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Black Powder - Invention to ExplosionIt is believed that the Chinese have been using black powder for about a thousand years and they are generally credited with its invention starting with fireworks. Around 700 years ago someone came up with the idea that if you put some black powder in a tube with a rock it would expel the rock out at sufficient velocity to make it a weapon. Another early idea was to use reinforced bamboo to shoot arrows and darts. No one knows who thought of this, but they did indeed change the world. The general consensus is...

I’m a big fan of coyotes. I enjoy seeing them, hearing them and hunting them. I think the reason I like them so much is that I’ve always had a lot of respect for a underdog, which the coyote surely is compared to its more media divisive cousin the wolf, or other charismatic megafauna like the bear. Similar to Rodney Dangerfield, coyotes “don’t get no respect.” Unlike wolves there are no national groups crying for their protection, no one is pleading their case on the steps of the capital. In spite of this, coyotes are without a doubt one of...

For those that hunt or into survival. This may be one of the easiest way to start a fire that I came across. The guy from Stephenson Prepper uses cotton ball, petrolium jelly and a flint with a scraper. See the fire starter video here. So what other easy ways do you all use to start a fire for survival?

There are many ways to find true north if you get disoriented while hiking. Though it may sound easy to walk in a straight line, it’s actually simple to get off-course. There are many ways to getting back on track, that is back to true north. Here are some simple methods: First method is to get a needle and cork, or something to make the needle float. Once placed in the water, the needle will turn and point to true north. See the rest of the methods for finding true north here. How about you all, what other ways have...

Drew Hamilton was filming bears in Alaska's McNeil River when he got a companion. A brown bear sits next to him while taking in the sites of where all bears were gathering to catch salmon. See the video here. Anybody have bears come this close?

Here's a story from one of the angler's on his experience shooting water moccasins with the .410 load. While out fishing with his brother-in-law, snakes were everywhere swimming right up to within a few feet of us to check us out, heads above the water the entire time and not even remotely afraid. Given that I live about 100 yards from the pond, and I'm not a fan of water moccasins (which I'm pretty sure is what these were, because most harmless water snakes swim with their heads down and shy away from disturbances), I ran back to the house...

All Air Rifles are not created equal. If you’re not familiar with air rifles than take a look at what Ted HoldOver has done from his bathroom. Ted uses a .25 caliber air rifle, and it has the power and precision to make a lasting impression. Watch and see what great precision and power the new air rifles have to offer and their impacts on pests all caught in slow motion. You certainly will be impressed, watch it here.

Captain America has to be the all time favorite super hero, as he fights the bad guys with his famous round shield. We are also, fascinated with bulletproof objects like the Captain America shield. Gun retailers Miculek.com took this thought a step further and actually tested a Captain America shield weighing 12 pounds. Miculek did make a modification on the shield, he used a titanium one, where as in the comic, the shield was made by Vibranium. Stan Lee the comic creator came up with the term because he wasn’t a metallurgist. So Miculek crew took the shield out to...

EVA SHOCKEY HAS BECOME the face of women in the hunting movement, and that is a big deal. There have been exactly two women to grace the cover of Field & Stream magazine in the last 100 years: the first lady was Queen Elizabeth; the second Eva Shockey. The National Shooting Sports Foundation reported that the increase in hunting participation from 2008 to 2012 among males was only 1.9 percent; among women it was 10. In those four short years, the number of female hunters jumped from 3.04 million to 3.35 million. Did Eva have anything to do with that?...

Last week the full titanium model of Captain America’s shield stood up to the test against 8 rounds .45 ACP caliber. This week we get to find out if it can be successfully used as an offensive weapon to go for the kill. The titanium model that Jerry Miculek is using is a 12-pound shield that matches exactly that of Captain America. Take a look at the video as Miculek tries his hand at throwing the shield as a weapon at a ballistics dummy to see what the damage may look like. See the result here.

icture a tiny, Christmas town filled with classic Alpine chalets and surrounded by mountains, with the citizens working dutifully to contribute to the common good, and you will envision Zermatt, Switzerland. Zermatt is a picturesque tourist town that would fit the typical political progressive’s idea of utopia on earth: modern, clean and government-controlled. Environmental preservation is key. Residents pride themselves on the pure, glacial water flowing through the town. Cars are banned, except for the few licensees who are permitted to drive electric vehicles. I spoke with a shopkeeper who explained the government’s protection of the Swiss deer. If you...

That's right you heard it, one arrow taking down two hogs. Has anyone done this?, did you video capture it?, anyways here's a video showing Keith Warren displaying such skill, see the video here.

The guys from Demolition Ranch are at it again. After starting small with their Tannerite experiments, Demolition Ranch went big, with a 60-foot PVC pipe filled with Tannerite binary explosive. Problem: It stubbornly refused to explode all at once. Apparently, the pipe was too small. Fail. When they tackled it again, they went with 4? PVC and buried 50 feet of it. On one end, an elbow was added and the pipe turned up out of the ground – and that’s what they shot to detonate it. It didn't fail. See the video here.

The Samopal vzor 58, or Automatic weapon model 58, was put into Czechoslovak military service in the late 1950s. A very lightweight 7.62×39 carbine with a short-stroke piston action, it was one of the first Czech arms to use the Soviet cartridge instead of the longer native round. Lighter than the AK-47 by 1.3 pounds, it also used alloy magazines that weighed half of the steel AK-47 mags. Although similar in overall size to the AK, the slimmer pistol grip and stock gave it a more dainty look. Besides Czechoslovak army use, the rifle was exported to about 20 countries,...

What's your preference when it comes to handguns, would you use a polymer or metal frame? Here's a short excerpt on the sentiment on 1911Forum: 45ACP_1911 I can't get used to the feel of Polymer guns. I appreciate the double stack design and light weight but they just don't feel good in my hands. I've got a Glock 10mm but I just don't shoot it. A 1911 in contrast feels wonderful in my hands and the trigger pull can be made outstanding. What the heck I can change a mag in split second anyhow. motorsporting It's taken me several years...

Though I wouldn't say they are exactly common, dealing with a boar charge is a distinct possibility any time you go into the woods in pursuit of hogs. The hunter in the video almost learned this lesson the hard (and painful way). Watch the video to see just how close that hunter was to being gored by that boar! See the video here.

A while back in 2015, Kyle Anderson was following a nice 8-point buck that made its way into Michigan’s Grand Traverse East Bay. While he was not planning on shooting the swimming deer while it was in the water, he did not want to lose sight of this beauty. Until this woman got involved. During an ongoing and legal hunt, Anderson says in the video description that he faced multiple instances of harassment, but this woman took the cake entirely. Having already called the police on her for illegally parking her car, Anderson walks to confront the woman who continues...

The very most essential foundation of accurate shooting is trigger control. How were you taught to shoot, or did you just learn it "OJT?" What type of firearm did you learn to shoot first, and have you transferred that technique to everything you shoot? I suppose you could take a formal shooting course and learn the textbook styles of trigger control for pistols, revolvers, rifles, and even shotguns. There are some very subtle differences in how to correctly shoot each firearm type, but more importantly is finding a way for you to learn to best shoot every gun you own....

Pistol caliber carbines have become extremely popular since the ammo shortage a few years ago. Just recently, the prolific Wilson Combat company released information about their new 9mm rifle the AR9. At first glimpse the Wilson AR9 has the similar appearance of an AR-15, so obviously an AR clone. It’s a quality-built 9mm AR with a quality AR price of $1,995. Unfortunately, that price is what's killing it in the eyes of the buyer, check it out. The Sig MPX is also a quality built AR style carbine: $1,732The Zenith MKE Z-5 Rifle is based of the classic, reliable MP-5:...

Those of us who have shouldered a shotgun a few thousand times in our lives can recall that first time we touched off a 12 gauge, or any gauge for that matter. It reminds us that we didn’t always have the bulk or the muscle memory to handle one. Did it stop any of us from wanting another try, one of our own, or a trip to deer camp with dad? Maybe, its the macho side or just trying to impress Dad. Cheer for a young fella who just got his shoulder popped and in a minute when it quits...