Henry Ar-7 Survival Rifle

 

Guns, whatever your opinion on them, are an excellent survival tool. While my AR-15 might be a great tool for self defense if the proverbial "shit hit the fan" it would certainly be a bit much for varmint hunting. I have been wanting a .22 caliber rifle for awhile for this purpose, and one that is this tailor made for survival is right up my alley. The Henry U.S. Survival rifle is a semi-automatic chambered in .22 LR. The biggest selling point being that it all breaks down and stores in the buttstock. It also floats when stowed. You can get it in black or camo and it comes with two eight round magazines.

First impressions, well made and sturdy, despite the light weight. Solid construction and ease of use make it the perfect survival weapon. The light weight and low recoil make it feel like the ideal weapon to hand off to a novice shooter. Right out of the box it fired dead center at 25 meters and 3 inches low and left at 50. Had it firing consistently within the 20 ring in minutes. Over the day at the range I fired off about 280 rounds... with 6 malfunctions. Normally I would consider this pretty bad, but all but one were misfeeds on loading the first round. I think the issue was mostly due to the hollow point ammunition I was using. All I shot was CCI high velocity hollow points in 36 grain. I didn't have an issue until after the 200 round mark, so I think lead fouling was a bit of an issue. From what I have read these rifles don't like hollowpoints, that is all I shot today so I guess I did pretty well. The only malfuction I had while firing was a stovepipe ejection. For those that don't know this is when the empty shell lodges in the ejection port. Other that that all malfunctions were on loading the first shell.

Overall I think that the benefits of this rifle handily outweigh its shortcomings. I don't have any reservations about adding this rifle to my kit. Aside from the couple misfeeds I had, the rifle shot well and was accurate enough to hunt with. Firing a consistent 5 inch group with hollow points is just fine at 50 meters, and at 25 the groups dropped to about three inches. Did I mention it's fun as hell to shoot?

Merrell Minimalist Shoes

Over the last couple years I have been really getting into the "barefoot" movement. I have been wearing Vibram Five Fingers every day since last Christmas and have done a few barefoot hikes and camping trips. The results I've experienced have been phenomenal, my back pain is all but gone and I don't feel nearly as tired after a hike. The only place I cannot wear my Vibrams is at work. Believe me, even being a mechanic I would still wear them at work if I thought I could get away with it. Two weeks ago I had finally had it with work boots. My feet hurt, my back hurt, my ankle is constantly getting tweaked. (Aggravating an old injury) So I began looking seriously at "barefoot" type minimalist shoes. 

There are a lot of these out there from nearly all running shoe manufacturers. I decided on a pair of Merrells, the "Barefoot Run Trail Glove". (wide width) The reviews were excellent and they had Vibram soles. The wide toe box was a nice selling feature as well. First impressions were not great, they seem a little cheaply made for the 110 dollar price tag, I heard a few stitches rip when using the heel loop to put them on the first time. 

When I did finally get them on they seemed pretty comfortable. (I knew that they would be difficult to fit at first, I'm used to this with Vibrams) I immediately noticed an odd feeling that I was facing uphill, almost as if the heel was lower than the front of the shoe. An odd feeling at the very least, but not horrible. I think it has something to do with the fact that they are supposed to be running shoes. The wide toe box is very nice, and they feel very secure going up and downhill. The following day I wore them to work, after that day I wasn't quite sold. The low heel makes it feel like you're doing toe lifts all day, something I've never experienced with a minimalist shoe. They also aren't very grippy on tile floors, not an issue on pavement or dirt, but an issue for daily use. I didn't want to make a decision based on one day so I gave it a week. At this point I've gotten used to the quirks and I'm fairly happy with them. There was certainly a transitional period where my shins hurt and my feet would cramp a bit. I went through the same thing when I went to Vibrams, but it passes quickly. Now aside from traction issues indoors, they work pretty well for my purposes. I'm sure for trail running or hiking they would be absolutely perfect. I really don't see myself ever choosing them over my Five Fingers, but on a cold day the ability to wear thick socks might make these tempting. For work they're passable, though they offer no protection in the shop, they look enough like sneakers that no one would question them. I would certainly choose them over a boot any day, but they don't even come close to the comfort of my Five Fingers.

Update 8/14/13

I have now been wearing these to work everyday for eight months. I gotta say, no complaints here. (just don't expect them to be waterproof at all) They have certainly held up better than any of my Vibrams have. I'm nearly through the tread and I've had nothing break down on me at all. They are light, comfortable and durable. I only wish they had toes. 

An Apocalypse Survival Christmas 2

So this is survival Christmas number two! Sorry I couldn't get this one out sooner, been a busy few weeks. Well it seems we have all survived the 2012 apocalypse then, oh well, I think we were all secretly hoping for it. Those who know me well enough to buy me a gift, I'm sure you've noticed my Amazon wishlist has a bit of a theme. Pretty much an even mix of survival gear and vinyl records. Apparently even with the survival gear I still qualify as a hipster. For the most part I have about all I need (or can afford) for gear. I certainly have way more than I can carry, so why more? It just seems like every time I feel like I have it all, I find out about some awesome new thing that must be mine.

 

 

My first gift this year was from my dad, a Smith & Wesson tactical pen. (Pictured right) There are a few of these types of pens out there, but I haven't really heard to much about them. The basic idea is an aluminum pen with a decent point at one end that can be used as a stabbing implement in a defensive situation. Now hopefully I won't have to resort to my pen for self defense, but you never know. Ideally I carry a firearm on my person at all times, but there are dozens of times a month I would say, where this is not an option. For instance when I head down to the city, or when at work. Now usually at these times I do have some kind of weapon on me, generally a knife at all times and the addition of my Kimber pepper blaster when visiting the five boroughs. Now the very few times that I would be without either I would say is if I left my knife at home by accident when I headed to work. This is a pretty rare occurrence. Being a mechanic I utilize a pocket knife dozens of times in a day, making my lockback as important to carry as my wallet. This being said, I like to have at least one backup for every piece of gear I own, and dual purpose items are a plus. I need a pen at work anyway, so it might as well have a tactical purpose. Now I know all of these factors are extremely unlikely to occur all at once, but I prefer to hedge my bets. So lets assume I head to work and forget my knife, then head to lunch with some of the guys. For the most part the guys at work are all into this kinda stuff, but there are a few that would be unnerved by "lemme just run out to the car and grab my gun." So in these situations, the weapon is safely locked away (unloaded and cable locked) in the glove box. In this highly unlikely situation, I would be completely unarmed. In my youth I would never have had a problem with this, but a couple pulled back muscles and an old ankle injury have made me question how well I could really handle myself in a fight nowadays. Something solid to defend myself with is just as much a sense of security as it is a real asset, so I'll take it. 

 

First impressions of it are that it feels pretty solid, with a nice clip that is bolted on with two torx screws. This was one reason that this model caught my eye. Many of them have a clip that is attached with a semi-circle of metal that can easily pop loose when snagged. An issue I constantly run into with Streamlight pen lights. (more on that in a bit) One surprise was that it had a screw on top, making the "stabby" end the bottom of the pen. The top unscrews from the main body of the pen and sits on the pointy bit while writing. At first glance on the internet it looked like a click or screw type retractable. Not really an issue that affects performance, but with daily use it is a little more annoying to be constantly unscrewing the top to use it. As far as quality it is akin to a decent quality aluminum flashlight. The screw doesn't have a seal of any kind so submersion in water probably wouldn't be an option. Though all that would be damaged is the refill, I won't be checking how well the machined aluminum seals until I have a refill in hand. The only major disappointment in the pen I would say is that it's kind of a crappy pen. For stabbing, seems great, pen part not so much. Writing feels like a cheap-o bic. Admittedly I am a bit of a snob in this regard, preferring Uni-ball or Pilot Precise for daily use. Hopefully the refill is a common type, allowing for the option to upgrade to a fountain or higher quality roller ball. Overall seems like a good deal, especially since it it only costs about 20 dollars on Amazon. For something like this the thing you need to consider is that you can't plan for everything, and sometimes you cannot justify paying a lot for something you will hopefully never use. Until I hear of someone actually having to use this, there is just no way to know what the performance will be. All I can put forward is that it's a working pen, and I would not want someone to stab me with it.

 

Another gift I got (also from Dad) Is the Streamlight ProTac 2AA LED flashlight. (Pictured above) I have owned one in the past but had lost it. I am extremely happy with pretty much any Streamlight product I have used. I believe I have reviewed them before so I won't be too long winded with this one. Solid, durable and reliable, you really can't go wrong with this light. With a 120 lumen max output it is really bright. It has a 1.75 hour run time on the highest setting, 4 hours on the low setting. It also has a strobe feature and a rubber push button tail cap. Excellent tactical flashlight and small enough for everyday carry in your pocket. The only real down side to this light is the clip, if it gets snagged on something it goes flying. I have had this issue with all of my penlights from Streamlight. I think I have four or five AAA versions missing the clip. If you were to use the included nylon holster this wouldn't be an issue I suppose, but I just have too much crap strapped to myself already. 

 

With the help of Christmas money I was able to finally purchase a decent bicycle, something I have wanted for a long time. A bike is something everyone really should have, It's great exercise, (something I certainly need) as well as a gasoline free form of transportation. Just seeing the panic that ensued at the pumps after hurricane Sandy, I can only wonder what would happen if there was a national fuel crisis. With my bike I could get back and forth to work and the store, albeit much more slowly. At about 10 miles it will be a bit of a haul to work but it is doable. I look forward to giving it a shot when it gets a bit warmer. When I went to get my bike I had a Cannondale Quick CX in mind. Msrp was around the 600 dollar mark. What I really wanted was the higher end one with disc brakes, unfortunately way out of my price range. So while at the store I asked about some of the other brands to see if there was something comparable in my price range. The salesperson suggested a Specialized Crosstrail. All the same features of the Cannondale I wanted, but below the 600 dollar mark. I felt the disc brakes were more important than the brand, so after some quick Googling of reviews on my phone, I went with his suggestion and I am very happy with it. Riding around the city of Poughkeepsie, the ability to stop on a dime makes me feel much safer. When selecting a model, front suspension and slightly aggressive tires were important to me. I like being able to cut through parks and hop up and over curbs easily. Though I don't think this particular model would be great on the trail, it works well for mild off road use. Today after work will be my first long distance ride, hoping to get 20 miles in before dark.