All Outdoor

Learn how to reload a 12 gauge shotgun shell without the need for a reloading press in a survival situation.

When my father was young, he rode the streets of Tampa, Florida with a rifle across the handlebars of his bicycle. It was a 22 Winchester that he’d bought for the whopping sum of $15 (he had to put it on layaway and make payments). He’d ride around looking for things that needed to be shot, rabbits for supper, tin cans, or maybe merthiolate bottles at the city dump.

Nobody ever gave a second thought to a child wandering around with a gun. It was natural and good, and he never shot anyone. None of his friends shot anyone, either, and they fired rifles in ROTC at school.

Things had changed by the time I was a teen in the 1980s, but I could still slip out with a 22 rifle or 410 shotgun, if I was hunting nearby and wasn’t going to be seen by many folks between hither and yon. I lived out in the country… if I’d been in the city, things would have been different.

Nowadays, a teen with a gun in public inside most town or city limits would be treated like an instant criminal, and we could expect military-style police to descend upon him or her like an aggressive swarm of Kevlar-clad soldiers. The youth would be lucky to survive without being shot. News cameras and talking heads would turn it into a media circus, spouting terms like “troubled youth” in their push to increa

When I graduated high school, my brother-in-law gave me a fantastic gift: a Marlin 336. I carried that rifle for eight seasons (many of them shortened by college, grad school and work obligations) in my home state of Pennsylvania before I finally shot my first deer with it in 1988. The small eight-point rack is still on display in my living room, constantly reminding me of a great hunt with my cousins in Cambria County.

The following year I took a button buck in York County during what turned out to be my last hunting season as a Pennsylvania resident. In January 1990 my wife and I relocated to her home town—Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

I had packed up all my hunting gear and stashed it in Mom’s basement because our original plans envisioned five years in Rio; I adapted so well to the culture, however, that we live in Brazil to this day. Fortunately for me, the fishing was so good that it compensated for the lack of hunting in this country. While visiting family in the States in 1994—by then we knew we’d be staying in Brazil for the long haul—I figured my .30-30 deserved a better fate than solitary confinement in a box. I had to find it a good home.

The brother-in-law who had given me the Marlin already owned several rifles; my brothers don’t hunt, so giving either of them a gun made no sense; selling the leve

Hand signals become important in may situations where noise and confusion can prevent hearing. Take some time to review Jim Wagner’s tactical hand signals just in case you find yourself in a situation where you have to communicate without using verbal communication.

An air rifle is a great tool to aid in learning skills, from basic shooting to hunting small game. They’re also handy for city dwellers to manage unwanted pests. I prefer pump or single-stroke pneumatic piston air rifles that do not rely on pre-charged air canisters or CO2.

Simpler is better. Reliance on an external charging system could present big challenges in a survival situation. Hand-charged air rifles never require more than a strong arm to charge and a pellet to shoot. Previously, the most powerful air rifles were those that relied on pre-charged air canisters. Fortunately we are seeing a new crop of affordable spring piston break-barrels, such as this Ruger AirMagnum .22 Pellet Rifle, with substantial velocity and power.

Like many of the quality air rifles such as Hammerli, RWS, Walther, Beretta, and Browning, Ruger’s air rifles are made and distributed by Umarex and distributed here in the US by Umarex USA. In this case, the Ruger AirMagnum is made overseas, but it’s made to Ruger and Umarex’s standards. Umarex has been a leader in the air gun industry for some time and has lead development of air rifles designed around each brand’s designs and features.

The 10/22 is one of the most fun, rugged, dependable and accurate-out-of-the-box production .22LR rifles on the market. But for many of us it represents a starting point for customization and personalization. When it comes to the front and rear dovetail iron sights, they work infallibly, but as I and others have noted in many situations there can be huge accuracy, durability, and ergonomic improvements by upgrading to AR style peep sights from Tech Sights.

Peep sights have been shown to improve rapid target acquisition and overall shot precision. Where the Tech Sights are unique is that they raise the front sight and mount the rear sight on top of the receiver. The result is a faster shooting and higher precision sighting solution for dedicated iron sighted 10/22 rifles such as this Ruger 10/22TD Take-Down rifle. Tech Sights even has a solution for for existing bull barrel models as well.

TheFirearmBlog.com reported that Nature Blinds released the Larry Weishuhn Signature Series StalkingShield, a lightweight and portable shield made with the same tree texture as their tree blinds.

The StalkingShield can be purchased for $259.95 and features the following:

• Lightweight and Portable
• Realistic Bark Texture
• Designed Collaboratively with Larry Weishuhn
• Integrated Kickstand Rotates for Upright or Prone Use
• Easy to Grip Handle
• Specs: Width 26″, Height 44″, Weight 8 lbs

To most of us, SHOT Show is a huge product playground filled with excitement and top industry brands. But how do you explain the show to people who have never been? Armslist.com created a pretty cool video showing what the show is all about.

During a recent trip to the Pheonix area, I was fortunate to get a personal plant tour of Young Manufacturing by Dan Young himself. I was stunned to learn just how much work goes into making the carrier and complete bolt carrier group (BCG) for an AR-15. But first let’s look at what this critical part does in the AR-15.

For every round fired, the BCG is generally beat like a red-headed step child. (My apologies to all red-headed step children… it must have been a rough upbringing.) Pull the trigger and the BCG goes to work. The firing pin is whacked by the hammer with thumb crushing force (don’t ask how I know), the tiny firing pin tip hits the primer detonating the round, a bullet zips down the barrel and then things really heat up for the BCG. The gas block and tube reroute some hot gas back to the BCG gas key. The red hot, rerouted gas delivers a 100-125 psi blast behind the three bolt rings which push the bolt forward in a camming effect about .25”, and turns the bolt face clockwise to unlock the bolt from the barrel. The remaining gas pressure slams the BCG rearward from its previous motionless state, extracting and removing the empty case. The BCG continues rearward until the buffer and spring delivers a brief delay before violently reversing the rearward directi

This week we reported on a shipwrecked man who made it to land after 16 months adrift (correction to 13 months now). The story sounded a little rushed and premature, given the fact that there were no pictures or details on the castaway’s story or journey. Today, CNN’s home page story dives deeper into the actual facts to see if the facts really check out.

Jose Salvador Alvarenga is the castaway and he is a Salvadoran national who had been living in southern Mexico and working as a fisherman. There is a lot of mystery around the castaway’s claims and CNN reports on some top issues.

How long was he supposedly at sea?

Local fishermen in the area of Mexico from which he set off say he may have been gone for a month longer than that, which more or less matches a document from a local civil protection agency that reports he disappeared in November 2012.

How far did he travel?

Given the

Watch as these guys load 16 neodymium magnets into a shotgun shell. The weight was about 13 grams, or about .4 oz. Estimated speed of the round was at least 1200 ft/sec. Lots of surprises in this one!

After Hurricane Katrina, many scientists, engineers, and designers put pen to paper to develop better resources to aid those displaced and impacted by large-scale disasters. One such innovation is the Reaction Housing System, known as the EXO, created by Michael McDaniels, who was recently profiled on Fast Company about his invention.

Here’s a breakdown of the EXO from the Reaction website:

The Reaction Housing System is a rapid response, emergency housing system that is flexible enough to meet any housing challenge. It is a kit of parts that primarily consists of housing units called Exos, accessories, and supporting infrastructure. The Reaction system can scale its response on demand from a single family’s needs to the needs of an entire region whose population has been displaced. It offers an unparalleled, rapid response housing solution whether it is responding to the aftermath of an earthquake, wildfire, hurricane or manmade event.

The 80 sq. ft., $5,000 shelter comes with a floor, walls, and a roof, and it looks like it came straight out o

For well under $400, you can assure that you connect with everything from that squirrel at 15 yards to the steel gong at 800 yards. I picked up the Nikon RifleHunter 1000 Laser Rangefinder, which is just one step down from Nikon’s top of the line Monarch Gold 1200.

Fit, Finish, Feel, Features, and Functions

Nikon’s RifleHunter 1000 Laser Rangefinder is designed to measure distances from 11 to 1,000 yards in a compact lightweight package. The unit delivers the shot (horizontal) distance based on Nikon’s ID Technology, which compensates for incline/decline shooting angles all the way up to a near vertical +/- 89 degrees. If you’re shooting down/up a 45 degree incline and the RifleHunter 1000 shows 100 yds., then ballistically you should hold zero just as you would for a 100-yard zero. No other adjustment is required–simple. I found this especially handy ranging squirrels, however the Nikon also gives you the confidence to range and take the shot on that trophy ram way down below you in the gully. The unit can also be set for light of sight (linear) distance, if you have that need, as well as swapping from yards to meters.

About a year and a half ago I reviewed the the Wicked Ridge Invader Crossbow, and I really liked what the bow delivered from a value perspective. However, I yearned for one of the newer CLS (compact limb designs) for a bit more maneuverability. Now the value leading Wicked Ridge brand by Ten Point Technologies has a new addition to the lineup, the Raider CLS Crossbow. The new Raider model brings both blistering speed and a compact design.

Wicked Ridge is owned by Ten Point Archery, the company that holds more crossbow patents than anyone else on the planet. Ten Point has been on the forefront of advancing crossbow technology for decades and are one of the reasons crossbows are so prevalent in hunting today.

Every year there are newer and better technologies introduced, but typically these features are only released on the very expensive models. Ten Point decided to take some of their historically best most durable technologies and wrap them up into high-value, high-durability field crossbows in the form of their Wicked Ridge brand.

These rugged crossbows can take a huge amount of abuse and are priced right around $500. Currently, Wicked Ridge produces two models: the Wicked Ridge Invader and the Wicked Ridge Warrior. The Warrior is based on the same desi

Part of the attraction of the cold war Mosin Nagants is that they are excellent rifles for the typical $70-$100 street price. But the even bigger draw is that the ammo, which is comparable ballistically to the .308 or 30-06, but can easily be had for a stunningly low $.25 a round. At this point in time there is no other large centerfire rifle that is this inexpensive to shoot.

When you first get your hands on a Mosin, you’re just thrilled that you’ve found a powerful centerfire rifle which only set you back around $100; then you’ll dance until you got a leg cramp after buying an entire SPAM can of 400 rounds for only another $100.  Honestly, in that initial ownership period, you really don’t care how it shoots, when it was made, or by which european factory; you’re just thrilled that it goes bang each time you pull the trigger.

Once you get over the initial fun factor, you’ll probably start looking at upgrades for the rifle. Upgrading a Mosin Nagant is an amazingly fun project which nets a gun that can hunt any North American large game easily out to 300 yards and beyond.

Every hunter would love to have their own little place on earth where they can hunt in peace. Even if you can’t afford to buy a piece of land right now, there is always the option of trying to lease some hunting land. It’s not always an easy quest, but it is possible. In addition to land I own, I also lease another place that is closer to home for quick weekend hunts or holidays when the girls are around the house.

How do you go about finding a suitable lease at a fair price? Advertise, ask around, and search the farm market newspapers, regional outdoor magazines and local newspaper classified ads. You can also check out land or hunting club opportunity web sites. It takes some phone time and boot leather to find a good piece of land. Place your own ad in various sources seeking to lease land.

Drop into some local farm co-op stores to see if there are any ads posted on bulletin boards. Ask the guys at the desk if they know of any farmers that might be interested in a cash hunting lease. You may just hit on something.

Ask people at work, at the office, and in any civic clubs or organizations you might belong to. You never know where information about a land lease might come from. Check some real estate company web sites or call some of the rural land specialists. Sure they are selling land, but in th

The IN1 Multi-Tool Utility Case is a multi-tool/phone case designed for EDC. It has a variety of tools that you can use including:

• 2 precision screwdrivers
• 2 ball point pens
• A Nail file 
• A pair of tweezers 
• A set of scissors
• A kick stand 

Does anyone have a multi-tool utility case on their phone? It seems like a good idea overall, but quality and actual usefulness of the tools are a legitimate concern. Are the tools even large enough to be useful?

Wouldn’t you be better off with a Leatherman or equivalent, which would have superior tools? I think it would be cool for a company like Leatherman or Victorinox to acquire a company like this and spruce it up a bit.

Thoughts on these types of products?

This guy literally makes fire from ice! It seems like a lot of work but it’s definitely something to stick in your “might need to know” file.

There are only a few items that I would spend a good chunk of change on, this hammock tent by Tentsile might be one of them.

The Tentsile hammock tents have an inverted tripod shape to remain stable with people sleeping in the arms. The section in the center serves as a communal area and has a rope ladder that reaches down to the ground.

The Tentsile Tree Tents were conceived as a treehouse that you can take with you anywhere.  They provide separation from wetness, bugs, bears or other wild animals.

I also found a great list of hammock manufactures here. Feel free to put some links below for quality hammock tent manufactures or brands that you really like.

When it comes to benchrest shooting, I’m the lazy guy who sets up about twenty or thirty targets from 25-500 yards and just settles in behind the bench for the day. Of course, the challenge lies in figuring out where your shots are on the paper, what your groups look like, and which groups you should reshoot. Most importantly, you need to be able to see those small .22-.308 holes at 50+ yards without pulling your butt off the bench. This is where a high quality spotting scope is a godsend, and it doesn’t get much better than the 20-60x magnification Bushnell Legend Ultra-HD Spotting Scope.

The Bushnell Legend line is the top end of the Bushnell spotting scope line. These optics feature the most refined and advanced features, the clearest optics from Bushnell, and performance that’s superb.

When you look through the Bushnell Legend Ultra-HD spotting scope you can see with stunning clarity. Many people at my range have used my spotting scope at one point or another, and the comment is always “damn that thing is clear”. Whatever “ED Prime Extra-Low Dispersion glass” is, it certainly does its job.

The huge 80mm objective collects light like no other spotting scope I have used before, and