Free Republic

When the chips are down and without a moments notice what bug out guns, pocket rifles or survival rifles do you have? These rifles fits the SHTF scenario where you need a compact rifle that can be broken down and stored in your day pack, truck or even in your hidden cache. Just so you know, these survival rifles we’re talking about is not a personal defense gun like the AK’s or fully equipped M4 (AR-15). Our main goal is about taking this out to the field when needed during a dire situation to hunt small game for survival. There...

A look back at the history of some of our Red, White and Blue banners. I don't know if you can be a patriot and not get choked up a bit when you see Old Glory flying in the breeze. My thoughts go first to the sacrifices of our military forces, because without them, we could not protect and preserve our unique way of life from outside aggression. The design of our flag represents I our republic. The 13 stripes remind us of our nation’s birth, with the brave rebellion of the original 13 colonies from Great Britain. Here are...

Did you know that replacing the factory gas block on your AR-15 with an adjustable gas block can improve your rifle’s performance? Such as: -Less recoil, results in a faster follow-up shot. -Less stress on the operating parts. -Less carbon build-up, better reliability and easier cleaning. The concept of an adjustable-gas system has been around for quite a while. Competition shooters using M1 Garand rifles, a semiauto first used in the US military in 1936, found utility in adjustable gas plugs to regulate the cycling of the action by letting out a little extra gas. Perhaps the most prolific use...

Is it good for Hunting? Do you hunt with action lever rifles? (repeaters) There was a period when lever action rifles were completely out of the picture for hunting. Thanks to companies like Marlin, Henry and Winchester as they still make these fine repeating rifles. Its amazing to see in this heavy marketed AR-platform and bolt action world that the repeating firearms are making a comeback. Veteran hunters may be the ones influencing the newer generation of hunters. Maybe, the newbies are out there looking to be like John Wayne. Good thing this isn’t a faddish thing because hunting deer...

The general thinking for self-defense is who would want a .410 when a 12 gauge is available. There was a time, I never considered the .410 for this purpose. Sometime later, I ran into an old timer and the subject of guns came up. I told him I keep a Mini M-14 in the truck for survival. He quickly added that I should also carry a .410 because it has some punch. Not quite sure of the old timer comments, but I am aware that Taurus and S&W makes some good firearms. It was worth looking at the Judge and...

Uberti's version of Colt's percussion .31-caliber Model 1849 a 'dandy little gun.' Looking back along the line of the original Colts, the Model 1849 Pocket Revolvers have quite a history. Sam Colt had produced some very historic revolvers beginning in 1836. The Colt Patterson revolver was a five shot with the folding trigger and a pair of those are said to have been carried by Kit Carson, probably after 1840. Next came the Colt Walker revolver, which was quite an improvement but that big .44 is huge. The Walker was followed by the Colt Dragoon series, also .44s but with...

The story and origin of the bugle call known as "Taps" can be found in many versions, including the legend of a son fighting on the opposing side of the Civil War from his father. This legend depicts a Northern boy who was killed fighting for the Confederates. His father, Robert Ellicombe, a captain in the Union Army, came upon his son’s body and found the notes to “Taps” in the pocket of the dead boy’s uniform. When Union General Daniel Sickles heard the story, he had the notes played at the boy’s funeral. While this very short version of...

No phony 'gun bunny,' this former Army MP who served in Afghanistan enjoys long-range shooting and is an Instagram-era Second Amendment, concealed carry and female empowerment influencer. The increasing number of women taking up shooting for self-defense and recreational purposes is shifting the demographics of the shooting sports community in huge and very positive ways. Shooting was never purely a man's pursuit, but social mores prevalent in my generation made women on the range a rarity. Back in the Reagan era, if you saw a female on the range, she was almost certainly there with her boyfriend or husband, "trying...

When a Canadian family noticed a group of bears on their property, the father attempted to scare them off by firing a warning shot into the air. Unfortunately, this provoked the mother bear, who charged. Amazingly, the man was able to fire off his last shot, momentarily knocking the beast off her feet and giving him enough time to make it back to safety. He later tracked the bear family, and believes while the mama bear is sore, she’s okay. See the footage of bear attacks.

What is The Pocket Shot? Well, it is what I call a modern-day sling shot, but a little cooler, has an interesting design and is quite portable – but make no mistake, this is not a toy! Let's get the statistics out of the way first: The Pocket Shot is a closed pouch made of latex with a base and locking ring that compresses the latex ends. This design allows for a solid grip on the front end and a clear line of projection for your ammunition – in this case a steel slug. Pocket Shot claims that it has...

Tell us if you've done this, come on fess up, you have at least one NERF gun in your home or office and have done the following when no one is watching: 'sliced the pie', hostage shots, body armor drills, quick-draw Doc Holliday trigger guard spins, open shirtless apex carry, look in the mirror and say 'you looking at me?', double tap on swimsuit model posters and long range "sniping". If you've done any of this you're a John Wick fan. Youtuber Corridor Digital did a three minutes of awesomeness a while back, substituting NERF guns for the real deal,...

Match bullets have long been the best friend of the target shooter, but that relationship has been taken even further in the last decade with the rising popularity of long-range shooting. Where once the simple consistency of a match bullet was enough to give the characteristics a competition shooter desired, taking things well out past 1,000 yards has changed the requirements. Whereas many shooters had no idea what Ballistic Coefficient was, or couldn't explain the difference between a tangent or secant ogive, modern long-range shooters are better educated than ever. Yes, many of our most popular match bullets are still...

Are you aware that the U.S. recently agreed to “full implementation” of the United Nations Gun Control Pact? Even if your country never completely bows to the rule of the United Nations, it is clear that there is an agenda in play to disarm Americans. They are looking for any excuse they can to keep you from owning a gun. Why? Because in a country with more guns than people, the government feels threatened. They struggle to maintain power over the masses.

Small hideout guns tend to be small caliber and that means ineffectual stoppers. The current crop of ultra-light polymer-framed .32s and .380s with double action only trigger mechanisms are also very hard to hit anything with. There is a more effective alternative available. American Derringer has beefed up the traditional Remington Double Derringer to .45 Colt caliber and it also will chamber the 2½-inch .410 shotgun shells. The .45 Colt is a one-shot stopper with a hit to the vitals, and you have two shots. It is a close range weapon, but then most gunfights are also close range and...

Why You Should Try the .300 Winchester Magnum If you go through a dedicated hunter’s gun safe, you’re probably going to find at least one gun chambered for the .300 Win Mag cartridge. There are a lot of good reasons for that, and it really is one of the cartridges that every shooter should consider adding to their armory. It is one of the most popular options in spite of the huge variety of cartridges that hunters can choose from because it offers great ballistic characteristics for a huge variety of purposes. It is vital that you understand the cartridge...

TFB tries their hand at Out Shooting Keanu Reeves A while back BuzzFeed Youtuber stumbled across a video of Taran Tactical training Keanu Reeves on tactical shooting for the movie role John Wick. Buzzfeed tried their hands on gun shooting, they did ok (you can read about it below). Fast Forward to Now The Firearm Blog had heard what the Buzzfeed guys did so TFB decides, why not us?, But the differences is that TFB also wanted to create some shooting tips segments from Da Man himself "Taran Butler". So TFB flew down to L.A. to meet with Taran Butler...

1000 Yard Rifle for less than $500 There are many rifles that can shoot at 1000 yard, here’s a few popular ones thats out there: .300 Winchester Magnum 338 Lapua Magnum 408 CheyTac 50 BMG Oh, wait a minute, we’re looking for something under $500 range. Well, check out Ruger American Predator rifle. Its true that most F-class shooters rigs are customized and goes well into the thousands of dollars. With the Predator, you can customize it till your broke or you can just get this at the bare minimum. This Predator can reach out and touch something at 1000...

The pump action gun design is as American as it gets. One of the most prolific was the old Winchester Model 1890 that came in various of .22 caliber rimfire chambers. Once popularized in the shooting galleries and carnivals, the pump .22 has withered into the past. In such a huge market of .22 rifles, Henry is famous for its lever-action rifles. But, Henry Repeating firearms still thinks theres still a place for the pump action with its Pump Action rifle in .22LR and .22 WMR. At a quick glance if this pump action reminds you of the old gallery...

Shooting in terrible conditions is a nightmare that every hunter dreads. Those bold enough to continue hunting regardless of the conditions deserve recognition for their tenacity. However, some hunters might be unaware of the factors involved in certain conditions and others might know that some "bad" conditions are actually misconceptions. Boldness will only get you so far. Hunting in bad conditions comes down to experience and practice. Every extremity requires a different understanding of the environment in each particular situation. Sometimes it’s knowing how to read wind patterns, while other times it’s a matter of not passing out from extreme...

Muzzleloaders have come along way and there has been enormous improvements in muzzleloading technology. Traditionally, able to take down target at 50-75 yards, current muzzleloaders can reach out at longer ranges. There’s mixture of sentiment as to which muzzleloader to go with. Modern day hunters have the latest piece of weaponry with all the gizmo. While some old school purist just want to use their old style muzzleloader. There are some hunters that just want a reliable muzzleloader. Whichever side you fall on there is something for everyone. Have a look at some of these fine muzzleloaders:Traditions Redi-Pak This is...