Rimfire Weapons that

Belong in Your Arsenal

POCKET PISTOL
GUIDE

10/22
BUG-OUT BAG

WHAT IF YOUR
PLANE CRASHED?

TIPS FOR
FIRE-STARTING
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CONTENTS ISSUE 62

DEPARTMENTS FEATURES

6 On the Cover 28 Projectile Protectors -

All the Great Gear on the Part I: Armor Plates 28
Cover A Deep Dive into How to
Choose Body Armor 38 46
8 Editor’s Letter
Small But Formidable 38 The 10 S’s of Fire Starting
A Helpful Framework for Getting
10 Gear Up a Fire Started Every Time
The Latest and Greatest
Products 46 Projectile Protectors -
Part II: Ballistic Helmets
14 Pocket Preps An Overview of Armor for Your
Rimfire Pocket Pistols Brain

18 What If? 50 SSH… Be Very Quiet

You’re Stranded After a Reviewing and Upgrading the 50
Bush Plane Crash? Ruger Mark IV 22/45 “Silencer
Shop Host”
84 Hands On
Review of the Velocity 58 Hide & Seek, Hard Mode
Systems Jungle Kit BRVO Tactical’s Overnight
Reconnaissance Class Taught
88 Bag Drop Us About Concealment,
10/22 Takedown Pack Observation, and Covert
Movement
90 The Last Page 58 64
Review of the Citizen 64 Survival is in the Air
Manual Series Review of the Black Bunker BM8
Foldable Air Rifle

70 Radical Rimfire
Sparing No Expense for a
Precision Chassis .22LR Rifle
Product Disclaimer
Prices and details for products and services featured 72 Lights Out
in RECOIL OFFGRID are set by the manufacturers, An Affordable .22 AR Built for
retailers, and agencies, and are subject to change Nighttime Training
without notice.
70
76 Overland 4Runner:
Throughout this issue you will see certain
Part 3
images are labeled as being 100% Actual
Our 2022 4Runner
Size. This designation is for the print
Gets Upgraded
edition of this issue. Because of the various screen
Wheels, Tires,
sizes on different tablets and computers, we cannot
Suspension, 72
always provide actual life size images in digital
and More
versions. We apologize if this causes any confusion
and thank you for your understanding.

Recoil OFFGRID (ISSN 2475-1952), August/September 2024; Number 62, is published bimonthly by CMG
West, LLC 5583 W. Waterford Ln., Suite D, Appleton, WI 54913. Copyright © 2024 by CMG West, LLC. All
Rights Reserved. Periodicals Postage Paid at Appleton, WI, and at additional mail offices. For subscription
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76
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understanding that the information presented herein is from many varied sources for which there can
be no warranty or responsibility by the publisher as to accuracy or completeness.
 RUGGED FOR A REASON
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With a mesh chassis and nylon ripstop reinforcements, the Range Trainer™ XD Shoe shoe is
built to withstand the most brutal training regimes. The range-enhanced outsole offers superior
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006 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 62

1. Rimfire Rifle 3. Scope 6. Pistol

Make: Ruger Make: Vortex Make: Vudoo Gun Works
Model: 10/22 Takedown Lite Model: Diamondback 2-7x35 Rimfire Model: Priest
MSRP: $839 MSRP: $340 MSRP: $3,605
URL: ruger.com URL: vortexoptics.com URL: vudoogunworks.com

2. Stock 4. Trigger 7. Backpack

Make: Magpul Make: Volquartsen Make: 5.11 Tactical
Model: X-22 Backpacker (FDE) Model: TG2000 with Rapid Release (FDE) Model: LV18 2.0 (Turbulence)
MSRP: $115 MSRP: $339 MSRP: $145
URL: magpul.com URL: 511tactical.com
5. Suppressor
Make: Bowers Group 8. Binoculars
7 Model: Bitty Make: Leupold
MSRP: $390 Model: BX-4 Pro Guide HD 10x42mm
URL: bowersgroup.com MSRP: $500
URL: leupold.com

9. Thermal Monocular
Make: Pulsar
Model: Axion 2 LRF XG35
MSRP: $3,400
URL: pulsarnv.com

10. First Aid Kit

Cover Photo by Patrick McCarthy Make: ViTAC
Model: Advanced Adventurer (Tan)
MSRP: $299
URL: vitacsolutions.com

2
10

6
1
3
4

5
EDITOR’SLETTER

By Patrick McCarthy

For all these

reasons, we decided
to make rimfire weapons
the primary focus of this issue. Some
of our feature-length articles include a suppressed
Ruger Mark IV “Silencer Shop Host” pistol build (pictured here),
a .22 LR AR-15 for night ops, and even a no-expense-spared bolt
action chassis that pushes the limits of .22 LR precision. Associate
Editor Patrick Diedrich reviewed the Black Bunker BM8 foldable air
rifle, which — while not technically a firearm — shares many of the
advantages of a rimfire rifle with a few more unique features. In
our Pocket Preps column, Mike Searson assembled a lineup of tiny
rimfire pistols that can disappear into your pockets. In the Bag Drop
column, I show off a pack loadout designed around my Ruger 10/22
Takedown with an array of practical survival accessories.
Branching out to other related subjects, we have a What If
scenario involving a bush plane crash in central Alaska. Long-time
contributor and survival instructor Kevin Estela and new contribu-
When it comes to survival tools, bigger isn’t always better. A cav- tor and hunting guide Caleb Stillians shared their approaches to
ernous 100L pack might seem appealing at first, but experienced staying alive under these challenging circumstances. Estela also
backpackers know all that extra space is likely to tempt you to carry wrote a list of memorable tips for starting a fire, a core prepared-
an unnecessary amount of gear, and as the saying goes, “ounces ness skill that we should all be working on periodically. Since
equal pounds and pounds equal pain.” Similarly, a big machete discussions about utilizing firearms should also factor in how to pro-
might seem like an ideal cutting implement until you realize a tect ourselves from them, Alexander Castiglione wrote deep-dive
sturdy 4-inch fixed blade can accomplish most survival tasks with a articles to help you understand body armor and ballistic helmets.
lot more precision and finesse. Tom Marshall shared some lessons learned at a recent BRVO Tacti-
The same logic applies to firearms. A .50 AE Desert Eagle, fun as cal reconnaissance training course, and also reviewed volumes one
it may be on the range, makes a terrible survival tool. If you know and two of the Professional Citizen Project training manuals. Last
what you’re doing and plan your shots appropriately, you can do a but not least, I continued the build series for my Toyota 4Runner
lot more with a small-caliber rimfire pistol. Sure, .22 LR won’t easily overland project truck, adding wheels, tires, and suspension to the
bring down an elk or a grizzly bear, but it can swiftly deal with small list of upgrades.
game (which you’re much more likely to encounter) and may suffice Above all, we encourage you to keep context in mind as you
for close-range self-defense in a pinch, given good shot placement. select your gear. Some tasks may require a large-caliber rifle or cen-
More importantly — unlike many larger calibers, and especially terfire handgun instead of a rimfire weapon, just as some environ-
the aforementioned .50-caliber hand cannon — it pairs beautifully ments call for carrying a machete or ax rather than a compact fixed
with a suppressor to remain whisper-quiet. Being able to use your blade. But, in general, the tried-and-true rimfire makes an extremely
firearm discreetly brings a whole lot of advantages. Rimfire ammo is versatile, reliable, and easy-to-use survival rifle (or pistol) platform.
also dirt cheap and occupies less space in your storeroom, so you’ll You’d be remiss not to have at least one .22 or .17 in your safe —
be able to stockpile more of it for a rainy day. these rounds may be small, but their capabilities are formidable.
 Editorial.
Editor-in-Chief/ Iain Harrison
Editor, RECOIL OFFGRID/ Patrick McCarthy
Managing Editor/ Laura Peltakian
Features Editor/ Dave Merrill
Contributing Editor/ Steven Kuo
Contributing Editor/ Patrick Diedrich
Network Manager/ Tom Marshall
Web Editor/ David Lane
Contributors/ Alexander Castiglione, Alexander Crown,
Kevin Estela, Mike Searson, Caleb Stillians
Special Thanks/ Bucky Pratt

Art Direction & Design.

Senior Art Director/ Gene Coo
Art Director/ Katia Sverdlova
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010
1A/2A: CONGRESS SHALL
GEARUP
1 MAKE & MODEL
Burris Veracity 2 MAKE & MODEL
Benchmade Bailout 3 MAKE & MODEL
Bushnell 40L 4 MAKE & MODEL
Crystal Creek Gear
PH 4-20X50 Convertible Duffel Bag GoReel Rodless Hand
STEEL Reel Fishing Kit
RETICLE CMP-M4 Super Steel MATERIAL
Rapid Cross MOA 10500 Polyester COLORS
MSRP
Blue, Green
MSRP $200 - $300 MSRP
$1,560 $75 MSRP
URL
$40
URL benchmade.com URL
burrisoptics.com bushnell.com URL
NOTES
crystalcreekgear.com
NOTES The Benchmade 537FE-02 Bailout knife NOTES
Burris Optics’ Veracity PH The Bushnell 40L Convertible Duffel NOTES
is tailored for those who prioritize both
4-20x50 riflescope is crafted for strength and lightness in their tools. Bag is designed to cater to anyone Crystal Creek Gear’s GoReel Kit is a
precision with a Rapid Cross MOA Featuring a CPM-M4 blade steel, it offers seeking versatility and resilience rodless hand reel system that’s inno-
illuminated reticle and ED glass exceptional edge retention and durabil- in their gear. This bag stands out vative and incredibly easy to carry. Its
for clear vision. The illumina- ity. The handle is crafted from anodized due to its ability to transform from compact, cylindrical design — measur-
tion is powered by a CR2450 aluminum, ensuring a secure grip while a traditional duffel into a duffel ing 4 inches in diameter, with a depth
battery, and the reticle can be maintaining minimal weight. The knife backpack, providing flexibility for of 2.5 inches — means that it can be
adjusted in 1/10 MOA increments. includes a Cerakote blade finish for added various travel needs. Crafted from tucked easily in a pocket or backpack.
This high-tech optic features corrosion resistance, making it a reliable coated polyester, the bag offers This design choice emphasizes por-
integrated PEK (Programmable companion in various environments. A lan- near-waterproof durability against tability, making it an ideal choice for
Elevation Knob) technology that yard loop is featured on the handle's end, the elements, making it a reliable spontaneous fishing trips or just en-
computes elevation adjust- allowing the user to secure it for repetitive choice for outdoor adventures. It also joying a peaceful moment near water.
ments and indicates them on a or slippery tasks. It’s lightweight and has features anti-skid rubber feet to mini- The reel comes housed in a container
heads-up digital display. It weighs a tanto blade design that gives it stylish mize wear and tear. The bag includes equipped with built-in tackle dividers,
about 29 ounces, is 13.8 inches looks along with its versatility as a blade. five additional pockets alongside the ensuring your hooks and small tackle
in length, and uses a 30mm main main compartment, ensuring there's remain organized and readily acces-
tube, making it compatible with a place for everything. Among these, sible. Additionally, the kit provides 30
many styles of optic mounts. This a mesh internal pocket is specifi- yards of premium braided fishing line.
model seamlessly integrates with cally designed for smaller items that Each GoReel comes complete with a
the BurrisConnect app, provid- 1 require easy access. Whether used as premium trout fishing tackle kit, which
ing essential ballistic data for a gym backpack, an overnight bag, or includes two Leland's Lures E-Z Trout
accurate shots without manual a tactical duffel, it's built to meet a Floats, six Trout Magnet bodies, and
input, suited for shooters who wide range of needs while providing three Trout Magnet hooks.
value precision and innovation in comfort and convenience.
their outdoor gear.
2

3
5 6 7 8
MAKE & MODEL MAKE & MODEL MAKE & MODEL MAKE & MODEL
Helly Hansen Women’s Garmont Tactical Prepper All Naturals Mission First
Isfjord Insulated Shacket Nemesis 4 G-Dry Variety Pack Tactical Belly
Band Holster
COLORS FIT
CUTS
Ebony, Hickory, Ocean Regular FIT
Steak, New York Strip, Ribeye, Filet Mignon 26- to 52-inch waist
MSRP MSRP
$180 $170 MSRP MSRP
$550 $50
URL URL
hellyhansen.com garmonttactical.com URL URL
NOTES
prepperbeef.com missionfirsttactical.com
NOTES
Staying comfortable in the outdoors NOTES NOTES
Crafted for durability and protec-
while remaining stylish isn’t an easy tion, the Nemesis 4 G-Dry by Gar- When refrigeration isn’t a guaranteed amenity, Designed for active lifestyles,
feat. Helly Hanson, however, does just mont Tactical is suited for those the MFT Belly Band Holster
finding protein-rich, nutrient-dense sources of
that with their Isfjord Insulated Shacket. who engage in operations where offers a no-belt-needed carry
food can be a challenge. Prepper All Naturals solution for activities like
This article of clothing is part shirt, part speed and agility are in high
jacket, keeping the wearer warm and
created a solution that aims to get fresh beef to walking, jogging, or biking.
demand. It integrates features like
comfortable. Featuring PrimaLoft BLACK those who need it most. Each 12-ounce packet The comfortable 3D Spacer
G-DRY waterproofing to keep feet
Eco insulation, this shacket is warm, dry in adverse conditions and an rehydrates back to its original 48 ounces, offer- Mesh Fabric allows for better
soft, lightweight, and environmentally abrasion-resistant synthetic mesh ing 12 servings with a substantial 24 grams of airflow. Soft hook and loop
friendly. The presence of internal chest upper for toughness. A soft Lycra protein each. Using a combination of sous vide construction avoids chafing,
pockets with snap buttons, alongside collar ensures comfort around the cooking and freeze-drying, this product ensures and open-air weave prevents
hand pockets offers functionality and ankle, while the rubber toe cap bacterial growth. It features
that the beef retains its flavor, texture, and
convenience. Adjustable cuffs with snap offers additional security against a hard laminate trigger shield
nutritional value, even after rehydration. Each for increased safety, elastic
buttons create a customizable fit, mak- rough terrain. Designed to be
ing it a versatile garment to keep the combo box contains beef cubes that expand pockets for accessories, and
lightweight at just 490 grams for a
elements at bay. Perfect for transitional half pair of size US 9's, it supports
back to their original size and weight when secure YKK zippered pockets
weather, it provides enough insulation quick movements without sacrific- rehydrated, providing a protein-rich food source for essentials. Ambidextrous
for warmth yet designed for layering ing support or comfort. This that can be stored for years without refrigera- and adjustable for waist
under heavier outerwear in colder boot offers a blend of high-tech tion. Ideal for emergency preparedness, disaster sizes 26 to 52 inches, it's
temperatures. materials and an innovative design hand or machine washable.
relief, humanitarian aid, or simply for having a
to ensure optimal performance in Compatible with a wide range
high-quality protein source on hand, it's tailored of firearms, it’s a versatile
many situations. for those looking for reliable food storage solu-
5 choice for concealed carry.
tions without compromising on the quality of
their diet.

7
ISSUE 62

OFFGRIDWEB.COM 011
012
1A/2A: MAKE NO LAW OFFGRIDWEB.COM

9 MAKE & MODEL

RTS Tactical Bulletproof 10 MAKE & MODEL
Simpleshot Scout X 11 MAKE & MODEL
Sitka Equinox Guard 12 MAKE & MODEL
War Bird Ghost Wolf
Memory Foam Pillow Hoody
COLORS FRAME COLORS
ARMOR LEVELS Black, Green, Slate COLORS Black, Green, Navy, White
IIIA, IIIA+ Aluminum, Black, Elevated II, Olive
MSRP MSRP
$45 Green, Pacific, Subalpine, Watefowl
MSRP Timber $159 - $189
$330 - $430
URL URL
MSRP
URL simple-shot.com warbirdpro.com
$149
rtstactical.com
NOTES NOTES
URL
NOTES Sometimes the best solutions Ghost Wolf sunglasses from WarBird
sitkagear.com
By combining comfort with defense, the derive from tried-and-true designs, are engineered for performance and
NOTES
RTS Tactical Bulletproof Memory Foam and few things are as time tested protection. Featuring 4SHADOW lens
Pillow is an unexpected safety product. Designed for outdoor enthusiasts looking
as the sling shot. The Scout X technology, they offer high-contrast
It integrates a ballistic armor panel for that perfect blend of comfort and
Slingshot from Simple-Shot is a lenses to enhance sight and reac-
into a premium memory foam pillow, protection, especially in hot weather,
modern take on a classic design, tion times. These glasses meet ANSI
designed to offer both a comfortable this hoody has a little bit of everything.
made for versatility and ease of Z87.1 safety standards for impact
night's sleep and protection against The Equinox Guard Hoody by Sitka Gear
use. It features next-generation resistance, ensuring durability and
firearm threats. Between two layers of integrates cutting-edge technologies
design improvements, adapt- safety. The Kaiwall Bio-based TR90
memory foam is a high-performance to protect against insect bites without
able grip options for various frame material is lightweight and
20x13 Soft Armor Panel. Available with compromising on comfort, especially in
hand sizes, and an integrated comfortable, designed for long
a IIIA panel — rated to stop rounds such warm, humid environments. It's crafted
band attachment for easy band wear. With a mono shield-style lens
as 9mm, .44 Magnum, and .357 SIG — or from an ultra-lightweight, breathable, and
changes. The slingshot also comes for an expansive field of view and
IIIA+ which is rated to stop full metal stretchy fabric designed to reduce mos-
with precision sighting aids for vented temple pieces for breath-
jacket rounds and point-blank shots. quito bites, with a built-in Insect Shield
accuracy and removable scales for ability, these sunglasses are built
Beneath the pillowcase are integrated for repelling a wide range of insects.
enhanced customization. Whether for active use in various light
carrying straps so the pillow can be Features include a breathable mesh
you're new to slingshots or an conditions, including full sun and
manipulated and used in a similar facemask, a long tail for added protec-
experienced user, the Scout X's variable light scenarios. Available in
manner as a riot shield. The overall size tion when tucked into pants, UPF 50+ sun
design is both traditional and inno- a variety of lens styles, the Ghost
is 23.6 inches in length, comparable protection, and odor control technology,
vative, ensuring a comfortable and Wolf can allow light transmittance
to an average-sized pillow, making it a making it ideal for outdoor activities
effective grip for all shooters. anywhere between 11 and 88 per-
discreet personal defense addition to where insects are prevalent.
cent depending on if a variable-light
the bedroom. Weighing in at 7.3 pounds, or full sun lens is selected.
it can be manipulated with relative ease
should the need arise.

9 11

10

12
014
1A/2A: RESPECTING
PocketPREPS
1 Bond Arms
2 North American Arms

Rimfi re
Honey B Ranger II
CALIBER: CALIBER:
.22 WMR .22 WMR/.22 LR
BARREL LENGTH: BARREL LENGTH:
3 inches 1.6 inches

Pocket Pistols
DIMENSIONS: DIMENSIONS:
5.5 by 4.2 inches 5.2 by 2.8 inches
WEIGHT: WEIGHT:
17.5 ounces 6.9 ounces
By Mike Searson CAPACITY: CAPACITY:
2 rounds 5 rounds
PRICE: PRICE:
imfires have always played a crucial role in prepar- $320 $574
ing for disasters. The ammunition and even the guns URL: URL:
bondarms.com northamericanarms.com
themselves are lighter than their centerfire counter-
parts. They are accurate, have virtually no recoil im-
pulse, and excel at pest control or taking small game
such as squirrel and even grouse. Most intelligent shooters under-
stand this and own rimfire rifles and target pistols for these reasons.
But what about a pocket pistol? Not too long ago, if you asked a 1
self-defense instructor what their favorite rimfire pocket gun
might be, you would hear a derisive laugh followed by, “I’d rath-
er have a knife.” However, times change and materials improve,
as do manufacturing methods and ammunition. Compared to
a centerfire handgun, a rimfire pocket pistol’s range might be
decreased, and applications might be more specific, but these tiny
rimfires can fill a role for anyone’s loadout. If you’re walking in the
woods and step near a rattlesnake, must check a trap line, or
even come across a critically injured large animal that needs
to be put down, a pocket .22 can be ideal for those needs.
In the past, most of these pistols — like the Jennings J-22
or cheap imports prior to 1968 — were made of dubious ma-
terials that would not hold up over the long term without constant
maintenance. Rimfire ammunition tends to be dirty, which impacts
its performance and reliability. In the case of .22 LR, reliability was
often a concern with cheaper brands of ammunition. Yet, due to
improvements in ammunition and bullet design paired with the
fact that rimfire pistols are currently made to be more reliable than
the ghosts of .22 pistols past, they can also play a role in self-
defense as a backup gun or even an option for the recoil sensitive.
This is possible due to a few new flavors of rimfire ammunition
that have come on the market in recent years such as Federal
Punch (.22 LR and .22 WMR), Winchester Silvertip (.22 LR)
and Hornady Critical Defense (.22 WMR). These rounds are
optimized for firearms with short barrels and their penetra-
tion and expansion (for the latter two brands) looks pretty impres-
sive so far. Accuracy with these little pistols will vary from shooter to
shooter, but most should be able to achieve a 3- to 4-inch group out 2
to 10 yards, apart from the LCP II which is good out to 25 yards or pos-
sibly further.
It seems safe to say that rimfire pocket pistols have finally arrived
as a reliable, capable, and concealable option. Just make sure they’re
not all you have on you if you venture into grizzly bear or mountain
lion country.
3 Standard Manufacturing
Switch Gun
4 Ruger
LCP II
5 Trailblazer Firearms
LifeCard .22 WMR
6 Mossberg
Brownie
CALIBER: CALIBER: CALIBER: CALIBER:
.22 WMR .22 LR .22 WMR .22 LR
BARREL LENGTH: BARREL LENGTH: BARREL LENGTH: BARREL LENGTH:
0.75 inch 2.75 inches 2.5 inches 2.5 inches
DIMENSIONS: DIMENSIONS: DIMENSIONS: DIMENSIONS:
2.1 by 2.8 inches (folded) 5.2 by 4 inches 3.4 by 2.1 inches (folded) 4.1 by 4 inches
WEIGHT: WEIGHT: WEIGHT: WEIGHT:
9 ounces 11.2 ounces 7 ounces 10 ounces
CAPACITY: CAPACITY: CAPACITY: CAPACITY:
5 rounds 10+1 rounds 1 round 4 rounds
PRICE: PRICE: PRICE: PRICE:
$459 $439 $389 $5 in 1930; current value $200 to $500
URL: URL: URL: URL:
stdgun.com ruger.com trailblazerfirearms.com mossberg.com

3 4

6
ISSUE 62

OFFGRIDWEB.COM 015
016
1A/2A: AN ESTABLISHMENT
Pocket PREPS

Bond Arms North American Arms Ruger Standard Trailblazer Firearms Mossberg
Honey B Ranger II LCP II Manufacturing LifeCard .22 WMR Brownie
Switch Gun
Bond Arms is an innovative North American Arms built Ruger ventured into Trailblazer Firearms is an- This one hasn’t been made
manufacturer of firearms its reputation by manu- bold new territory over Standard Manufacturing other company that makes in over 90 years, but it
based in Texas. Although facturing tiny five-shot a decade ago when is the manufacturing arm unique firearms that can was almost perfect for its
mostly known for their single-action rimfire revolv- they released their LCP of Connecticut Shotgun, a be folded and stored safely time. This was Mossberg’s
improved versions of the ers. Common complaints pistol in .380 ACP. It was purveyor of fine sport- in a compact mode, ready first effort at a handgun
classic Derringer, Bond were that they were slow the company’s first true ing shotguns. In addition to unfold in seconds. Re- over 100 years ago. About
makes semi-auto pistols to reload, slow to eject concealed carry pistol. to craftsmen renowned sembling a camera battery 30,000 were produced.
and is debuting a radical spent casings, and hard to Different variants have for engraving and metal when folded, the Life Card It is essentially a four-shot
new lever gun sometime get a good grip on. They been offered but the one finishing, they have a staff can be stored in a pocket, .22 LR Derringer with
this year (we hope). Having addressed the grip issue we’re looking at here is the of engineers who bring to pouch, or an empty Altoids an internal hammer and
personally viewed some early on by offering larger LCP II chambered in .22 LR, life one-of-a-kind firearms tin until needed. By ma- rotating firing pin. There
prototypes from Gordon grips, but for the most part, which holds 10+1 rounds from classic single-action nipulating a few levers, the are no external moving
Bond’s “skunkworks,” I can loading, unloading, or eject- of ammunition. Recoil is six-guns and 1911s to Life Card can be deployed parts, meaning it can
attest to the brilliant minds ing empty cases meant mild and accuracy may be unique concepts geared in a matter of seconds. be fired from inside a
behind their firearms. The completely removing the the best of all the others in toward personal protection. It is available in .22 WMR pocket without worry of a
Honey B is an entry- cylinder from the gun. The this review. An aftermarket Such is the Switch Gun, a and .22 LR. There is even malfunction. There are no
level Bond Derringer with a company’s answer was to threaded barrel is available compact five-shot single- a threaded barrel version ejectors or extractors, so
matte bead-blasted frame release a top-break model for suppressed shooting. action rimfire revolver that intended for use with a empty cases (or unfired live
as opposed to a shiny that could be loaded or un- Stainless and polymer folds into its own grip and silencer. Even though it is ammo) need to be poked
finish. A full-size grip frame loaded by moving a latch construction allow for ease deploys with the press of a single-shot and requires out with a cleaning rod.
and a decent front sight on the top of the frame. of maintenance on this a button into firing mode manual cocking of the They originally included a
make it easy to hold and The Ranger II completely blowback-operated pistol. It like an automatic knife. This striker, there is an onboard piece of spring steel in the
shoot. Interchangeable sets transformed this design ships with a branded nylon model is .22 WMR, but a .22 compartment allowing for grip panel to accomplish
of barrels chambered in .22 by going back 150 years pocket holster. LR version and a conver- the storage of three extra this, but they’re as rare as
LR, .380 ACP, .38 Special, in time. An optional .22 LR sion cylinder are available. rounds of ammunition. hen’s teeth.
and 9mm can be ordered cylinder is available. Pros:
as well. Reliable, easy to shoot, Pros: Pros: Pros:
Pros: and somewhat accurate. Compact, reliable, and Conceals well, to the point Lightweight and conceals
Pros: Thumbing open the latch It is definitely not a target easily stowed safely in a it does not even resemble well
Very comfortable with allows the shooter to grade pistol, but that’s not pocket, pouch, or sheath a firearm when folded No external moving parts
the checkered grips load or empty the gun its intent. The revolver is extremely Trigger is not bad — it’s and a rugged design
made of B6 resin instantly, as opposed to Very light and conceal- safe to carry in a compact no Thompson Center but keeps these chugging
Slim enough to stow in removing the cylinder able with the included fashion that protects the a decent single-action, along for over a century
the back pocket Aftermarket Boot Grips pocket holster trigger from an accidental single-shot type. Has a retro if not kitschy
Impressive safety features offer a better hold A magazine capacity of discharge. Has a Spy vs. Spy type of vibe to it
without compromising 10 rounds on what is still Unique gadget factor of vibe and is a masterpiece
Cons: concealability a slimline grip makes for a deploying the barrel by from a concept point of Cons:
Capacity limits you to two Stylish appearance more perfect pocket plinker. pressing a button view Sights are crude and
rounds reminiscent of a fine don’t exactly correspond
Reloading can be slow watch or custom knife Cons: Cons: Cons: to the four barrels.
until you build up a Has a magazine discon- Trigger is on the small Sights are a guttersnipe Metallurgy in old firearms
manual of arms Cons: nect safety. I truly hate side and can easily be type, not the best but wasn’t up to snuff by
Single-action, requiring Brass bead front sight these but can see their missed unless you devote better than nothing. modern standards, so
the shooter to manu- isn’t very effective application for some time to practice. Although the grip is a avoid using high-velocity
ally cock the hammer for beyond 10 yards. A blade shooters. Likewise, the guttersnipe good size, it has poor ammunition.
each shot type or tritium dot would Trigger takes a bit of sights will take some train- ergonomics. Spare parts can be diffi-
be more effective. getting used to — it’s not ing to get used to. Single shot, so you’ll cult or pricey to come by.
The factory grip is a little great, but usable. Single-action, requiring spend more time loading
too small if you have XL- the shooter to manu- and unloading than
sized hands. ally cock the hammer for shooting
Single-action, requiring each shot
the shooter to manu-
ally cock the hammer for
each shot
You’re Stranded After a Bush Plane Crash?
By RECOIL OFFGRID Staff

Photo courtesy of Caleb Stillians

 ear of flying is a relatively tronic methods of communication failed, everything he possibly could to restart the
common phobia, but in most how would you indicate distress to nearby engine and maintain enough altitude to
cases, air travel is actually aircraft? glide to a safe landing, but it was impos-
quite safe. Each year, commer- sible. He attempted to declare a hurried
cial airline travel accounts for The Scenario Mayday over the radio, then shouted “Hold
less than 0.001 passenger fatalities per 100 on!” and you braced for impact as the
SITUATION TYPE
million vehicle miles traveled, vastly lower Bush plane crash
plane swung low over the rocky terrain. The
than passenger trains (0.05) and cars (0.57). landing gear made contact with a boulder,
The likelihood that you’ll ever experience YOUR CREW slamming the fuselage forward into the
Yourself
anything beyond an uncomfortably hard ground. Dazed from the impact, you looked
landing on a commercial aircraft is extreme- LOCATION at Nick in the front seat and realized his half
Central Alaska
ly low. However, there’s an exception to this of the cockpit had taken the hardest hit —
SEASON
comforting statistic: small private planes. Late summer
then you saw his leg was crumpled and
According to the National Transportation spurting arterial blood onto the shattered
Safety Board’s 2022 report, scheduled com- WEATHER instruments. Before you could find or apply
Light winds and scattered
mercial airline flights experienced only 20 showers; high 58 degrees F, a tourniquet, Nick died from blood loss.
accidents and one fatality (a ramp worker, low 42 degrees F You’re on your own now.
not a passenger) over the course of 17 After managing to pry open the door, you
million flight hours. That equates to an ac- The Setup crawl out and attempt to stand up. You’ve
cident rate of 0.117 and death rate of 0.006 Your brother-in-law Nick lives in Alaska got several deep lacerations, a concussion,
per 100,000 hours. In comparison, general and has worked as a bush pilot for as long and what feels like a badly sprained ankle,
aviation — the category which includes pri- as you’ve known him. At a recent family but you’re alive. Gear and pieces of fuse-
vate planes — experienced 1,205 accidents gathering, he convinced you to come visit lage are strewn everywhere. You manage
and 358 fatalities in 22 million flight hours. and go on a fishing trip in the backcountry. to recover a Pelican case with your fishing
That’s 5.336 accidents and 0.945 deaths Excited for a fun weekend off the grid, you gear and a gun, plus a backpack full of
per 100,000 hours. In other words, you’re packed up your tent, clothes, freeze-dried clothes, a handful of snacks, and a Nalgene
45 times more likely to experience a crash food, emergency survival gear, and a few water bottle. The tent and the rest of your
in a private plane, and the likelihood of a guns before flying to Fairbanks to meet food are nowhere to be found, and rain is
fatality is 157 times greater. him. At the airport, he showed you around starting to fall.
The vast wilderness of Alaska is one of his pride and joy, a Piper Super Cub. He Assuming someone heard Nick’s Mayday
the most remote and inhospitable regions conducted the usual pre-flight checks, got call, it seems likely that help is on the way,
in North America, and those who travel clearance for takeoff from the tower, and but you’re not certain they’ll arrive anytime
there to hunt and fish often rely on small the two of you roared down the runway soon. How will you stay warm, dry, and safe
bush planes to reach their destinations. The before rising into the cloudy blue sky. from predators until the cavalry shows up?
frequency of these flights, combined with What can you do to make yourself easier
the rugged terrain and challenging weather The Complication to find from the air? And if authorities didn’t
conditions, also makes Alaska a common During the flight, you were enraptured by actually receive the rushed Mayday call,
location for small plane crashes. In 2022, the beauty of the landscape below. After a what’s your backup plan to call for rescue?
there were 83 general aviation accidents in while, Nick checked his charts and began
Alaska, including 7 fatalities. These fatalities descending toward the remote landing site Survival Instructor Kevin
aren’t always the result of inexperienced he chose. However, as the plane passed Estela’s Approach
pilots — last year, Jim Tweto, one of the 2,000 feet of elevation, a shrill alarm rang Preparation
stars of Discovery’s Flying Wild Alaska, died out through the cabin. Nick immediately This time of year, the salmon run is in full
after his Cessna 180 crashed near a remote went to work diagnosing the problem, but swing. Depending on where and when you
airstrip. Initial reports indicate it may have you felt the plane start to shudder. Then, go, some stretches of water are teeming
been the result of unusually strong winds. to your horror, there was a loud clunk and with fish, making it easy to limit out in a
If you experienced a small plane crash the roar of the engine was replaced by a short time. Outfitters have spent months
and found yourself isolated in the Alaskan deafening silence. The propeller began free- scrambling to match clients with pilots and
bush, what would you do to survive? Would spinning in the wind, and Nick simply said pilots are getting plenty of flying hours. It’s
ISSUE 62

you be able to treat your injuries, withstand “oh sh*t.” easy to say, “Look for the most reputable
the elements, and signal for rescue? If elec- As precious seconds ticked by, Nick did aviation company,” but the reality is, all

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those companies are booked and extra or when it’s too late to discuss emergency majority of the population does. During the
help is brought in. Bush plane travel is plans. My closest group of friends knows emergency, I sat back and listened to the
what it is, and despite the stress and work exactly what I carry because we travel and pilot’s orders. His Mayday pierced the air
requirements, the pilots get it done. train the most. For strangers — and yes, I when the alarm went silent and the only
As a passenger, all I can do is have faith consider Nick a stranger since we don’t see other thing I could hear was the wind rush-
that the planes are kept in good order, and one another often — I give the 30-second ing around the fuselage. In that short time,
the pilots are up to the task. Prior to this trip, rundown of what I have and where it is on we descended rapidly — it felt like hours but
I set up a shared document both Nick and me. I also play extremely curious and ask my memory of the event is crystal clear. I
I could edit with our packing list. In this list, Nick about his plane, what kind of “cool didn’t hear anyone on the other end of that
we could keep track of the gear weights stuff” he carries for emergencies, and ask radio transmission, and here we are now.
since we will be weighed in addition to him about his plane in depth. Once I get
our bags prior to departure. Much like my an idea of the orientation of the plane, I Crisis
previous trips to Alaska, I like to carry the start staging my equipment where it makes I woke up on the ground with my face
bare-bones survival gear in my well-worn the most sense. The bulk of my gear that buried in the mud with an odd combina-
Kifaru Koala Lite chest pack. Not only will isn’t necessarily for emergencies goes in tion of blueberry and metallic scents. The
this hold a 10mm pistol, it carries my Gar- the back and is secured with a cargo net. Alaskan bush is filled with blueberries and
min inReach, heavy-duty Ziploc bag with Space is extremely limited so I make sure bear berries easily harvested, but that other
purification tablets, firestarter, knife, small my grab-and-go or bailout bag will fit in the odor caught my attention. When I stood up
flashlight, whistle, mirror, basic med kit with natural gap I have between my legs. on rickety legs, I caught a glimpse of my
a tourniquet, and some other essentials. My Since bush plane travel is so common in face and immediately understood that me-
waders and rain jacket create a practically Alaska, you don’t give too much thought to tallic smell was my own blood. Concerned
water-resistant shell that will keep me dry your pilot’s ability when you get in the back- about other cuts, I ran my fingers over my
as long as I stay hairy-side up. Anything seat. As an outsider from the lower 48, I can entire body doing a blood sweep. Using my
that can’t be comfortably worn on my only get in the way as Nick performs pre- mirrored compass and the reflection in the
person gets tucked in an Ocoee shoulder flight checks and gets the plane airborne. unbroken glass, I didn’t see any cuts to the
bag from Watershed Bags. This dry bag is I would love to say I did all I could prior to back of my head. I did, however, have some
my “bailout bag,” and it contains additional the accident, but I trust the process like the deep lacerations that direct pressure ad-
supplies like a Grayl water filter, high-calorie
Range Meal Bars, a small sil-nylon tarp, and
larger survival equipment including a fold-
ing Silky Saw.
Gear isn’t the only thing I’ve prepared
prior to this trip. I like to print out 1:50,000
scale maps of the general area I’ll be in.
These maps provide a significantly greater
visual representation of the surrounding
area. While my plan is to stay with Nick, I’ll
never forget the advice of my friend and
former Navy SEAL Kodiak Island Survival
Instructor, Todd Peters. He told me, “Plan
to self-rescue if your guide goes down.”
Those words have never escaped me, and I
always prepare to walk to safety alone. Prior
to any trip, I always leave a detailed travel
plan with at least two responsible parties,
and I use Gaia GPS online to include UTM
coordinates of where I’m leaving from and
where I’m headed.

On Site Photo courtesy of Caleb Stillians

I don’t like waiting until the last minute
 WHAT
IF?
any condition to dig a deep enough hole
Photo courtesy of Kevin Estela
to bury Nick’s body or even his bloody un-
dergarments, and I’ve seen bears flip over
rocks like they were toy blocks. I also wasn’t
able to remove the plane’s seat cushions
that were soaked with blood. A bear’s sense
of smell is pretty powerful, and I felt like I
couldn’t do enough to eliminate the scent
with a cleansing fire in the burn pile. Since
I couldn’t remove the attractants from my
environment, I began thinking about remov-
ing myself from the environment.
Contrary to popular belief, there are a lot
of backcountry fires in Alaska and I wouldn’t
be able to build one large enough to signal
for help. I also couldn’t maintain my energy
to gather wood and wait around with lim-
ited rations. Gunfire from my Glock 20 also
dressed. I could deal with avulsions — flaps the holes with whatever I could find to keep wasn’t a viable audible signal method. Even
of skin in layman’s terms. I prefer not to deal the cold out. though we left a detailed plan of where we
with arterial bleeding and luckily, I didn’t After a sleep cycle, my head felt some- were headed, I haven’t seen a single plane
have to. One thing that was driving me what better, but it was far from recovered. I fly overhead. With hope dwindling, I made
crazy was my head. I hit it hard and I knew thought I’d have an easy self-rescue hitting the decision to walk to safety. Using pre-trip
I had a concussion because the bright light the “S.O.S.” feature on my inReach device. planning knowledge, I knew a southwest-
of the land of the endless sun is killing me. Somehow in the crash, my inReach shat- erly emergency azimuth will get me to the
I rifled through the med kit that littered the tered. The device that I planned on using to Dalton Highway. I made a makeshift crutch
area around the plane and found a cheap save my life with an electronic signal saved from pieces of the fuselage and created an
mylar blanket. While not great for durability, it by preventing a piece of the fuselage arrow in the ground with debris to indicate
they can be cut to form protective eyeglass- from piercing my chest at the expense of my direction of travel. I packed my gear to
es you can tie around your head to limit the communicator body. I would have to cover the basics and focused on traveling
light transmission. signal another way. Rather than obsess over light. I slept one more night by the plane
Once I addressed myself, I moved on to a signal, I started with the basics of survival. before departing in the morning. Prior
Nick. I braced myself for the worst and that I couldn’t find my ditch bag and assumed to leaving, I took Nick’s wedding ring for
helped dull the grief and pain of finding his it is under the wreckage I can’t lift. Walking safekeeping should an animal desecrate his
lifeless body. Nothing hits quite like seeing around the area hurt, but hobbling was do- body before a recovery team returns. I want
a person recently passed, and after a brief able. We could have hit the nearby tributary his wife to have it.
prayer, I looked through his pockets and to the river, and I never would’ve woken up The walk out was slow but I made prog-
removed his outerwear, leaving him with his due to drowning upon impact. That tribu- ress. Walking in the tundra is unpredictable.
undergarments to protect his dignity. These tary could provide me with plenty of water When I got thirsty, I stopped to tank up
were largely soaked in blood anyhow. The to treat with my Ziploc and Aquatabs. There on water. I foraged for berries along the
emotional side of me said, “Don’t take a was plenty of willow driftwood I could burn way and the sugar kept me going. Instead
dead man’s belongings,” while the practical at night to stay warm, and I wouldn’t need of sleeping for 8 hours, I took naps for 30
side of me said, “He would want me to have to burn much as the days are so long. Food minutes here and there. My waders and
them.” It gets cold at night and I knew I’d was low on my priority list, but I knew the rain jacket were my shelter and I blocked
need all the warmth I can find. Even though longer I went without it, the weaker I would out the rain with them. I had to travel slowly
the nights are extremely short, I wanted to become. to avoid overheating and sweating.
close my eyes when I could to rest from At the riverside, I noticed some bear On the horizon, I saw white and silver
the sheer mental and physical exhaustion. ground sign, but I couldn’t pinpoint the age specks moving along a line and knew I was
I could get to my survival priorities tomor- of it beyond saying it was older than a day. I looking at a road. That’s it! I kept my hopes
ISSUE 62

row. For the first night, I slept inside the didn’t know how frequently to expect them, measured though, as I knew it is hard to
damaged Piper Cub body and plugged up but I knew they could be back. I wasn’t in gauge distance in the tundra. That road

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could still be a day’s walk away. Far from understand that second chances are rare of the maps by taking screenshots as an
the river and the food, the bears weren’t when it comes to plane crashes. extra precaution. During the flight, I pay
present and the only animal wildlife I saw Whenever I fly into the backcountry, I attention to the landscape and take photos
are musk ox and the occasional curious fox. ensure I have everything I need for sur- of notable landmarks. Dropping GPS pins
I pressed on knowing this ordeal would be vival in my backpack. This includes a tent, on interesting features along the way, such
over soon. I reached the road by 11:30 p.m. sleeping bag, extra clothes, sleeping pad, as remote cabins, is a handy thing to have
and stumbled into the Happy Valley Land- lightweight tarp, firearm with extra am- for future reference.
ing Strip. I was helped by the seasonal oil munition, stove, lighters, rain gear, knife, a Preparing for and dealing with inclement
workers who gave me a warm meal, a bed Garmin inReach device with SOS capability, weather is essential, and I begin by know-
to sleep in, and medical attention. They plan tourniquet, and a first aid kit with wound- ing my gear inside and out. I never bring
to drive me to Fairbanks, and I’ll gladly take stopping capability (something that helps anything into the field that I haven’t tested
that mode of transportation before I take your body’s natural ability to clot blood). beforehand. Leading up to the flight, I try
another bush plane flight anytime soon. I also carry an extra roll of electrical tape. to stay updated on weather reports and
Electrical tape comes in handy to tape up adjust my loadout accordingly. No matter
Hunting Guide Caleb cut fingers. This kind of tape is also great what, I bring things like puffy jackets and
Stillians’ Approach to put on the end of gun barrels to keep rain gear, considering Alaska’s unpredict-
Preparation debris from getting inside. able climate.
The first thing that I do to prepare for a Before the flight, I would coordinate Back at home or at basecamp, I have
bush plane crash in the Alaskan wilderness with Nick in person. Together, we would trusted individuals who I inform of my
is to always try flying with experienced empty out our backpacks, and decide to- plans. During the trip, I keep in touch with
pilots who prioritize safety and proper gether what essentials need to be brought them via text on my inReach device. That
maintenance of their aircraft. It’s crucial along. There’s no substitute for face-to- way, if they don’t hear from me within a
to know the capabilities of the plane I’m face communication when planning for a couple of days, they know to start reach-
boarding, including its weight limits, and to trip like this. ing out to others or the proper authorities
avoid flying in adverse weather conditions. To study the region we’ll be flying to get a search started. I also make sure
As they say in Alaska, “There are old pilots through or into, I use apps like OnX to they have the right contact information
and bold pilots, but no old, bold pilots.” I download maps, and also save hard copies for people in the area for quick access to
rescue resources.
Ideally, Nick would connect me with
trusted pilot buddies and outline a flight path.
This collective effort would not only ensure
that we are taking the best route, but it would
also keep more people looped in to where
we are going, and for how long. We’d also
inform friends of our plans before we leave
so they can initiate a search if necessary. If
we did this the right way, it should minimize
the time it takes for help to arrive.

On Site
Understanding how to exit the airplane
safely is crucial. In a tight plane like the
Super Cub, I need to know how to crawl
forward over the pilot and exit efficiently.
You’ve got to get your body as far forward
up toward the front of the plane as pos-
sible, then move your legs up. Trying to
egress the opposite way will get you fight-
ing a losing battle, and you’ll be unable to
Photo courtesy of Caleb Stillians get out as quickly as possible. In a crash,
the priority is to move away from the plane
 WHAT
IF?
fast, just in case of fuel leakage. Grab your
gear if you are able, but avoid lingering
around the wreckage in case it decides to
go up in flames.
Since I may have to leave my pack
behind in an emergency, I wear a chest rig
containing life-saving essentials like a knife,
tourniquet, extra ammunition, a lighter, and
my binoculars. I like to have this stuff on
my chest as it helps ensure I have every-
thing that I need extremely accessible. For
example, if I need to cut seatbelts, I have a
knife handy. If I need to apply a life-saving
tourniquet, I have it right on my chest. The
rest of the gear is in the back of the plane,
with the lighter items stowed as close to
the back of the tail, and the heavier gear
placed directly behind my seat.
Photo courtesy of Caleb Stillians
During the flight — especially in a Cub —
there’s usually little I can do to assist Nick
besides engaging in conversation. During shelter materials. It’s important to stay dry point, patience is key, especially if injured
takeoff and landing, or in an emergency and reduce the amount of wind blowing and far from civilization.
situation, it’s best to remain silent so that against you. A SOS device, like a Personal Locator
he can focus on vital piloting tasks. When Securing a firearm would be an immediate Beacon (PLB) or Garmin inReach, is a great
an emergency occurs in a Super Cub, I’m concern. In Alaska, I’ve made a handy rule backup emergency communication option. If
relatively helpless in the backseat. The to help prioritize actions, which is a spin on for some reason I’m having a really bad day
best thing I can do is keep quiet, try to the rule of threes: the 4-4 Rule. Four seconds and those fail to work, I focus on signaling
remain calm, and ensure my feet aren’t before a predatory animal kills you, four by whatever means available, and relying
obstructing any of the aircraft controls. hours before hypothermia kills you, four days on trusted contacts to initiate a search if I
Without a response through a connected before dehydration kills you, and four weeks haven’t responded within a few days.
headset, there’s little I can do to know if a before succumbing to starvation. Since apex When it comes to dealing with curious
Mayday call was received. predators present the first immediate danger apex predators like bears, it’s important
after stabilizing life-threatening injuries, I need to keep in mind that you are the boss, not
Crisis to make sure my firearm is on my person the bear. As long as you’ve taken the time
After crawling out of the wreckage and and operational. to secure your firearm, you should stand a
getting a safe distance away, I prioritize Getting rescued is my next priority. To decent chance of surviving an encounter.
stopping heavy bleeding. If necessary, I make my location more visible, I scat- If the salmon are running, the bear should
apply a tourniquet and bandage wounds. ter shiny objects from the plane and use not be hungry and will probably leave you
It’s advisable to get some medical training, orange flag tape to mark my position. alone. If a hungry bear decides to show up
like Stop the Bleed, or Wilderness First Aid Colorful gear can also be laid out to en- anyway, you will have to decide if you want
just for a potential scenario like this. Once hance visibility. Use anything available to to protect Nick’s body from the bears,
any major bleeding is stable, I tend to any make your position stand out against the since they will view it as food.
other less severe injuries, and gather any terrain. If there is snow, white wood smoke It’s important to always stand your
gear that managed to survive the impact. might blend into environment, and burning ground. Make yourself look as big as you
Because exposure and hypothermia are petroleum-based objects to create black can. Yell and throw rocks, and if need be,
a concern, I’d use rain gear and a tarp to smoke might stand out better. The reverse shoot warning shots at the bear. If the
improvise a shelter if I couldn’t salvage is true for wooded areas without snow. bear does not back down in this situation,
my tent. If the plane’s wings are intact and If for some reason the Mayday call was be prepared to DLP (Defense of Life and
safe from fire, I might use them for cover not received before the crash, staying by Property) the bear. The absolute most im-
ISSUE 62

as well. There may be other pieces of the plane, and focusing on survival priori- portant thing to remember is to stay calm.
wreckage or gear that could make useful ties becomes even more crucial. At this Panicking has never helped anyone.

OFFGRIDWEB.COM 023
 WHAT
024 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
1A/2A: THEREOF; IF?
People who adhere to the seven P’s — Photo courtesy of Caleb Stillians
Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents
Piss Poor Performance — when they are in
the backcountry typically do better when
things don’t go their way. Planning and prepa-
ration are essential for surviving wilderness
emergencies. Having backup communication
devices and knowing survival priorities can
make all the difference. This aligns with any
situation where being stranded in the wilder-
ness is a possibility — preparedness is key to
survival. If you took the time to put the people
and systems in place to notify rescue person-
nel upon the event of no communication, you
will be fine in this situation because help will
be coming. If you did not establish a plan and
were just totally “cowboying it” and you didn’t
let anybody know where you are flying to, you
may be up a creek without a paddle in this
situation. It is always worth it to take the time
to lay out a plan to prevent bad things from
turning into really bad things.
About the Authors
Conclusion
Flying in a small aircraft over the vast Caleb Stillians, Kevin Estela
wilderness is awe-inspiring, and in most cases, a seasoned profes- is a full-time
everything will go smoothly from takeoff to sional in the realm of bushcraft /
landing. However, as prepared individuals, we hunting, calls Alaska survival
shouldn’t rely on that likelihood alone — we his playground. instructor,
should consider the worst-case scenario and Specializing in guid- the author
be ready for it. While we may not be able to ing ventures across of 101 Skills
prevent a plane crash as it’s unfolding or en- the state’s vast interior, peninsula, Kodiak, You Need to Survive in the Woods,
sure the pilot’s distress call is received, we can and coastal regions, Stillians leads hunting and regular contributor to RECOIL.
be ready to react quickly in its aftermath. expeditions targeting grizzly bears, brown He grew up in New England and has
Even if the forecast looks good, always bears, mountain goats, Dall sheep, and been a lifelong avid outdoorsman,
bring gear to stay warm and dry in inhospi- moose. Embarking on his guiding journey traveler, and training enthusiast.
table conditions. Establish a clear communi- at a young age, he fi nds his true calling in Estela regularly is featured as a
cation plan with loved ones before your trip, the wilderness, where he thrives on help- wilderness survival subject matter
including what to do if you go missing, and ing others realize their dream hunts, often expert on podcasts, interviews, and
prepare at least one backup method to reach spending months living in the backcountry. in articles. Follow him on Twitter/X
authorities directly. Injuries in the backcountry Beyond his guiding endeavors, Stillians and Instagram: @estelawilded.
can become life-threatening if you’re not able is the visionary behind Outfitter Services
to stabilize them, so get some basic medi- (www.outfitter.services), an online platform
cal training and be sure to pack a trauma kit. connecting adventurers with their next epic
Also, seek training on how to deal with grizzly trip. He’s also the founder of Rise Up with Ca-
bears and other predators that may be pres- leb Stillians (riseupwithcalebstillians.com),
ent near your destination. These steps, along a production company craft ing captivating
with developing the mental fortitude to stay fi lms centered around the art of hunting.
calm and focused when things go wrong, will
greatly increase your chances of survival in
America’s last frontier.
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 Projectile Protectors - Part I:

A Deep Dive into How to Choose Body Armor

By Alexander Castiglione

ccording to the Small Arms Survey, American civil- system designed to fail.” It defeats ballistic threats (primarily bullets) by
ians owned an estimated 393 million firearms in 2018 doing one of two things: abrading the projectile or shattering it.
— that number has undoubtedly grown considerably Steel armor essentially shatters the bullet. But as we all (should)
in post-COVID years. The vast majority of those fire- have learned in high school physics, a couple things happen as a result.
arms will never be used maliciously against another Energy is never created or destroyed; in this scenario, it’s transferred.
human being, but as with any tool, some will inevitably be misused to Some of that energy is the punch you’d feel when the armor takes a hit,
harm the innocent. If you consider yourself a prepared individual, are but most of that energy makes the round explode on impact, sending
concerned with protecting your family from violence, have an active spall — tiny lead, copper, or steel fragments — everywhere. “Everywhere”
shooter plan, or are just a firearms enthusiast — and I imagine you’re can include your face, head, neck, or other less-than-ideal locations.
one or all these things if you’re reading this magazine — you should Secondly, for every reaction there’s an equal but opposite reaction. So,
seriously consider owning a set of body armor, or “plates” as they’re for the energy to be absorbed, it must go somewhere. Hopefully, most
often referred to. of it is transferred into the plate and not your body cavity.
With advances in ballistic technology, rumblings about legislation Director of Special Projects at Survival Armor Gary Hughes ex-
banning civilian body armor ownership, and recent violent crimes plained:
around the country, responsible and discerning citizens are consid- “AR500 Steel plates have become popular because of their low
ering their need for body armor more than ever. As with most big cost and their relative thinness and, most of all, likely because of their
purchases and competitive industries though, there’s a litany of mis- availability to the mass consumer market. This is the same heat-
information, snake-oil, and ratings that frankly confuse the consumer. treated steel that is used in varying thicknesses for steel targets. Your
Today, I’d like to cut through the marketing jargon and talk about real- average ¼-inch-thick, AR500 steel rifle plate will pass an NIJ Level III
world performance and applications of body armor. I’ll also outline the certification, and many manufacturers have chosen to do so.
different materials that plates are made from and their trade-offs and “As mentioned above, however, that cannot be the only consid-
explain the different rating systems associated with body armor. eration, because steel personal protective inserts have a couple of
While researching this article, I spoke with several different com- major downsides.
panies to get varied perspectives on this ancient technology, which “In my opinion, the biggest of those is that it has a horrible Achil-
dates back to the Mycenaean area around 1400 BCE. les’ heel. It will not stop 5.56 M193 55-grain FMJBT [full metal jacket
boat tail] ammo out of a 20-inch rifle barrel. Oftentimes, it will stop
Types of Armor it out of a carbine, SBR or pistol-length barrel, but a rifle-length-
Jeremy Gray, former president of HESCO, gave the most concise barrel AR-15 will eat [through] it. We’re talking holes that look like
explanation of body armor I’ve ever heard: “Armor is a mechanical they were professionally put there.”
 ISSUE 62

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1A/2A: THE FREEDOM

Essentially, Hughes commented, some savvy gun benefits over their steel-clad breth-
guys or Eugene Stoner purists keep 20-inch AR rifles ren; they’re lighter, for one, and stop
around, and those can easily defeat AR500 plates with a wider array of threats, especially
your standard 55-grain plinking round. Additionally, and multiple hits. Of course, many of the
more pointedly, bullets shatter on steel. As a result, many diehard steel fans will be the first to
manufacturers coat their plates in aramid — the same point out that with poly or ceramic
compound used to line truck beds — to try and capture plates you can’t stack rounds on top
the spall. There are certain steel plates, Hughes ex- of one another.
plained, that are designed specifically to mitigate a M193 While this may be true, if you’re
cartridge traveling at 3,250 feet per second. However, standing there letting someone
these are not the run-of-the-mill, low-budget steel plates shoot you in the same place repeat-
you’ll find at most retailers. Hughes doesn’t generally edly, something, somewhere, has
recommend steel plates at all, but if you insist on buying gone horribly wrong. It’s wise to
some, he says you “should be looking at AR1000 or 647 consider the most likely scenarios
hardness plates.” under which your armor will be shot
Many traditionalists will claim that steel is the standard, in the real world and choose armor
and modern materials like polyethylene (“poly”) plates accordingly.
or ceramic plates are merely fads. However, with inno- U.S. Marine Ceramic and poly plates, by contrast, abrade or
vations in ballistic technology, these plates have their Corps Gunnery shear incoming bullets over a very, very quick period of
Sgt. Sean M. time.
Dempsey shows “The ceramic portion of a ceramic plate shears that
Ideally, your front armor off the hole in
bullet, and the armor itself shatters a bit (it’s meant to)
plate should be posi- the armor plate
tioned just under the that saved his and then the backer material captures those fragments
notch at the top of your life. He was shot so that it doesn’t go through the armor and obviously
sternum and should be in the back by go into you. It acts like a catcher’s mitt. Those fibers pull
at least wide enough to an insurgent in apart, and they create a lump on the back of the plate.
cover both nipples. Iraq and walked That’s that ‘backface signature’ that you talk about when
away with
you’re talking about NIJ certification where they want a
only a bruise.
(Photo via U.S. maximum of 44 millimeters backface,” explained Jeremy
Department of Gray of HESCO.
Defense) But what about poly plates? Surely, they aren’t making
a bullet shatter. Correct, they’re shearing and abrading it
and doing so very fast with very little weight. “If you have
a pure polyethylene plate, you obviously don’t have that
strike face to shatter the bullet. It’s a different method,
but fibers also actually pull the bullet apart. The polyeth-
ylene materials that are used consist of fibers — really
long chains of carbon and hydrogen — as well as some
sort of resin system that holds those fibers together.
When you consolidate those with heat, that’s what is do-
ing the work of defeating the round,” Gray elaborated.
If you want to geek out on this a bit more, this is called
the Van der Waals effect. The materials and chemical pro-
cesses to make ceramic and poly armor are so strong
that they literally pull the bullet apart in milliseconds as
it contacts the strike face. Just think about how small
a M193 55-grain bullet is, for example, and how fast it
moves (up to 3,250 fps). These systems have to do
a whole lot of work in an incredibly short period
of time. On top of that, many Level III plates are
multi-hit rated. That’s nothing short of amazing
 PROJECTILE PROTECTORS -
PART I: ARMOR PLATE
These plate carriers
from Tyr Tactical
demonstrate two
variations in armor
integration. The
minimalist PICO-DS
(left , also pictured
in this article's lead
photo) only car-
ries hard ceramic
plates, while the
EPIC (center)
features ceramic
plates plus a layer
of soft armor that
encircles the torso.

We spoke to
when you stop and think about it.
Jeremy Gray,
“The biggest downside to an all poly, lightweight NIJ- former presi-
certified Level III rifle plate? A 16-inch AR-15 with M855 dent of HESCO,
ammo will shoot right through it. When people brag to one of the big-
me about their expensive super lightweight Ultra-High- gest names in
the armor busi-
Molecular-Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) plates, I gen- is no “+” designation from the National Institute of Justice
ness. HESCO
erally tell them that’s great, it will make it easier to drag (NIJ). They’re the governing body that does most — if
plates have
your corpse,” Hughes commented. been worn daily not all — of the armor certifications in the U.S. Specifi-
“I would wear steel plates before I wore an all-poly by members of cally, body armor has to reach the NIJ 0101.06 stan-
plate,” he continued. “The reason for that is simple, I the military and dard. However, a new system (0101.07 — got to love the
know the American firearms market and community. I law enforce- government and their easy-to-remember designations) is
ment agencies
know the odds of encountering a 20-inch AR-15 firing allegedly on the way.
for more than 20
M193 ammo is significantly lower than encountering a years. “The NIJ Standard 0101.06 is the latest standard
16-inch one firing M855. We’re talking about the most published by the National Institute of Justice and sets
popular rifle in the country, and one that’s firing roughly Top right: Armor minimum resistance requirements for soft body armor as
50 percent of available commercial ammo that would can be worn co- well as hard rifle armor. Products that are certified com-
be able to render it useless. We don’t like 50/50 odds in vertly or overtly. pliant by NIJ can be found on the NIJ CPL list. We explain
HighCom offers
body armor. I wouldn’t wear one, regardless of how nice it a bit more on our NIJ web page and on our blog,” Kelly
a Rescue variant
and light they are. I’d wear steel first … and that’s saying of its Trooper Gordon, marketing and creative director from HighCom
something, because I generally only recommend steel in ACAP plate Armor explained.
very narrow circumstances, such as horrific storage con- carrier that in- “Generally, handguns and assault rifles can fire rela-
ditions, hard use, impacts, drops, etc.,” Hughes continued. cludes high-vis tively rapidly, and there is a chance the armor will be hit
This, for context, is why we see the designation Level III+. reflective mate- more than once, so having multi-hit performance with
rial. It’s designed
More on that next. armor is important when the operator comes in contact
to be worn by
fi re/EMS person- with those threat levels. Even though our Level IV plate is
Armor Ratings – What Do They Mean? nel during ac- a single hit for that level of protection, there is still multi-
One of the biggest hang-ups and puzzles that sur- tive shooter and hit protection at lower threat levels,” Gordon explained
round buying plates are the ratings. There are five NIJ rat- critical incident further. The plus (+) — in the case of HighCom armor and
ings you should be aware of: IIA, II, IIIA, III, and IV. These responses. many other manufacturers — indicates that they have
armor ratings are written as Roman numerals but read performed additional testing above the standard require-
as numbers (e.g., 2A). The first three relate to handgun ments, which we will discuss shortly.
ISSUE 62

calibers, while the last two apply to rifle calibers. Soft armor ratings, from “weakest” to “strongest,” are
Let’s be clear on something right out of the gate. There arranged as follows: IIA – II – IIIA. One thing we glossed

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1A/2A: OF SPEECH,

All the other rounds that are outside of those main rifle
threats are why you see the + or ++ designations — they
fall out of the NIJ bubble and manufacturers want to de-
note that their plates may defeat more common calibers
that aren’t on the list (for example, .300BLK).
Level IV plates can take a single hit from 30-06 M2AP
(armor piercing) ammunition. “For Level IV, the only
round that NIJ recognizes is 7.62x63 — or 30-06 as it’s
commonly known — M2AP. That’s a hardened steel core
round traveling at roughly 2,880 fps. The interesting
thing for all the velocities for the NIJ is they’re above the
muzzle velocity for most of your standard rounds. And
when NIJ is talking about velocity, it’s striking velocity,
not muzzle velocity,” Gray of HESCO humored me and
explained. I learned more from our conversation about
muzzle versus striking velocity and ballistics than I did in
hours of reading.
“Not all Level III plates will stop green tip but all Level IV
plates will. It’s a harder threat to stop and popular. We of-
fer several Level III plates that all stop green tip — 3s14m,
3s9, 3s9m, RSTP, RSTPSA+, RSTPG2. The new NIJ 07 Stan-
dard, however, will list green tip as a required threat for
Level III plates,” Gordon of HighCom security explained
further about their offerings. To be clear, “green tip” is
the common term for rounds that are M855 American
designation or SS109 everywhere else — mild steel core
penetrator rounds. HESCO also calls any of their Level III
plates that can defeat a M855 round a Level III+, as you
can see on their tech sheets. For example, they also list
7.62x39 HSP (M43) and 7.62x54R — which are commonly
over thus far is handgun rounds, since much of the hard Oregon Ballistic fired from AKs and Mosin Nagants respectively — as
armor has rifle threats in mind. Level IIA soft body armor Laboratories capable of being defeated by Level III+ plates, but these
(OBL) is a full-
can stop most standard handgun rounds (9mm, 40 S&W, again are not within the NIJ 06 certification bubble.
service armor
.38 Special, etc.) with the exception of magnum rounds or testing facility There are also products that are DEA or Rifle Special
perhaps a 9mm from a PCC where it will gain a lot more that’s certified Threats rated. These don’t fit within the guardrails of the
velocity in a 16-inch barrel than a 4-inch handgun. Level by the National NIJ 06 rating, and thus can’t be certified as such, but that
II increases protection to defeat a 9mm doing over 1,100 Institute of Jus- doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t stop rounds or are
fps or a .357 Magnum jacketed soft point; IIIA can defeat tice and the U.S. otherwise unsafe. The DEA, in fact, has some pretty high
Army Aberdeen
all of the previous rounds as well as a faster moving 9mm round-stopping standards, and you can see some of this
Test Center.
(about 1,400 fps) and a .44 Magnum. In short, IIIA soft They provided on HESCO’s tech sheets.
body armor can defeat pretty much any handgun round. these behind- The biggest takeaway when it comes to ratings is the
Hard armor ratings get a bit more complicated. the-scenes pho- following: figure out what you’re trying to stop, your likely
Level III plates are designed to take multiple hits from a tos of one of the use case, your probable threats, weight, and budget. If
variety of calibers as a rule (all manufacturers differ, so ranges where you’re wearing armor all day or using it in a professional
they perform
please, please, please look at their tech sheets and under- setting, you need to give careful consideration to how
rigorous NIJ
stand what they say). For the most part, Level III plates armor tests. much weight versus protection you want, but you prob-
that are NIJ certified can take six hits from the common ably want to stop rifle rounds and quite a few of them.
threat rifle calibers — XM193 (5.56 55-grain ball ammo), Personally, I’d opt to have a little more weight and be
M80 (7.62x51 or .308 civilian) and 7.62x39 (common AK better protected, but that’s just me. If you’re a civilian and
rounds, although this gets weird due to quality controls will likely only need to throw your plates on in a SHTF
with this type of ammo coming from overseas factories). situation, that’s a different story. In that case, you may be
 PROJECTILE PROTECTORS -
PART I: ARMOR PLATE
Then, there’s a V50 test. This test is wild in that they
increase the velocity of the threat projectile until you get
50 percent of the rounds passing through the plates.
Sometimes to achieve this V50 failure velocity, the case
is maxed out to the point that no more powder can be
crammed in, or the barrel/weapon system simply can’t
take it. This is more theoretical, as opposed to being
something that would ever happen in real life. It’s simply
establishing what the safety factor is for that plate. An-
other four plates go through this process.
“The NIJ wants a calculated failure rate of below 5 per-
cent for a given plate. Most of our [HESCO] plates are less
than 0.1 percent failure rate,” Gray mentioned in a matter-
of-fact manner. That’s 50x better than the NIJ standard.
You can double check my math.
using armor more to defend a static position (e.g. your From a laboratory perspective, you need to reproduce
home) and it may be wiser to go with the most protec- reliable results every single time with these plates. The
tion you can afford while considering weight a lower NIJ takes it seriously, and rightfully so — there are lives on
priority. It’s all about trade-offs. the line. If a manufacturer is ISO certified, they tell the NIJ
they can test their plates every 24 months, off the line, at
How is Armor Tested by the NIJ? the manufacturer's expense, to ensure their quality con-
NIJ certification testing, as you can imagine, is a robust, trols are up to par. If not ISO certified, this happens every
brutal, and very specific series of tests that armor must 12 months. For even more context, they send the plates
pass to earn the NIJ seal. The new standard, NIJ 07, has out to one of a handful of companies to inspect and test
been promised since 2016, but right now they’re abiding them, and the manufacturer can go and watch the tests
by the NIJ 06 standard. to be a witness.
“The process to get a plate certified is quite lengthy. This is the difference between NIJ certified and NIJ
Last time we got a plate certified it took about four compliant. Clearly, certification is far more rigorous,
months,” Gray of HESCO said. “There are a lot of things costly, and time-consuming.
the NIJ does. As a manufacturer, you have to submit
nine plates for a Level III certification — eight for testing
and an extra. The new standard [0101.07] will increase
the number of plates for RF1 and RF2 significantly. The
original draft called for 27 plates for testing (nine for each
threat), but the rumblings about the revision to the draft
is that there will be twice that number because NIJ now
wants to test obliquity. So, that’s 54 plates, which is a lot.
The Level IV or RF3 will call for 37 plates for V0 and V50
and another 37 for obliquity,” he continued.
Those plates will go into a conditioning chamber for 11
days and are subjected to various temperatures, humid-
ity, and the like. Then comes the drop test.
The plate is attached to a 4-foot-tall arm with a weight-
ed back, and each plate is then slammed down twice.
And don’t forget, that’s after 11 days of being subjected to
all of the differences in temperature and humidity.
If a plate survives to this point, then and only then does
it get shot. For a Level III, it needs to get shot six times.
After it takes rounds, they perform what’s called a V0 test
ISSUE 62

— basically, is there a penetration or not? Four plates go

through this process.

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1A/2A: OR OF THE PRESS; PART I: ARMOR PLATE

Next-Generation Armor Ratings

The new NIJ 0101.07 standard will be much easier to navi- The chart below outlines the new designations, test threat
gate than current armor ratings, as it’s supposed to break ammo and reference velocities for NIJ 07. Once more, this
down what armor can defeat a threat level from HG (hand- rating system hasn’t officially been put in place yet.
gun) 1-3, with 3 being the most robust, and the same for rifle.

Proposed NIJ Handgun (HG) Threat Levels and Associated Test Ammunition

NIJ HG Threat Level Test Threat Ammunition Manufacturer and Reference Velocity
Model

9mm Luger full metal jacketed (FMJ) round nose Remington #23558 1,305 ft/s (398 m/s)
NIJ HG1 (Formerly NIJ (RN) 124- grain
0101.06 Level II)
.357 Mag jacketed soft point (JSP) 158-grain Remington #22847 1,430 ft/s (436 m/s)

NIJ HG2 (Formerly NIJ 9mm Luger FMJ RN 124-grain Remington #23558 1,470 ft/s (448 m/s)
0101.06 Level IIIA) .44 MAG jacketed hollow point (JHP) 240-grain Speer #4453 or #4736 1,430 ft/s (436 m/s)

Proposed NIJ Rifle (RF) Threat Levels and Associated Test Ammunition

NIJ RF Threat Level Test Threat Ammunition Manufacturer & Model ID Reference
Velocity

7.62x51mm M80 Ball NATO FMJ steel

NIJ RF1 (Enhanced version of NIJ U.S. military supply or rounds
jacketed spire point boat tail (BT) 149 2,780 ft/s (847 m/s)
0101.06 Level III) meeting NATO specifications
+0/-3 grain
NIJ RF1 (Enhanced version of NIJ 7.62x39mm surrogate test round 120.5 Specifications provided by NIJ
2,380 ft/s (725 m/s)
0101.06 Level III) grain (7.81 g) (See Ref. 16)
NIJ RF1 (Enhanced version of NIJ U.S. military supply or rounds
5.56mm M193 BT 56 +0/-2 grain 3,250 ft/s (990 m/s)
0101.06 Level III) meeting NATO specifications
NIJ RF2 (Same as NIJ RF1 plus 7.62x51mm M80 Ball NATO FMJ steel US military supply or rounds 2,780 ft/s (847 m/s)
5.56 mm M855) jacketed spire point BT 149 +0/-3 grain meeting NATO specifications
NIJ RF2 (Same as NIJ RF1 plus 7.62x39mm surrogate test round Specifications provided by NIJ 2,380 ft/s (725 m/s)
5.56 mm M855) 120.5-grain (7.81 g) (See Ref. 16)
NIJ RF2 (Same as NIJ RF1 plus U.S. military supply or rounds
5.56mm M193 BT 56 +0/-2 grain 3,250 ft/s (990 m/s)
5.56 mm M855) meeting NATO specifications
NIJ RF2 (Same as NIJ RF1 plus U.S. military supply or rounds
5.56 mm M855) 5.56mm M855 BT 61.8 + 1.5 grain meeting NATO specifications 3,115 ft/s (950 m/s)

NIJ RF3 (Formerly NIJ 0101.06 30.06 M2 Armor Piercing (AP) FMJ U.S. military supply or rounds 2,880 ft/s (878 m/s)
Level IV) spire point AP 165.7 +0/-7 grain meeting NATO specifications

Source: National Institute of Justice

When we talk about the standard a Level IV plate

needs to pass — defeating a 30-caliber M2AP round — of 2,880 fps — roughly 5 percent faster than a standard
we’re really talking about a .30-06 round with a hardened round would produce at the muzzle. Said another way,
steel core that was made in the 1950s. There aren’t many they’re testing in a worst-case scenario type of way. But
of them floating around. Even for testing in the factory, for this reason, Level IV plates are only tested to be hit
many of these rounds were pulled from old ammuni- one time by M2AP rounds. That might not sound like a
tion stockpiles. Each round is loaded individually, they great stat, but a standard M2AP round is capable of pen-
measure the amount of powder that is poured into it, etc. etrating half an inch of steel from nearly 100 yards.
There are strict lab standards, and furthermore, in testing The tests are absolutely brutal before they’re even
they upcharge these rounds to obtain a striking velocity shot, and then during.
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 PROJECTILE PROTECTORS -
PART I: ARMOR PLATE

of course, they’re lighter, but historically don’t handle multiple

hits from green tip unless you go the more expensive route.
So … What Plates Ceramic is a great do-all plate. Across the industry with
Should I Buy? all of the professionals I spoke to for this article, it seems to
Like pretty much everything, there’s no easy button. You be the best way to balance performance and weight while
need to think about your use, how much weight you want to having an eye toward cost. Everyone thinks of ceramic and
carry, and what you want to stop. While budget is and should thinks of dinner plates that crack if they’re set down on the
be a concern, you must ask yourself: how much is your life, It’s wise to counter too hard — they’re nowhere near that fragile. Not
or your loved one’s life worth? Would you really want to consider the even close. You could hit many of them full-force with a
calibers and
go to all the trouble of buying and wearing armor, only to sledgehammer, and they would still be operational. There
weapon con-
end up laying on the ground with holes in you wishing you fi gurations you are some formulas that are more brittle than others, but all
sprang for better plates with high-velocity hit capabilities? might be up of them will stand up to normal wear and tear just fine. You
As I mentioned at the outset, the purchasing decision is against. Under- mostly need to be cautious if you work in a high-tempo,
all about you and your personal use, but also about trade- standing armor high-speed operational environment like a QRF or military
offs. Steel is cheaper and has multi-hit capabilities, but is ratings — includ- unit, as ceramic can break or become brittle with years of
ing the unofficial
heavy, there’s a spall factor, and if not finished right, the steel heavy use. Many plates are marked with a 5- to 10-year shelf
“+” designations
becomes brittle. Also, as many of the industry experts in this — can help you life, but that’s more for liability purposes than anything —
article have pointed out, 20-inch barrels shooting XM193 can determine what your plates can last a lot longer if they’re stored appropri-
bore through some of the steel plates easily. With poly plates, you truly need. ately and not abused.

Photo by Joey Skibel

038 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
1A/2A: OF THE PEOPLE

A Helpful Framework for Getting a Fire Started Every Time

By Kevin Estela

nyone who has ever studied for a dif- Source - Finding It From the Land
ficult test understands that memory Sourcing materials is one of the most critical com-
devices such as sayings, rhymes, and ponents to making a fire. The better the firewood, the
abbreviations can be extremely help- stronger the fire and the easier it is to get started. When
ful for remembering key information. you look out on a landscape, you’ll likely see a collection
Similar memory devices can help us be more prepared of trees, both living and dead. You’ll see downed trees
to recall important survival skills. S.T.O.P. (Stay Put, Think, or piles of dead material. If your observation skills are
Observe, and Plan) and the O.O.D.A. (Observe, Orient, strong, you’ll pick up on the micro features of the terrain
Decide, and Act) loop are two very popular ways of fram- and notice there are some dead leaves still on branches.
ing your mindset in an emergency situation. The rule of Some trees may have bark peeling from them. Think of
3s (3 minutes without air, 3 hours without shelter, 3 days that bark like your own skin. When your skin is dry, it may
without water, 3 weeks without food) is a popular way of crack. If you see cracked bark surrounding branches,
recalling survival priorities. Other catchy number and let- there is a very good chance dry wood is underneath it.
ter memory devices have been introduced over the years Another key element of sourcing wood from the land is
to organize processes and groups of ideas with different learning to identify drier areas of the environment. You
levels of success. might find dry wood high up on riverbanks as the river
With fire starting, we know there’s a way to remember dries out throughout the summer. You may find dry wood
what’s needed with the ever-present “fire triangle” of heat, on rocky features instead of underneath wet leaves. The
air, and fuel found in so many survival manuals. Close fire process starts with sourcing the materials you’ll need.
your eyes and you can probably picture the illustration or
recall an instructor saying it’s like a tripod trying to stand Select - What You Can Utilize
on two legs if one is taken away. We started thinking Just because you have wood to burn, doesn’t mean
about creating a similar memory device related to the you have the right wood to burn. You may locate an
regular task of building a fire. We wanted to throw our hat entire dead standing tree that’s prime burning wood,
in the ring and present the process of fire-starting with but you need to work with the right amount of fuel for
just a knife and ferro rod using a list of 10 S's you should each stage in the fire-building process. Consider this one
always keep in mind as you work. option. This means collecting plenty of small twigs for
 ISSUE 62

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1A/2A: PEACEABLY

Take the time to

select the materials
you need to build
your fire and create
visual piles that leave
no doubt you’ll have
enough.

Firewood is best
sourced from dead
and downed trees.
An entire tree can be
used for various fuel
sizes in building a fire.

a downed tree with small twigs to large branches, in a

single firewood source is ideal but not always the reality.
You may have to resort to another option, which involves
processing large wood down into smaller pieces. You
may locate dead and downed trees with natural cracks
you can exploit with some elbow grease. Or maybe
you’ll locate wood that can be split with the tip of your
knife and a thumb-capped grip. If you have an extra
branch with some heft, you can use it to baton through
the wood as another method to reach the inner fibers.
Splitting wood not only exposes dry burning material but
it also increases the surface-to-mass ratio of the wood
you’re burning. The more surface, the faster the wood
will burn. Not all wood needs to be split, and in fact, you
may want to keep some in round form to burn through
the night.

kindling, and perhaps light inner bark fibers for tinder. Using the tip Splinter - Processing the Small Fuel
This also means being selective of what you use and of your knife, Very similar to splitting wood is the process of splinter-
making quality decisions if certain wood is punky, rotten, cracks can ing it. A round split in two is halved. A half split creates
be exploited
or partially green. As you select the wood you’ll use to two quarters. Breaking it down even further creates
to split your
make your fire, set it aside in piles that give you a visual smaller wood thinner splinters of wood that burn readily. The splinters
reference to the quantity used to build a strong bed of fuel supply. you create follow the grain of the wood and may contain
coals. Select wood that’s pencil-lead thickness for one rough edges or smaller splinters that catch flame easily
pile, pencil-to-finger thickness for another, wrist thickness with improved surface-to-mass ratio. Another benefit of
for the next, and arm or leg thickness for the main fuel. splintering wood is the texture it creates and the way that
texture clings to itself. This is an added bonus when build-
Split - Processing the Main Fuel ing freestanding fire lays mentioned later in this article.
You may be stuck with mostly larger rounds of wood Splintering usually doesn’t require a baton, and simple
that contain dry fibers inside. This is common in win- downward pressure will be all that’s necessary to cut
ter or rainy conditions. Finding all that you need, like through smaller pieces of wood.
 THE 10 S'S OF
FIRE STARTING
Split pieces
of wood can
be further
splintered to
increase the
surface to mass
ratio and im-
prove the burn-
ing quality.

Feather sticks,
also known as
fuzz sticks, can
be shaved to
create tinder
that will take a
spark.
Shave - Processing the Tinder is used for a fast-burning tall fire; use a log cabin for
and Kindling controlled cooking fires; build a long-fire the length of
You can use your knife to split wood, or you can use your body for warming comfort while sleeping. Keep in
it to shave it. Shaving will create curls of wood used for mind while you’re setting up your fire that fire tends to
kindling or very fine feathers used for tinder. Traditionally, burn upward. There are specialty “top burn” fires that
bushcrafters would create three to four feather or fuzz burn down, but you’ll find the most basic setups previ-
sticks to get a fire going. These sticks are often just as ously mentioned will be lit at the base and the materials Using the spine
much a test of your knife’s edge or the skill of the user will slowly catch from the bottom up. As you create your of your knife
or a sharp rock,
as they are tinder for fire starting. Don’t get too hung up fire setup, think about the direction of the wind and how
you can often
on keeping all of the shavings you create attached to that’ll help fan the flames. Avoid crowding your fire and
find tinder by
the stick you’re shaving them from. If you have a hat or don’t add large fuel too soon. You may find a combination scraping the
bandana, you can shave them off into a pile and they’ll of firelays works best for certain fire applications. Think of fibers of some
burn just as well attached or not. Shaving is different building a tipi fire inside the frame of a log-cabin fire for inner barks of
from splintering in the size and shape of the final product. smoke generators, for instance. trees.
Splinters tend to be long, straight, and semi-inflexible,
while shavings are shorter, curly, and flexible. Shavings
are also more easily fed into tighter nooks and crannies,
unlike splinters.

Scrape - Another Tinder Process

While processing wood for your fire, you may find the
wood you use is suitable for tinder scraping. Cedar bark
is easily scraped, as is resinous pine wood (also known
as fatwood). Scraping creates powder that will take a
spark, and it’s best accomplished with the 90-degree
spine of your knife or a rock with a sharp edge. Scrap-
ing requires pressure and a repeated motion that’s usu-
ally done with some speed. You must exercise caution
in all aspects of knife use and just because you’re using
the unsharpened spine doesn’t give you an excuse to
throw caution to the wind.

Setup - The Firelay

With all of your firewood properly staged and squared
away, you should determine which type of firelay will
ISSUE 62

work best for your fire needs. The 90-degree platform

and brace is popular for general fire-starting; the tipi

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 THE 10 S'S OF
042 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
1A/2A: TO ASSEMBLE, FIRE STARTING
How you set
up your fire
Testing Wood for depends on
what you need
Fire-Making it to do. Tipi
All wood will burn if there’s enough heat. Even
fires burn high
and hot.
living wood will dry out from the heat of a fire,
although this isn’t ideal. The best wood you can
Log cabins burn
burn is dead standing wood that’s up off of the consistently
ground where moisture collects. It sounds simplis- and steadily.
tic, but the process of testing wood is important, Fire rings aren’t
and it can be done prior to smoking out your bud- a bad idea to
keep coals in
dies around the campfire.
place.
There’s an old expression, “If it doesn’t snap, throw
it back.” That is, when you pick up a branch, bend
it. If there isn’t a distinct snap or crack, it’s prob-
With just a knife
ably still too green. Dead wood has little flexibility
and a ferro rod,
and lets you know it. This process is quick and you should be
easy to do, even for little kids. able to throw
Another method of testing a wood source is to feel sufficient sparks
it for moisture. A piece of wood can be cut and to get a tinder
held to the back of the hand or to your cheek (as
bundle lit.
long as you aren’t trying to test a poisonous plant).
Some moisture is OK, but too much will make your
fire smoke as it burns off.
You can also take a test sample of the wood you’re
using and try burning it before you burn a larger
log. Don’t waste all your time roasting a large wet
round of wood if a smaller chunk won’t burn.

Spark - With a Ferro Rod

If done correctly, a single shower of sparks should
catch on the feather sticks. If you have the time and
energy, build your fire in a manner that can be ignited
with a spark. If you only have a lighter or flame-based
firestarter, it’ll work on the properly prepared materials.
The opposite is not true. If you build a fire that is meant to
be lit with a flame, but you only have a ferro rod, it will not
ignite unless you have proper tinder. Also, you don’t have
to start your fire inside your fire lay. You can start a small
fire outside of it and use a couple sticks to transfer the
flame inside. This will prevent toppling a well-made fire lay
and make the process easier.
How you scrape your ferro rod will depend on the flam-
mability of your tinder. If you happen to have man-made
tinder like petroleum-soaked cotton balls, the smallest
spark will get it going. If you’re using natural tinder, you’ll
find pushing harder on your ferro rod to create more
substantial sparks will result in those that burn longer in
contact with the tinder you’re using.
 THE 10 S'S OF
044 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
1A/2A: AND TO PETITION FIRE STARTING

Sustain - Keep It Going

Don’t just get your fire going, make sure you can keep it
going. It’s a mistake to overlook this aspect of sustainment.
You may be a pro at getting a fire started and seeing a
flame from your efforts but unless you can keep that flame
going, fire starting is just a parlor trick. Sustaining a fire
means not building a fire too large for its intended purpose.
It means not wasting fuel for no good reason. It also means
making sure you have enough fire-making materials to get
your fire going again if it burns out.
You may also need to build up the level of flame in a
hurry if the situation calls for it. You’ll find a good habit for
fire sustainment is setting the next pieces of wood used
to fuel your fire adjacent to it to dry out. If you underes-
timated your fuel needs or if your fire requires more fuel,
you’ll need to step away from it to gather more, which
requires either banking your wood (covering it with ash
to slow the burn) or adding enough fuel to keep it going
while you’re away. It is a terrible feeling to come back to
your firepit and find it burnt out. Sustaining your fire also
means using wood that’s meant to burn longer, like full
rounds of wood instead of split wood.

Stop - Extinguish Responsibly

Never start a fire you can’t put out. One of the S's of

fire is stopping it. The process is fairly simple if you think Left: Close-up
about reversing what you did to build it. Space out the detail of ferro
rod sparking
fuel in your fire pit to slow the burn. Snuff it out by add-
into a tinder
ing more moisture to the wood, drowning it in plenty bundle.
of water. Don’t leave it unless you see no visible smoke
coming up from it. Irresponsible campers start forest fires Above: Don’t stop
that cause untold destruction each year — don’t let that processing wood
be you. when your fire is
going. Build up
Closing Thoughts the fuel sources
needed to sustain
Could this “S” fire methodology catch on? Perhaps. We
it or coax it back
know we may have a couple more S's than our short-term to life.
memory could retain, but then again, we also know you
can remember lengthy chains of items in long-term term When the time
memory if you repeat them. We want you to practice comes to extin-
firestarting, and even if this system of S's doesn’t work for guish your fire,
thoroughly douse
you, find one that does and make it Systematic (that’s the
it with water to
11th S). You’ll find out the process of assigning letters to a ensure no smol-
particular task for memory isn’t as complicated or difficult dering embers
as owning the skills that could save your life. remain.
046 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
1A/2A: THE GOVERNMENT

Projectile Protectors - Part II:

An Overview of Armor for Your Brain

By Alexander Castiglione

n the first part of this deep dive into ballistic protec- ones. Modern battlefield hazards included lateral frag
tion, we talked about body armor. What about from artillery and falling debris, as well as bullets (the latter
protecting your dome? Let’s take a brief look back would not be defeated until much later in the late 20th and
at the history of helmets to better understand their early 21st century).
value. After steel, modern battlefield soldiers wore PASGT
The first documented use of helmets in combat was (Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops) and similar
found in ancient Sumeria and Akkadian civilization, both helmets crafted from Kevlar, Aramid, or a similar synthetic
from the region we would call Mesopotamia, circa 2300 fiber. More recently, they are crafted from ultra-high-
BCE. The earliest bronze helmets are reported to have density polyethylene. The lightweight yet ultra-strong
come from the Mycenae in 1700 BCE, and these Greeks materials protect against lateral frag and shrapnel, many
were also believed to be the inventors of the first plate pistol rounds, and even rifle rounds, as we will discuss in
armor set. Use of combat helmets was prolific within the this article.
Ancient Greek and Roman Empires, at first being made of Another major adaptation has been protection from
leather and eventually various types of metal and metal- non-ballistic threats, like a concussive shockwave, as well
alloys — initially leather and brass, then bronze and iron. As as the internal padding. Sufficient padding inside a helmet
weaponry became more sophisticated, so too did the need helps absorb the inertia from ballistic threats and mitigate
for more robust protections of soldier’s heads. Military use backface deformation (more on this later), as well as mak-
of helmets was initially employed to prevent the wearer ing the helmet more comfortable to wear.
from cuts, arrows, and low-velocity musketry.
Eventually, in the 17th century, the use of military helmets Helmets vs. Body Armor:
declined as rifled firearms entered the battlefield. While How Are They Different?
some holdouts, like Napoleonic era cavalry, still wore Both stop bullets and shrapnel, but there are some inher-
ornate helmets, they served more as status symbols than ent differences. While some body armor may be curved, it
protection from ballistic threats. However, in the early 20th has nowhere near the curvature of a helmet, which essen-
century at the start of World War I, the widespread use of tially needs to be a partial sphere. This creates challenges
battlefield artillery resurrected the need for helmets — steel with any ballistic material and is where the art and science
of ballistic protection meet. In order to have a robust ar-
mor system on your head, there needs to be consistency
in the layers and density throughout the armor system so
as not to have any failure points.
“If you want a quarter-inch helmet, it needs to be a method of consolidating the materials together to create
quarter-inch all the way around. With the fabrication the helmet. As you probably are aware, when these raw
process, without crown-reinforcements the thickness of materials come in, they’re on a roll and they’re relatively
your helmet will vary from crown [of the head] to sides. flexible. They’re effectively like a big sheet of fabric. We
We add crown reinforcements to help prevent that,” Dub then put those fabrics onto a ply-cutting machine to form
Robertson, retired Master Sgt. (USMC), Plant Manager for the desired shapes, then stack multiple layers of material
The Crye Preci-
Hard Head Veterans, elaborated. This is a delicate balance, on top of one another. This material stack is then put into sion AirFrame
Robertson said, in that if you add more plies (additional a pre-forming press to give it an initial shape. Then, we uses a unique
layers) or you don’t pay attention to this balance, you do a final consolidation stage through our XTclave, which two-piece
can get cosmetic deformations like wrinkles and bubbles, imparts the full consolidation pressure and temperature overlapping
which may or may not lead to a ballistic failure. Specifically, into the shell. Traditionally, most manufacturers will utilize shell that of-
fers improved
he said you want the inside of the helmet to be as smooth only a press, so in effect they’re applying the consolida-
ventilation.
as possible. This is why helmets that defeat ballistic threats tion pressure only through one plane.” Crye says it can
are much harder to fabricate than non-ballistic helmets. What’s more, the ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethyl- also “reduce
Director of Research & Development of Engineering ene (UHMWPE), colloquially known as poly, doesn’t paint the damag-
at HighCom Ed Clark explained their proprietary helmet well. Unlike armor, helmets are often worn outside of a car- ing effects of
explosive blast
ISSUE 62

fabrication process: “The technology we utilize is the XT- rier and are exposed to the elements, so the exterior finish
waves."
clave, which is our proprietary technology. It’s a different is an important consideration. This is where “skins” come in.

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048 OFFGRIDWEB.COM

“Typically, skins are an aramid material, aka Kevlar. this piece manufactures a rifle rated helmet — HighCom
[Hard Head Veterans] typically do one skin inner layer, Security’s RCH helmet. The RCH is rated against common
Hard Head and one skin outer layer. Obviously, using aramid helps rifle threats and boasts a Level III rating, able to defeat
Veterans (HHV)
with the ballistic properties of the helmet. We do know 7.26x39, 5.56x45 XM193, and even the hard-hitting 7.62x51
newest ATE
Lite helmets some companies out there are using carbon fiber; they NATO.
are made in do the ‘guts’ of the helmet in [UHMW]PE, but their first or Another consideration when it comes to ballistic
Sweetwater, second skin is carbon fiber. We’ve seen some videos of helmets is protection from shrapnel, often referred to as
Texas, using a them shooting a helmet with this type of a configuration, lateral frag. The benchmark for this is MIL-STD-662F, and
combination of
and while there is no dent in the helmet, since it helps this tests against different weights of shrapnel that one
UHMWPE and
with compression, there is no ballistic protection offered would see on the battlefield or in an area of operation,
aramid fibers.
from carbon fiber. It helps with blunt impact, due to the going from 2 grains to 44 grains in weight, at varying ve-
lack of compression in the material, but has no ballistic locities. The MIL-STD-662F framework is utilized to grade
protection advantages, so we haven’t used it in our hel- armor — that includes body armor, armored seats for air-
mets,” Robertson from Hard Head Veterans explained on craft and ground vehicles, crew station armor on military
a call. Also, carbon fiber is pretty expensive, which adds vessels, aircraft armor, bulkheads, tactical shelters, and
to the cost of the helmet. even “clear armor” like windshields, shields, or windows.
Helmets are about as extreme of a curve as you’re going The RCH abides by the MIL-STD-662F in addition to NIJ
to get and are not as straightforward as something like 0101.06 Level III Rating.
pressing body armor — even curved plates. Fabrication Considering the extreme curvature of a helmet, the
processes like the proprietary XTclave use a fluid medium NIJ’s testing is incredibly in-depth, and requires different
to transfer pressure, which works well when creating things hit angles to pass — basic plane, coronal plane, sagittal
with compound curves and complex geometries. However, plane, and also takes into account the angle of attack
other standard methods of fabrication, such as layering when testing. There’s an NIJ standard for Ballistic Hel-
plies of UHMWPE, are still strong. As long as the manufac- mets published if you want to go deep on the specs, but
turer understands the dynamics of crown reinforcement refer to the table for an excerpt.
and it passes ballistic testing, you should be good to go.
What About Backface Deformation?
Testing Protocols for Helmets As with body armor, backface deformation is top of
Ballistic helmets go through a similar testing protocol mind for ballistic helmets as well. While there’s more
to body armor, with some slight nuanced differences. “padding” with a helmet — both the structural “impact
Most of the helmets on the market are only rated to layer” and the softer padding that’s used for comfort
defeat pistol rounds, which technically is a Level II or IIA — backface deformation is a non-trivial consideration
rating. Per NIJ 0106.01 for ballistic helmets, to obtain a with ballistic helmets. This started from a research and
Type II rating, the helmet must defeat high-velocity pistol- development paper from the U.S. Army where 25mm
caliber rounds such as the .357 Magnum or high-velocity was the standard, but many companies today have got-
9mm (+P or +P+). One company who I interviewed for ten down to 15mm at max, and in some cases 8mm or
 PROJECTILE PROTECTORS -
PART II: BALLISTIC HELMETS
from vertical alignment functionally adds 10 pounds to
your dome, any ballistic helmet you put on your head
will need to be lightweight in order for you to be combat
or mission effective. This is just as important, if not more
important than body armor being lightweight. Helmet
weight has been proven in studies to affect cognitive
performance. When in a hostile engagement, your most
valuable weapon is not your rifle or sidearm, but your
brain; helmet weight and cognitive fatigue are correlated.
Moreover, even the strain that is placed on your neck
affects cognitive performance. There are also muscular
considerations as multiple studies have found that the
heavier the helmet, the more muscular fatigue and/or
risk of injury while operating in the field.
“There is a big drive toward lightweight protection
recently, and it is becoming more and more apparent
with a lot of armed forces … As forces are becoming more
advanced, they’re using more equipment to assist — head-
Oregon Ballistic less with high-velocity pistol rounds, well below the U.S. sets, NVGs, augmented reality. All that equipment is add-
Laboratories Government standards. Per HHV’s spec sheet on their ing weight. And if it’s going on the head, it’s putting more
(OBL) also tests
HPE helmet, which I had the chance to test, the backface load on the head, which means your endurance isn’t
helmets ac-
cording to NIJ deformation of a 9mm 124-grain round screaming at over going to be as long as you’d like, and you might suffer
standards. Each 1,400 feet per second — far above most factory loads — is neck trauma down the line. So, taking what we term ‘dead
helmet is tested at max 15mm on the crown, and only 8mm at the back of weight’ out of a helmet shell is a benefit because it means
from a variety of the head. you can either put more gear back onto your operator’s
angles.
This deformation is typically not seen unless you peel head, or you’re allowing them to wear it for longer,” Clark
off the protective padding of the helmet post-gunshot of HighCom explained, underscoring the importance and
anyway, but it’s comforting (as comfortable as you can validity of the previously mentioned studies.
get with getting shot in the head) to know that the struc-
ture of the helmet will deform only about ⅓ of an inch. So … What Helmet Should You Buy?
“Sometimes, we get helmets back for a size exchange, Just like with body armor, the helmet that’s right for
and we notice the impact pads are out of there. The you is the one that fits your needs and budget. If you
impact pads are there for a reason! They’re specifically don’t need ballistic protection, an unarmored “bump
designed to reduce backface deformation. The comfort helmet” provides basic impact protection and the ability
pads aren’t even involved in the testing, we just send the to wear head-mounted accessories like night vision. If
helmet and the impact pads,” Robertson stated. you’re not operating where you can expect to see rifle
fire and lateral frag, or just want a layer of protection for
Helmet Weight: It Matters! your most valuable weapon (your brain), a pistol-rated
Considering the human head itself weighs about 8 NIJ Level II helmet may be perfect for you, and will only
pounds, and every inch you move your head forward run you a few hundred dollars. If you want something
that can stop incoming fire

Test Variables Performance from an AK and only weigh

Requirements a couple of pounds, you’re in
Suggested Required luck — they make those now.
Helmet Test Nominal Barrel Bullet Required Permitted
Type Ammunition Bullet Mass Hits Penetrations Just be realistic about the
Length Velocity
threats you’re likely to face
357 Magnum JSP 158 gr. 4 to 4.75 in. 1250±50 ft/s 4 0 and remember that higher
IIA
9mm FMJ 124 gr. 4 to 4.75 in. 1090±50 ft/s 4 0 levels of protection always
357 Magnum JSP 158 gr. 6 to 6.5 in. 1395±50 ft/s 4 0 come with at least a few
II
ISSUE 62

minor trade-offs.
9mm FMJ 124 g. 4 to 4.75 in. 1175±50 ft/s 4 0

OFFGRIDWEB.COM 049
Reviewing and Upgrading the Ruger Mark
IV 22/45 “Silencer Shop Host”
By Patrick McCarthy
 ilk and cookies, peanut butter and it less compact, portable, and discreet — this one is some-
jelly, Jack Daniels and Coke — some thing we can alleviate.
things just seem to be made for
each other. We have an addition to Size Matters
that list: rimfire pistols and sup- By chopping a pistol’s barrel to a shorter length, its size
pressors. The former is an excellent tool for schwacking and balance can be mostly (if not entirely) maintained
varmints, affordable plinking at the range, and teaching once a suppressor is added. This has been a relatively
new shooters how to use a pistol; the latter enhances common modification for owners of Ruger’s popular Mark
each of those functions. With a suppressed .22LR pistol, IV .22LR pistols, but it requires paying a gunsmith roughly
you can control the pest population discreetly without $200 to cut and thread the barrel. The front sight will also
alerting everyone who lives near your property, plink need to be relocated if you expect to use the iron sights
safely without ear protection, and introduce those new again. This permanent modification voids the pistol’s war-
shooters to a weapon that’s quiet and less intimidating to ranty, and depending on the length and the quality of the
use. If you own a rimfire pistol, it’s easily the number-one gunsmith you choose, might lead to unforeseen reliability
accessory we’d recommend. problems.
That said, there are still a few drawbacks to install- Another option is to purchase a complete replacement
ing a suppressor on your pistol. First and foremost is upper and simply swap it onto your Ruger Mark IV lower. A
the process of buying one, which involves filling out an few aftermarket companies offer threaded Mark IV uppers
NFA Form 4, paying for a $200 tax stamp, and wait- ranging from 3.5 inches to 2 inches, and some include
ing several months for the paperwork to clear. Picatinny rails or micro red-dot mounts as well. However,
Until America is able to abolish the NFA and its these uppers can cost $150 to $400, and the shorter vari-
unconstitutional restrictions on hearing protec- ants may not be able to cycle properly with certain types
tion devices, there’s nothing we can do to avoid of ammo. They’re also serialized parts, so they must be
this process. The other downside is the fact that shipped to a licensed dealer, and you’ll likely have to pay
the suppressor will add length to your pistol, making transfer fees upon arrival. It’s still not an ideal solution.
All this demand for a short, suppressor-ready Mark IV
did not go unnoticed by the product development team
at Ruger. In late 2022, Ruger representatives showed up at
RECOIL’s CANCON event in Georgia with a pre-production
prototype of a Mark IV 22/45 model with a 3-inch threaded
barrel, no iron sights, and a Picatinny rail optic mount. We
didn’t know it at the time, but this would go on to become
the new Silencer Shop exclusive Ruger Mark IV SSH.

This Sightmark red dot offers wide field of view for

daytime shooting, and its night-vision-ready brightness
settings work well alongside the infrared weapon light.
052 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
1A/2A: A WELL REGULATED

A Better Host In standard form with a suppressor and red-dot sight,

Ruger and Silencer Shop teamed up to release the SSH, the SSH was a fun little pistol, not too different from its
which stands for Silencer Shop Host — it’s a fully war- 22/45 Tactical siblings. It didn’t need anything else … but
rantied, factory-built platform for mounting your favorite The Vol- the massive aftermarket support for the Mark IV was too
rimfire suppressor. It’s based on Ruger’s existing Mark IV quartsen Com- tantalizing to ignore. So, I dove into the realm of upgrades.
22/45 Tactical, which features adjustable iron sights, Pica- petition Bolt
tinny rail optic and light mounts, a 4.4-inch threaded barrel, includes three Building a Space Blaster
recoil springs:
and the classic 1911-style 22/45 pistol grip. For the SSH The first order of business was to restore something I
reduced power
package, Ruger removed the underbarrel light mount and with a dark think Ruger never should have deleted: the light mount.
iron sights, and chopped the barrel down to only 3 inches. finish (installed The addition of an infrared weapon light and night vision
The SSH is available in three finish choices: standard blued in this photo), goggles turns this from a good varmint control weapon
finish, flat dark earth Cerakote, or olive drab Cerakote. standard power into a straight-up varmint assassination machine. Ground-
MSRP is $749, but at the time of writing this article, it’s with a silver hogs and possums will never see what hit them. Beyond
finish, and extra
available directly through Silencer Shop for $559. that, shooting this pistol while wearing NVGs is a good
power with a
The SSH seen in these photos was essentially an im- gold finish. way to train without blowing money on more expensive
pulse buy. I went in to a local dealer, The Shooting Range calibers. Unfortunately, a 22/45 Tactical factory light mount
in Queen Creek, Arizona, for a routine transaction and can’t fit on this stubby barrel, so I had to get creative.
I paired the
ended up walking out with an SSH order on the books. A company called Performance Services makes a Mark
3-inch barrel
Ever since shooting the prototype at CANCON, I had my with a JK Arma- IV light mount that attaches to the barrel with a 1-inch
eye on it, and although they didn’t have the FDE-finished ment modular ring clamp, but it’s $60 plus shipping, and I figured I could
model in stock, they put in an order for one. A few days .22 suppressor. make something equally effective using a cheap Picatinny
later, I picked up my new pistol. Five baffles rail scope ring. After spending $13 on a Monstrum Tactical
is enough to
I already owned a JK Armament .22-caliber modular 1-inch Picatinny ring mount on Amazon, I unscrewed the
reduce sound
suppressor, so I immediately threaded it onto the Ru- rail segment, filed down the alignment tab, and drilled a
substantially,
but I can install new hole to secure it in a cantilevered position on the ring
the remaining (rather than centered, as it originally was). Then,
four to keep it it was as simple as tightening the ring onto the
even quieter. barrel and sliding on a SureFire X300V white/

ger’s short barrel. Since the gun

has no iron sights, I also installed
a Sightmark Mini Shot A-Spec M2 reflex sight and
headed to the range for some initial impressions. With
standard velocity Federal 36-grain .22LR ammo, it ran
flawlessly as expected. My JK Armament suppressor
can be configured with up to nine baffles, so I experi-
mented and found that five felt like the ideal compro-
mise between sound reduction and length. This adds
roughly 4 inches to the SSH’s 3-inch barrel, leaving it at
a very manageable size, and while it’s not whisper quiet,
it’s comfortable to shoot without ear protection.
 SSH… BE
VERY QUIET

IR light. I’d say this setup is even stable enough to keep a little patience, it’s very doable for a
laser zeroed once all the hardware has been threadlocked mechanically inclined owner.
and torqued. The original bolt was replaced with
Next, I decided to swap the rubberized Ruger-branded a complete Volquartsen Competition
grip panels to something with more texture and durability. Bolt, which features a super-slick black
These Hogue Extreme Series grips are made from tough DLC coating and an extended charging
G10 material — the same stuff as my favorite pocketknife knob for racking the bolt more easily. This
handle scales — and they’re machined with an aggressive CNC-machined bolt is built with a handful of
Piranha pattern that feels great in the hand. Hogue offers Volquartsen upgrades, such as their Exact
a few different colors, but I went with plain black to match Edge Extractor, SureStrike Firing Pin, and
the rest of the gun’s color scheme. Recoil Rod and Spring Kit with three spring options. The These machined
For some mechanical upgrades, I turned to one of the standard silver recoil spring mimics the factory spring aluminum Vol-
quartsen base-
biggest players in the rimfire aftermarket world: Vol- rate, the gold spring is intended for use with high-velocity
plates help the
quartsen. Their Mark IV Accurizing Kit replaces most of ammo, and the dark-colored spring enables the use of magazines drop
Ruger’s original trigger components with more precise, most subsonic ammo (it also reduces recoil slightly with freely for faster
CNC-machined, and wire-EDM-cut parts. The kit includes supersonic ammo, reloads and add a
a new disconnector, target hammer, hammer bushing, though .22LR has contoured edge to
target trigger, and trigger plunger and spring. The result almost zero recoil in keep the shooter’s
hands in place on
is a trigger that snaps like a glass rod at 2.25 pounds, and the first place).
the grip.
it also has two tiny screws to adjust pre-travel and over- Finally, I picked
travel (see sidebar for details). Installing this Accurizing Kit up Volquartsen’s
was definitely more complex than your average Glock or
AR trigger install, but with a set of needle-nose
pliers, a small metal pick, and a
 SSH… BE
054 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
1A/2A: MILITIA, BEING VERY QUIET

Trigger Adjustment
Unless you do a lot of competition or precision “the Ruger Mark IV can be dry fired but a snap cap
rifle shooting, you may not be familiar with how is strongly recommended for anything more than
to adjust a trigger like the Target Trigger included occasional dry fire practice.”
in Volquartsen’s Accurizing Kit. This trigger offers 2. Use the included 1/16-inch Allen wrench to turn
adjustments for both pretravel and overtravel. the pretravel screw (located at the top of the trig-
Pretravel is any movement from the resting posi- ger) clockwise in small increments until the trigger
tion up to the point where the shot breaks. This is unable to reset, dry-firing and cycling the bolt
includes take-up or slack (trigger movement before repeatedly with each adjustment.
meeting the resistance of the sear) and creep 3. Once the trigger is “dead” and will not reset, turn
(trigger movement after meeting the sear up to the pretravel screw counterclockwise slowly until
the break point where the hammer drops). Adjust- the trigger resets. You’ll hear a faint click.
ing pretravel makes it faster and easier to predict 4. Use the same Allen wrench to turn the overtrav-
exactly how much the trigger must be pressed until el screw (located on the face of the trigger) clock-
the gun will go “bang.” wise in small increments until the trigger is unable
Overtravel is movement of the trigger after the to break, dry-firing and cycling the bolt repeatedly
shot breaks until it physically can’t move any fur- with each adjustment.
ther back. Reducing over-travel makes it faster and 5. Turn the overtravel screw counterclockwise
easier to return the trigger to its reset point, allow- until the gun is able to dry fire normally.
ing the gun to be fired again. 6. Cycle the bolt and dry fire again. Hold the trigger
Here’s a summary of how to adjust pretravel and down and cycle the bolt, then slowly release the
overtravel with a Volquartsen Mark IV trigger: trigger until you hear and feel it reset. Repeat a few
1. Ensure the gun is unloaded and safe. Remove all times to ensure it’s working normally.

Extended Magazine Release and Base Pad Kit. It includes

two machined, black anodized aluminum baseplates for
the factory Ruger mags. These don’t increase magazine
capacity, but they do add weight and help the thin metal
mags drop free for faster reloads. Subjectively, they look
cool too. The kit also comes with a knurled mag release
 SSH… BE
056 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
1A/2A: NECESSARY TO VERY QUIET

The T-Rex Arms Ragnarok SD

was one of the few holsters
we figured might work with
our Frankenstein light mount.
It did require a little trimming
with a Dremel, but it fits like a
glove now.

button; in addition to being easier to press, it causes the

mag to sit higher in the pistol’s frame. The company says of the
this improves feeding by preventing the bolt from sliding midsection,
over rounds in the magazine. then switched to a
sanding bit and ground all
If the Holster Doesn’t Fit … the edges smooth, checking the fit of the gun repeatedly
I’m not the type of guy who really enjoys bench shoot- as I worked. Lastly, I used a heat gun to soften the “wings”
ing pistols — in other words, picking the gun up off a at the front of the holster per T-Rex’s instructions and
tabletop and firing slow groups at a static target. I’d much formed them around the suppressor to add more support.
rather be outdoors, running dynamic drills and shooting The end result is a holster that features a Safariland QLS
targets on the move. And for practical purposes such as fork, and can clip into any of my belts, from a loop on my
varmint hunting, it’s a good idea to have a holster in case everyday belt, to the mid-ride carrier on my Snake Eater
you need both hands for a task. Unfortunately, finding Tactical range belt.
a sturdy Kydex holster for a suppressed pistol is hard
enough, and adding a Frankenstein DIY light mount makes Closing Thoughts
it even more difficult. The Mark IV 22/45 already has an atypical silhouette,
After shopping around, I found a holster that looked so pairing that with a modular suppressor and optic only SOURCES
close enough to what I needed — the Ragnarok SD from accentuated its looks. By the time I was done working on Silencer Shop >
silencershop.com
T-Rex Arms. It’s designed to be a universal solution for it, this pistol ended up looking a bit like a futuristic sci-fi
JK Armament >
most suppressed pistols, and it indexes off the SureFire movie prop. I’m not complaining — where we’re going, we jkarmament.com
X300 light. That means as long as the light locks into place don’t need ear pro. SureFire >
securely, I don’t have to worry about the holster fitting the At the range, this Mark IV is giggle-inducing for anyone surefire.com
Sightmark >
gun perfectly. But after receiving the holster, I noticed that who shoots it. Standard velocity rounds sound like the sightmark.com
the upper edges of the holster’s Kydex interfered with the snap of an air rifle; with subsonic rounds, all that’s audible Volquartsen >
ring mount around the barrel. is the click-clack of the bolt reciprocating and the sound volquartsen.com

I used a Sharpie marker to trace the areas that needed of the bullet impacting its target. Although this pistol
to be trimmed to fit the gun, and then fired up my Dremel. certainly wouldn’t be my first choice for concealed carry
Before you cut anything, remember that it’d be easy to or defense against larger predators (especially the two-
ruin your holster with this modification, so be sure to go legged kind), it can help me train fundamentals like sight
slow and take off as little material as possible. I used a picture and trigger press while only spending about 4
cutting wheel to carefully trim about ½ inch of Kydex out cents per round.
 T IC K E T S & SH OW INF O

BL ADE SHOW.COM
T H E B L A D E SH OW @ B L A D E _ SH OW @ B L A D E . SH OW
1A/2A: TO ASSEMBLE,

BRVO Tactical’s Overnight Reconnaissance

Class Taught Us About Concealment,
Observation, and Covert Movement
By Tom Marshall
Photos by Tom Marshall and Patrick McCarthy
 ISSUE 62

OFFGRIDWEB.COM 59
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1A/2A: AND TO PETITION OFFGRIDWEB.COM

ames involving hiding are a core memory Observed

for most people’s childhoods, and this from the side,
as seen in the
fact holds true across all recorded human
first image of
history. Why? We think it’s a function of this article, the
having to learn early on in our lives how author is clearly
to effectively avoid predators who may be actively hunt- visible. But from
ing us. Likewise, we must also learn how to effectively the perspective
hunt prey (or other predators) who are determined not of his target, he
disappears into
to be found. Both halves of hide and seek can be directly
the surround-
tied back to evolutionary adaptations required to survive ing foliage.
in a hostile world. Unfortunately, while the world has
grown more developed, it hasn’t become any less hostile.
Yet there are very few outlets in adult life that require us
to rehearse or hone those hiding and seeking skillsets.
One of those outlets is the Special Forces Sniper Course,
or SFSC (pronounced siff-SICK ). While most of us will
never have access to this training, the active-duty Green
Beret who runs BRVO Tactical does. He has chosen to
pass some of these skills onto the prepared citizen in his
unique training class, “The Objective.”
While most military and law enforcement snipers
choose to enter the public training community with a
precision rifle course, BRVO Tactical’s The Objective takes
the complete opposite approach. There’s no shooting
whatsoever in this course. Rifles aren’t even on the pack-
ing list. This class focuses instead on some of the “soft
skills” taught to sniper students — directed observation,
camouflage, concealment, and covert movement. We
had the opportunity to attend the flagship iteration of this
course, which gave us some very hands-on experience
that was a little more developed than hiding in a bed-
room closet from our siblings.

Don’t Look. See.

The first exercise of the course was an observation
lane. Instructor cadre hid several objects out in our
wooded training area, mirroring potential discarded or
cached equipment left by adversaries. Ammo pouches,
hand tools, food wrappers, and ordnance were all placed
throughout the terrain at distances between 10 and 30
yards. This may sound like it’s close enough to spot with
ease, but it still proved quite difficult. Students were lined > Shine In the observation lane exercise, students
up shoulder-to-shoulder and given a fixed period of time > Shadow searched an area for hidden items, taking
notes, drawing diagrams, and reporting what
to find as many of the objects as possible. Each student > Shape
they found to the instructor.
was required to keep a written map that showed what ob- > Shade
jects they believed they could see in what locations. This > Sound
was, ironically, perhaps the most difficult exercise of the > Speed
entire course for us, scoring a meager 3 out of 10 items. These are the characteristics outlining how objects
But we learned a lot of valuable information about what’s fit (or don’t fit) into their surroundings. When you don’t
known as the 7 S's of camouflage: know specifically what objects you’re supposed to see,
> Silhouette or where you’re supposed to see them, you must start
 HIDE & SEEK,
HARD MODE

looking for visual anomalies — irregular shadows, exces- same materials to cover spotting scopes, tripods, and Above left:
sive shine, odd shapes, unnatural shades. These are all ex- rifles. RECOIL OFFGRID Editor Patrick McCarthy made ex- Each student
amples of signs to look for that might indicate something cellent use of the provided Cobra hood along with Multi- received a back-
pack loaded
is out of place, even if you don’t know what that is. Cam outerwear from Beyond Clothing and Merino wool
with basic gear
mid-layer apparel from Varusteleka. Weather during the for use during
Behind the Veil class hovered around freezing with occasional snow flur- the course,
Understanding these concepts and seeing first-hand ries, and we were often laying perfectly still or crawling including cam-
how difficult they can be to pick up on led the class di- across the cold ground. So, donning multiple layers over ouflage materi-
rectly into our next exercise: ghillie suit construction. moisture-wicking Varusteleka wool long johns helped als, binoculars,
and a spotting
While we did not build full suits like you might see in him stay dry and comfortable while he was concealed.
scope.
the movies, each student was provided a “cobra hood,” Similarly, the Finnish company’s wool socks, glove liners,
which includes a hood and sleeves to cover the wearer’s and wool balaclava kept every bit of exposed skin con- Top: Before
upper half. It should be noted here that, while The Ob- cealed and fully protected from the chilly air. Grease paint
jective isn’t an inexpensive course, the tuition includes The author decided to test out a piece of gear we’d is an essential
several hot meals as well as an impressive amount of been sitting on for just such an occasion — a Propper tool for conceal-
ing areas of
gear. Every student received a cobra hood, burlap fiber M65 Field Jacket specially modified by a one-man tacti-
exposed skin.
kit, camouflage mesh, pruning shears, binoculars, laser cal sew shop that goes by the handle @night_fighter_0 We blended
range finder, spotting scope, tripod, and backpack, which on Instagram. The Night Fighter Field Jacket mod pack- light and dark
we got to keep at the end of the class. These were not age includes several handy upgrades like sewn-in elastic colors to match
top-tier, name-brand items, but they were up to the task mag pouches, MOLLE webbing channels, and a ghillie the colors of the
surrounding
for the two-day course and are meant to be knocked net modification sewn into the M65’s roll-out hood.
forest.
around and used in any kind of follow-on training or When not in use, or built out with vegetation, the M65’s
rehearsal you might do at home. We like this strategy hood stowed in the zip-close collar. If needed, simply
because, even if you do have multi-thousand-dollar opti- unzip the collar, unfurl the hood, and attach natural
cal equipment, you don’t have to worry about damaging vegetation as needed for maximum concealment. While
or losing it during this course. the M65’s olive drab won’t work in all environments, it
Students learned how to use both burlap strips and worked great in our training terrain — a mountainside
ISSUE 62

natural vegetation to build out their ghillie hoods to at approximately 5,000 feet in wintertime, with plenty
match the terrain. We also learned how to use these of greenery left on the land. We were actually surprised

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As the camera at just how effective a giant single-color jacket was in

moves closer, this class, considering that all the other students were
the lens of a
wearing full camouflage outfits. Likewise, the M65’s hood
spotting scope
slowly becomes doesn’t offer the shoulder and arm coverage of a dedi-
visible among cated ghillie hood or half-suit, but as a rapid-deployment
the brush. Even solution that can be stowed away and still let you fit into
from 10 yards a suburban environment, the Night Fighter mod worked
away, you’d great.
have a hard
Once the students built-out their ghillies and applied
time noticing it.
camouflage grease paint to their faces and hands, we
were given the chance to test our concealment skills in a
couple of back-to-back exercises with the instructors try-
ing to spot students who had settled into their hide sites.

On Objective
The final training exercise was modeled after a stan-
dard U.S. Military graded stalk. Students were assembled
Below: For the
at a rally point that was an unknown distance from the
final exercise,
students had target area. A visual description of the target (in this case,
to get close BRVO Tactical’s founder standing in a trailer hitched to
enough to this his pickup truck) and GPS coordinates to that position.
truck and trail- The trailer had several HAZMAT placards with symbols,
er to read the colors, and numbers attached to it. Students had to get
HAZMAT signs
close enough to read each sign clearly, recording what
while being
careful not to they saw in their field notes. As an added level of dif-
get spotted by ficulty, there were multiple placards attached to all four
the BRVO Tacti- sides of the vehicle, which meant students would have
cal instructor. to maneuver in and out of multiple positions to record
 HIDE & SEEK,
HARD MODE
Finnish gear manufacturer Varusteleka provided these
warm and comfortable Merino wool garments for Editor
Patrick McCarthy to use during the course, along with a
packable rain poncho and small neck knife

Binoculars could be placed into a pants pocket, allow-

ing a student to pack lighter and move quieter, but
their lower magnification would require getting much
closer to the target vehicle. Balancing the limitations of
equipment against the ability to move covertly, applying
camouflage correctly, and utilizing the terrain to your
advantage, was a highly individual thought exercise that
produced unique lessons for each student.

The author Lessons Learned

wore this Prop- all the placards. Students had three hours to traverse the When framed in the context of “learning sniper skills,”
per M65 field terrain and move into multiple concealed positions to it’s a logical pitfall to dismiss this course as tactical
jacket at the annotate the letter/number/color combinations on each tourism or enter-train-ment . But, as we pointed out in
course. It was side of the truck without getting spotted by the instructor the beginning, learning how to move undetected and
modified by
who was continuously observing with magnified optics. identify hide sites is a fundamental survival mechanism
@night_fi ghter_0
to add conceal- Students weren’t told how to complete the mission that remains programmed into our earliest playground
able pouches for and were allowed to use any of the optical equipment socializations. Even current Homeland Security guide-
rifle magazines issued to them at the start of the class. The high-power lines tell us to Run-Hide-Fight … in that order. The
and other tools, spotting scope would allow a student to stay further movement and concealment skills taught during The
as well as a away from the cadre but would have to be loaded into a Objective will make you better at the first two. If you
stowable ghillie
pack or dragged behind by its tripod for the duration of must fight, wouldn’t you rather fight from a position of
hood.
the exercise, increasing the likelihood of getting caught. surprise than a position of reaction? The Objective is a
36-hour immersion course in evolutionary survival skills
that have been keenly weaponized by years of battle-
field testing. We applaud the cadre at BRVO Tactical
for taking their years of military and law enforcement
special operations experience and paying it forward to
the citizens they’ve sworn to protect.

SOURCES
BRVO Tactical > www.brvotactical.com
Varusteleka > varusteleka.com/en
Night Fighter > Instagram: @night_fighter_0

Get out and train! It's a great way to build skills and
develop friendships with like-minded individuals in
ISSUE 62

the community.

OFFGRIDWEB.COM 63
 Review of the
Black Bunker BM8
Foldable Air Rifle
By Patrick Diedrich

umans have been developing handheld consumable and

projectile weapons for a very long time, highly volatile
from the spear-throwers of the Paleo- gunpowder.
lithic period to the gunpowder-loaded These days,
“hand cannons” which appeared in modern air
China around the 10th century. Air-powered projectile rifles have
weapons are a newer development, but not as new as powerplants
you might think. They’re actually one of the oldest types much more efficient at pressurizing air, and there are
Before the BM8 of pneumatic technology. You can find the earliest known several methods to accomplish this task:
is locked into example of an air rifle, which dates back to the late 1500s, Spring Powered: Also known as a “springer,” this style
its functioning in a museum in Stockholm. In the 1700s, the Lewis and uses a coil spring and pump piston to compress air in a
position, the front Clark expedition utilized a Girandoni repeating air rifle chamber separate from the barrel. Typically, a user must
of the barrel and — a 10-pound, 4-foot-long, .46-caliber behemoth of an use a cocking lever to pull the piston back, compress-
buttstock pivot to
air rifle — on their 8,000-mile voyage across the North ing the spring. Pulling the trigger releases the spring,
reduce its overall
size for ease of American continent. The Girandoni took about 1,500 in- pushing the pump piston forward, and generating the
storage and trans- dividual pumps to fill up the reservoir with enough air to pressure needed to fire a pellet or BB.
portation. fire a 22-round magazine, but it didn’t require a supply of Pneumatic: Pneumatic air guns use air that’s been
pressurized beforehand, either by pumping by hand, or by The bayonet
has integrated
charging with an external source, which is then released in a
hex wrenches,
controlled way to fire the round. Unfolding the Black Bunker BM8 oxygen tank
Compressed Gas: This style of air gun works in a similar Looking at the triangular configuration of the BM8 defi- wrench, and a
manner as pneumatics, except they make use of external, nitely raises some eyebrows. There really isn’t anything bottle opener
pre-charged gas cylinders, typically CO2. quite like it. Broken down, the barrel and the buttstock on the top.
Gas Ram: Is an amalgamation between a springer and a fold around an odd-shaped carrying case, and lock into
pneumatic air gun. They need to be cocked like a springer, place with its cocking link arm. A simple metal release
but the effort fills a gas chamber like a pneumatic. lever in the buttstock detaches the arm, and the three
Growing up, you may have taken out a soup can or two sections of the air gun pivot and snap firmly into place.
with your Red Ryder BB gun, but there have been some There is no wiggle once fully assembled, giving it the feel
impressive strides in modern air gun technology. So, of sturdy, one-piece gun.
when we got our hands on one of the latest models, the Unfolded, it’s longer and a bit heavier than the tradi-
Black Bunker BM8 Survival Air Rifle — a foldable, break- tional rifles you may be used to, but this is to be expected
barrel, gas ram air gun — we were excited to take it for a because the receiver houses a chamber strong enough
ISSUE 62

test drive. Black Bunker let us take a look at both of their to compress and store air. The feel of shouldering the
variations, the .177 caliber and the .22 caliber. BM8 is comfortable enough, and there are a few features

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BM8 Specs to the “Unlock” position allows the link arm to fall into a
Black Bunker offers the BM8 in two calibers (.177 and .22) and two
colors (Coyote Tan and Full Black). There are also several configura- dedicated groove; moving the switch to “Lock” keeps it
tions to choose from beyond the stock model that include ½-inch
UNF threading for a silencer, or a knife attachment — more on that there. To charge the air gun, while holding the body of the
feature later in this article — or a combination of the two. They also
have several different series which cater to the laws of whichever
rifle with your firing hand, the front of the barrel needs to
region of the world they are being sent. For example, if it’s being sent
The Black Bun-
be smacked downward with your other hand — this opens
to Germany, its calibrated to fire rounds at 7.5 Joules, Sweden gets ker BM8 comes
10, and the US of A gets 21 (for .177 cal) to 24 (for .22 cal) Joules. the breech to insert a pellet. Pulling the barrel further in two colors,
FEATURES: OVERALL LENGTH rearward engages the gas ram powerplant and charges the can be fixed
- Picatinny optic rail and 42.7 inches
two accessory rails chamber with compressed air. It only takes a single pump with a bayonet
WEIGHT
- Adjustable rear sight 7.5 pounds to completely charge the air gun. The safety is a small lever or silencer, and
- Two-stage safety lock system
- Textured polymer buttstock MSRP in front of the trigger that gets flicked forward to fire. can be tuned to
- Optional knife and $280 different Joules
bayonet attachment URL
For a conventional rifle shooter, charging the air gun is
- Water resistant case
depending on
black-bunker.com the most challenging task. Out of the box, it takes a decent which country
amount of effort to break the action and pull the barrel it’s being sent to.
back far enough to charge. There was so much resistance
the first few times it was charged, I was worried I might
break it. A few dozen charges later, it started to loosen up,
and it became easier to perform this function. According to
Black Bunker’s manual, the BM8 could have a break-in pe-
riod of up to 250 rounds, which means it could take a few
days at the range to get the action moving comfortably.
Breaking down and packing up the BM8 is relatively
straightforward. Break the action and press a release but-
ton by the start of the buttstock to cause each third of the
air gun to fold. It doesn’t require the storage case to be
in the middle to connect it together. However, the case is
uniquely designed to fit in that space, so why leave it out?
If the case isn’t seated properly, the air gun will let you
know by not clicking together securely. Once everything is
in its storage configuration, the point where the handle of
the case meets the buttstock is the best place to carry it
around.

A bayonet can
Rounds Downrange be attached
Before bringing it to the range, I needed some ammo. to the BM8, if
Sourcing pellets in the U.S. is easy and inexpensive com- you’re into that
worked into its design. For starters, it has three Picatinny pared even to .22LR ammo. A box of 1,250 rounds of .177 sort of thing.
rails — one on top to mount an optic, and two shorter was $35, and a box of 500 rounds of .22 pellets was $10 on
Lights and
rails on the side for accessories. At first, their placement Amazon — less than $0.03 per round. Each of those boxes
lasers, like this
seemed odd, but there is a good reason for it. Because the is about the same volume as my closed fist, which means I
Streamlight
BM8 is a break-action, the front third of the air gun has to could plink away at targets for the foreseeable future with- TLR RM-2, can
be hinged down, both to charge the gas chamber, and to out needing to worry too much about cost or storage. Us- be mounted
load the ammunition. If the accessory Pic rails were any far- ing an air gun also means not having to consider the risks to the side Pic
ther forward, not only would they get jostled during opera- associated with combustibles like primers and gunpowder rails.
tion, but any lights or lasers would have to temporarily aim (as miniscule as those risks are).
away from the target. It comes with stock iron sights, which Difficult initial charging aside, my first real point of To charge the
seemed a bit on the low side when I first aimed down the contention actually came from trying to pack the BM8 up BM8, the cock-
ing link arm
length of the barrel. There is a sweet spot for a cheek weld for the range. Because I live in a densely populated urban
needs to be
when using the irons, and it took a few repositions to find it. area, walking around with what appears to be a folded gun folded back to
To get the BM8 operational, the cocking link arm needs — or even a gun in a case — may attract the wrong kind of the rear while in
to be folded back toward the trigger, where there is a lock- attention. the “Unlocked”
ing switch that holds it in place. Initially setting the switch With discretion in mind, I attempted to place the folded position.
 SURVIVAL IS
IN THE AIR

air gun into a backpack. Additionally,

I was thinking that if transporting it
this way would work, it would make
for an interesting camping or bug-
out gun. But the dream of walking to
the range or the woods with my air
gun discreetly concealed died as soon
as it began. Because of the length and
inflexibility of each section, it simply
wouldn't fit any of the packs I had lying
around. Despite my best efforts to make
it work, there was just no way it was going
While folded
fit without sticking partially out of a zipper, from seated compared
in its storage
or having to strap it to the outside, defeat- to standing. Either way, this configuration,
ing the purpose. The most discreet con- wasn’t the type of gun that was the BM8 holds
tainer I could find that fit its odd shape was a going to send pellets down range in the included
large, blue IKEA shopping bag. rapid succession. It forces the user to focus storage case se-
Once I arrived at the range, I threw a Hawke on making every shot count rather than shoot- curely in place.
red-dot sight on the .177 and left the .22 model ing more haphazardly.
Ammo for air
with iron sights. As I got ready to cock and load Flicking the safety on and off, or away from and toward guns is very
the air gun, I experienced my second sticking point: oc- the trigger respectively, is a satisfying motion. The trigger inexpensive,
casionally, the cocking link arm on the .22 would loosen itself is not in the realm of a performance trigger, as there even in bulk.
from its locked position just enough to prevent charging. was a noticeable amount of creep. Sending .177 down Pellets come in
In an effort to eliminate the possibility of operator error, range hardly produced any amount of perceptible recoil, different shapes
depending on
I did everything I could to make sure it was properly and the .22 was only slightly stronger.
the desired ap-
seated in the “Locked” position. As far as accuracy is concerned, regardless of weather plication.
It takes just the right amount of force to open the conditions, I would say the BM8 would hit any target
breech, and doing so while keeping the muzzle in a safe within 50 yards consistently. Beyond that range, the wind
direction is trickier than it sounds. Think of it like jabbing really wreaks havoc on the trajectory of those tiny lead
a heavy bag — you want the point of impact to connect pellets. If the weather is calm, or you wait for a lull in any
just at the surface and not much further, which requires crosswind, ranges of 50 to 100 yards are more feasible
holding and standing just right. Otherwise, you risk ac- but not guaranteed. With a dialed-in scope, it would prob-
cidentally flagging someone as you move around grap- ably make a pretty decent varmint slayer, but it certainly
pling with the barrel. falls short of any kind of reliable defensive tool.
Loading and charging seemed easier from a seated The BM8 did manage to draw a lot of attention to itself,
position versus standing. This was because I could as the combination of its unusual folding configuration
anchor the buttstock in the bend of my hip, which made and modern tactical looks is not something you see too
ISSUE 62

pulling the barrel downward less strenuous. Conversely, often. It even got a few nearby shooters excitedly talking
having to smack the action open was more challenging about wanting to pick up an air gun at some point in

OFFGRIDWEB.COM 67
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1A/2A: AND BEAR ARMS, OFFGRIDWEB.COM IN THE AIR
Pellets have the future. One person made the comment, “It looks like
to be loaded something out of Call of Duty,” which elicited some amused
individually
laughter from a few passersby. But it seemed like the com-
between each
shot. mon reaction most people had was serious curiosity.

Final Thoughts
Let’s start with the elephant in the room: combining
the break action with the powerplant makes for an inter-
esting design, but also a challenge to charge and load.
Although it did become progressively easier, the initial
stages of the break-in are tough, even for someone with
ample upper-body strength. For younger, lighter, or more
physically challenged shooters, the BM8 is not going to
be a great option.
Strangely, Black Bunker offers an optional knife/bayo-
net attachment — this seems counterintuitive. One of the
BM8’s biggest selling points is that it’s available in places
where traditional firearms might be hard to get; Black
Charging the Bunker even detunes the rifle’s power on a country-to-
BM8 can be
country basis to stay within legal limits. With a bayonet
challenging
while work- attached, it’s not hard to imagine pearl-clutching politi-
ing through its cians and activists labeling it as a “tactical assault airgun”
break-in period. or some equally stupid moniker. I’d much rather have a
However, the fixed survival blade that accompanies the carrying case,
fact that it only
as opposed to an impractical bayonet attachment I’ll
needs to be
never affix.
charged once
to fire is a nice Speaking of the carrying case, I do think this is a useful
feature. accessory. Not only does it fit nicely within the collapsed
configuration, but it easily stores all the ammo you would
ever need for a day of shooting, plus room for basic
maintenance tools. Black Bunker recommends using it as
a survival kit, which is a great idea, and the whole setup
could be a nice addition to an overlanding rig or long-
term campsite.
Picatinny rails are a nice touch, but the side rail loca-
tion is so far back that you’re bound to get some shadow
from the barrel if you mount a light to it. This isn’t really a
deal-breaker since you wouldn’t want to do any CQB with
the BM8 anyway. Mounting an optic is an improvement
over the basic iron sights, and the top Pic rail has plenty
of space for whatever optic you decide to go with. One
consideration, though: if you mount a scope, and the air
gun is folded into thirds, that scope is directly on the bot-
tom, and you need to be careful when setting it down.
Not having to worry about carrying along a bunch of
CO2 cartridges works in the air gun’s favor, making it a
truly self-reliant survival gun. Combine the low MSRP and
low cost of ammo with its modern looks and its ability
to fold up for easy carrying and transport, and the BM8
makes for a unique air gun with a lot of potential for util-
ity and fun.
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070 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
1A/2A: AN ESTABLISHMENT

Sparing No
Expense for
a Precision
Chassis 22LR
Rifle
By Alexander Crown

ifle competitions are a great way for shooters action we chose. Proof Research is the leader in lightweight-
of all experience levels to test their mettle in yet-rigid barrels incorporating carbon fiber. They offer a
different scenarios and stages. Many think huge weight savings over steel barrels, improved heat dis-
of the Precision Rifle Series — or three-gun — sipation, and extreme durability. Proof’s barrels are also very
when it comes to competition, but another well known for their accuracy, making them an excellent
option is quickly gaining in popularity: precision rimfire. This choice for a competition rifle.
build is a compilation of parts to make the ultimate competition The rifle’s action is from Zermatt Arms, a true-to-scale
piece for these rimfire matches. You may say to yourself, Whoa, Remington 700 footprint. It’s made of stainless steel with a
that’s a lot of money for a .22! That may be true, but as we’ve nitride-coated finish and a DLC-coated bolt head. We chose
often come to find out, particularly in the firearms world, you the tactical-style bolt knob and an integrated 20 MOA base
generally get what you pay for. for the increased drop of rimfire ammunition at extended
ranges, which may present itself during a competition. Zer-
The Main Components matt also includes one purpose-built rimfire magazine that’s
The start of this rifle is a 20-inch Proof Research pre-fit compatible with most rimfire ammunition.
carbon-fiber barrel, specifically made to fit into the RimX At the touch of our finger is a TriggerTech Remington
 when it comes to weight (2.5 ounces) and sound reduction. The COMPONENTS:
700 Special Two-Stage Pro Curved Trigger. TriggerTech downside is it doesn’t come apart as easily for cleaning. Zermatt Arms RimX
Action: $1,150
developed it with safety in mind, incorporating four points Keeping the build stable is an Atlas bipod with an American
Proof Research
of safety. This is also an adjustable model; the first stage can Defense Manufacturing quick detach lever. Not all stages are 20-inch CF Barrel:
$1,049
be set from 8 to 24 ounces and the second stage at 8 to 32 equal, and sometimes it’s better to just remove the bipod and
TriggerTech Rem 700
ounces. It has an aluminum housing with steel components use a support bag, so being able to choose on the fly is a great Special: $210

and a PVD coating for increased durability. option. The Atlas allows quick adjustments for height from 5.2 to MDT ACC Premier
Chassis: $1,300
The chassis of the rifle is from Modular Driven Tech- 9.6 inches and at different angles. MDT SRS- XF Stock:
$600
nologies (MDT), well known among precision shooters for Topping off the rifle is a Nightforce Optics ATACR 7-35x56
Gemtech Outback IID
producing high-quality chassis systems for several types of F1 riflescope with a Horus Tremor3 reticle. While this much (Discontinued): $249
actions. We opted for the Adjustable Core Competition Pre- magnification may not be totally necessary for shooting targets Atlas Bipod: $320
Nightforce ATACR
mier chassis. This is a modular chassis that can have weights at 200 yards, it does provide 100 minutes of angle in elevation 7-35: $3,850
added to the forend, allowing the user to customize the travel and the parallax adjusts down to 11 yards, providing some Nightforce Rings:
$170
balance and overall weight of the rifle for better controllabil- clarity to closer targets. The Tremor3 has a grid pattern that
MDT Vertical Grip
ity. The underside of the forend has 17 inches of ARCA rail, helps compensate for wind and bullet drop with precise aiming Elite: $100
creating room for several attachments like bipods, bags, and points in MILs. Cradling the scope is a set of Nightforce Optics Total: $8,998

tripod mounts. MDT offers several stock options; we were medium-height ultralite rings.
determined to make this one a folder for easy transport, so
the Skeleton Rifle Stock with folding adapter fit the bill. It has Closing Thoughts
a ton of adjustment points to really fine-tune it to the shoot- These competitions don’t always require the absolute
er. All parts were Cerakoted in FDE from MDT. Lastly, the best in equipment, but it sure can help to have a quality gun
MDT Vertical Grip Elite provides a vertical platform for our when scores are on the line. We try to feed this only Lapua
hand to mate with the rifle. It can be adjusted for distance Center-X 22LR ammunition for its consistency and heavier
and angle to ensure consistent hand placement every time. 40-grain bullet. We tried to find the absolute finest options
for this build and spared no expense. The end result is a
Extras tack-driving .22LR that tips the scales at 14.3 pounds for a
Crowning the barrel is the old tried-and-true Gemtech plenty stable platform. Equipped with this rifle, we’re ready
ISSUE 62

Outback IID. This suppressor has been in our armory for nearly to get out and compete in some rimfire matches or have a
a decade and can still hold its own against modern rimfire cans fun day of ground squirrel hunting at distance.

OFFGRIDWEB.COM 071
1A/2A: BE INFRINGED. OFFGRIDWEB.COM

An Affordable .22 AR Built

for Nighttime Training
By Tom Marshall

eveloping night-time shooting capability significant trade-offs. In the end, we wound up with the Virid-
is expensive. First, there’s the cost of the ian HS-1 IR laser.
required equipment: night vision devices, Let’s get the cons out of the way: this is an infrared laser
infrared lasers and illuminators, helmets, only. No slaved daytime laser for zeroing. No IR illuminator.
counterweights, IR strobes, helmet lights, No white light. A single projected dot that’s only visible un-
and NV-specific optics mounts. Once you manage to get der night vision is all you get. That dot can only be activated
all of that, there’s the additional, and real cost, of ammo by an on-body push button at the front of the integrated
associated with the increased amount of training you’ll have forward grip. Speaking of the grip, this could be a pro or con
to do in order to develop new skills. We can’t lower the cost depending on your accessory preferences. The laser is built
of night vision equipment itself but, just like with daytime into a sort of finger-stop foregrip. You split your index and
training, if you can substitute rimfire training to save ammo middle fingers around the grip, using your left index finger
… why not? That’s what led us to dig an old Smith & Wes- to turn the laser on like a support-hand trigger at the front
son M&P 15-22 out of the back of the safe and outfit it as a of the gun. If you place your hand as intended, the activa-
budget-conscious night-fighting trainer. tion is pretty intuitive. We also really like that the foregrip is
Finding a low-cost IR laser is one of the trickiest things we a direct-to-M-LOK accessory. No need to bolt a section of
can think of. When you do find them, they typically chop the Pic rail onto your forend just to use this. The HS-1 is light-
price down by chopping capability — whether that’s laser weight and streamlined with
output power, onboard switching (no remote option), or a bottom-load CR1/3N battery
eliminating the visible laser and/or illuminator. Regardless, if that doesn’t require the grip
you need to pinch pennies on an aiming laser, you’re going to be removed for swaps.
This sleek, light-
weight rifle is a to give up something — maybe even a lot. But, in the case of There are also windage and
great nighttime a rimfire plinker and trainer, we were willing to accept some elevation adjustments, so you
trainer and loads
of fun to shoot.
 literal light switch on the side of the
body that’s flipped back-and-forth 180
degrees to select output modes. We like
the definitive, tactile, and audible switching,
which pairs well with their signature angled
thumb-button activation (whether or not you like the scoop-
shaped thumb button is another story, but the side-mounted
flip-switch is ergonomically convenient to that setup). We
mounted our WMLx to the very front of our handguard,
which only features a small section of 12 o’clock Pic rail at
the muzzle end. This juxtaposed the WMLx directly over the
HS-1 laser, meaning a C-clamp-style support grip puts both
can actually zero this for effective practice. With an MSRP of sets of controls at your fingertips. For $180, the WMLx IR
sub-$250, the HS-1 is very affordable in comparison to other does just the job we need it to.
infrared lasers and gives you an active-aiming solution for On that note, one of the things we never liked about the
night vision shooting. M&P 15-22 was its short, cheap-feeling handguard. So, we
What it doesn’t give you is area illumination. If there’s turned to a niche company called Tacticool22 which, as
enough ambient light in the environment (whether from the the name implies, specializes in aftermarket accessories for
moon or man-made sources), illumination may not be neces- .22 rifles like our M&P. We picked up two accessories from
sary. But if illumination is necessary, you’ll need a weapon them — a 12.5-inch T6 aluminum handguard and their AM-1
light that’s either a full-time IR light or one that can switch muzzle brake. The handguard is a free-float, lightweight
from white to IR. We chose the latter, in the form of Inforce’s type with five-sided M-LOK slots running from 3 to 9 o’clock.
WMLx, which pairs a 700 lumen white light with a 400mW The 11 and 1 o’clock axes sport lightening holes that spell
infrared counterpart. As opposed to the rotating head we’ve out “T22” in puffy bubble letters. We’d rather have had the
seen elsewhere, the WML switches from white to IR by a M-LOK slots, but a little tongue-in-cheek branding is wholly
forgivable in the rimfire realm. The 12 o’clock line has a small
chunk of rail at each end, with a line of plain circular lighten-
ing holes down the rest of the length. While the Tacticool
handguard is incredibly light by “full-size” AR standards,
it’s certainly heavier than the OEM plastic tube it replaced.
Having said that, we really like the slightly front-heavy feel
and increased length offered by the replacement. It makes
driving the gun much closer in feel to our 5.56mm counter-
part rifles. At $166 with no special adapters needed for the
handguard, we feel like we got beaucoup value out of this
swap. Admittedly, the value-add of a brake on a .22LR rifle
is far less than the handguard. But, again, a rimfire build is a
good place to have some fun.

OFFGRIDWEB.COM 073
074
ISSUE 62

Right: The alumi-

num handguard
from Tacticool22
features plenty of
lightening cuts.

Right: These
massive charg-
ing handle wings
make malfunc-
tion clearing a
cinch.

Left and right:

The Battle Arms
tall mount paired
with the WMLx
and HS-1 allow for
both active and
passive aiming.

Moving further back, we wanted to make sure we had a

taller red-dot mount to practice passive aiming. The Battle
Arms Development micro dot mount stands at a 1.93-inch
offset, plenty tall to see through NVGs. We topped the
mount with a basic Holosun 403C. The BAD mount is $110,
with the HS403C being available on Amazon for sub-$170 at
time of writing. The combo keeps you under $300 all-in for
SOURCES
a NV-compatible optics setup. The 403C even has two NV-
Battle Arms
specific brightness settings. We used one other component Development >
battlearms
from Battle Arms: a version of their BAD-ASS short throw development.com
ambi-safety selector made specifically for the M&P 15-22. Tacticool22 >
tacticool22.com
This was a small but very appreciated improvement, provid- ammo than it is on our .223/5.56mm AR’s. Finally, we topped
Viridian Weapon
ing a fast, positive snick every time you flick one of the le- Technologies > the whole build off with a set of Magpul MOE furniture — in-
vers. The right-side lever is long enough to use with your left viridianweapon expensive and durable enough to survive anything we plan
tech.com
thumb, but short enough to stay out of your way if you’re a Holosun >
to do with a rimfire build.
righty. Likewise, we added an ambidextrous charging handle holosun.com The result of our efforts is a lightweight, handy, very fun to
from some no-name manufacturer for a whopping $30. The Inforce > shoot AR clone that can not only help us learn how to work
inforcelights.com
dual extended latches make malfunction-clearance a cinch, under night vision but, once we’re comfortable doing so, will
Magpul >
which is a little more common with buckets of dirty .22 magpul.com offer hours of cheap gun fun after dark.
 PRESENTS

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076 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 62

here the rubber meets

the road” is a saying that
indicates a critical point
of success or failure — in
other words, the mo-
ment of truth. The logic behind this phrase is instinctual
to anyone who has ever driven a vehicle and struggled to
maintain traction in rain, snow, mud, or sand. Four tiny rub-
ber-to-road contact patches are the only things that keep
your two-ton vehicle under control, and by extension, keep
yourself and your loved ones inside the vehicle safe. This
is why good tires should be at the top of your priority list
for every vehicle you own, especially for those of us who
enjoy off-roading, overlanding, and driving through remote
and challenging environments. In the city, bad tires might
cause you to lose control and get into a fender-bender, but
if you’re driving on a treacherous mountain road dozens of
miles from civilization, bad tires could leave you stranded
in a life-threatening predicament or cause you to slide off
the edge of a cliff.

Choosing the Right Tires

So, what makes a good tire? As with many things in life,
it’s situational. The tires you’d want on a sports car are
drastically different than what you’d want on a semi-truck.
One maximizes grip for cornering and acceleration on
smooth, dry roads, while the other prioritizes load-carrying

In addition to the wheels, tires, and suspension, I bought

a set of Westcott Designs rock sliders, which protect the
truck’s lower rocker panels from impacts and also serve as
convenient steps to reach the cab and roof rack. I also in-
stalled a pair of Morimoto LED “Gen 2” taillights, which give
the truck a cool visual signature at night, as well as brighter
reverse lights and sequential turn signals. You can read my
full review of the lights on our website at
offgridweb.com/?p=27301.
Our 2022 4Runner Gets
Upgraded Wheels, Tires,
Suspension, and More
By Patrick McCarthy
078 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 62

With stock wheels, tires,

and suspension, the
4Runner looked a little
like it had been skipping
leg day. And on the trails,
it frequently bottomed out
and struggled to main-
tain traction over bigger
obstacles.

Once the truck was up

on the lift at SL3 Customs
and the wheels were re-
moved, the fi rst order of
business was to remove
the original rear springs,
shocks, and bump stops.

>Mud Terrain (M/T) tires are the opposite end of the

spectrum from all season tires, with big, blocky tread
patterns, more resilient rubber compounds, and heavily
reinforced sidewalls. They offer outstanding performance
over deep mud, snow, sand, and rocks, so they’re the best
choice if you do a lot of serious off-roading. However, this
results in some substantial compromises for normal road
use — usually continuous noise at highway speeds and
reduced fuel economy.
>All Terrain (A/T) tires are about halfway between an
all season and an M/T. They’re much better than an all-
season for driving beyond the pavement, but they’re still
relatively quiet for day-to-day use and won’t hit your mpg
too hard. Some off-road-oriented vehicles or trim levels
(for example, the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon) come standard
with A/T tires; for others, it’s an optional upgrade. If your
vehicle is used for a mixture of on-road and off-road pur-
capacity and longevity. Aside from the fact that they’re The poses, or if you simply don’t plan to do a lot of hard-core
+200-pound
both round and made of reinforced rubber, they couldn’t mud-bogging and rock-crawling, an A/T tire will serve you
springs, load-
be more different. leveling collars, well. Keep in mind that this category covers a wide range
When it comes to pickup trucks and SUVs, there are a and bump stops of designs. Some will be only a tiny bit more aggressive
few different types of tires to consider, each with different were installed than an all-season, while others will be very close to an
characteristics and capabilities. above the rear M/T (these are sometimes called Rugged Terrain or R/T
>All Season tires are usually what your vehicle comes axle. Bump stop tires).
positioning was
with from the factory. These have a relatively smooth
checked to en-
tread pattern designed to be quiet, comfortable, and light- sure they were New Shoes for the 4Runner
weight enough to maximize fuel economy. Put simply, in the right spot Despite the fact that my 2022 4Runner has the TRD
these are road tires meant for nothing more difficult than to make contact Off-Road Premium package, it came with a set of Dunlop
wet asphalt, a dusting of snow, or smooth dirt roads. If with the axle at AT20 all-season tires. Frankly, these are terrible, even with-
that doesn’t describe how you use your truck, it’s time to full compres- in the all-season category — in Tire Rack’s ranking of 57
sion.
upgrade. all-seasons from best to worst, the AT20 took 54th place
 OVERLAND
4RUNNER: PART 3
Both collars
were measured
and set to
roughly 1 inch of
lift . Later, once
the truck was on
the ground, the
included adjust-
ment tool could
be used to rotate
the collars and
fi ne-tune the
rear ride height.

The Eibach Pro-

Truck reservoir
rear shocks
were bolted on
to complete the
with an overall rating of “poor.” Toyota offers an optional rear suspension.
upgrade to A/T tires, but it’s much more cost-effective to These are an op-
swap tires on your own after leaving the dealership. You’ll tional upgrade
also be able to shop around and find the exact tire that over the shocks
fits your needs, and you’ll be able to consider different that come with
the standard
tire sizes as well.
Pro-Truck kit.
Speaking of which, many trucks can accommodate
tires at least one size bigger than the originals without Remote res-
any modifications, or two to three sizes bigger with a mild ervoirs — the
suspension lift. Larger tires provide increased ground smaller cylin-
clearance and more cushioning against potholes, rocks, ders attached to
and other obstacles. My 4Runner came with 265/70R17 the shock body
— contain more
tires, and after reading about tire fitment on the forums,
shock oil. Dur-
I decided to go up to a 285/70R17 (two sizes larger). This ing prolonged
would require a slight lift and some other modifications I’ll high-speed
discuss later. driving over
My tire of choice was the Nitto Recon Grappler. It rough roads, the
features a relatively aggressive tread pattern for an A/T oil inside shocks
heats up, lead-
tire, but it’s not quite as deep and blocky as a full-blown
ing to lack of
M/T — in my opinion, that’s the sweet spot for an overland dampening per-
vehicle. Unlike a rock-crawler or dedicated trail rig, an lowed me to sell the original wheels and tires on Craigslist formance and a
overland truck still has to be capable of driving hundreds as a complete set, effectively reducing the cost of the bumpy ride, but
if not thousands of miles on the highway before heading upgrade by a few hundred dollars. The 17x8.5 KMCs are more oil reduces
this effect. It also
out on the trails, and many of them (including mine) are slightly wider than the stock 17x7.5 wheels. Their 0-mil-
offers slightly
also driven around town every day. The Recon Grappler limeter offset also creates a slightly wider stance, but longer suspen-
offers a nice compromise between off-road capability and not so wide that it rubs on the body when the steering is sion travel
on-road manners, and it even comes with a 55,000-mile turned to full lock. and reduces
treadwear warranty. wear, leading
Since I was already swapping tires, I decided to pick up Suspension Upgrades to longer shock
lifespan.
a new set of KMC Impact OL wheels at the same time. The fifth-generation 4Runner has been around since
Their silver machined finish looks awesome and feels 2010 with minimal changes, and more than 1.3 million
reminiscent of the early ’90s Toyota trucks I grew up of these SUVs have been sold in the United States since
around. They’re also roughly 5 pounds lighter per wheel then. This means that just about every possible modifi-
ISSUE 62

than the 4Runner’s original wheels, which reduces the cation has already been tried and documented on the
side effects of adding heavier tires. Swapping wheels al- internet. A bit of quick research told me that in order to

OFFGRIDWEB.COM 079
 OVERLAND
080 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 62 4RUNNER: PART 3
Moving on control arms with factory-style sealed ball joints. These
to the front
made it easier to get the camber and caster alignment
suspension,
Scott unbolted settings dialed in to appropriate specs after the lift was
the swaybar installed.
end links and
removed the old On the Road Again
coilover shocks I’m a firm believer that good tires might be the single
and upper
best modification for any vehicle, but strong, lightweight
control arms.
A ratchet strap wheels and a properly tuned suspension system aren’t
was used to far behind. These three modifications completely trans-
hold the hub up formed the 4Runner, both visually and in terms of on-
temporarily. road and off-road performance. I no longer have to worry
constantly about losing traction on rutted or muddy trails,
or about puncturing a sidewall on sharp rocks in the des-
ert (but as always, it’s wise to air the tires down to reduce
the risk further). On the highway, the Recon Grapplers are
very comfortable and relatively quiet — certainly nowhere
near the obnoxious hum of an aggressive mud terrain.
Fuel economy took a hit, as will always be the case with a
lift and larger tires, but it averaged out to only about 2 to
3 mpg. I consider this a small price to pay for the increase
clear my chosen wheels and tires without any rubbing,
I’d need to lift the front end about 2.5 inches, remove Eibach’s Pro-Truck
2.0 coilovers fea-
the front mudflaps, slightly trim the bottom edges of
ture anodized billet
the front bumper, and possibly cut a small portion of aluminum mounts,
metal out of the body mount (known as a “body mount a monotube design
chop” or “BMC”). That might sound imposing if you’re not with 46mm piston,
mechanically inclined, but it’s the type of work custom and nitrogen-fi lled
truck shops do all day long. So, I headed to one such local variable-force
valving. They’re
shop, SL3 Customs, in Queen Creek, Arizona. Scott, the
engineered, individu-
owner, said he’s done this work to many 4Runners, so I ally dyno tested, and
knew he could handle the labor much better than I could manufactured in the
in my own garage. USA. Scott set the
For parts, I turned to one of the biggest names in the adjustment collars to
about 2.5 inches of lift.
suspension business, Eibach. I started with their Pro-Truck
Lift Stage 2R system, which includes adjustable front
coilover shocks and reservoir rear shocks. I added Ei- The new Pro-Align-
bach’s optional Load-Leveling System, which comes with ment upper control
rear springs, bump stops, and height adjustment collars. arms weren’t strictly
This combination offers height adjustments on all four necessary with the
corners of the truck, with 2 to 4 inches of lift in front and amount of lift we were
going for, but they’ll
0.5 to 2 inches of lift in the rear. This adjustability ensured
make getting the cor-
I got an even ride height and the exact amount of lift I rect alignment specs
needed to clear the tires. The Load-Leveling system also much easier. After at-
offers three different spring choices — 0, +200 pounds, taching the ball joint to
and +400 pounds — to support truck builds that are car- the spindle, don’t forget
rying added weight over the rear axle. On road trips, my to pass a cotter pin
through the upper hole
4Runner usually has a Dometic fridge full of food, a Goal
and bend it to secure
Zero battery, 5 gallons of water, and a bunch of other the castle nut in place.
gear in the back, so I selected the +200-pound spring op- You don’t want it falling
tion. Lastly, I added a set of Eibach Pro-Alignment upper off on the trail!
 OVERLAND
ISSUE 62 OFFGRIDWEB.COM 4RUNNER: PART 3
I made sure to
get a full set
of five wheels
and tires so
that I’ll have
a matching
full-size spare
if I ever need
it. The forums
were helpful
yet again, since
they informed
me that a 285
tire will still fit
in the original
location under
the rear end.

After a quick
test drive, Scott
noticed that
the front tires
were making
contact with
the lower edges
of the bumper
at full steering
lock. He taped
off the area that
needed trim-
ming and used
After re-attaching the swaybar an angle grinder
and making sure everything was and sander to
reasonably tight, Scott could finally carefully re-
put the wheels and tires back on. All move the excess
hardware was tightened fully with material.
a torque wrench once the truck was
on the ground and the suspension
was under load.

in capabilities, and even in stock form, it was never going much under heavy braking. With the stiffer rear springs,
to sip fuel like a Prius. it also doesn’t sag once I’ve loaded a bunch of gear into
I anticipated that I might need to have the body the cargo area. I’m glad I went with a 4-wheel-adjustable
mounts cut to prevent rubbing against the tires, but Scott setup, since it allowed me to even out the ride height
at SL3 Customs convinced me to wait and see after the front-to-back and side-to-side. The driver-side rear corner
alignment. I’m glad he did, because it turns out that the of the fifth-gen 4Runner tends to sag a little due to the
tires don’t rub at all, especially after the alignment shop fuel tank placement, and this was easily corrected.
SOURCES
was able to dial in 4 degrees of caster using the added I’m really happy with the current state of the 4Runner, Eibach >
eibach.com
adjustability of the Eibach upper control arms. This and it has served me well on many road trips and trail
Nitto Tire >
changes the angle of the wheels very slightly and gives a excursions throughout the last year. In the next part of nittotire.com
little more breathing room at full steering lock. the build series, I’ll discuss the items I’ve added to the KMC Wheels >
kmcwheels.com
As for the suspension, the 4Runner rides much Westcott Designs roof rack, some of which are already SL3 Customs >
smoother, feels more planted, and doesn’t nosedive as visible in these photos. Stay tuned for more! sl3customs.com
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Skills and Drills
HANDSON

A New Spin on Some Classic Kit

By Tom Marshall

hether you say “time is any foot movement over a sizable distance re- a chest rig. The Velocity Systems Jungle Rig
a flat circle” or “what’s quires different gear than storming a building comes as a set, with multiple pouch configu-
old is new again,” what full of armed bad guys. This is where more tra- rations available. It can be had with four rifle
we jokingly refer to as ditional load-bearing equipment (LBE) comes pouches that hold three 30-round magazines
tactical fashion trends in. These kinds of harnesses are also referred each, two canteen pouches, and either two
are indeed a real thing. Just like the Global to as belt kit (not to be confused with battle general-purpose pouches or a single large
War On Terror pulled everyone’s attention belts) or jungle rigs — because they generally butt pack. Both of these options are also avail-
toward micro chest rigs and CQB, its sunset emulate the belt-and-suspenders setups used able with 7.62mm rifle pouches that hold two
has redirected the focus of many prepared by grunts during the Vietnam War. The original 20-round magazines each. The load-carriage
citizens back toward traditional infantry military-issued stuff consisted of a canvas or belt has two rows of MOLLE/PALS webbing
capabilities. This includes basic patrolling, nylon belt with an attached set of padded on a lightweight nylon mesh base with lots of
reconnaissance, and the ability to carry more suspenders. Later iterations from the ’80s and ventilation to keep heat, moisture, and weight
equipment. On one hand, it’s arguable that ’90s included a nylon mesh vest that attached to a minimum. The suspenders are lightweight
the market is simply bored by the endless per- to the belt in place of simple Y-suspenders performance fabric in an H-configuration
mutations of tiny chest harnesses and desires to increase carriage capacity. Modern ver- that attaches to the belt at six different points
other options. But it holds legitimate merit for sions have reverted back to the streamlined around your waist for maximum support.
folks to broaden their horizons beyond the suspenders and make use of MOLLE/PALS- The MOLLE belt also includes slits located
laser-focus on door entry and room clearing. style webbing to offer better modularity. There throughout so that you can weave your base
Especially since the overwhelming majority aren’t nearly as many gear makers producing belt over the webbing to accommodate hol-
of problems that could be faced by American these types of rigs, but one — Velocity Systems sters or other non-MOLLE accessories.
civilians will not be solvable by kicking in a — produced their jungle rig based on a request That’s a total of twelve 30-round magazines,
door and sweeping through a building with a from special operations units for a modern two canteens, and a lot of cargo space left
fire team they may or may not have. LBE setup better suited to long-range patrols over for whatever else you want to carry —
By contrast, moving overland on foot with than plate carriers or chest rigs. Velocity sent rations, medical equipment, fire-starers, chem
enough equipment to be self-sustainable us one of their complete Jungle Rigs to help us lights, a hammock, sleeping mat … your needs
for hours or days doesn’t require a four-man examine not only the evolution of these kinds and imagination are the limit. Don’t think you
stack, night vision, or short-barreled firearms. of LBE setups, but also the concept itself and need to carry 360 rounds of 5.56mm for your
In fact, basic patrolling skills don’t require a its use for the prepared citizen. AR? Swap a couple of the mag pouches for
gun or shooting to be involved at all. You may whatever other MOLLE pouches you have
be trekking to a pre-planned bugout loca- Bigger Than a Building lying around to make room for more food,
tion, making your way back to get help for an The great thing about the Jungle Rig is just water, or survival gear. As a side note, setups
injured loved one, or just trying to get a better how much it can carry — and how easily. The like the Jungle Rig might be a great choice
look at a bad situation in some location that combination of belt and suspenders lets you for the women in your life, if their build makes
your vehicle can’t get to. carry a lot of gear and distribute the burden chest-mounted load carriage difficult or smaller
We’re big proponents of the philosophy that between hips and shoulders better than a shoulders make heavy rucks uncomfortable.
application drives equipment selection, and backpack, rucksack, stand-alone battle belt, or Regardless of who’s wearing it, this rig is a great
HANDSON
SOURCE
Velocity Systems >
www.velsyst.com

solution for when your prepared- and adaptation will require

ness problem is bigger than one more adaptation to mold
building or requires more than one it to your needs, if the OEM
or two rooms’ worth of ammo. configuration winds up not being ideal.
What a setup like the Jungle Rig All in all, the Velocity Systems Jungle Rig
doesn’t account for is armor. You can certainly is a thoroughly modernized take on legacy
wear a plate carrier or soft armor, then don military patrolling harnesses. The streamlined
the Jungle Rig over the top of it. But even for the flashlight. In this way, the Jungle Rig build, use of modern materials, and increased
commandos and other light raid forces with enables you to carry a significant amount of modularity of MOLLE webbing catapults this
a “direct action” mission don’t always wear gear compared to most chest rigs. This leads Vietnam-era load bearing concept into the 21st
armor for long-range overland patrols. We’ve us to perhaps the only real “con” we can find century, for whatever your needs may be.
heard of units packing plate carriers in their with the Velocity Jungle Rig. The included
ruck, patrolling “slick” and then armoring up pouches all include polymer loops on the
at an objective rally point before initiating an back so that the shoulder harness straps can
assault on their target. Likewise, if you’re wear- be looped through them. This is great … if you
ing a pack on top of the Jungle Rig, that would use them. But if you wish to take advantage
be a good way to have armor as an option of the modularity of the MOLLE/PALS load-
without wearing it for a multi-mile trek over bearing belt by using other pouches, you’ll
rough terrain. Of course, depending on what have to figure out a way to rig the straps in
the situation is, you might not need armor at place, as there are no hardpoints to mount
all. In which case, the Jungle Rig is a vastly su- the shoulder harness directly to the belt
perior load carriage solution to trying to use a itself. We used a double rifle mag pouch from
plate carrier with no plates as LBE. (That idea Wilde Custom Gear on the front left quarter
might make you chuckle, but we’ve seen it!) of the belt. This let us have our first two rifle
reloads available for fast access, while having
Too Much of a Good Thing three more mags in the included Velocity flap
Gear behaves like a liquid — it’ll take the pouch on the opposite side. This worked well
shape of its container. The bigger your back- for us from an ammo management standpoint
pack, the more stuff you put it in. No matter but required us to adjust the pouch so that
how many times we tell ourselves to pack the the top row of MOLLE slots on the back of the
essentials or travel light, half-filled pouches pouch rode above the belt, to provide an at-
and packs demand to be stuffed with that tachment point for the harness. While it’s not
last little bit of “just in case” gear, one more a deal breaker, it’s worth noting that this rig is
survival meal, or a few more extra batteries definitely designed to be used as packaged,
 www.offgridweb.com
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088
ISSUE 62
BAGDROP

A Rimfire Rifle and Gear

for Overnight Outings
By Patrick McCarthy

Backpack & Contents

I chose the 5.11 Tactical LV18 because its 30L size is more
than enough for what I need, and because I like its layout. It
features a large side-opening clamshell rear compartment
that’s designed to retain an AR-15 upper and lower. In my
case, it holds my trusty Ruger 10/22 Lite Takedown that I’ve
owned for close to a decade, plus two 25-round magazines.
But I’ll discuss the rifle more later. The rear compartment also
holds my warm-weather sleep system: a Snugpak Jungle Bag,
Snugpak Bivvy, and a Serac hammock. If necessary, I can lay
out on the ground, with the sleeping bag’s integrated bug net
and the waterproof bivvy keeping me protected from insects
and unexpected rainfall. Better yet, I’ll rig the hammock
between some trees and hang out in comfort.
The pack’s middle compartment is a more traditional top-
opening configuration with zippered pouches and organizer
pockets for loose items. The latter holds a super-light Mon-
tana Knife Co. Speedgoat 2.0 fixed blade, a BIC lighter in an
Exotac FireSleeve, a ferro rod, a pen, and a Spyderco Double
he concept of a “bug-out bag” is one that can Stuff pocket sharpening stone. The laptop sleeve behind it
be interpreted a variety of different ways. Some holds some reading material to stave off boredom, as well as
take it as a complete survival kit for living in a Rite in the Rain notebook for drawing, journaling, and so on.
the woods indefinitely, in which case it’s usually A zippered pocket contains some protein bars, a Princeton
a huge pack crammed with a wide range of Tec headlamp, a Mylar emergency blanket, and a CANA
sustainment gear and heavy tools. Personally, I like a more Provisions Personal Water Decon Kit. Remaining space in this
limited approach — I don’t see a lot of scenarios where I’d compartment is filled with a 5.11 Tactical XTU LT3 puff y jacket MAKE & MODEL
5.11 Tactical
need to live off the land for months without resupply, but I can for chilly evenings, a lightweight Kitanica Bug-Out Breaker LV18 Backpack 2.0
think of many where I’d want to be out for two or three days windbreaker for milder weather, and a Tilley LTM6 Airflo CAPACITY
30L
with the essentials for safety and comfort. So, that’s the role wide-brim hat for daytime sun.
MSRP
this pack fulfills. It covers water, food, shelter, fire, and defense Finally, the outermost compartment on the front of the $145
— each with redundancies — as well as some lower priorities LV18 contains only one item: my LAS Concealment holster URL
511tactical.com
like entertainment. with my Glock 45 and a spare magazine. Stitched-on web-
bing allows me to simply
attach the holster’s belt clips
to the pack to secure it in place.
Obviously, I wouldn’t put the pistol
here in any setting where I might need
to access it quickly — I almost always wear it
concealed for that purpose. But it’s a good stor-
age spot for when I’m sleeping or need to temporarily
remove the gun while keeping it reasonably accessible.
Also, on the front of the pack, just below the CCW compart-
ment, is a GRAYL UltraPress Titanium water bottle/purifier.
The outer cup can be used to boil and cook ramen or back-
packing meals, while the inner cylinder can render 16.9 ounces
of water potable in seconds by simply pressing downward to
force it through the purifier cartridge.
stone, Vaseline-soaked cotton ball tinder in a plastic bag,
The Rifle In addition to the some Kevlar cord, water purification tablets, and a large
My 10/22 Takedown is a bit of a self-contained bug-out kit 10/22 Takedown Ziploc bag for carrying and purifying water if I don’t have an-
in its own right. It features a Vortex Crossfire II 2-7x32 rimfire rifle, this pack other container. To prevent rattling of loose items, I stuffed
contains a sleep
scope, a tiny Bowers Bitty suppressor, an Echo Nine Three system and the remaining space with scraps of cotton T-shirt that can be
sling, and an adjustable Volquartsen TG2000 drop-in trigger additional layers used for fire-starting or as cleaning patches for the rifle.
with Rapid Release (a significant improvement over the fid- of clothing for
comfort in any
dly paddle mag release that came with the gun). A Magpul
weather.
Final Thoughts
X-22 Backpacker stock allows both halves of the rifle to snap If I’m heading out somewhere remote, I’ll throw this pack
together for easy transport and contains hidden compart- into my truck to supplement my EDC gear (folding knife,
ments for extra magazines and tools. flashlight, etc.) and the equipment in my vehicle (water
A stopper at the base of the grip can be pulled out to bottles, large first aid kit, trauma kit, etc.). The 10/22 plus
reveal a BIC lighter wrapped in duct tape, with a little loop more than 100 rounds of ammo on deck are perfect for dis-
of paracord for easy removal. The cheekrest opens on a patching rattlesnakes and varmints, and my Glock is ideal for
hinge to reveal even more storage. In there, I’ve got a loaded defense against larger threats. This pack bridges the gaps
10-round magazine, a 50-round box of .22LR hollow point in the other gear I typically carry, doesn’t take up too much
ISSUE 62

ammo, and a packet of gun oil. There’s also an LED keychain space, and makes sure I’m always ready for an unforeseen
light, a small folding knife/sawblade, a diamond sharpening overnighter in the field.

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Addressing the skills you need so you
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090
ISSUE 62
THELASTPAGE

Building Better Citizens

Review of the Citizen Manual Series By Tom Marshall

The Premise: “ Being a Professional Citizen is not setups, how to build and deliver proper mission briefings, BOOK & AUTHOR
a hobby for you, it is your personal commitment. A and the different types of reconnaissance patrols. That Individual
Tactical Skills &
promise to yourself and your family to be tactically and being said, there’s also some really good general survival/ Reconnaissance
technically proficient with all the tools you have available.” preparedness information, such as reverse planning, Manual
by Jack Morris
These words are pulled directly from the pages of The the light cycle of the day, and how to observe objects
Professional Citizen Project website. This site, and the at night, both with and without NVGs. These latter skills PUBLISHER
The Professional
project it supports, is the brainchild of veteran Jack Mor- might come in handy in a wide variety of scenarios. Citizen Project
ris, who is passionate about passing on the preparedness (We’ve used reverse planning for everything from train-
MSRP
and tactical skills he learned in the military to all Ameri- ing days to family vacations.) $23 each
cans. This ideal that all upstanding citizens should be The Verdict: Morris and the team at Professional URL
tpcproject.com
“tactically and technically proficient” is literally a founding Citizen Project should be commended for the time and
PAGES
principle of our nation. A principle that harkens back to effort they’ve invested in this book line. For military veter-
225 (CM-1) 239 (CM-2)
the time when farmers and blacksmiths grabbed their ans, these books are great refreshers that cut out a lot of
RATING
muskets from over the hearth to defend their families the extraneous doctrine and policy found in issued Field
and their freedom. To make these skills more widely Manuals. For citizens who lack formal military training,
THRIVE
accessible, Morris is publishing a line of “Citizen Manu- this is a great way to learn some foundational survival SURVIVE
als.” We got our hands on the first two installments: CM-1: and tactical skills in a way that’s both accessible and DIE
Individual Tactical Skills and CM-2: Reconnaissance. written specifically for civilians. Rounding up a half-dozen
The 411: These books are styled after military field friends and drilling regularly as an independent minute-
manuals, both in physical appearance and structure, squad might not be in your preparedness plan, but
right down to font selection and chapter/section breaks. there’s still plenty of good information for the individual
There’s no storytelling here, just straight-forward “how-to” citizen in these manuals, and the low cost makes them
information. CM-1 is a primer for folks who maybe haven’t well worth the investment to keep on your shelf for quick
had much, or any formal tactical training. It includes reference or regular perusal.
chapters covering skills such as “Shoot,” “Move,” “Com-
municate,” and “Survive.” The “Shoot” chapter is pure
fundamentals, with sections on fratricide prevention, rifle
setup, and zeroing advice. (This is not a manual on how
to shoot.) Likewise, the “Move” chapter talks about funda-
mental land navigation, as well as dismounted patrolling
formations and a brief overview of “actions on contact”
— what to do if you encounter an enemy during move-
ment. Other sections include shelter, water, first aid, hand
signals, and radio security protocol.
The Reconnaissance manual, CM-2, is clearly meant
to build directly on the skills from CM-1. Chapter 1, Sec-
tion 1 is titled “Organizing For Combat” — with a focus
on squad-level organization and tactics which carries
forward through the duration of the book. This book also
includes more of those “minuteman” or “partisan” skills,
including personal camouflage, recon-specific carbine