Gun safety always comes first

I think we can all agree that guns are dangerous. There is a tiny explosion that happens inches away from your hand that has enough power to launch a tiny projectile at thousands of feet per second. If that isn't dangerous, I don't know what is.

Firearms are dangerous, but so is just about everything else in this world. There is always an associated risk when doing any sort of activity that we all accept. When you get in your car, you are driving a way in a death trap. When you play a sport, you are vulnerable to injury and in very rare cases, death.  You cannot let these deadly things control who you are, and what you want to do. In every one of these cases, however, there are many ways to decrease the likelihood of death or injury, and with guns, it is no different.

If you are new to guns, or thinking about getting a gun for the first time, it is imperative that you learn how to safely handle these tools prior to using them. The most helpful thing for you to do is to find a hunter's safety or a gun safety class at your local gun range and take that immediately. It doesn't matter if you are actually hunting or not, 100% of the information provided in those classes can be used every single day you are handling firearms. Don't get discouraged if the class is full of 13 year old kids or if you are the oldest one there. The hands-on experience you get is going to much much better than reading some stuff online.

While you are here though, I can provide you with some safety tips. The information I will be giving though should reflect exactly what you find elsewhere. The gun community as a whole are one of the safest groups of people I have ever been around.

Always point the firearm in a generally safe direction.  

Any time you handle a firearm, it is important that you treat it with the care and respect it deserves. Whenever a firearm is loaded, is has the ability, in the right hands, to almost instantly take a life. Just like if you are holding a rattle snake, you need to hold it so that you don't hurt yourself or others. 

Point the muzzle of the gun, or the end where the bullet comes out, in a generally safe direction. Strait up in the air, down at the ground, down range, or just generally away from any people. Don't point it at people, or animals or in the direction of traffic. Failing to do this is called "sweeping" someone with your muzzle. 

Sweeping other gun owners with your muzzle is a good way to get a gun pointed at you as well, and can ruin a good day at the range for anyone. If you see any one violating this rule, whoever they are, you need to IMMEDIATELY bring it up. There should be very swift and severe comments in that person's direction, if not physical intervention. Seriously, take the gun away from them if that is what is needed. 

All gun rules are created equall, but if you break every other rule, following this rule will at least keep everyone alive.

Never point a gun at anything you don't intend to kill or destroy.

This is an offshoot of the first rule. The purpose of a firearm is to fire a projectile. Not doing that with the gun is like not having a gun in the first place. Basically, you are going to need to point the gun at something and fire it, but you need to ask yourself if you are willing to lose whatever it is you are pointing at.

If you are hunting, pointing your gun at the deer, or hog, or duck you intend to kill is a necessity.
Pointing your gun at the target downrange is required if you are going to shoot it. pointing the gun at the intruder you are defending yourself from is an important part to your survival in that situation.

Don't point your gun at your dog. don't point your gun at your brand new 55" flat screen on your wall. Don't point your gun at people who mean you no harm. this is a good way to lose your precious items, or even worse, a good way to kill someone important to you. 

Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire.

Guns are designed to be held with your finger on the trigger so you can fire it comfortably. The ergonomics push your finger to it. It will feel awkward for you to keep your finger off the trigger, but do it anyway. 

You know you are ready to fire when you have the gun up, pointed at your target, and when you are
aiming down the sights. Just as above, know your target and be sure it is something that you are okay with shooting.

At that point only, can you put your finger on the trigger, and pull.

Train your mind to never touch the trigger until you are ready. Don't even think about it. Some people don't even like putting their finger over the trigger guard. Keep your finger above the trigger, lying against the frame of the gun.

Many many negligent discharges happen because someone is is being careless and they have their finger on the trigger. Put just a little too much pressure on it, and the gun will do what it is told and fire.

I have never heard of a single instance of a gun, even a poorly made gun, "just going off." Guns don't "just go off." Guns are inanimate objects and they do not have a mind of their own. They cannot fire themselves. In cases where an inexperienced gunman claims "the gun just went off," that gunman has always had their finger resting on the trigger. 

Always treat a gun as if it is loaded, even if it is not.

I don't care if you have checked that gun ten times to make sure it was unloaded. You could have a chamber flag in, and I still wouldn't care. At this point, it is not about whether it is safe or not, it is about creating a lifestyle and a habit of safety.

You might argue with me til you're blue in the face about how your gun is not loaded and how it is
safe, and the moment you forget that you left a round in the chamber, you are going to shoot your foot, or worse. 

Always pretend like there is a round in the  chamber. check it ten times, please, but even after you check it, get into the habit of continuing to treat it as if there is a round in the chamber. Guns are dangerous, and many people find them scary. You might be comfortable in knowing your gun is unloaded, but 

Know your target and what is behind it.

The bullets that guns fire vary wildly in size, weight and velocity when fired. each one reacts to a surface differently. Some rounds are designed to dispense all of its energy as quickly as possible, but some other rounds are just for fun, and do not have so much though put into them. 

A bullet can easily pass through a target and land some place far away. You could easily miss your target, which definitely send the bullet toward a location at a further distance than you intended. If you are shooting steel targets, and you happen to hit one, the bullet will shatter into a billion pieces and fly in just about every direction, sending lethal scraps of shrapnel hurtling in an unintended direction.Bullets will bounce off the ground, off trees, off steel, and especially off water. 

Know whatever it is you are shooting at, and try to understand how the bullet will react when hitting it. Look past the target to make sure there is nothing behind it you might accidentally hit. Look around the target to make sure any shrapnel will not damage anything precious or hurt anyone you do not intend to hurt.

Store all firearms out of reach of unintended users.

Unintended users could be almost anyone, and the length that you go when storing your guns could change depending on your situation.

I am married, but I have no children. I do not need to worry (right now) about children picking up my

guns, because there are no children around. I have a simple gun cabinet to keep my guns in, and I even keep a gun on my headboard. The unintended users in my situation are any intruders who might want to steal the most valuable things in my house... which are my guns...

If you live with children, you have to be much more careful. Do not store guns and ammo in the same place. Do not keep a gun loaded. Keep a gun in a locked container that only you can have access to. They make safes that use a fingerprint scanner, and if you think that is going overboard for just a few kids, then you don't know how crafty kids can be. 

You can't just treat guns like you would the alcohol. "Just put it on the top shelf, they won't be able to get to it! they are like two feet tall!" well when your kids get into the booze, they just get a bit drunk. when kids get into the guns, they get a bit dead. The most heartbreaking stories on the news are ones where the ten year old kid finds dad's gun under his pillow and ends up shooting himself. Save yourself the heartbreak. Get something impenetrable. 

If you have a code to get into your safe, never tell them the code. If you have a key, always keep that key on you. If you feel the need to have a gun near your bed, get one of those pistol safes that are specifically built for it, and then never let them see you use it. I will voice my opinion about kids and guns at a later date, but no matter what your opinion, it is common sense to keep guns out of the hands of anyone who is not responsible enough to use them.

Last word.

I hope that I have done this subject some justice. There is nothing more important when getting into firearms than safety. It is everyone's responsibility to make sure that they follow these rules and no one is exempt from them. If you are at the range and you see Jerry Miculek, and he is breaking any one of these rules, you are obligated to yell at this world record holder. Don't worry, he is very safe with his firearms, so you won't have to, but the point remains. I don't care who it is, or how long they have been using firearms. These rules stand for everyone.

Home Defense Weapons

Hello possible readers!

as you can tell by the title, we are going to be talking about Home Defense weapons.

I feel like I need a disclaimer on this post as well, because sometimes the subject of home defense with guns gets a bit touchy.

My home has never been broken into. I really really hope no one decides to break into my home. Although I am prepared for the possibility, I have no idea how I would react in such a high pressure situation. Even if someone were to break into my home, I don't know if I will even need to shoot them, or if I even have the mental constitution to do so. I do not fantasize about someone breaking into my house, I just want to be prepared just in case. Just like I have never had my car start on fire, but I have a fire extinguisher just in case it ever does.

SO! with that out of the way, we will move on!

We are talking about the best firearms one might use to protect themselves from a home invasion.

If you think about the situation of a normal home invasion or break in, you are probably going to be caught by surprise. There are some cases where the invader knocks first, but if that happens, it is because they are looking for a house with no one home. It makes for an easy target. so if someone is stupid enough to just break in, you are going to be very surprised.

In this situation, literally grabbing anything to defend yourself will be helpful. If all you have is a Mosin Nagant, grab it. something is better than nothing. Just because I don't mention it here, doesn't mean it wont work, or its a bad idea. There may be better options, but it doesn't make your gun "the wrong" gun.

I have thought a bit about this and have discussed this with some people. The first gun that always comes to mind when you talk about home defense is a pump action shotgun.

Gun #1

Pump Action Shotgun

This is the most common, because this freakin works.

It is said that the scariest noise intruders can here is the pumping action of a shotgun. Sometimes you wont even need to say anything. just rack the gun, load a round in the chamber (as a plan "B") and most of the time the bad guy will just turn around and walk out. 

What if he doesn't though? What if the sound triggers the fight response, rather than the flight response? No problem! shotguns are easy to aim and shoot a spread of small BBs that can pack quite the punch. The effective range for a shotgun is out to about 50 yards, which is normally much further than any distance inside a house. 

The biggest issue that may come up with a shotgun is the recoil. If you are a person of slightly smaller stature, and are afraid of the recoil that comes with a big 12 gauge shotgun, do not feel embarrassed about getting a 20 gauge and some lighter ammo. As I said above, anything is better than nothing, and getting shot with anything is not going to be fun for any intruder. 

The pump action shotgun also holds multiple rounds, in case followup shots are needed. this is another advantage over the break action double barreled shotgun. 

Gun #2

Handguns

I have grouped this up, because there are many many many handguns on the market, and most of them will work perfectly fine. I will be more specific about pros and cons, and what I think makes a good handgun for home defense.

Many gun owners will say something along the lines of "you need a 1911 in .45 because the .45 caliber round has a ton of knockdown power" and while that is not wrong, it is a bit narrow minded.

I love the 1911. The design, the history, the performance the caliber, the feel. Everything about it makes it a great gun, but it may not be the best gun for the job. The .45 caliber round has a lot of recoil, and unless you are a strong, confidant, experienced shooter, this will likely be too much for you to handle. 

Keep in mind as well that you will be in a high stress situation. Your heart is going to be pounding out of your chest. Your adrenaline is going to be pumping more than if you jumped off a cliff! I can guarantee you will be shaking. You don't need to have a gun you can't control to defend yourself. 

Whatever gun you end up choosing, make sure you are familiar with it, and that you are comfortable with it. Practice at the range as much as possible. Take it apart. clean it regularly. load it and unload it. Practice your draw. go through possible worst case scenarios in your mind and work on making that gun part of your instincts. 

I recommend a smaller caliber striker fire pistol. Probably a 9mm or a .380 or something. Depending on the one you select, it can hold up to about 18 rounds in the magazine before needing to be reloaded, and reloading is fast and easy. They normally come with a second magazine standard. 

Striker fire pistols often lack an external safety, which is a plus in my mind. The real safety when handling a gun should be the one between your ears. All striker fire pistols also come with a bunch of internal safeties in case you end up dropping it. They will never go off on their own. You must specifically pull the trigger to fire it. The reason I do not like an external safety on a home defense gun is because that is just one extra thing to try and remember in a high stress situation. If your intruder decides that they don't think you are serious about shooting them, and you forget to take the safety off your gun, you could end up in big trouble. 

There are many options for this, but the three biggest brands are glocks, Smith and Wesson M&Ps and Springfield XD series pistols. I personally own a turkish striker fire pistol that I trust with my
life (see photo to the right), so don't think that I am just touting the brand name products. There are many many good gun companies out there who make a great product who don't fall under one of those names. 

Gun #3

AR-15

There are some issues with pistols that can be addressed with the AR-15, and there are some limitations with the AR-15 that might make you want to use a pistol instead, but neither is a bad choice for home defense.

The AR has detachable 30 round magazines, which is a lot of ammo without having to reload, and a quick reload if you ever do. Most shoot a .223/5.56 caliber round, which is a small, but quick cartridge. The AR is shoulder fired, so that increases accuracy, and reduces muzzle movement from all of the adrenaline shaking that is happening. The gun has low recoil and yet the round hits pretty hard. 

The biggest issue with the AR, in my opinion is size of it. Without going through the ATF paperwork, as a civilian, you are required to have at least a 16" barrel when you add on any flash hider, and the rest of the gun behind that barrel, it can be pretty cumbersome to get around a doorway.

It can be a bit complicated to get going too. Lets pretend you are like me, and you do not feel comfortable with a round in the chamber while the gun is just sitting near your bed. You hear a bump in the night, and you grab the gun and the full mag which is kept near it. Insert the mag in the gun, then either pull back the charging handle or press the bolt release button (depending on the state that your gun sits at rest), click the safety over, and now you are ready to go. 

If you practice your routine, this won't be any issue to you. The gun will perform perfectly for self defense in this situation. I like to reduce the number of things to remember and reduce my movement as much as possible, but anyone can get good at any motion if you practice enough.

Item #4

Suppressor

No, there were not three other items before this one. This isn't a gun, but is an excellent addition to any home defense gun. It needed to be mentioned in this list.

Many people think that suppressors are illegal, and that is not true. Much like the SBRs I mentioned in my last post, suppressors are a class 3 item and you must go through ATF paperwork and 6-8 weeks before you are allowed to get one, but after that they are perfectly legal. Laws on this change throughout the country and almost every year it seems, so be sure to brush up on your local suppressor laws before attempting to get one.

Suppressors, or silencers, are not quite like the movies would make them out to be. They are not just used by assassins to kill someone in the middle of a crowd without anyone knowing. They do not work quite that well, but they do reduce the noise of a firearm to the point that you do not need to wear ear protection when you fire it.

Most suppressors reduce the noise between 20 and 50 decibels and you can still hear an audible "BANG" but you won't damage your ears. If you have ever fired a gun indoors (my range has a shooting shack for shooting in the winter) you understand that the walls seem to amplify the noise. the moment you pull the trigger indoors without ear protection on, your vision will get blurry, you will hear a ringing in your ears, and possibly some sharp pain. 

How does this relate to home defense? When you wake up in the middle of the night, and you need to fire a gun at an intruder, do you really think you are going to ask him to wait while you find ear protection? Nope. You won't have time to cover your ears, and when that gun goes off, you are going to feel like you have just been punched in the ear. You better hope you hit the guy and he has decided to leave you alone, because if you missed, and they are still coming after you, you are now vulnerable. 

I know I made it sound like this is a must-have item for everyone, however, very few people have suppressors, and I will tell you why.

To get a suppressor, you must submit paperwork and a $200 tax stamp to the ATF along with a ton of personal information. You wait 6-8 weeks for approval and after that, you pay the suppressor manufacturer $800 or more for the item itself. 

Why would you pay $1000 or more for this item? Your house will probably never get broken into. If it does, you probably won't have to fire your gun, and if you do, you could save $1000 by just making sure you don't miss. You might only fire one or two shots anyhow, so the risk of permanent hearing damage is pretty low. 

You need to make the best decision for you and your situation. Getting a suppressor is not going to be the best choice for everyone, but if time and money are not an issue, or if you live in an area where your risk is higher, this may be some thing to look into.

Gun #5

My perfect choice

Kriss Vector, SBR, Suppressor

If money, and time were no issue, and you wanted to make sure you had the best possible choice for your home security at any cost, in my opinion it is the Kriss Vector.

The Kriss Vector was designed to be a Sub-Machine Gun (SMG) which is a shoulder fired rifle that shoots a pistol caliber round on Fully-Automatic. Kriss Vector also makes civilian legal, Semi-Automatic versions of their SMG that just about anyone can buy for around $1500.

What makes this gun so cool? It has a revolutionary recoil mitigation system. It reduces felt recoil by 60% and reduces muzzle flip by 90% according to their website. This is especially important when you are launching a big, fat, slow, hard hitting round like the .45 caliber round. 

What? didn't you just say earlier that the .45 caliber might not be the best round for home defense? well... sort of...

The round itself is not bad, by any means. It is exactly what you want, as long as you can hit something with it. It is a large round that moves slow and packs a big hit. This will put down just

about anything you hit with it, especially a man. It is also great because it will disperse a lot of it's energy very quickly. This means that if you miss, the bullet will not travel through four walls and kill the neighbors dog, or worse.

Remember that recoil mitigation system I told you about? and the fact that it is shoulder fired? having the gun rest on your shoulder creates another point of contact, making the gun more stable in your hands. recoil going through your shoulder is going to be taken a bit easier than recoil you feel straight through your hands. On top of

that, the Kriss throws all of the energy for the shot straight down using a weighted bolt.

Less recoil in your shoulder means more accuracy right off the bat. reduced muzzle flip means faster followup shots if you need them. 

So why an SBR? The big problem with shoulder fired weapons is their length. A normal civilian version Vector also comes with a 16" barrel and that can really get in the way when you are moving through doors, especially with a suppressor on the end of the barrel. The gun normally comes with a 4" or 5" barrel, which is all you need to get the round going in the right direction and hit your target. The suppressor on the end would add a bit more length, but it will be much more manageable. 

The Vector also uses standard Glock magazines, of which you can find 30 round capacity mags. It comes standard with iron sights, a top accessory rail if you want to add a red dot, and a bottom accessory rail if you want to add a laser, or a forward vertical grip. 

This platform, in my opinion, has the most upside and the fewest downsides. The biggest downside is the ATF paperwork, and 2 $200 tax stamps you have to do, and the 6-8 weeks you have to wait for your SBR and your suppressor. The gun costs $1500, which is about normal for this type of gun, and the suppressor can cost just as much depending on the one you get. This means you are dumping almost $3000 on something that may never get put to practical use... That is a really really expensive fire extinguisher...

Closing thoughts

As I have said, multiple times, it doesn't matter what gun you choose to protect yourself with. If all you can afford is a Hightpoint, then use it. Something is better than nothing. The information I provided above is meant to be entertaining, helpful and hopefully it evokes a discussion. 

Let me know what you think.

Bug-Out Guns. Guns I don't own.

Last article, I talked about guns that I owned that I would grab if ever there was an almost-world-ending emergency.

The same disclaimer stands as before. This discussion is for entertainment purposes only, and does not immediately assume that the world is actually ending.

This article, we are going to be talking about guns that perfectly fit the bill, but that I do not currently own.

I feel like I should first lay out the requirements for this to be a gun on the list. It's not like I am just pulling this out of my ass, all willy nilly...

So lets start with the scene... There is a disaster that happens, The whole world is freaking out. There are looters and murderers out there and they are going around being bad in whatever town or city you are in. You need to get out of the house/apartment/condo and survive.

We are talking about this in a "pre-hypothetical-disaster" standpoint, so we have no idea what the disaster will be, and there are many theories on how the world will eventually end or how civilization may fall, but we have to "be prepared" for any and all of them if possible.

While there are many other supplies that a person might take with them on this journey, we are specifically talking about the gun.

You have to be able to hunt with this gun. My requirements are that it be able to reach out to about 200 yards, comfortably, but still be able to take down game at close range if needed. I want to be able to hunt a variety of game with this gun as well. too small of a caliber, and it will be hard to take down larger game. too big of a caliber and there will be nothing of the small game left after I shoot it.

You must also be able to protect yourself from all of the bad guys using this gun. I would take into account the magazine size and reload time of each weapon as well as ease of use. As I mentioned in my last post, it is not about the bullet as much as it is about the shot placement.

This gun must also be rugged. I have no idea where I am going to be at. I may be in the city, the country, the mountains, the forest, or any of these combined. This gun could get wet, dirty, dry, or dusty. I would need to stake my life on this gun, and I cannot risk it breaking or jamming. I also will probably not have time to clean it, so I can take that into account.

The weight is also very important. This is going to have to be slung on my back while I carry it around. I am also going to have to carry as much ammunition as I possibly can, so the lighter, the better.

And... I think... That's about it... OKAY! to the fun stuff!

Gun #1:

AK-47 SBR with folding Stock.

oofdah! starting off strong here!

Let me get to explaining one thing before I go into this much. 

SBR stands for Short Barreled Rifle. The ATF felt like they needed something to do, so they are attempting to enforce a law that says any rifle must have at least a 16" barrel. you can request the ATF approve a rifle with a shorter barrel, but it takes about 6-8 weeks, and there is a bunch of paperwork and a $200 tax stamp. but after that, it is perfectly legal! 

SBRs have their upsides and their downsides. upside is that they are shorter overall. They will get hung up on things a lot less, and it is easier to clear an area or a house with a shorter overall length. The down side is increased noise, a slight decrease in accuracy and velocity of the projectile. In AR-15s, there is also a decrease in reliability. With AKs, that is reduced quite a bit. ARs have a direct impingement gas system, where as the AK has a piston driven gas system. While piston systems are not perfect, they are more reliable than DI.

If you ever think of rugged guns, the first gun that comes to mind HAS to be the AK-47. One of my favorite movie quotes is from the movie Lord of War:

"An elegantly simple 9 pound amalgamation of forged steel and plywood. It doesn't break, jam, or overheat. It'll shoot whether it's covered in mud or filled with sand. It's so easy, even a child can use it; and they do."

This is what the AK is all about. It is the bad guy's weapon. It is sloppy and crude and ugly, yet, is one of the most beautifully designed rifles in history. Easy to manufacture for the Russians, effective for anyone using it, and it just works. It always works.

The secret is in the loose design. The gun was designed with loose manufacturing

tolerances, and the gun always works because of it. You never need to clean it. You never need to care what you drag it though. In fact, I have friends that had cleaned their AKs after about 5 years of owning it, and it ran worse than in the five years prior to its first cleaning. Yes... You read that correctly... The AK will run better when it is dirty...

So why the folding stock? Size again. If you fold the stock, you can stuff it in a bag. you can also get a sling on it and throw it on your back too, but the folding stock is so cool. why not get it?

In terms of optics, I would put a lower power scope on it. maybe a fixed 5x scope or something. I would put it on the side scope mount that is raised just enough to see the iron sights below them.

The 7.62x39 caliber round is small enough to take down rabbit sized game without destroying it, and large enough to take down a deer. The whole round is on the small size so you can carry a lot of it. The mag is easily changed and holds 30-40 rounds.

This would probably be my number 1 choice for a survival gun.

Gun #2

AR-15 in .223

WHAT??!? didn't you just spend the gun above talking about how much better the AK was than the AR?!?!?!?

yes... sort of...except I still love the AR!

Many of the pros you get with the AK above are applicable to this AR as well, except I would not do an SBR for it. the decrease in reliability is just too much for me to handle.

The AR is still a super reliable weapon. It needs a bit more tender loving care, because it should be cleaned every once in a while, but will still continue to work through thick and thin. The round is smaller than the AK but still large enough to kill a deer. still is mag fed, with 30 round mags. I would still do the same optics. a lower power fixed scope with iron sights, but these would need to be canted. 

.223 is also readily available and if I am scavenging, I should be able to find it at just about any sporting goods stores.

That pretty much sums that up...

Gun #3

Ruger 10/22

If you read my last article, this may sound familiar.

I am a massive fan of the Ruger 10/22 and the .22 round in general. They are relatively inexpensive, Semi-Auto, and you can buy BX-25 mags, which allow you to shoot 25 rounds off in a row! There are few rifles more reliable than the Ruger 10/22 and it is usable by everyone from the age of 10 to the age of 95 (assuming they are mentally capable of safely handling the rifle).

Some people might dismiss the .22 caliber round because of it's size and lack of knockdown power, but keep in mind, this is a survival rifle. You will have no problem tracking that deer for a mile if it means food on the table tomorrow. Not the quickest death, but it will keep you alive. and there are many other animals that you can eat that are much smaller than deer. It can reach out to 200 yards if you have a good optic and a calm day but the reason you pick up the 10/22 is because of the weight of the ammo. 

You can carry thousands of rounds of .22 and use your rifle for a very very very long time before needing to fill up. yes. Thousands of rounds.... As in... More than 1000 or 2000 rounds. They sell boxes of 550 and I can easily fit four of those in a bag to sling on my back. easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Most 10/22s come with iron sights which are not bad. You can put scopes and red dots on them if you like as well. There are also different stocks you can put the gun in to give it more attachment spots
and to look like other guns. No one needs to know that you don't actually have a PS-90...

Gun #4

Any Bullpup .223 rifle

I am mushing these guns together for a few different reasons,

Firstly, there are a lot of them. Just about every company is making a bullpup rifle in .223. Secondly, I have never fired any of these, so I have no idea about the differences or about triggers or anything. 

I have heard a lot of good things about these rifles, however. As an example, the IWI Tavor is made by a company who is based out of Israel. I do not know much about Israel, but I do know it is dusty there. Any weapon the Israelite's manufacture is going to be required to be as reliable as possible. 

Bullpup rifles are basically the same as other rifles, except the bolt and action of the rifle are located behind the trigger and fire controls. This allows the rifle to be an overall shorter length while keeping a longer barrel. This means you can have a short rifle, without waiting 6-8 weeks for the ATF to get back to you!

They normally use normal AR-15 mags, and have the same caliber as AR-15s.

Gun #5

Henry Survival Rifle in .22

This may seem a bit obvious. because it is.

Henry makes a really cool rifle that is inexpensive and really really portable. 

What makes the Henry rifle different from the 10/22 is the overall portability. The entire rifle can be taken apart and stuffed in the specially made slots in the butt of the stock. the stock then seals up and becomes completely waterproof. 

The entire rifle is super light and as I mentioned with the 10/22, the .22 round is an excellent survival round. 

The downside to the Henry is that you cannot put a scope on it, unless you no longer want to put everything away in the stock. You are also limited to three ten round magazines that will fit in the stock. Otherwise, almost identical to the 10/22

Gun #6 (last gun, I promise)

Any pump action shotgun in either 12 or 20 gauge

This is another one that I am grouping up because there are a lot of pump action shotguns out there.

My personal favorite is the Benelli Super Nova, because that was my first shotgun and it has treated me well, but there are many many many other guns and everyone has a different opinion about which one they like best. No answer is the wrong answer here. Shotguns are fantastic survival guns and pump shotguns give you that added durability.

I have had someone dunk my shotgun down to the bottom of the swamp and pull it up and it was fine. A bit stiff, but it still fired and cycled. 

Shotguns are unique when it comes to ammunition consumption. They have many many different kinds of shots you can shoot out of a shotgun from bird shot to slugs. This allows you to hunt one of the most prevalent creatures in the world, birds! you can kill small game with bird shot as well. You
can kill deer with buck shot. You can defend yourself with the shotgun. 

There are two massive cons with shot guns, however. The first is distance. You are probably only good to about 50-75 yards with a shotgun. even with slugs. This makes it harder to kill your dinner if you cannot get close enough. It also puts you at a disadvantage if your attackers have rifles like the ones I stated above. 

The next is mag size and reloading. at best, your mag holds... maybe nine rounds? and to reload, unless you walk around like a competition shooter with a speed loader, you have to do it one by one, and it may take you a while. On top of that, the ammo is pretty big, and it may be cumbersome to carry around.

however, due to the variation in ammo a shotgun can shoot, it is pretty hard not to put it on this list. On top of that, shotgun ammo may be the most prevalent ammo in the country. Even if you live in a state that doesn't like guns, you can probably get a hold of a pump action shot gun, assuming you are in good standing with the law.

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Well, that is pretty much it...

In my opinion, these would be some of the best Bug-out Guns if you have them. While I did my favorite at the beginning and my least favorite at the end, the four in the middle are pretty interchangeable for me.

What do you think? agree? disagree?

Bug-Out Gun Options- Guns I Own

I just want to start this off by saying... Yes, I do watch lots of movies and play lots of video games, and Yes, I do know they are not real life, and only meant for entertainment. No, I do not think the world is going to end. I don't expect bad things to happen. I really hope bad things do not happen. This entire post is hypothetical. I don't think I am crazy. I am not paranoid. This is just a fun thing to talk about and that is it. Also I will refrain from talking about zombies...

NOW! to the meat and potatoes of our discussion! GUNS!

I am a gun owner. I enjoy guns a lot. A day at the range is one of my favorite ways to spend my weekends. I live in a pro gun town. All of my friends like guns and we all talk about guns.

One discussion that came up was while we were playing the new video game "The Division" this weekend. For those of you who are unaware, it is set in an apocalyptic New York after a devastating Bio-Terrorist attack.

We started talking about Bug-Out Guns. A Bug-Out Gun is a gun that you have for any time there is an emergency and you need to get out of your place of residence and find a way to survive some place else. This requires mobility, and flexibility of the weapon, and you must take into account ammunition you need to carry as well as find while scavenging. While just about any gun can work for you in one way or the other, the idea is to choose a gun that has as few weaknesses as possible.

We started the discussion with guns that we currently own.

I have about twelve guns or so that are currently functional, and they range from pistols to hunting rifles to AR-15s.

I could not choose a hunting rifle, in my opinion. Most do not c
ome with iron sites, and only have a 3-9x power scope attached to them. While this would be good for anything over 100yds, I could not conceivably hunt a rabbit with a 30-06 at ten yards. There would be no meat left to eat after I hit it, and target acquisition is really difficult at closer ranges.

I also could not choose a pistol of any sorts. I have a .357 revolver, a 9mm Turkish made pistol, and CZ-82 which shoots a 9mmx18 round invented by the Russians (see generic picture on the right)
. My wife also owns a .22 revolver. While some of these would be good for short range, there are a few issues I can see with them. My 9mm pistol is good at short ranges and in combat situations only. I would trust my life with it, but I would not trust to hit anything outside of 25 yards. The revolvers hold fewer rounds and is harder to reload, even if I had speed loaders. The CZ-82 ammo is so hard to find that I could not guarantee that I would not run out of ammo.

This leaves two weapons which I would be more than happy to grab in an emergency situation, although neither are currently the perfect tool for the job.

I have an AR-15 in .223/5.56 and a Ruger 10/22 in .22 caliber.

Anyone who knows guns probably all thought the exact same thing... "Ruger 10/22? but the .22 caliber is so small! why would you ever want to use that?!?!?!?"

Well, small minded gun owners, I will tell you. The effectiveness of a shot is very rarely reliant upon the size of the projectile. The primary thing that makes a shot effective is the shot placement. If you can hit just the right spot, you can kill a deer with a .22. You may have to track it for some distance, but it can be done. It will not destroy any meat if you kill a rabbit, and because the 10/22 is Semi-Auto and you can obtain a 25 round BX-25 magazine for it, it makes for a decent self defense gun too. You can send quite a few rounds down range in the direction of your enemies. The .22 round is very common, and most people have at least one box of it. Boxes can most often be found in 330 or 550 round boxes. They do not weigh very much and can be accurate (on a calm day) out to about 200-300 yards.

My AR-15 on the other hand (see another generic picture on the left) , may be better suited to the task... maybe... it shoots a slightly larger round, with a much larger case at a higher velocity. This means that taking down larger game is a bit easier. It will reach out further with a bit more accuracy. The common mag size is 30 rounds and it is a Semi-Auto rifle. I specifically put together my AR-15. I purchased parts separately with a specific goal in mind... To make my rifle as light, but as comfortable as possible.

I was hoping it would be a competition rifle, so the items I bought allowed me to customize it to make the cycle time a bit faster. A faster cycle time means I can pull the trigger that much faster as well. In order to get the action to cycle as quickly as possible, I wanted to make sure there was no wasted motion. The bolt cycles back juuuuuuust far enough to eject the spent casing and strip the next round. This is done by lowering the amount of gas that gets used to work the action with an adjustable gas block.

This all sounds well and good until you get into the issues. This only works when I have consistent power out of each round. If the round fires, and has a few grains of gunpowder less than the rifle likes, it will eject the round, but not strip the next one. Why don't I adjust it higher? because it's obviously the apocalypse and I don't have time to run around and find the two different Alan keys to do it, obviously.

As long as we are on the subject of how the rifles currently are set up... the AR may also only contain a red dot site (see final generic image on the right) as an optic right now... and despite that working for my current needs, it would not always work in an emergency situation. I trust my red dot out to about 100-200 yards if I am launching rounds trying to hit SOMETHING, but not if I am trying to accurately hit something and give it a merciful death. also, red dots require batteries, and would be useless if they died. Thankfully ARs have a big long rail on the top for attachments, so what I would probably end up mounting a 3-9 scope, and have canted iron sights. both of which I have, but have not put on this rifle to save weight.

I would also be concerned about cleaning the rifle. The AR-15 is a shooters gun, and is meant to be treated with care and respect. While you may be able to go a good long while without cleaning it, eventually it does have to be cleaned or performance will suffer or your gun may stop working.

So there you have it... Out of all the guns I own, none will quite fit the bill, but if I was to choose any of them... I would probably go with the AR-15. it would be better if I took fifteen minutes to make a few changes... but I won't...

Any thoughts?

Stay tuned for the "Guns I Don't Own" edition.

Hog Hunt

So, I have just gotten back from my Hog Hunt in Oklahoma. In short, it was awesome. I had a great time.

I had the opportunity to shoot two Hogs and am glad to say I was able to kill both with one shot each. I avoided the pain and ridicule that comes with missing a shot. There was a lot that happened and I am excited to fill you in!

It started last Wednesday when we left for the trip. We all met up at a friends place, split up into two different vehicles and started the drive. We drove for about 16 hours before we finally got to the ranch we were hunting on. I would talk about the drive, but to be honest, it was really boring. we just drove, and slept and drove some more.

We arrived in Oklahoma in early afternoon and all eight of us were immediately thankful that we went on this trip. When we left home the temperature was about 10 degrees F, and when we got to our final destination, Oklahoma was having record highs around 80-85 degrees F. I live up North and I really don't like the cold. I can suffer through it, but it was such a relief to be out in warm weather again.

We got to stay in a pretty nice cabin that had four sets of bunk beds in two rooms. The rooms were a bit crowded because of this, but we didnt care. we would literally only be in there to sleep and eat. We did not need that much room. We took all of Thursday to rest and relax because something about driving just wears you out. We were told to meet the guides early in the morning in town.

I decided to bring my Tikka T3 in 30-06 and my Smith and Wesson 586 in .357 Magnum. I was really really hoping I could use my .357 to take down a hog. Can you imagine the bragging that I could do when I told people that I did that? But my hopes and dreams were almost immediately crushed from the time that we arrived.

The guides have obviously been doing this for a while and have seen just about everything there is to see when hunting these pigs. They went through everything from "Do not use Full Metal Jackets" to "you have to wear a harness when you are in a tree stand." They asked "What is the smallest caliber you have brought to kill a pig?" and strongly suggested that everyone use their rifles to shoot the pig.

Apparently, through all of the years that they have been doing this, they have only ever had one person successfully kill a hog with a hand gun. The guy was using a .454 casull revolver with a scope on it, and he shot it at 92 yards. Some folks might say "that was lucky" but I believe differently. In order to have enough confidence in yourself to drop a pig at almost 100 yds, you need to have a lot of time behind that gun. The trigger control required alone is enough deter most men. That shot takes a lot of guts and even more talent.

According to the guides, most of the time when someone uses a .357 to shoot a hog, all they do is wound it. it ends up running off, and joining the herd and you lose it forever until it bleeds out three days later and ends up dead some place. To avoid this, they put a rule in place. If you hit a pig, that is your pig. If there is blood, you better hope they can find that pig, because otherwise, you are leaving empty handed. The .357 does not have enough oomph to take down a pig in one shot unless you hit the 2" circle on their head.

I am not a bad shot. I will never claim to be a good shot, because everyone's definition is a bit different, but I know that I am not a bad shot. I am pretty confidant in my abilities to shoot, but there is no way that I am going to hit a 2" circle on a pigs head if I am any more than 10 yards away. They are always looking around and moving their heads. If you miss that 2" circle, they just get mad and either charge you, or run off. no kill. lost pig. empty hands.

All of this to say that I did not shoot a pig with my .357, and to be honest, I didn't really try to.

Anyhow, back to the story. We started off early in the morning and we were put in deer stands overlooking feeders for the morning feed. The hope is that when the feeder goes off, the pigs come for breakfast and you shoot one of them. That did not happen. for the first few hours that I was in a stand I saw exactly 0 pigs. I saw tons of other wildlife though. I saw ram, sheep and other goat like animals. They were kind of cool, but they were total dicks. They just came by and ate up all of the corn from the feeders and didn't leave any for the pigs. I kind of wanted to shoot one of them but that would be about a $3000-$4000 mistake, and I did not have that kind of cash.

After about 10am they brought us all down from the stands and it turns out that no one saw a damn thing that morning. It was absolutely sucky. but hey, it was only the first morning. We were doing this for two days. We would all have plenty of time to shoot two hogs.

The next part of the hunt was the stalking portion. Basically, all of the little piggies decided not to go to the market to eat, so we had to go find the piggies wherever they were hiding and shoot them. I was eager to get a pig, so I went with the first group and stalked with one of my friends. Because I had never shot pigs before and he had, he allowed me to hunt for my first pig while he just tried to stay quiet.

The guide we were with was really good at finding pigs and we ran across a few within the first five minutes or so, but I am so heavy footed, I pretty much scared them all away. Pigs though, did not like the heat, and apparently do not sweat, so they ran about 50 yards and laid back down under a different tree. It was not too long before we found a nice little herd of pigs to choose from, now it was just about getting a good shot.

Because this was my first hunt, I did not know how big a big hog was. I just wanted to shoot a pig. The guide was really cool about the entire hunt and made sure I liked the hog I was about to shoot. He said he didnt want to force me to shoot a hog if I didnt want to. Like I said, I didnt care about how big the hog was at the time, I just wanted to shoot a hog, and not miss.

After a good half hour of stalking, a pig finally gave me a decent shot through some light brush. I took the chance without hesitation and pounded it through the ribs. Technically my shot was a bit low, and a bit too far behind the front leg, but the pig went down quick and only ran about ten yards before finally laying down for its final rest. When I walked up, I knew it was pretty small, but I didnt realize how small until later. When I asked the guide "On a scale of 1- world record, where does this hog lay?" he decided to avoid the question and say "this is a good eating hog!" which is basically guide code for a tiny pig.

I could go into detail on my friends hunts as well, but this is going to be long enough as it is.

After getting back, I learned how to skin, gut, and clean my own hog (similar to a deer in most respects) and we put it in the freezer, and waited for the second half of our team to come back from their stalk.

Once everyone was back, and I saw the size of everyone else's hogs, I did get a bit jealous. I wasn't aiming for the biggest hog of the group, but I certainly didn't want the smallest hog. It turns out. that is what I had. After everyone else saw my hog, they pretty much said "as long as my hog is bigger than that, I wont be embarrassed" and they all shot hogs that were bigger than mine. Some might say that I performed a valuable service in giving people a benchmark for their pigs, but I just felt like I shot a small hog.

Now I got my first hog out of the way, and I wasn't skunked. Everyone elses hogs were bigger than mine and I was really starting to get a bit greedy. Now I really wanted a nice hog. I wanted one with tusks that I could mount and I definitely didn't want to get the smallest hog again. I decided to be more picky with the next hog that I shot.

Later, we were going for the night hunt. According to the guides, the night hunt was always the most active and they promised we would see a ton of hogs. They did not disappoint. We were going out to the deer stands again (in a completely different area than in the morning) and most of us saw a ton of hogs.

I sat there for about an hour or two before the feeders went off and once the hogs heard the feeders, the fun began. In no time, I started hearing shots around me and I knew that my group mates were getting their hogs. Soon, I saw a pig at the edge of the woods. then shortly after that. about ten hogs came out and started eating the corn under the feeders.

I studied the hogs through my scope. I told myself I was only going to shoot tonight if I saw tusks. I really wanted those tusks. I was told by everyone else that sometimes they have tusks but you just don't see them until after they are dead. I really wanted to be sure before I took my shot though, so I watched them while they ate and kept hoping to see tusks. I didnt see any on any pigs. that were out there, so I thought to be patient.

Soon about five more pigs came out to join the herd that was already feeding. Some of those pigs were a bit bigger than the pigs that were already there, so I studied them... still no tusks to be seen... I decided to be patient and wait... soon, three more pigs came out of the woods to join the others, and these three were the biggest so far. I watched and studied and I still did not see any tusks... I had nearly twenty hogs under my stand and none of them had visual tusks...

Then... all of a sudden.... BANG!!!! One of my friends in a stand about 200 yards to my right fired his gun! All of my piggies got scared and started to run toward the woods! Once they realize that none of them died or was running around squealing its freakin head off, they sorta slowed down... They were still hungry, after all... BANG!!!! A second shot from my friend on the right! Those pigs were not going to wait around for a third shot, and they disappeared into the woods...  Damn... I really wanted to wait it out a bit more...

I started texting another friend of mine about all the pigs I saw (he wasnt seeing any pigs, let along the 20 that I saw) and I was telling him how I passed on them because I didn't see any tusks... "YOU SHOULD HAVE SHOT!" he says! "If they are big, they are going to have tusks, they might just be hiding behind the fat lips!" I was of course, going to defend my position "nah, I wanted them to be big enough to see, and none of them were. Besides, if tomorrow nights hunt was as active as tonight's, I will have no problem settling for one of those larger pigs. And, what am I supposed to do tomorrow if everyone else is hunting? I want to be hunting too!"

Then the news came... "Joe, we aren't hunting tomorrow night! We have to be out of the Cabin by noon, and we wanted to be on the road early in the afternoon!"

Shit... Fuck... Shit... It hits me like a brick... There is no guarantee that I would even see a hog the next morning, let alone that it would be the tusk toting hog that I am looking for! My best chance at getting a hog with tusks was sitting right in front of me... 75 yds away... in the cross hairs of my rifle... This sinking feeling develops at the bottom of my stomach... I immediately think of the worst possible scenario and that is either not getting a pig at all, or ending up with another shrimp of a pig... I have done this to myself...

Well, the day is not over... There is still a few hours until sundown, and There is a small chance that I could still shoot a decent sized pig, if any more come back...

My prayers were answered an hour and a half later... about five hogs came out of the trees to start feeding on the corn that was left... They were all small... About the size of the first one I shot... There was no way I was going to settle that low... A few more hogs came out and one was a bit bigger, but nowhere near the size that I saw earlier... It was starting to get dark... I had to make a decision...

For the first time in my entire hunting career (which is not very long, but still) I got the shakes... At first it was nothing... I was just pissed that I passed up my chance... Then I was looking at all the pigs, and trying to figure out which one was the biggest, and I couldn't decide... When I finally made up my mind, I had it in my sights, and the safety off my gun... but I was worried that I was being impatient again... Should I really settle for THIS hog? There are bigger hogs in woods... I know there are... But This could be the best I get... Fine, I will shoot this hog... Then there was another pig behind it... I wasn't sure if my round was going to get all the way through the pig, so I waited... Looked at other pigs, and debated... Is that one bigger? maybe... nah... the first one was bigger... Finally, it was by itself... I am lined up... finger on the trigger... but how confident am I in my rifle? exactly how precise is my sight in? I have only had this rifle for a few months... I could be a few inches off... at this range that could be drastic... also, I am about fifteen feet up in the air... how does that affect bullet trajectory? should I aim high? low? fuck I am shaking... I just need to calm down.. otherwise I will miss this shot... I can't miss this shot... My friends would never let me live it down... Why am I shaking this much? okay.. Deep breaths... fuck... that didn't work... shit... there is another pig in the way... It is getting dark... I am running out of time... This might be my last chance... why wont that pig move out of the way... NO! dont go back into the middle of the herd... dammit! it is almost too dark to see... oh! he moved... wait... was that him... or was it that one... no it was that one... damn... another pig in the way... am I sure it wasnt this other one? wait... did that other pig move? fuck... I cant tell... is that two pigs or one? Why wont they move? fuck this shit... I can't shoot a pig... I missed my chance...

I got so much shit that night... It didn't help that a few of my group mates had shot at pigs and they possibly could have hit them, but because there was blood, and they couldn't find a dead pig, they counted... everyone who had two pigs talked about how nice it was going to be to sleep in... They recanted their tales of the shots and they complained about one thing or another... I had my chance and I didnt take it... I felt sick...

This is just how the Universe works... My resolve was tested, and as punishment for sticking to it, the Universe was going to screw me out of a nice pig... I knew it... I accepted it... I wasn't going to see a damn thing on the morning hunt... I was either going to get some puny hog on the stalk afterwards or I was going to leave with only one hog, and it was going to be the tiniest hog of the group... shit...

I went to bed early... woke up early... and got ready to go out and hunt once more... I didnt even care what kind of hog I got today... I didnt want it to be a small hog, but if that is all I got, then I would take it... no point in going home with just the smallest pig... I was ready to kill just about anything that I could aim my gun at... We were riding out in the side by side and getting dropped off at different stand locations... The guide kept lighting up the treeline with his flashlight as we drove, in hopes of seeing a hog. we drop off my first friend, who also only had one hog. we saw some tiny hogs later in a bush but they ran off before they could be shot...

The guide flashed some Elk that were on the land (we were not there to hunt elk) and they moved away from this hay barrel that was near the treeline, and the guide got excited. "Make sure your scope is turned all the way down, this is going to be a close shot" he whispered "Hogs really like to hide in hay piles when it is cool in the morning, and I definitely see one..." Now I am really excited... Maybe I will get a hog afterall! "I am not sure if it is two small ones or one big one, so when I light them up, you need to make your decision quick and take the shot if you want it."

We walked up to about ten yards or so from the hay bale and he shined the light on the hay pile next to it... the massive black spot was hard to miss so I immediately shouldered the rifle and took a look through the scope... I was relieved to see that it was a decent sized hog and decided not to hesitate any longer. I pulled the trigger and the shot landed perfectly!

It hit about three inches behind the left front shoulder, and drilled its way through to around the right front part of the chest. I hit just about every vital organ possible, and the hog squealed and flopped around. "Load another round!" I heard the guide say... I took this to mean "shoot again!" so I racked the action and took the shittiest shot ever... I missed, but thankfully, the first shot killed him... "I just wanted you to load another one" the guide told me afterwards "you didn't need to take that last shot... there is no need to damage the meat!"

yeah... so I omit that shot in my stories whenever I tell it live... It didn't need to happen and it didn't hit the pig anyhow... so no one has to know but you and I.

I finally got a good look at the pig and it was a really good pig... like... a really really good pig... It came in at over 200lbs... and... IT... HAD... TUSKS!!!!

I couldn't believe my luck! This was exactly the pig I wanted! We took it out of the woods, skinned it, gutted it and cleaned it. It turns out that one of the tusks broke off, so it only had three tusks, but the skull was massive, and I was told that any self respecting taxidermist should be able to rebuild the missing tusk with no issue.

After it was all said and done, it turns out that my last pig was the biggest pig of the group! That is right! what are the chances that I would get both the smallest, and the biggest pig of our entire group?!?!!?

One might say "Arent you glad you decided to wait the night before?" and I say "Hell no!"

I was stressing my fuckin balls off the night before! I should have just shot the biggest pig I saw and had gotten it over with! If I had shot my pig the night before, it would have been one of my group mates who got my pig! I got greedy and basically stole a great pig from one of my friends! Also, the Hog I shot was a massive stroke of luck! I should never have gotten that pig!

Anyhow... So I got the Hog that I wanted.... I found a taxidermist in town and they are going to do a European mount for me... it is going to look awesome. I had a great time on my hog hunt. If you get the chance to do something like this, I would totally recommend going. Everyone had a blast.

TL:DR

I went Hog Hunting... I shot the smallest hog of my group and the biggest hog of my group.

This is what I found entertaining. What do you think?

Rifle review - Tikka T3 Lite, Blued

Today, I would like to talk a bit about a rifle I recently picked up. Be prepared for a long winded background story about my decision making process, along with a short review.

I bought my Tikka T3 a few months ago, in September of 2015. I bought it in 30-06 and I bought it because I plan on going hog hunting next week. I did not think to buy this rifle at first and many readers who are familiar with firearms may agree. Why would anyone buy this rifle? I will explain...

It all started about a year ago. A bunch of my friends went hog hunting and came back with tons of meat and many many stories. I was not invited the first time around because they wanted to check it out first and see if the place was legitimate. They could have just not wanted me around for all I know, but that is what they told me...

Anyhow, they planned on going in a year, and they invited me, so I decided I needed a new gun. I did a ton of research on the best guns for hog hunting, and the best calibers and all that jazz... I had originally decided on the 458 SOCOM upper. It was going to be great! A massive round, with tons of knockdown power, almost specifically designed for pigs. Semi-auto rifle that still uses regular AR mags just seemed so easy. Just buy the upper receiver and plop it on your AR lower (of which I have two) and you got yourself one of the best hog guns around for about $500!

But then... of course... my buddies had words to say about it. They said things like "Joe, Ammo is so expensive... even if you reload, you are looking at tons of money" as well as "It is an uncommon ammunition type, and if you ever get in a jam, you are going to run out of ammo!" and the most logical "you are going to buy this upper and use it once a year... If that..."

Damn their logic... they were right... As much as I like the flashy, sexy sound of saying "I used a 458 SOCOM to go hog hunting," buying a gun for only one purpose is just not who I am... I need a gun that I could see myself using more often... even if I dont use it more often, I still wanna think I can...

So I had to start from scratch... What I really liked about the 458, besides how cool it was, was the fact that it was Semi-Auto. Since the 458 is off the table, the only other larger caliber Semi-Autos I could think of were thousands of dollars... so I set up requirements in my head... What did I NEED to have in this rifle...?

I needed it to be a larger caliber... something easy to find, plentiful, and will work on a variety of game. I needed it to be accurate. as accurate as possible. I needed it to cost less than $600. I needed to have a really nice trigger.

After it was all said and done, I figured I would need a bolt action rifle. Again, not my first choice, but the smartest one. So I started compiling all of the bolt action rifles I could find below $600. There are a lot of options, by the way. I looked at really basic rifles, like the Rugar American, and the Savage Axis, as well as a bit higher end rifles like the Browning A-Bolt.

I needed to settle on a caliber as well. Of all the common calibers, I was stuck between two... 30-06 and .308... I am a fan of both calibers, but I am already making an AR in 308, so to change things up, I went with 30-06.

so after trying a ton of bolt action rifles, I had to narrow down the features that I felt were important. One of the biggest things was the quality of the bolt. I dont want to fight with a bolt to get it open and closed. I want it to be as smooth as butter. I also found the shorter bolt throw to be more comfortable than a standard Mauser style bolt throw. the 60 degree throw of the A-Bolt felt fantastic, because my fingers didnt get smashed between the scope and the bolt handle. There are a bunch of other options as well that was at a 70 degree bolt throw which worked just as well.

another thing that I NEEEEEDED was a great trigger... There were quite a few contenders there too...  a lot of really good triggers have been made. you can adjust the Ruger American rifle's trigger and it becomes light, and crisp. the Weatherby Vanguard also had a great trigger and came highly recommended, but the issue with the Vanguard is it did not come with a detachable magazine. What self respecting rifle maker of the modern age decides not to put a detachable magazine in their rifles? I personally thought that was a deal breaker, but my buddies wanted me to keep an open mind.

Out of all of these rifles, a bunch of them claimed they were quite accurate, and a few even had guarantees that it was within 1 MOA. obviously accuracy was very important...

When I threw all of this information together, I had exactly no freakin clue what I was going to buy. I hadn't even heard of the Tikka yet. It was not even on my list. whenever I asked to look at one, the guy behind the counter always said "nah, what you want is this Sakko that costs twice as much!" thanks, but no thanks...

I was pondering my decision, and stopping by gun shops almost every day. I am pretty sure the salesman thought I was just window shopping, cause after a while, they seemed less interested in showing me guns. One day I stopped by Scheels and was looking around and the guy at Scheels had me take a look at it. The bolt on it was perfect. a short, 70 degree throw, that felt like it was riding on clouds as I cycled it... Guaranteed 1 MOA... perfect trigger, adjustable down to 2.5lbs... detachable box magazine... just barely under $600... but my mind was not made up...

Of course it fit the bill, but so did one or two other rifles... and I didn't know anything about Tikkas... How did I know if I could trust this gun or not? I needed to do more research!

Then... the universe forced my hand... my wife and I decided she no longer liked the pistol I gave her. There were too many ejecting issues, but that is a story for another post. so I was told to sell the pistol, and was given permission to use the money on my new rifle... I also had about $200 in Cabelas points from my Cabelas card, so there was a new variable in play now. I needed to be able to buy the gun from Cabelas, where I could sell the pistol, buy my rifle and use my points. so now I was down to two... the Ruger American and the Tikka both fit my needs... The ruger was much cheaper, but less accurate, and the bolt was not as good.

After another day or two of asking opinions and debating I came upon the realization that I was tired of having rifles that were "good enough." I have been getting second class guns for years now to save money. Before, it was all about how much bang I can get for my buck. The options I got were maybe not the best, but they were a good value. I was kind of tired of it. I didn't want my equipment to hold me back at all. This, of course, made my decision easy. I am going with the Tikka...

I said all of that, basically, to show you that I didnt buy this gun on a whim. I really really really put a lot of thought into this rifle before I bought it, and I have absolutely no regrets.

There are many gun owners in the world that would say things like "Why didnt you go with the Remington 700? Remington or bust!" or the also common "Bla bla bla, gross foreign gun.... bla bla bla... America is best... bla bla bla... shoulda bought an American gun!"

To those people I say... I feel sorry for you... If you would only open up your eyes and your mind, you would see that the entire world is filled with fantastic guns and equally fantastic gun companies. They are all out to make a great, safe product that people will want to buy. Some do it better than others, I admit, but just because you are not familiar with it, does not make it complete trash.

Tikka, if you didnt know, is actually owned by Beretta and gets imported by Beretta USA. Berettas are primarily made in Brazil now... What?!?!? This truely American company is outsourcing its work?!?!? The same gun company that made the M9 that many of our military still use to this day?!?!?! yes... it happens... there are so few gun companies that make things in America at all, let alone completely in America... So I had not qualms about buying this Finnish gun.

Now for the review:

Pros!

-Great trigger, adjustable.
-The best bolt I have ever felt. Smooth as butter
-70 degree bolt throw
-Guaranteed 1 MOA
-Detachable Magazine
-comes with 1" scope rings

Cons =[

-If a good stock is important to you, look elsewhere. This plastic stock is not bad, but it is not the greatest.
-plastic bolt shroud. I have heard they break often. Mine has never broken, but this is what I researched
-plastic magazine seems pretty fragile. Again, I have heard they break if you drop them.
-rail system is unique, which is not the best when it comes to finding accessories. not a standard Picatinny rail. comes with scope rings to fit, but it is not my favorite.
-Many people do not like how the magazine secures itself to the receiver. I have never had an issue with it coming off or breaking or anything, but any time there is plastic involved, people get nervous.
-Some people have complained that the safety isnt quite as snappy as they would like, and it is hard to actuate.

So with many of these Cons, there are ways to fix them. I have not done much to my rifle yet, but to have a better stock I plan on buying one from Boyds stocks. There are aftermarket aluminum bolt shrouds that at least one company makes. There is another company in Germany that makes a whole new magazine system for this guns as well. They take out the plastic trigger guard, the plastic mag well, and the plastic mags, and replace them all with metal parts, and a very simple (almost AK style) mag release. I ended up buying an extra mag and a full Picatinny rail directly from Beretta USA, but the rail was about $100 and the mag was about $50 for a five rounder. The last thing that tipped me toward the Tikka was they had a great deal when I bought it. Just for buying the Tikka, they gave me $150 in Beretta USA store credit, which is why I decided to get the rail and the extra mag. I didn't actually have to spend any more on it.  I don't see they are running that deal anymore, so that is why I am listing it as a Con, despite it not being an issue for me.

I also bought a sling for the gun, cause I thought that would be smart. I have shot the gun a few times now and I think it is fantastic. If I really concentrate, I can get 1 MOA on a sitting bench. I havent shot prone yet, although, I expect that to be easier to get that accurate. I do not claim to be a great shooter. I can hold my own, but I am not a competition shooter or anything. This is just all for fun.

I would personally greatly recommend the Tikka of any variation. They are great rifles and have definitely treated me well.