The U.S. Government wants the public to be prepared for a nuclear attack. Find out what steps you need to start taking and how you can protect yourself in case of nuclear war. [...]
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If you are just getting started, or even if you are a seasoned prepper, we know making your way through all of the information online can sometimes be overwhelming. Even on this site, we have [...]
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The Magpul BEV Block is the second in Magpul’s two-deep lineup of armorer’s tools. The other 
tool, Magpul’s Armorer’s Wrench, is an exceptionally well designed and executed tool that works equally well for the professional and the weekend armorer. The BEV Block, at over 11 ounces, is roughly 4.5” x 2.25” x 1.25” and the block weighs twice what a basic Delrin plastic mag well vise block does. BEV stands for Barrel Extension Vise and is specifically designed for use with the AR15/M4 platform rifles and AR pistols of the .223/5.56 variety due to mag well and bolt size. The multipurpose Magpul BEV Block can be used as a standard magazine well vise block, but its real advantage is as a upper receiver vise block. Regardless of which end is in the rifle, the other end must be secured into a bench vise for maximum stability.
By Doc Montana, contributing author to SHTFblog and Survival Cache
Related: Magpul Furniture Review
The Magpul BEV Block has a unique other end. And on that other end are two unique other ends. The 
Magpul BEV Block mimics the AR bolt on one end by meshing perfectly with the barrel extension splines. Opposite the barrel is another mating point where a bolt carrier sans the bolt, cam pin, firing pin, and firing pin retaining pin locks into the BEV Block with an O-ring as if grabbing the primer-end of a .5.56 cartridge. With the bolt carrier is inserted like normal with the charging handle locking it in place, an internal vise-like grip is achieved on the upper receiver.
Also Read: Magpul Bi-Pod Review
The combined fore and aft security of the Magpul BEV Block with the base seated tightly in a bench vise 
provides phenomenal upper receiver stability for serious work. But where the Magpul BEV Block really shines over more traditional clam-shell designs that grip the outside of a forged milspec upper receiver is that the Magpul BEV Block doesn’t get anywhere near the top rail meaning any optics or other rail accessories can remain untouched. And reading between the above lines, billet and other custom upper receiver millings and forgings usually prevent the clam-shells from working at all.
For upper receiver work, the Magpul BEV Block locks into the 
forward takedown pin ports of the upper receiver using one of the three included plastic takedown pin drones. O-ring are used to hold the BCG onto the BEV Block and extras of those are included as well. Depending on the BCG, the fit can be quite tight and necessitate a bit of muscle to seat it, but it truly is a satisfying fit. Although the block part of the Magpul BEV Block is polymer, the splines that lock into the barrel extension are solid steel as is the bolt post.
Related: Magpul X-22 Hunter Review
Using the Magpul BEV Block as a simple lower receiver receiver mag well vise block is top shelf as works 
as well or better than any other mag well vise block I’ve used. And don’t’ worry, the narrower profile of the upper receiver mating components keep them out of the vise jaws when inverted for lower receiver work.
With an MSRP of $49.95 and a street price as low as forty bucks, the Magpul BEV Block sells for as much or not much more than a single function magwell vise block that works only for the lower receiver. If you’re shy about pulling apart your BCG for upper receiver work, the Magpul BEV Block may work fine with or without the added security of the bolt carrier. There will be more play and the upper receiver can tilt a bit, but as long as no receiver work pushes or pulls the barrel forward off the Magpul BEV Block barrel-only seating works fine.
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The Magpul BEV Block works great holding the upper receiver in one position, and the lower receiver 
either right side up or upside down. The upside down is for when you might be working on the grip and need to keep the safety selector detent and spring under the control of gravity. Or when playing around with the trigger guard. And of course, right side up allows full access to the lower receiver guts including trigger, safety, and buffer tube.
In practice the Magpul BEV Block is essential for many tasks including torquing the barrel nut, snugging
the castle nut, and loosening and re-tightening muzzle devices as well as some custom applications. And it makes most other AR tool tasks easier and safer including trigger work, anything to do with the buffer tube, and installing or removing handguards whether free floating or delta ringed.
Related: Magpul MBUS Offset Sights
The debate about the AR 15 as a first choice survival or SHTF rifle is just as lively now as last year. Opinions often diverge when it comes to the number of moving parts, especially springs and fasteners, of the AR platform compared to traditional bolt action long guns. While spring numbers don’t lie, the fear of springs that many bolt lovers have may be rooted in a low comfort level with the clockwork of an AR 15. On the flip side, becoming intimate with your rifle generates confidence and understanding of operation. Where that makes a difference is when under stress you can you know the difference between essential AR operations and those that just keep the trains running on time. While a topic for another article, I give a teaser that you can fire off an reasonably accurate bullet from an AR15 just a fraction of the roughly 200 parts in a classic milspec AR15 rifle
One more: Magpul D-60 Drum Review
It is hard to appreciate a design when the nuances of the mechanism can shoot springs across the room, or
have detents slide out into oblivion when a receiver is rotated, or require more tools than a screwdriver. But for those of us who appreciate the AR15 and all its idiosyncrasies, the more we can tinker with our rifles, the better. So the value of a solid tool like the Magpul BEV Block is amplified through repeated use. Good tools encourage quality work. Great tools encourage confidence and understanding. And the Magpul BEV Block is a great tool.
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The Home Defense Shotgun: Why a shotgun is one of the top choices for preppers and those just getting started with firearms. [...]
The post Prepper Guns: Why a Shotgun should be part of your Home Defense Arsenal appeared first on Off Grid Survival - Wilderness & Urban Survival Skills.
You have a bugout bag, your home is ready for disasters, and you have planned for the worst case scenario; but what about your vehicle? [...]
The post Vehicle Prepping: Tips to Prepare your Car or Truck for Bug Out Disasters appeared first on Off Grid Survival - Wilderness & Urban Survival Skills.
If you a fan of Springfield Armory’s SAINT line, then your going to love the new SAINT Edge Pistol. It has the same popular features that you will find throughout the Saint lineup but gives you the compact shootability of a pistol platform. [...]
The post Springfield Armory Shows of New SAINT Edge Pistol at SHOT Show appeared first on Off Grid Survival - Wilderness & Urban Survival Skills.
Like many who have their head on a survival swivel, you may have noticed a monster blade by the Schrade Knife Company that seemed too good to be true. Its huge cross 
section, full tang, combination serrated/reverse curve blade, and black tactical skin make it seem a no-brainer for the scant $30-$40 it sells for in sporting goods stores and gas stations nationwide. Well, unfortunately it is too good to be true, but its not without a purpose. As a Get-Home blade, the Schrade excels, but for a Bug Out knife, forget it. Let me explain.
By Doc Montana, contributing author to SHTFblog and Survival Cache
The Schrade SCHF9 Survival Knife is an impressive slab of sharpened 1095 carbon steel that sure looks like a great knife. It’s specs in a 
nutshell are a foot and a pound. But looks can be deceiving. First of all, the steel is marginal at best, and wildly substandard if you have any experience and expectations of finer irons. In fact, this particular version of 1095 is troublesome steel when it comes to edge sharpness, edge retention, sharpening, corrosion resistance, and just about everything else but price.
However, for short-term use, the Schrade SCHF9 Survival Knife has advantages. For one, the cost. Second, you can beat the hell of it without concern of losing your investment. Third, the sheer mass of the of the knife will demand fear and respect from every snowflake for miles around. And that’s about it. Poking holes in the Taiwan-made Schrade SCHF9 Survival Knife facade is easy. But picking your starting point is hard. There is the blade shape, the steel, the edge grind, the handle, the tang, the sheath, and the coating, just to name a few launch points.
Also Read: Neck Knives for Everyone
The blade shape is a drop point with reverse curve. Unfortunately a drop point of this size is somewhat contradictory. The drop point was 
designed to help keep the tip of a blade from catching on things or the unwanted tearing of flesh and entrails during intricate gutting tasks. But on a blade big, those finer movements are tough in spite of the blade shape. And worse, the drop point is not the best fighting blade due to its subdued point, yet a cutter as large as the Schrade SCHF9 Survival Knife should have both offensive and defensive potential.
The reverse curve of the blade is shaped to keep the work-piece in place during cutting. Say for instance you are slicing something back and forth. As you press the blade into the work-piece there is a chance the knife could slip forward off the task. The reverse curve creates an uphill battle causing a more likely re-centering of the work-piece rather than sliding off it. While the reverse curve is common on knives from pocket to machete, it does limit the jobs that a survival knife should excel at. But chopping brush and hacking through branches is truly easier with a reverse curve. It’s just that reverse curve blade chopping chores are not front and center in most survival situations.
The steel of the Schrade SCHF9 Survival Knife is a room-temperature working steel that has neither the desirable properties of a survival knife or a hatchet. The steel does not 
hold an edge well regardless of the quality of its temper, it does not sharpen easily, and it is prone to chipping and rollover compared to 21st century knife steels. Even worse, the rust-prone nature of a carbon steel is often armored against corrosion by a blade coating. Unfortunately the black paint on the Schrade SCHF9 Survival Knife blade flakes off easily, and scratches even easier. Experience with high quality blade coatings has proven that durability is possible. But that is not the case here. But for $30 what should we expect?
Related: Benchmade Bushcrafter Review
To make opinions about a knife, or anything for that matter, relevant, there should be comparable(s) in the mix. Any single knife cannot 
be compared to itself, only other blades. So for this review, my comparable(s) were the Ka-Bar BK-2 (at twice the price of the Schrade), the Boker Orca 2 (at six times the price) and the Fallkniven F2 Wilderness Knife (at ten times the price).
The Ka-Bar offers a similar blade steel and thickness. The Boker Orca 2 offers a similar blade shape and handle profile. And the Fallkniven F2 offers a similar overall length and weight. Personally, I would take any of the above over the Schrade SCHF9 Survival Knife, but in the short-term Get Home, there is little chance that unless traveling long distance across varied terrain, the major difference between the blades will rear its ugly head.
The handle of the Schrade SCHF9 Survival Knife looks impressive from an arm’s reach, but reality tells a different story. The rubber grips do grip, but will have a shelf life of 
about one hard Get Home. Technically, the grips are a rubber-like elastomer called Kraton. It is a polymer with many desirable properties for knife grips, but the execution of them is severely is knife dependent. Just like the blade. The grips, or scales really, are held onto the knife tang, but not held in place. Even when the four torx-screws are tightened tightly, the grips still slide around. And given that they don’t match the contour of the steel tang, gaps ebb and flow as you use the knife.
The combination of screw-mounted rubber grips is rare. 
Usually the entire handle is contained into a Kraton grip shell molded over the tang, or the grip scales are a more firm material like Micarta or G10, or glass reinforced polymer (aka Plastic). You can actually feel the rubber material of the grips move when twisting and turning the blade. Not so much with gloves on, but certainly enough to know it won’t last under sustained use. And given the blade steel and shape along with the grip, the Schrade SCHF9 Survival Knife may have a place in the immediate, but certainly not in the long term.
But there is one more issue, one of concept. The Schrade SCHF9 Survival Knife appears to be a significant chopper and wood processor. Chewing through wood is a serious 
issue with SHTF and survival blades. In fact anything that can bash and baton through pine is a friend when things go dark. Although the Schrade SCHF9 Survival Knife does chop, it does so more out of dumb luck than talent. In fact it is a fairly poor chopper compared to other choppers of this size partially due to the blade grind, and also due to the fact that the non-skeletonized metal of the tang places a proportional amount of weight behind your index finger as it does in front of it. So a knife of this weight is much less productive than a equally massive hatchet. The Fallkniven F2 is dynamite at chopping, while the Schrade SCHF9 Survival Knife is sluggish and subdued. The convex grind on the Fallkniven F2 throws wood far as its blade makes quick work of the wood. Sadly, the Schrade SCHF9 Survival Knife instead attempts to dive deep into the wood with its flat grind throwing no wood and doing surprisingly little damage given the muscle behind the swing. Worse, the heavy spine tends to spin the blade when angle struck rather than pry out wood chips and throw them across the forest floor.
Related: Tops BOB Knife Review
For a knife to remain a knife and not just a chopper, the blade must have a skill set beyond the crude splitting of firewood. Alas, the Schrade SCHF9 Survival Knife is an amateur
when it comes to more intricate survival tasks. Which leads to the question of if it should be part of a bug out kit at all. My answer? No. There is so much more to survival than just chopping wood. And the knife is arguably the single most critical piece of hardware in your kit. Just because the Schrade SCHF9 Survival Knife chops wood does not put it anywhere near a good quality hatchet. And the Schrade SCHF9 Survival Knife’s chopping ability does not circumvent its use as a knife, and thus it fails spectacularly as a performance survival knife. Instead, you would be far better off with a decent hatchet and a quality fixed blade knife smaller than the Schrade SCHF9 Survival Knife.
The Schrade line of survival/outdoor fixed blade knives looks like a tree of life for beetles. There are dozens of them with minor differences 
and odd mixes of features. It’s almost as if the Schrade knife designers are throwing all sorts of shapes and grinds at the consumer wall to see what sticks. Frankly, I would like to see far fewer options, but better ones. Having such a diverse product line complicates the refinement process which is essential to develop a performance blade regardless of cost. Looking at the vast landscape of Schrade survival blade choices all but prohibits the necessary attention given to any one design allowing it to evolve into greatness. Instead, sales numbers will likely drive its destiny with bean counters determining its fate. Sadly, a promising design will be killed off rather than enhanced and updated according to public wishes.
That said, the Schrade SCHF9 Survival Knife can run double duty meaning that if your needs include wood work and wet work, prying, pounding, and penetrating, as well as non-demanding fine knife work, then this Schrade SCHF9 Survival Knife is a solution. One area where a blade of this quality and size comes in handy is working one’s way home after something bad happens. Or working your way to your bug out location. But once there you will need to transition to a knife of higher quality or you just made a tough situation even tougher.
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The post Survival Gear Review: Schrade SCHF9 Survival Knife appeared first on Survival Cache.
Earlier this month, the Republican turncoat senator from Florida, Marco Rubio, introduced a bill to push gun confiscations throughout the United States. The Extreme Risk Protection Order and Violence Prevention Act of 2019, is essentially [...]
The post Republican Marco Rubio is Pushing a Major Gun Confiscation Bill Through Congress appeared first on Off Grid Survival - Wilderness & Urban Survival Skills.
