All Outdoor

Pepper spray has long been a popular less lethal defensive tool for many Americans. In some jurisdictions, it’s the only legal carry option. Compared to a firearm, it can be used with less restraint to deal with such problems as aggressive dogs. However, pepper spray in aerosol cans has serious limitations. The main problem is the sensitivity of the propellant to temperature: cans have been known to leak if left in a hot vehicle, or when the seals become brittle with age. In very cold areas, the propellant gels, greatly reducing the effective range.

Kimber Pepper Blaster replaces aerosol propulsion with a two-shot disposable pyrotechnic launcher. Not being reloadable, the pepper projector isn’t classified as a firearms and can be treated the same way spray cans are. Maximum effective range is listed as 13 feet or just under 4 meters.

Are you looking for a small wood burning stove to keep with you at all times? At only 6 ounces, this Firebox Nano is 3″ wide and folds down to .25″. It operates on a cross-feed fuel delivery system, and can bring 2 cups of water to a boil in 3:10 minutes. It was featured on Kickstarter in September of last year receiving over $23K in funding.

Check out the videos below and what how it cooks a basic bacon and eggs breakfast.

This recent WaPo story on so-called “smart guns” isn’t the worst I’ve read on the topic — the author gives some space to the objections that gun owners raise concerning reliability. In all, it’s a pretty solid look at the smart gun debate, even if it does err on the side of a bit too much enthusiasm for a technology that is absolutely doomed in the commercial market.

But apart from reliability, which is by itself enough of an objection to ensure that most gun buyers will never go near a smart gun, there’s another objection that I’ve not yet seen raised to the smart gun. As a guy who knows a thing or two about technology, I’d like to raise the objection now: the smart gun and the second amendment, at least as many modern gun owners understand the latter, are fundamentally incompatible. Here’s why.

In September of last year, Apple

This past December there were rumors on AR15.com about a possible sale of LWRC to Colt. Apparently, any questions about a possible LWRC sale that were posted on the LWRC board were deleted by the mods within minutes, and in general there’s a sense that something’s up.

Now we can add more fuel to the fire with some new revelations. Recent requests from Second Media to LWRC for advertising and T&E rifles were met with some pretty bizarre responses, which stated that the company is currently prohibited from entering into any “contracts, obligations, or expenditures.”

Having sold a company myself before, I know exactly what the above means: it means that LWRC is almost certainly in the final stages of talks with a buyer.

I circled back and asked for confirmation, and received a “we can neither confirm nor deny” message. So yeah, I’m thinking that it’s on like Donkey Kong.

Other than the Colt rumor above, we don’t really have any leads on who the buyer might be. Strategic Armory Corps could be the buyer, or Remington, or pretty much anyone. Right now, there’s some consolidation and shuffling around in the industry

The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) offers an “advanced rifle camp” to young shooters at Fort Benning, Georgia. In 2014, the camp will be held August 4-8, 2014 at USAMU’s Pool International Range Complex. With only 25 spots available, they say “acceptance will be based on previous matches shot,” so this isn’t exactly a summer camp with guns. Instead, it’s geared towards young competitive shooters who wish to further hone their smallbore rifle skills.

At a meager cost of $50 per shooter to cover expenses, this is a definite bargain. Participants will be coached by competitive soldiers/shooters who have themselves successfully competed in world-class events (including the Olympics). Shooters age 14-18 are welcome to apply.

USAMU has this to say about it:

The camp will consist of daily training, classes in the afternoon, and conclude with a match across the course with awards.  Parents or sponsors are welcome to attend all classes. Activities are also being planned, such as bowling and a visit to the National Infantry Museum. Upon conclusion of the match, campers will receive a catered meal before the awards presentation.

Since 1956, soldiers from the USAMU have won 24 of the country’s Olympic medals, and 59 soldiers from the International Rifle sect

Are you interested in raising some baby chicks, but are worried about how difficult it is to get started? If you take the right precautions, raising chicks isn’t difficult, but it is a labor of love.

Chicks are small and cute, but provided they have the right conditions they are not fragile. During the late winter and early, spring hundreds of thousands of chicks are mailed from hatcheries to farm supply stores and directly to customers. The vast majority of those chicks arrive alive and well.

Baby chicks should be provided with 5 things: a safe place that will protect them from predators, a heat lamp / heat source, food, water, and a clean place to sleep.

Let’s discuss each of those points in detail.

Baby chicks are an easy target for just about any kind of predator. They are an easy target for house cats, feral cats, aerial predators, snakes, opossums, minks, weasels, and raccoons, to name a few.

My first experience with raising chicks resulted in several chicks being killed by a opossum. The chicks were kept in a metal cage that had 1/2 square hardware cloth on the floor, and 1 inch squares on the sides and

Sometimes the best solutions are the simplest. Although there’s nothing simple about the impact of a gunshot wound on the human body, the process of treating gun injuries on a battlefield might become a bit faster and safer. At least, that’s the goal of the XStat, a new syringe-like device that injects a dressing straight into a wound. The XStat, created by company RevMedX (which stands for Revolutionary Medical Technology), is still a patent-pending design.

While gunshot wounds are typically treated by packing gauze into the wound–a painful process for the injured and difficult for a medic in a chaotic environment–the XStat expedites this process with a one-time insertion that prevents the patient from bleeding out. The dressing absorbs blood, aids in the clotting process, and expands into the wound, filling the space and protecting any further damage. This allows for a less traumatic experience for the patient, and also prevents major blood loss, buying more time to properly dress the wound. According to RevMedX, the XStat can stop bleeding within 15 seconds.

About a year ago, Winchester came out with TrAAcker shotgun loads, which feature a weighted wad that stays with the shot rather than separating from it. Since the wad is easily visible, this lets shooters know where their shot went, which can be vital in determining how they can correct their wingshooting.

Shotgunners often stop swinging their guns at the shot, and this usually means the shot will go behind the clay target. Too much lead will mean the shot will go ahead of it. If the shot goes high or low, there are obviously other adjustments that need to be made.

The uniquely-shaped wad comes in black and orange, for different lighting conditions.

Recently (February 18, 2014), Winchester announced that it will be expanding the TrAAcker line of ammo into Sporting Clays and 20 gauge loads. This seemed like a good time to take stock of TrAAcker ammo and its value to shooters over the past year.

Current loads are all 12 gauge, 2-3/4″ shells with 1-1/8 ounce shot. Shooters have a choice between 7-1/2 or 8 shot, with orange or black wads and a muzzle velocity (MV) rating of 1145 to 1250 FPS.

New to the scene will be two more (again, orange or

Biden said women should get get shotguns because they are better than AR-15s. This funny video proves him wrong.

What are your thoughts on this?

Whole grain in bulk is a wise investment for a prepper. Bulk storage whole grains offer the preparer versatility, more compact size, lower cost, improved flavor, and in most cases, much longer storage.With my bulk storage nitrogen-packed grain buckets stacked, I have a six foot tall, 10” x 10” footprint, which yields 4200 food servings for only $630, or about $0.15 a serving. Now that is pretty exciting for a prepper.

ABOUT PLEASANT HILL GRAINS
Pleasant Hill Grain appears often in search results for bulk whole grain retailers. Pleasant Hill is a shipping-based business, but if you find yourself cruising down I-80 in the middle of Nebraska as I did, you can also pick your orders up in person.

I was impressed with Pleasant Hill Grain’s operation. This is a new, pristine and clean food and gourmet products warehouse packed with thousands of different consumer and industrial kitchen products, ranging from super premium $500 gourmet rice

After this year’s SHOT, I’m on a new kick: pairing up the best AR-10 and AR-15 single-maker combos that I can find, in order to build a truly ridiculous SHTF arsenal. Yeah, it’s overboard and impractical, and there are definitely smarter ways to spend prepping money. But you gotta admit that the idea of a safe full of 5.56 and 7.62 paired battle rifles is pretty cool.

Plus, right now the AR market is really soft. Guns are selling on auction sites at some 20 to 30% off of list. With the market as soft as it is, now is the perfect time to fill up your safe with whatever you’ve been pining for.

I’m starting with my existing collection as a base, and specifically my pair of LMT ARs: I’ve got the LMT LM8 in 5.56 and the LMT LM8MWS in .308 (more info in this pdf). Building on this theme, my requirements are roughly the following.

• The rifles should be battle proven and in use by one of the world’s militaries.
• The rifles don’t necessarily have to be AR-format rifles. They just need to shoot 5.56 and 7.62.
• The rifles should have some amount of modularity and parts interchangeability.
• This last requirement is probably redundant to the first one, but they should b

We love to customize our 10/22s with custom triggers, barrels, receivers, bolts, and stocks. There are almost as many aftermarket stocks for 10/22s as there are aftermarket 10/22 accessories. For classic to wild styles, Boyd’s Gunstocks are some of the best values in the market, at only around $120 for a solid hardwood stock. Boyd’s Gunstocks have four different models for the 10/22, including the Rimfire Thumbhole, Blaster, TactiCool, and SS Evolution stocks. All the models with the exception of the TactiCool stock are also available in a rainbow of seven colored laminated hardwoods, and most are also available in the same textured black finish shown on the pictured TactiCool stock.

If you have read any of my previous 10/22 reviews, chances are high that you have seen one of my 10/22 Boyd’s Gunstocks featured. Pictured is my Tactical Machining/Kidd build dressed up with a black TactiCool Boyd’s stock, Leupold VX-2 3-9x scope, a Tactical Innovations/Whistlepig barrel with a purple laminated

As a guy who has owned a little over two dozen AR-15s in the last year or two, I have seen and reviewed almost everything from simple stock to crazy custom, carbine to rifle length gas systems, adjustable gas systems, and piston systems. I’ve reviewed both factory builds and my own creations. Of those rifles I have kept, I have always found myself preferring the “lean and mean” configurations, even in the custom builds.

Ultimately, I’ve come to the conclusion that the best general purpose AR-15 defense and sporting configuration for the money is just a standard, well built AR with rifle length or longer free float forend, mid-length gas system, high grade stock trigger, stainless steel match grade barrel with a decent flash hider, Magpul flip-up sights, and your grip and stock of choice. Everything beyond this is an upgrade, and is an un-needed luxury and a potential liability in a patrol or personal defense rifle.

Barnes Precision Machine (BPM) concentrates 100% of its price into everything you n

I know what you’re thinking: the AR-15 pistol is the hard partying fratboy of the AR-15 family, and it’s really just a toy. Of course, to spew many dollars worth of .223/5.56 ammo from the pistol’s ejection port produces a grin from ear to ear. Yeah, you gotta love the party frat boy, but what if I told you it could be your next precision hunting handgun, a very effective personal defense gun with one simple modification, or a perfect survival/hunting pack gun that will fit in even small day packs? Surprised?

What’s even more surprising is the level of innovation that you simply would not expect on a $449 street priced polymer firearm marketed to the masses. I will be very frank: I never expected to go all nuts over a short barreled pistol format AR-15, but let me tell you this gun changed my mind when I was delivering nice little .25”-.5” 25-yard groups and ringing the 300-yard 12” plate.

As the world political climate heats up and personal liberty seems more threatened, more people are becoming preppers. If the hockey really hits the fan, people are going to either be dependent on the government, on each other, or on their own supplies to get by — and the more people rely on the government, the worse off we are.

The most basic staple in a survival scenario is food, of course. And if you’re laying in a big supply of the stuff, you need to make sure it will last (be well-preserved), that you can afford to buy plenty of it now, and that it actually tastes good (or at least okay). Freeze dried food seems to be the longest-lasting and most popular.

Here are some freeze dried long-term storage food options that we know of:

• Chef’s Banquet ARK Food
• Harmony House Foods
• Legacy Premium
• Mountain House
• Wise Company

None of these are cheap, but some are less expensive than others. Costco offered something similar a few years ago, but unfortunately it seems to have been discontinued.

Right now, you can find 32-serving buckets of

So there I was, buying and reviewing all manner of 10/22s, when I started getting emails about whether I had particular barrels. I received several recommendations to check out the WhistlePig. A whistlepig is a nickname for a rather invasive and destructive ground squirrel which emits a high pitched whistle as they communicate.

About WhistlePig Gunbarrel Company

The company was founded in 2001 to develop a lighter, more balanced and more accurate tool to help in the disposal of rodents. WhistlePig was actually the first company to develop and produce aluminum sleeved 10/22 barrels.

WhistlePig’s barrels all feature 4140 stainless steel barrel liners with Benz .22LR chambers sleeved wi

Zombies require a shot to the brain to stop them, so with that in mind, precision shooting is more important than ever when you have an infected horde coming to eat you. As has been proven in military studies and by the special operations community, EOTech sights help you put shots on target better than just a red dot. There is just something to that circle-dot reticle, and EOTech decided it could be even better for the suppression of blood thirsty zombie attacks. I thought perhaps it was time I procure a dedicated zombie attack optic, so I slapped down the cash for the EOTech XPS2 Zombie Stopper.

Like all EOTech sights, the XPS2 Zombie Stopper is a mighty fine quality sight that can take the beating and handle the rough exits you’ll make outrunning a rogue zombies. The finish is impeccable, and it’s fed by only a single, transverse loaded 123 battery. The sight is essentially the widely popular EOTech XPS2, but with biohazard logos and EOTech’s circle-dot standard reticle we all love modified and expanded to a biohazard design. Absolutely the coolest reticle you will ever shoot from.

At some point we all have owned a 10/22, and if you’re an AR owner, you may have wished for an AR format 10/22. Of course, Ruger made a quality, valid effort to address this market demand with the rebranded Nordic 10/22 AR chassis. But Troy’s T-22 Chassis overshadows the Ruger version with a cool factor that only Troy can deliver.

Troy Industries should need no introduction, but if you are not an AR nut, you mave have missed somewhere that Troy is considered arguably the most popular premium AR rail and accessory manufacturer in the world. Troy pretty much defined the free float AR accessory rail category, and has continued to evolve it beyond where anyone has thought to go. For example, who would have thought a profusely perforated, slim, non-quad rail forend like their new Troy Alpha Rail would be so stunningly popular — but Troy was the first to offer the design.

Troy is also a leader in OEM manufacturing and produces the handguards and sights for the Ruger 556 series of rifles. There are certainly a number of quality AR rai

The last time I looked most of the ATV manufacturers have labels right on their ATVs giving a recommended age for the vehicle’s use. I feel certain, too, that the owner’s manuals probably have many safety suggestions listed, as well. Of course, you have to read the manual to know that.

Most if not all ATV dealers will give you a riding overview of the unit you buy. It is essential to safe riding that the rider knows about the controls on the unit from ignition, kill switch, handlebar and foot pedal brake controls, throttle, lights, and load capabilities. Nearly all ATVs are intended to be ridden by one person at a time, though it seems this rarely happens in practice. Full time helmet use is also recommended as are gloves, and boots well above the ankles. Flip-flops do not constitute safe riding shoes.

Parents should know better when their own kids violate these safe riding rules, but often they do not comply with them either. In my opinion an eight year old has no business riding an ATV without proper training and supervision. The makers of these machines encourage buyers to sign up for an ATV Safe Riding Course. I did and it was not only fun, but informative as well.

There is a measure of common sense to be applied here. If I ride my ATV from my deer camp a mile to my stand, I am not likely to wea

Private lands left uncontrolled and not patrolled will soon fall victim to trespassers, poachers, thieves, and no-goods. Every year, private landowners, leaseholders, hunters, and others roll into their recreational camps only to find evidence of vandalism and theft. Unfortunately it is the world we live in today.

Are there ways to protect your private holdings from prying eyes, fence jumpers, and road riders? In practice, even a little preventative action can go a long way toward securing your property.

A security assessment is a good way to determine the strengths and weaknesses of your property security efforts. You may discover gaps in the “firewall” that may allow uninvited guests access to your property. If there is a law enforcement officer in the county sheriff’s department that you can trust, pay him a few bucks to check out your property for security recommendations.

Fix the obvious things first like entry points. Are there good, solid gates blocking every entrance to your place from surrounding highways or county roads? Are these gates well maintained, chain locked, and posted? Do you check them regularly?

Be sure to add highly visible “posted” signs along stretches beside roadways and borders to other properties not under your control. If you don’t know your neighbors on all sides, get