Month: June 2021

Gun Mistakes in Fiction Writing: Handgun Edition

I recently finished a book by Steven Pressfield, 36 Righteous Men. Pressfield is one of my favorite fiction authors; if you haven’t read Gates of Fire you don’t know what you’re missing. With that said, 36 Righteous Men wasn’t my favorite Pressfield work. When I read a line about a character “flicking the safety off” her Glock I cringed†. I realized this wasn’t the first book in recent memory with such a slip-up. Here are some common gun mistakes in fiction, as well as how to avoid making them.

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Long-Term Storage of Eggs

One of the benefits of living in the country is the ability to have chickens. Our chickens are prodigious layers and we have a seemingly never-ending supply of eggs. This is a huge part of our preparedness strategy: as long as we have healthy birds, we have plenty of eggs to eat, plenty to give away, and plenty to trade, and eggs even supplement our dog food. But things happen. One day we may not have chickens, so we discovered a method of long-term storage of eggs, no refrigeration required. Continue reading “Long-Term Storage of Eggs”

Reasons to Consider the 1911

The 1911 isn’t recommended by gun writers and YouTube people much anymore. I think this is because of a unwritten rule I’ve observed in the gun world that says, “if it’s not suitable for everybody, it’s not suitable for anybody.” I don’t agree with that. Nor do I agree that the 1911 is the “ultimate” handgun. The 1911 can be a viable option, but it has some serious limitations. Here are some reasons to consider the 1911 when weighing defensive handgun options.

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Prepping Others: The Handout Fire Kit

A couple weeks ago I wrote about small, handout first-aid kits. I made them for our hiking friends who have not made their own preparedness efforts. Both of these individuals are great people, they just don’t know where to start. More recently, I decided to build them each a handout fire kit. The handout fire kit is a small, relatively lightweight, fairly inexpensive kit full of really good tools. Let’s take a look at mine. Continue reading “Prepping Others: The Handout Fire Kit”

Book Review: Legal Boundaries by State

I used to travel a lot. One resource I wish I could have had at my disposal during that time was the book Legal Boundaries by State: The Travel Guide for American Gun Owners. In this article I give a brief history of my domestic travel and share a few travel pictures. And of course I review the book. Continue reading “Book Review: Legal Boundaries by State”

Instructor 101: The Basics

I wrote “Lessons Learned as a Professional Instructor” over three years ago. It is still one of my favorite things I have ever written. I wrote it at a time when I made my living surrounded by other professional instructors. At the time I was burdened with the idea that all instructors possessed some level of professionalism and pride in their craft. The paramedic class I have almost finished has taught me this is not the case. Here are some basic recommendations for running a high-value class. Continue reading “Instructor 101: The Basics”

Gun Review: The S&W M&P Shield Plus

This is a review of the new M&P Shield Plus, Smith & Wesson’s ultra-compact, 10+1/13+1 concealed carry pistol. This article is neither hit-piece nor glowing review. Rather it is a 100% honest, unbiased, unfiltered assessment obtained through 460 rounds and two months with this pistol. You’ll probably have to dig pretty deep to find a more detailed review of the new Shield Plus. Continue reading “Gun Review: The S&W M&P Shield Plus”