All Outdoor

First and foremost, a quality gun case is designed to protect a gun by “encasing” it in material that should cushion it from bumps, bangs, scratches, and the outside elements. Ideally the case should be rather firm or hard shelled on the outside, but lined with soft material on the inside.

Well tanned and oiled leather is a great material for a gun case exterior. Leather used for fine gun cases is hard, stiff, weather resistant stuff. Gun cases also come in a wide variety of synthetics, mostly some form of nylon. Nylon wears well for a long time and also repels rain and mud. Some modern cases also have tough, rubber-like material sewn around places where wear can be especially hard, like the barrel end or around the carry handle section.

Gun cases are also made of canvas, suede leather, oiled cotton, and plain cotton. These cases can afford decent gun protection if they are thick enough. I prefer cases that are a bit stiff rather than limp. If the case can stand in the corner or leaned up against a truck or four-wheeler by itself when empty without folding over and collapsing on the floor, then it passes my test.

Inside linings need to be tough, but soft. I steer clear of the fuzzy wool type linings as they snag on everything. These kinds of linings also hold excessive moisture, which is detrimental to gu

Walden Pond is one my favorite places on the planet. It is a beautiful lake, a scenic mirror of calm in winter, and a great swimming spot in summer. We use it as a hiking training grounds for our three-year-old son, preparing him for more vigorous hikes and exposing him to the endless play nature affords. It is also a mecca for fans of literary, ecology, and self-reliance. In an age when Edward Snowden tells us just how intrusive our government can be in our daily lives, Thoreau’s notions of civil disobedience strike a chord.

There are dozens of intellectuals, professors, and writers interested in Thoreau now, and they have done work on Thoreau’s life and habits. Of particular interest to me was something that D.B Johnson dug up in working on children’s book on Thoreau called “Henry Hikes to Fitchburg.” According to D.B. Johnson, Thoreau carried the following with him everyday:

• pencil
• paper
• some string
• a “jack knife”
• a spyglass
• a magnifying glass
• a flute
• a music book
• a walking stick with various notches.

That’s quite a functional list, with almost everything serving at least d

Over at TheFirearmBlog.com, Phil White was invited by Remington to the 2014 New Defense/Tactical Products Seminar and got his hands on the new Remington Model 51 pistol in 9MM!

The R-51 uses the Pederson action but that’s where we depart from the original. As you can see from the photos the entire pistol has been streamlined and dehorned. There’s not one sharp edge anywhere on this pistol. The magazine release is ambidextrous. There is the usual internal drop safety. The primary safety is the grip safety. As you draw the pistol you can feel as well as hear the grip safety click and disengage. Once the grip safety is depressed you’re ready to fire. The R-51 has an internal hammer you would term this a single action. 

A good deal of time was also spent on getting the grip circumference and angle as close to perfect as they could manage. They did a good job because the grip not only feels good but it’s a natural pointer. When

Do you have a good buck that you’d like to try a European deer mount with? Watch as this guy takes you step by step through the process of making a European deer mount.

Now that I’m on my third .22 AR-15, a list that includes the Hk416 and S&W M&P15-22, I am learning that .22LR AR-15s are one of the best training tools around, and they pay for themselves in only a couple afternoons of high round count, especially at today’s .22LR ammo prices.

After testing and reviewing the Umarex HK416 .22LR AR, I decided I also wanted the Colt M4 Ops branded and patterned version as well for a couple reasons. First, the Colt M4 Ops is a near perfect analog training stand-in for almost any standard carbine length AR-15 on the market from both a weight and configuration perspective. Second is that once you own one of the Umarex HK or Colt .22 Rimfire ARs, all the magazines will swap back and forth, which will most likely be your biggest investment in .22LR ARs. Somehow those magazines always seem to be empty.

Umarex USA is the team which designed and developed the HK and Colt licensed line of .22LR M16 and M4 models. If you are familiar with the much touted quality of either of these .22LR rifles, then it will come as little surprise that the internals, AR style magazines, barrels, and accuracy has been duplicated in both the HK and Colt models.

According to the US Army Laboratory Command (Small Arms Technology Assessment: Individual Infantryman’s Weapon, Volume I, March 1990, to be specific), 98 percent of all targets across all terrain are engaged at less than 600 meters, 90 percent less than 400 meters, and in urban terrain, 90 percent less than 50 meters. With this in mind, we need the ability to reach out to targets beyond the 15-25 yard lines, but it is unlikely we will ever shoot out beyond 600 meters in a defensive, or even hunting, situation.

Adding even a marginally magnified optic enables more precision and faster target acquisition, and it will deliver all you need to place hits quickly, even way out there when yards adds up. More than a few serviceman and designated marksmen know that the 4X Trijicon ACOG transformed hit ratios within all ranges of combat engagement out to the 600 yard line. However, it also comes with a steep $1,400 price tag. Thus, Burris comes to the rescue with a great $350 option.

Burris is famous for building rugged bulletproof optics. The AR-332 is a mil-spec brute of an optic, which has stayed compact with a prismatic design. The design is a really nice crossover optic for CQB and scout rifle distances in a durable fi

Fans of fixed blades seem to be caught in a sort of mania where there is no rationality to the quest for the ever larger chopper. I love choppers as much as the next person. They are supremely fun to play with, blasting through things like a cannon, but as a recent episode of the Knife Journal Podcast pointed out, they are really substitutes for the swords that we all want to carry but can’t. Big choppers can do a lot of work, but after reviewing a couple and stacking them up against smaller fixed blades, I have come to realize that the increased capabilities are not enough to justify a chopper on a purely utility basis. We have choppers, and the chopper mania has grown in large part because they are awesome, not because they are useful. Or more precisely, they’re not useful enough to justify their size, weight, and cost.

The Freeman Outdoor Gear 451 proved this point to me over and over and over again. You can do a lot of work, a metric ton or more, with a 4 inch blade, and the improvement in carry over a chopper is hugely beneficial. Freeman Outdoor Gear is a new name in the knife world, but if the 451 is an indication of what is to come, it is time to sit up and pay attention. Jeff Freeman, thanks

When the crap hits the fan, what accessories would you want on your AR-15? For OPSEC and to keep our names off extra paperwork, let’s ignore silencers and short barreled rifles.

Silencers may play an important role in surviving a post-SHTF world, but paperwork is also an OPSEC issue. Anyone having access to the right paperwork will know exactly who has a silencer and who has a short barreled rifle. There are also the local, state, and federal laws and restrictions to consider.

For the sake of discussion and to keep things simple, lets just exclude anything that requires paperwork.

The art of shooting with open sights is a dying pastime. In today’s world. With so many relfex and red dot optics on the market, who needs to use old fashioned iron sights?

Todays optics are rock solid, military grade, and should last for years. With a few spare batteries you should be able to use an Aimpoint for years after SHTF. But, like everything else made by man, things break, go wrong, or stop working. Nothing lasts forever, and this is especially true with electronics.

A good ole iron sight does not require batteries, and unless you drop the sight on a rock or hit it with a hammer, chances are that sight will last as long as your rifle.

Ah yes, the slin

To say I am a fan of the infamous .22LR Ruger Mark III would be an understatement, but holsters were a challenge until I discovered the Fobus holster and magazine pouch options.

The Fobus Evolution Holsters are nothing new, and I’d put off getting one for far too long. I finally decided enough was enough and picked up the Fobus Holster and magazine pouch. With them I was able to turn my Ruger Mark III into a tactical training tool for practicing reloads.

The Mark III Fobus Evolution Paddle Holster with NRA gel Tab fits both the Ruger Mark II and Mark III models and provides tunable retention via an adjustment screw. The holster body is one piece polymer construction and is riveted securely to the rubberized paddle insert. The Paddle itself is covered on the outer facing side with a gel that provides retention to the body curve molded paddle. The use is extraordinarily simple: just slide it into your pants or shorts and it provides a solid weapon carry platform.

To date, I have reviewed many of the Extrema Ratio knives, including the Selvans, Ontos, Nemesis, and Shrapnel, and have been extremely impressed by their ability to deliver around their task-focused design of survival and defense.

Recently, I picked up an Extrema Ratio Doberman IV Tactical knife, designed to be multipurpose to cover all needs from defense and survival work to game cleaning and everyday property upkeep chores. It’s a knife design which delivers a belly for skinning in a more classic drop point blade with a balance of strength and precision with a fine low-aspect edge grind.

If you’re knife nut like myself, you may lust after the sexy Italian Extrema Ratio knives like motorcycle enthusiasts lust after a Ducati 999. Extrema Ratio knives are without a doubt the most exotic of the production knives designed for the actual hard use of the Italian Military and Special forces. Yes, they are different than a typical drop point survival knife: a different blade tip, a different look, a different feel, a more substantial heft, and certainly more money than almost any other production knife. However, this out of the box thinking performs spectacularly and is worth every cent when your life is on the line. If you have the money to invest, the Extrema Ratio knives I h

A complete $119 polymer AR-15 lower is something that can give you pause. The concept originally hit the market several years ago, and the online banter questioning the durability has not stopped since. Without naming names, let’s call the original polymer AR-15 manufacturer “plum insane,” and their customer service practices lacked anything identifiable as customer service. That level of customer service paired with a bunch of unfounded claims that polymer AR lowers will never hold up like metal didn’t serve to start the whole idea off on the best foot.

From my research, actual owners loved the polymer AR-15 lower receivers, but regardless of those reviews, the armchair commandos continued the banter. Because I realize it is pointless to argue with closed minds, I decided to do my own research and test one myself, but that “plum insane” company never returned my calls to place an order and, from my understanding, has not shipped any product for some time.

Fast forward a year and I find out that New Frontier Armory is offering complete AR-15 polymer lower receivers for under $120, touting great support and an expansive product line of upgraded, completely assembled AR uppers as well. Founded in 2009, New Frontier is a Class III veteran owned fi

This is part of a new series where we research and discuss EDC items throughout history. If you have a suggestion, email ashley@alloutdoor.com.

Women who love gear likely understand the frustration of women’s clothing, particularly the lack of functional pockets large enough to carry substantial items. This struggle is hardly new, and throughout history, many women came up with unique, inventive ways to carry their important belongings.

One such example is the chatelaine, often referred to as the “Swiss Army Knife of purses.” A Victorian-era invention, chatelaines were decorative yet functional multitools, often housing a small pouch for small effects, as well as multiple tools: a thimble, a whistle, a pair of scissors, and a buttonhook, for instance.

According to Genevieve Cummins, author of Chatelaines: Utility to Glorious Extravagance, chatelaines existed as early as the 1500s but weren’t given a name until the 1800s. The name comes from the French term “la chatelaine,” which referred to the woman who ran an estate and often carried a set of keys to the g

For those of us that want to squeeze the last little bit of accuracy from a 10/22 build, we are always looking for any edge we can get. As an example, we want a barrel trunion/shank to receiver union so tight that any potential for shot to shot variance or barrel droop is negated. In the case of barrel to receiver fit, we want a mounting option that can make the barrel and receiver become one. The 100% stainless steel MOA 10/22 receiver will satisfy even the most ardent of accuracy 10/22 fanatics.

MOA Corp was founded in 1982 with the introduction of the company’s maximum long range target pistol, which is still today considered one of the most accurate pistols ever made. Today, 30 years later, MOA also produces the one and only 100% stainless steel receiver for the 10/22. Additionally it is one of only three 10/22 receivers made in the industry that are threaded, which allows for the best barrel to receiver union possible.

As a family we have owned and collected firearms for generations, and of course I have substantially augmented that collection over the years. We also have a few things we treasure: documents, family photographs, and electronics that we want keep safe. Many of us only think we need a safe to store guns and gold, but the reality is some of the most precious things we own, things like family photos and documents, simply cannot be replaced by insurance money. The problem is, destructive fire and forces of nature don’t care these items are near and dear to our hearts. Nefarious characters may also lust after some of these personal treasures as well.

With a budget of $1,000, you have an embarrassment of choices. In the past, there were no true production knives at this price point, but now there are. In fact, there are quite a few. But here’s a tip: there are many custom knives available for around $500, and if you know what to look for and how to buy, you can get truly superb blades.

In the flashlight realm, there are a bunch of new choices at this price point, all of which are outstanding. When you have $500 to spend on a light, you’re getting truly cutting edge performance and that something extra. Buying your light and saber kit with $1,000 is fun, if for no other reason than the fact that it’s like a buffet of gear–take almost whatever you want.

In the production world you have the Sebenza, the Mnandi, and the Umnumzaan, all of which are excellent products made by Chris Reeve. The Sebenza is a cla

In 1964, Ruger introduced the investment cast 10/22, a rifle which can only now be described as a phenomenon among new and old shooters. Most of us not only have one, but several 10/22s in a variety of configurations due to the availability of aftermarket “hop up” parts. These parts have become so popular that many buy base model 10/22s just to begin a custom rifle. The original Ruger has improved over the years, but the aftermarket parts market offers shooters performance far from the capabilities of even the best and most accurate of the current crop of Stock Ruger 10/22 models.

Once you have done a few custom 10/22 builds, you start to realize that buying a stock Ruger to cannibalize is counter intuitive if you plan on replacing everything anyway. After we consider all the parts we want to change, many shooters are now starting off right with an aftermarket receiver for extra precision and an accuracy edge. The Tactical Machining TM 10/22 receiver is a deal among these usually pricey upgrades.