Many survivalists continuously check and rotate their potable water and food stores stocks and make sure their AR15 provides dependable operation and efficiency and that they have plenty of ammunition. Each veteran prepper will also ensure they stock sufficient stores of survival equipment such as radios, maps, survival tools, and plenty of paracord for building shelters.

Suppose you’ve been in the survivalist circle for longer than a few months and are confident in your off-the-grid stocks. It’s probably safe to say that you’ve already thought to include several clothing changes to accommodate survivability depending on the weather conditions amongst all those bug-out bags. Where the problem begins is when tough stuff hits the fan, and you and your family’s life changes dramatically to the point that your off-the-grid lifestyle eventually becomes your daily grind. Many survivalists have a checklist to make sure they are prepared. Is your AR scope still zeroed in and are your rifle’s well maintained? Do you have enough ammo? When’s the last time you checked your potable water and food stores stocks?

Yes, you may have learned all the necessary skills to forage for food and water when the supplies run out, and you probably took advantage of the pre-disaster time to learn and practice hunting skills when the food sources thin out, but what about your clothing? Shirt and pants fabric will wear out much faster than the internal mechanics of your tools and AR15. Although you may be able to muster up enough skills to mend the rips, eventually, the clothing you and your family donned at the beginning of your venture and the clothing you stocked will wear to the point that you’re going to have to replace them.

Keep in mind that if everyone who lived through the disaster is in survival mode, the chances of making a trip to a local store and picking out a few outfits off the rack will probably not happen. Aside from eventually being forced to wear a few well-placed fig leaves to cover the appropriate areas, you may want to consider how to make your fabric and how to make your clothing.  

The Material Comes First

When making your survival clothing, the first skill set you’ll need to master is how to make the material you’ll use to make all the clothing. If you think you’ll be able to depend on an overabundance of leather on the hoof, remember that food and leather sources on the hoof such as cattle and deer will become scarcer as the length of an emergency expands. 

Not only will you not be able to bag multiple leather options for you and your family, but you’ll not be able to score material, patterns, or even the tools necessary to make shoes or clothing. Remember that for hundreds of years before we came into the picture, our ancestors relied on readily available cotton, flax, hemp, and other plants to create clothing material and thread with manually operated spinning wheels and looms.

You may be thinking right now that it’s not like you’ll be able to carry around a full-sized fabric loom around with you each time you bug out to a new location, but you don’t have to. You’d be amazed at the amount of yarn material you can create with a drop spindle, a spinning wheel, and even a good pair of sturdy crochet needles. If you’re already into knitting, you’re ahead of the game when it comes to making sweaters, gloves, hats, and other types of clothing for you and the family. Begin investigating the skills you’ll need to find, grow, or collect the plants you’ll need for creating material now. After you’ve mastered those, then practice using a manual spinning wheel or drop spindle until you can instinctively spin fibers into workable yarn or thread. One thing to note about drop spindles is that they come in various sizes to meet the needs of the fiber you’re attempting to spin.

Fasteners and Tools

During an extended emergency, don’t expect to find an abundance of zippers, hooks-and-eyes, and even Velcro fasteners for your survival shirts, coats, pants, or shoes. You’ll probably need to rely on buttons made from animal bone, sanded, or carved wood in an actual survival situation. You can use just about anything at your disposal when making buttons, so long as you can poke between two or four holes of sufficient size that allows you to pass your survival-made thread through.

When it comes to tools to use when making your survival clothing, you’ll probably want to have one or two bug-out bags dedicated to only what you’ll need when putting the material together. While the list of tools you’ll need to carry is not exhaustive, ensure you have crochet hooks of various sizes and knitting needles, again in multiple sizes.

When it comes to cutting thread or the material you’ve created with your drop spindle, then you’ll need small scissors for the yarn or thread you make and a larger pair for the thicker pieces of leather or material. While many of you may have used patterns to cut out your clothing material, you’re probably not going to get a chance to shop for pre-cut patterns. In your survival clothing bug-out bags, be sure to include an ample supply of large paper bags or newspapers to shape and cut out your latest survival fashion designs. Finally on the list, your clothing survival kit should include a significant number of push pins, stick size guides for knitting, a flexible tape measure, and when working with leather, a reliable leather punch or awl to top it all off.

Better Than a Pair of Moccasins

It’s an excellent possibility that you’re not likely to find a sufficient supply of resins or synthetic rubber to fashion soles for a new pair of dependable shoes in the post-disaster world. However, if you stumble across a cache of old tires, you’ll want to ensure you cut several swatches of the tire to take along. Rubber tires make perfect soles for a pair of lightweight survivalist shoes. One thing you’ll need is a few shoe forms in various sizes, and since you’ve already included heavy-duty scissors in your kit for material, the same should handle your leather or canvas cutting needs as well.  

A good pair of dependable survival shoes made from canvas or leather uppers, rubber lowers, and yes, even wood will become second nature after a few attempts. If you think crafting a pair of dependable shoes out of wood won’t work for you, here’s an interesting fact. Wooden shoes, or clogs, were created in the thirteenth century, worn for everyday use by the local peasantry, and eventually became fashionable footwear in the fourteenth century.

As with any skill you’ve never attempted before, growing, or locating the right plants to form yarn, thread, and material, learning how to shape clothing patterns out of paper bags, and building a pair of dependable shoes with canvas uppers and tire lowers will take a lot of practice. It’s doubtful you’ll not learn these skills by osmosis, so you’ll need to start now to be ready when left to your own devices and making your own clothing while off the grid.

While going through an ample supply of magazines, plinking targets at the range might be ideal for most recreational gun owners; nothing says excitement more than participating in a 3-gun competition. Most first-timers typically ensure their AR15 upper receiver has a match-grade barrel and the perfect red dot ruggedized miniature reflex sight.

Also, they’ll probably want to adequately maintain their semi-automatic shotgun and pistol to guarantee superior functionality while on the course. There are, however, a few other items you’ll want to include in your gear on your first attempts, such as a range bag with all the maintenance tools and cleaning items, plenty of water and high-protein snacks, and the proper eye and ear protection.

If you’ve studied what a 3-gun competition requires, you’ll understand that the correct competition clothing will make all the difference in the world regarding comfort and mobility. As any seasoned 3-gun veteran will tell you, wearing suitable tops, pants, belts, and footwear not only should keep you cool and comfortable but also help you gain a tactical advantage.

Shirts for Competition

When selecting a competitive shooting top, the first thing to check is how well the fabric stretches and moves with your body. Not only should the shirt flex with your body motion, but the material needs to move about without getting in the way of your movements.

A breathable top is essential when participating in any USPSA 3-gun competition, which calls for continuous action as you run through an obstacle course while firing three different types of firearms. The tactical top you select should also contain snag-resistant fabric so you can quickly deploy and return your pistol, rifle, or shotgun to its preordained place.

Moisture-wicking properties are essential when picking out a competition shirt or top for 3-gun matches. USPSA 3-gun matches call for rapid movement and running the course against the clock while rapidly acquiring targets and maintaining precise shot placement. You’ll no doubt break a large sweat, and extensive collections of perspiration can not only be uncomfortable but frequently prevent you from your giving it your best performance.

Shooting Jackets

Not all 3-gun competitions occur in the late spring or summertime, and you may discover your first time in competition may require more than just a tactical shooting top, pants, and footwear to keep you comfortable during the match. Remember that not every winter jacket is equal when wearing a shooting jacket while participating in your first 3-gun competition.

The first thing to look for when picking out a shooting vest, let’s say AR500 Bullet Proof Vest, is that it won’t restrict arm motion when worn while aiming and firing at targets on the course. If you can’t quickly acquire the target and place the shot were intended because the jacket restricts your motion, then the fact it keeps you warm and dry during a match won’t matter much.

The jacket you choose needs rip-stop fabric in case of an accidental snag or contact with a sharp object, and the lining should be thin enough to allow freedom of motion and yet provide you the right amount of layer protection without bulk. While many first-time participants don’t think about them, you’ll want to ensure the cuffs of your jacket are hook and loop so you can keep the sleeve cuffs out of the way of your hands as you make it through the course.

Blue Jeans or Shooting Pants

Admittedly, many first-time 3-gun competitors slide into a pair of their favorite relaxed-fit blue jeans off the hanger to wear during competition. Unfortunately, your favorite blue jeans can sometimes rip in the most embarrassing locations. When selecting a few pairs of shooting pants, be sure to check for reinforced seams in the seat of the pants and bar-tack reinforcement at all the major stress points.

Also, when it comes to a ripped pair of pants, you should check to ensure the pants are made of Flex-Tac® rip-stop fabric. If you’re not sure where to find shooting pants such as this, look at some of the tactical clothing the Stryke company manufactures.

Since this is probably your first time competing in 3-gun competition, you may not have thought about the amount of kneeling instances you’ll experience as you travel through the course. Even the least challenging 3-gun course may resemble a few blocks of a war-torn city that recently suffered a catastrophic event. There’ll be rubble and rocks and all kinds of objects you may have to plant your knees on to make the shot. Ensure the shooting pants you pick out have kneepad-ready knees beneath the exterior fabric to make the entire ordeal more palatable and less painful.

A Belt That Works Overtime

Although it stands to reason a belt will hold up your shooting pants, a genuine shooting belt does so much more than that. A proper shooting belt should not only be sturdy enough to hold your pistol’s holster, but it should also be strong enough to handle items such as additional mag pouches, multi-tool packs, and assorted accessories.

One of the best belts to consider is the Maverick Battle Belt which features the correct type of ergonomic curve to provide maximum stability while remaining extremely comfortable to wear. While many first-time 3-gun competitors don’t think a belt is essential because the fit of their pants is perfect on the hips, there are a few 3-gun competitions that require a belt of some sort to participate. As a first timer, be sure to check on the requirements of the match you intend to sign up for before you arrive.

Shoes on the Ground

Many first-time entries on a 3-gun match show up on their first day of shooting trials with various types of footwear such as combat lace-up boots, steel-toed work boots for additional ankle support, and yes, even cowboy boots. While this type of footwear may work well for some, it may not be the best selection of footwear for 3-gun competition.

When selecting the right kind of footwear, think about what you’ll need to accomplish as you compete. One of your shoes’ key capabilities needs to give you positive traction in various surfaces and conditions such as wet grass, mud, loose dirt, and even snow. If you don’t want to sacrifice mobility for stability, look at the line of competition footwear from Salomon Speedcross, which provides the perfect style of tread and traction you’ll need when racing through a 3-gun competition course.

Additional Gear

While these items aren’t clothing, they are essential items you’ll want to take with you when heading out to your first competition. Things such as tactical eyeglasses, workable earmuffs, and shooting gloves that withstand the heat of your upper receiver’s handguard and provide a positive grip on your shotgun and pistol are just as important when competing. So, be sure to bring them.

An unfortunate reality we have to accept is that the crime rate is higher in more affordable neighborhoods vis-à-vis the affluent ones these days. Also, people living in households at or below the poverty line can experience twice the amount of violence that the high-income ones.

In an ideal scenario, if you face it, you would want to pack up and move to a safer place. But it is easier said than done. So there are various survival techniques that you can learn. Mastering the art of firing can be beneficial during such difficult times and improve your chances of survival.

This article lays down five fundamental steps of rifle firing which can come in handy. However, one of the most crucial elements that can help your survival is what lies between your ears – your brain.

The Importance

Opting to use appropriate firing techniques will help you keep your firearm steady. That, in turn, can help you have the most accuracy while shooting.

Handguns are common in most households as they are convenient to keep and easy to use. However, people often face issues with its accuracy. A micro-conversion kit or MCK can be handy in such a scenario. It converts the handgun into a medium rifle and facilitates an ergonomic groove for a stable grip, thus enabling you to increase your accuracy.

Mastering the fundamental step of rifle firing can happen through practice. As you dedicate more time, you will understand various accuracy-affecting factors, such as heat, wind, and parallax.

The five fundamental steps of rifle firing are:

• Aiming to take the perfect shot
• Control your breathing pattern
• Controlling your body movement
• Having a hold over the trigger
• The follow-through process

All these steps work together in unison and need practice in specific ways. You will find a detailed note on each of these steps in the next section. This article tries to give you some theoretical knowledge based on practical experience that you can apply in the real world. You can also enroll yourself in a course if you prefer to learn under the guidance of experienced personnel.

Aiming

The first step towards mastering the art of rifle firing for your survival is one of the most crucial ones and requires your undivided attention on the subject you are about to shoot. If you wish to accomplish the desired results in this step, you should try to keep everything else out of your mind.

There are a few basic steps that you can follow to improve your aiming skills. The following are some of the guidelines which can come in handy for the same:

• You should align your site with the target as you aim.
• To reduce the eye strain, keep both open, and it also eases focusing.
• The time taken to aim should be as brief as possible. It is particularly crucial as it becomes difficult to maintain the firing fundamentals effectively for a prolonged period.

Breathing

Many are unaware of this critical step that can be a game-changer during a survival scenario or a hunting expedition. You may not know it, but your breathing can move you enough to throw you off the target.

To achieve better breathing techniques while firing a gun rifle, you can follow these steps, which will help to improve your breathing technique:

• When you are ready to shoot, inhale deeply and exhale about half of it.
• Hold onto your breath as you put pressure on the trigger.
• A critical aspect you should note at this juncture is that you should not hold your breath for longer. Your heart starts beating faster with a long-held breath, leading to an increased pulse. The resultant action leads to the movement of your firearm. If you sense this, you should take another breath and start over.
• Excitement also increases the difficulty in breathing control. So you have to try to keep yourself calm and follow the appropriate procedure.

Hold On

Once you have mastered the art of aiming and controlling your breathing, you need to step up for the next challenge. This step is a challenge because it takes time to learn how to hold the firearm steady.

You should avoid attempting to eliminate the movements and concentrate on the following steps instead:

• You can start by focussing on any unwanted movement of the target.
• After that, you should work to minimize the area of that movement.

Trigger Control

Any jerk in the trigger or abruptly clenching it can lead to a gun movement. It leads to missing the target. You can follow these steps to avoid such motions:

• You should hold the wrist of the stock firmly.
• You can position your fingertips on the trigger, between the fingertip and the first joint.
• You can put a slow and steady pressure on the trigger till the gun fires. Never pull the trigger with your finger, always squeeze it. 

Follow Through

Once the bullet is out, you should ensure to continue the squeeze to avoid any unwanted jerks. The follow-through will help keep the gun stable, as the bullet is out of the barrel, and help you deal with the recoil.

Therefore, as you can see, choosing to pursue these steps can help you master the rifle firing techniques during a need. However, it is crucial not to panic and be alert to achieve the best results.

Suppressors, also known as silencers, are accessories that you add to the end of your pistol’s barrel, as the name implies, to cut down on the noise that they make.

There’s a little more to the whole story than simply screwing on a suppressor, and before making the somewhat heavy investment of time, money, and paperwork to buying one, it’s worth thinking about the pros and cons of adding a silencer to your pistol.

Overall, we’re big fans of suppressors for a variety of reasons, but we do understand that they also come with some downsides as well, which are worth weighing out.

Pros of Suppressors

Of course, the biggest pro to owning and using a suppressor is the reduction of sound that comes from adding a suppressor to your pistol. While very few will end up as quiet as the movies, good suppressors, combined with subsonic ammunition can often yield results that are not far from what you’d expect from your favorite movies and games.

This is the big reason people buy suppressors, and we see why: shooting a suppressed handgun is a shooting experience that few people get to have, and we recommend everyone to try it if they get the chance.

Suppressors work by giving the expanding gasses that come out of the end of a barrel when a round is fired extra space and time to cool down. The primary effect of this is the reduction in noise that we just covered, but there’s an additional benefit as well.

Suppressors also reduce and often eliminate, any muzzle flash that comes out of the end of your pistol’s barrel. This is especially handy for people who want to use their pistol for home defense, as the flash from a round can be blinding at night, making it hard to keep on target.

With the sound suppression offered by a silencer comes a big health benefit: it’s easier on your ears. Even with adequate hearing protection, firing unsuppressed firearms can lead to both short and long term hearing damage, which is a major concern for everyone but especially for folks who do a lot of shooting.

Combined with a good set of earmuffs and some earplugs, a suppressed pistol has a lot less chance of damaging your hearing, which we think is yet another great reason to not only buy suppressors but also make them more affordable and accessible through things like the proposed Hearing Protection Act.

Last, but certainly not least in our book: it’s extremely fun to shoot a suppressed pistol. In our experience, we have yet to find a single human being who was not smiling from ear to ear the first time they fired a handgun that’s been suppressed.

This goes double for cases when we can get our hands on good subsonic ammunition as well. Even though, yes, firearms are dangerous and should always be taken seriously, it’s important to remember that many of us got into, and remain in, the hobby of shooting because it’s fun.

Cons of Suppressors 

The first, and biggest, con of suppressors are their expense. On the cheap end, a suppressor will run you several hundred dollars. From there, you’ll have to fill out Form 4 with the ATF, which means another $200 in taxes, as well as waiting sometimes up to a year to get the suppressor in your hands.

This is the part that keeps some people from getting into suppressors in the first place, which we think is a shame and we hope gets better through some legislative action sometime in the next few years.

As far performance goes, the added weight on the end of the barrel makes it harder for some people to keep their shots on target when using a suppressor. For most people, this means shooting low, but you’ll learn to adapt over time.

It can be a little more tiring to shoot with a suppressor since the weight is further from your hand, and this is something to consider for long range sessions.

Additionally, your standard height iron sights might be too low to see over the suppressor: in one of those cases, you’ll have to either get higher iron sights or, more commonly these days, get a red dot sight that sits above the height of the body of the suppressor.

Some designs of suppressor vent much of the gas from firing backward at the shooter. This makes them effective in terms of sound and flash suppression but prevents an issue of its own: those relatively hot gasses and some unburnt powder is likely to hit you right in the face.

The first time you shoot a suppressed handgun, we recommend wearing safety glasses as well as a balaclava or something similar to cover your face to prevent the unpleasant sensation of hot gasses to the face.

Shooting with a suppressor also usually means that there’s more backpressure, and some of the unburnt powder and other residues usually make their way into the action of the gun one way or another. When you shoot suppressed, you’ll likely notice that there’s about double the usual amount of carbon buildup and fouling in the gun.

Generally, this isn’t a big deal, but we do recommend cleaning after each shooting session with a suppressor just to keep any filth-induced malfunctions from occurring. It’s a bit of a pain, but one well worth it in our view.

There are some downsides to owning a suppressor. They’re expensive, can make it harder to shoot well, and can mean a lot more time cleaning your handgun. With that said, they’re good tools that make it safer to shoot, reduce the noise and flash you’re likely to get out of your muzzle, and, above all, are a lot of fun.

In our view, a suppressor can be more than worth it, and we’d like to add a few more to our personal collection. While they may not be for everyone, we certainly like adding suppressor to our pistols when we can.