue of Peterson’s Hunting (August 2007). Technically, the piece was written from the angle of getting rid of (well, not hunting with) some too-weak, too-strong, or generally ill-suited-for-deer cartridges.

Once the “herd was culled,” as the writer put it, there were a few good old chamberings left. The writer touted the .270 as the best all-around deer cartridge. Apparently, it’s versatile enough to be effective against a wide variety of deer, and in a wide variety of locales.

I still haven’t bought my rifle for this next deer season, and this article was persuasive enough that my mind may be swaying. We’ll see how it turns out. And, of course, you’ll get some pictures when I get my rifle.

I’m sure there are some of you out there who bought a pistol, but don’t really know how to properly maintain it. Don’t be ashamed, you never know something until you learn it. Check out this helpful little article for some pistol cleaning basics:

How to maintain a handgun

Have you heard of the new Sig Sauer pistol? A few days ago I picked up the new issue of Guns and Ammo and there was a new Sig pistol exhibited as the cover story. Well, it looks pretty, and, according to the article, should be quite a pistol.

It’s the Sig P250, currently chambered for the 9mm. This pistol is so new that the article didn’t even list a price. Though it does say that other chamberings will be coming soon. I’m intrigued by this new Sig, and I’m going to learn more about it. I’ll write about what I learn, so you don’t have to do the reading yourself…

I’ve got to get a Sig Sauer. I’m thinking the P220. Any thoughts?

The AR platform has been a most-endeared rifle in this country over the past few decades. It’s success does not lie exclusivley in the realm of military and law enforcement, however. Sportsman and defensive-minded citizens have taken the Black Rifle to heart.

I would like to have one, but I’m not sure which one. Sure, there are several different styles of rifle, but there are also different calibers from which to choose. Assuming that I decide upon the 20 inch model, I still have a lot of choices. I could have a fixed or detachable handle, fold-down iron sights, optics, and all kinds of other options.

Regarding the caliber, I can choose the standard .223/5.56mm or go all the way up to the new and intriguing .450 “thumper” by Hornady. Since I am currently looking for a hunting rifle, the .450 sounds particularly interesting. It may be a bit excessive for the deer around here, but I still haven’t seen the ballistics on it.

I know a bit about this rifle, but not everything (I’m sure I probably won’t ever know everything). As I research the platform and learn more, I’ll chronicle the details here for you. So check back often.

This week’s featured gear is the Springfield XD Service Pistol. If you don’t have one, go run out and buy one, because I really think that you’ll be pleased with the purchase. I have owned a Springfield XD 9 Service for over a year, and it is one magnificent pistol.

It’s light, tough, has a good capacity for ammunition, and is really easy to shoot. Just point it and you should hit your target. The ergonomics are such that pointing it is very natural, whether you shoot with both hands, one hand, or use your weak hand.

One thing that really stood out to me, and ultimately made the purchasing decision for me, was the narrow grip. It just felt so comfortable in my hand. Despite having a standard-sized double stack magazine, the pistol’s grip is quite narrow. That means that people like me, who don’t have large hands, will be able to comfortably hold the XD.

The XD has three different barrel lengths, but I can only speak for one of them. I have the service model, which comes with a 4 inch barrel. Some of the other features of this fine weapon are: Polymer frame and grip, 16 round magazine, trigger safety, grip safety, chamber-loaded indicator, accessory rail, and a few different color choices (I got the OD frame with black slide).

I wish I had more time and money to put into practicing with my XD, because it’s such a joy to shoot. If you’re in the market for a high-quality pistol, I would encourage you to check out the XD. There are different sizes and calibers available, so I’m sure you can find something you like.

A decent firearm should be a staple in most people’s disaster kits. Why a firearm? Well, simply, you never know when you’re going to need one. In a disaster, everything is chaotic, and you might need some way to defend yourself, your family, your food source, or you home. Or, you can use a firearm to hunt and feed your family.

In a society-crushing disaster, or even a prolonged ecological disaster, having a tool for food and protection is a must. Even if you “don’t like guns,” you need to have one and know how to operate it. It’s better to have one and never need it, than to need it and be empty handed.

Here’s a great resource for browsing and purchasing firearms for what is typically much less than retail pricing: Gun Broker.

Click this link, sign up, and start shopping around for a decent rifle, pistol, or shotgun. Some of the descriptions are the bare minimum, but most contain detail pictures and lots of information on that particular firearm.

Be safe, secure, and confident. Click the link and check them out.