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Many readers are interested in how various handgun calibers have performed in defense against bears. This is a complicated subject. Sometimes, any caliber will do. Sometimes a level of power may be required. Sometimes, a level of accuracy or speed may be required. Many permutations exist. The most important aspect, if a confrontation occurs, is to have a firearm available, easily and quickly accessible. The specific caliber is less important. These updates include all the incidents we have been able to document to the date of the update, after several years of intense searches. We have always asked for examples...

A continual debate in the firearms and hunting community is about caliber wars. 9mm v .45. What is the minimum caliber for whitetail deer? What calibers are good for elk? Moose? Grizzly bears? In the research of handguns fired in defense against bears, a surprising conclusion springs forth: Caliber is not as important as we thought. Having a firearm is more important than caliber. There are several reasons why this is so.First, a firearm builds confidence. A person with a firearms has more confidence they can do something instead of nothing. Call it the psychological factor. A firearm gives a...

The Police Tribune released a body cam video (warning: explicit violence) of a Michigan deputy emptying her magazine (after clearing a malfunction) into Sean Ernest Ruis shortly after the unarmed suspect stabbed a senior citizen and then came after the deputy with a knife and a screwdriver. The deputy fortunately did not heed Joe Biden's advice to shoot the unarmed man in his leg, as depicted here: "Instead of standing there and teaching a cop, when there's an unarmed person coming at them with a knife or something, you shoot them in the leg instead of in the heart is...

If you were going to pick a rifle caliber for a long term SHTF situation, what would that caliber be? For some reason I woke up this morning thinking about my 7mm express / 280 Remington, and how the panic buying in the first half of 2013 caused a shortage in ammunition supplies. When I got my Remington model 700 chambered in 280, I wanted something that was around the 270 or 30-06, and that would also work on heavier game such as elk and moose. In all honesty I put too much thought into picking the 280 Remington. While...

Tim Ralston, Survival Expert Founder of Gear Up and International Spokesman for NatGeo's Doomsday Preppers, reveals the ultimate survival rifle system...the X-Caliber. WHAT IS X CALIBER?: X Caliber is the most versatile Gauge Adapter system in the world. It allows you to shoot 11 different caliber rounds from one shooting platform: a single-shot 12 gauge shotgun. Each X Caliber adapter is made from 7 inches of 4140 chromoly steel. Each adapter is also rifled to increase accuracy. WHAT GAUGES X CALIBER FIRES: The calibers of ammunition that the X Caliber can fire include: .22LR / 38 special / .357 /...

I have a question for our resident Free Republic firearms experts. Several years ago I purchased a Mosin Nagant M-44 Carbine at a gun show. (Винтовка Мосина 7.62 x 54R) I like it. I have never fired it. Why? I don't trust the ammunition. I have several boxes (unmarked) of what the vendor at the gun show CLAIMED was 7.62 x 54R. Trouble is, the base of the casings are NOT stamped with the caliber. What they have stamped there is 21 and 87. My camera is not good enough to pick this up well, but you get the idea:...

LITTLE ROCK — A federal magistrate ordered a Pope County physician arrested last week on a weapons charge to remain in custody pending his trial. U.S. Magistrate H. David Young said he was concerned Dr. Randeep Singh Mann might flee the country if released. Mann, 50, was arrested March 4 after federal agents searched his home after a cache of unregistered, high-explosive grenades was found in the vicinity. Four unregistered firearms were found in his home in London, near Russellville. Mann was charged with illegal possession of the grenades with possible further charges pending over the unregistered guns, a federal...

WASHINGTON, April 11, 2006 – Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today he's encouraged that the military services are exceeding their recruiting targets and called it an indication of the caliber of men and women joining and serving in the armed services. "It is encouraging that so many outstanding young people are continuing to raise their hands and volunteer to serve our country," he told Pentagon reporters. The secretary referred to recruiting and retention rates released yesterday that show all four services met or exceeded their active-duty recruiting goals in March for the 10th consecutive month. Retention rates also remained...

The Definitive Military Service Calibre and Rifle For the 21st Century - Part 2 By Mike Staples Over the last 100 years there have been many rifles, which in their day were considered by the countries using them and the men who carried them in war, as being the best rifle for the job. In the early years most were bolt action repeaters and. in the hands of well trained soldiers, were as good as any of today's rifles. What they may have lacked in rapid fire they made up in their simple action, reliability, accuracy and sturdy construction. Today...

The Definitive Military Service Calibre and Rifle For the 21st Century - Part 1 By Mike Staples Introduction Hi, my name is Mike Staples and I am an ex Australian Army Fitter Armament or to put it more simply, an Armourer. My experience takes in all Australian Military Weapons including pistols, rifles, SMGs, LMGs, HMGs, Mortars, recoilless rifle, and artillery pieces, as well as mounted guns in our Armoured vehicles that were current at the time of my service. On top of that experience is my love of shooting, which started when I was around 6 years of age and...

With “Powerful Rifle” article, journalist shoots self in the foot Michael Marks Director of Legislative Affairs Fifty Caliber Institute Nov. 29, 2005 Journalism is a venerable and timehonored profession, steeped in tradition and burdened with the singular responsibility to tell the truth. The very concept of freedom of the press is founded upon the belief that the public need for reliable information outweighs many of the barriers set up by individuals, companies and governments. It is therefore incredulous when members of this ostensibly noble brotherhood are so will to flush their profession, good name and credibility down the toilet. Nowhere...

June 14th, 2005 Dear ****** We have important news to share with you to keep 50 caliber sniper rifles out of the hands of terrorists. Congressman James P. Moran (D-VA), author of the 50 Caliber Sniper Rifle Reduction Act, will be offering an amendment this afternoon during House consideration of the Science, State, Justice and Commerce (SSJC) Appropriations bill (HR 2862) that would prohibit the exportation of the 50 Caliber Sniper Rifle. Congressman Moran wrote the following letter to his House colleagues today about this important homeland security public policy measure: "Capable of inflicting a devastatingly accurate impact from well...

Often comedy shows like "The Daily Show" come closer to the truth than the daily press. We urge you to review this commentary from Lewis Black, aired on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, in which NRA Executive Vice President claims that he doesn't know what a terrorist watch list is and that it shouldn't prevent potential terrorists from buying guns, big guns, guns that can shoot down planes landing and taking off: http://www.50caliberterror.com/video/LewisBlack.mov Watch and listen here or go to http://www.50caliberterror.com where we have it posted. Also, if you missed the second "60 Minutes" piece on the terrorist danger...

CHICAGO, March 9 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Anti-Terrorism and Aviation Protection Act," (H.B. 1098), passed out of the Illinois House of Representatives Human Services Committee today, a homeland security bill to prevent a terrorist from using a .50 caliber sniper rifle to shoot down a civilian airliner during landing or takeoff. Rep. Elaine Nekritz (D-57th) and Rep. Beth Coulson (R-17th), the two main sponsors, have launched a bi-partisan effort to keep the most deadly and powerful sniper rifles on the market out of the hands of terrorists to protect Illinois aviation and vulnerable industrial targets. .50 caliber sniper rifles were designed...

The wet panty liberals have taken the CNN fiction about .50 Caliber Rifles and run with it. Would you believe that they claim a civilian .50 Caliber Rifle can "take down" a airliner?

H.R.654 Title: To ban the transfer of 50 caliber sniper weapons, and otherwise regulate the weapons in the same manner as machine guns are regulated. Sponsor: Rep Moran, James P. [VA-8] (introduced 2/8/2005) Cosponsors (18) Latest Major Action: 2/8/2005 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COSPONSORS(18), ALPHABETICAL [followed by Cosponsors withdrawn]: (Sort: by date) Rep Blumenauer,...

The US Army issued a contract to build a new heavy machine-gun, the M307. It can fire 25mm "smart shells" or, with a barrel change, the older .50 caliver (12.7mm) bullets. Earlier, it planned to build a new .50 caliber machine-gun, the M312. Now it’s official, the U.S. Army is building a replacement for the 1920s era M-2 .50 caliber (12.7mm) heavy machine-gun. The new weapon, the M-307, has been designed so it can fire either the computer controlled 25mm "smart shell" or (by changing the barrel and receiver), .50 caliber ammo. The troops will begin receiving the new...