Watch full video on YouTube

We’ve announced the winners of Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest, which ended yesterday. This was the final round of the contest. More than $989,000 worth of prizes have been awarded in the 20+ years that we ran the contest. My  congratulations to all of the prize winners, over the years. Your articles have been a key part of what makes SurvivalBlog such a valuable reference. Your articles will remain freely available in the SurvivalBlog archives. Note: Please continue to write articles for SurvivalBlog, to share your knowledge and experience. Reader-written articles are a key part of making SurvivalBlog…

Watch the full video on YouTube

The lever-action renaissance is not slowing down, with new models introduced that both celebrate the heritage and history of the design and those that attempt to take the lever gun to its most modern and tactical extremes. Derya Arms got its start importing firearms from its parent company in Turkey and now has a manufacturing base in the U.S. as well. The company’s latest entry in the lever-action market, the RAN series of rifles and pistols, seeks to “reimagine” the modern lever gun. Derya Arms new RAN series of lever-action rifles combine traditional and modern features. The basis of the…

Among today’s firearm platforms, the shotgun remains one of the most time-tested, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement. Today’s new crop of shotguns runs the gamut, giving modern shotgunners new options in nearly every conceivable category. From break-action designs with a third barrel to modernized semi-automatics that provide more reliable operation than ever before, it’s a good time to be a shotgun fan. Check out 18 of the latest and greatest new shotguns on the market today. American Tactical | Cavalry 3B Tasteful scrollwork on the receiver, checkering on the wrist and fore-end and internal chokes with…

Most shooters don’t need a “war belt.” While enthusiasts like the idea of preparing for every contingency, the vast majority of us need a reliable platform for a range session, a training class or a local club match. In a true emergency, a belt that we regularly use and train with is superior to a complex rig gathered only for a worst-case scenario. The war-belt concept gets complicated. Social media often suggests that anything less than a direct-action rig with a dozen pouches is insufficient. For the everyday marksman, we need to scale back to something simple, streamlined and effective:…

In October of 2024, Dustin Kjersem drove into the mountains south of Bozeman, Montana, to prepare for a romantic weekend of camping.He was never seen alive again.When his girlfriend finally discovered his body, she thought he’d been attacked by a bear. But the truth, it turned out, was far more disturbing.To find Dustin’s killer, investigators followed a trail that led through a bloody campsite, a missing axe, two tequila glasses, and a pair of cell phones found by a man who claimed he saw them in a dream.This is a story about finding justice for a man who had never…

Without question, the most popular rifle platform in the United States is the AR-15, and for good reason. It offers a number of benefits and has a wide aftermarket parts and accessories available. But it isn’t a perfect design, and one man, Alex Robinson, took it upon himself to address what he saw as several shortcomings in the AR-15 design. He consulted with special forces operators and asked what they wanted in a rifle platform. The result was the Robinson Armament XCR design, and we took a look at the design in our latest “Gun of the Week” episode above.…

A suspected poacher in Texas is facing a whopping 74 charges after being accused of a slew of wildlife infractions. According to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD), the investigation into Darrell Maguire, a 55-year-old from New Braunfels, began in June 2025, after whitetail buck carcasses were discovered in Comal and Hays counties.“Several of the incidents occurred in residential neighborhoods, where wardens recovered crossbow bolts from front yards and porches,” explained a TPWD spokesperson.That September, game wardens arrested Maguire on wildlife and drug possession charges. They soon executed a search warrant, which turned up evidence allegedly linking Maguire to…

Sportsmen in Oregon are facing an existential threat to our way of life: a ballot initiative seeking to outlaw all forms of hunting, fishing, and trapping, as well as the slaughter of livestock and poultry, rodeos, animal breeding practices, animal use for medical research, and more.IP28, also known as the People for the Elimination of Animal Cruelty Exemptions (PEACE) Act, is a measure put forward by radical animal rights activists that would intentionally affect those widespread practices by removing exemptions in the state’s animal cruelty statutes. Last week, local outlets began reporting that the petition has gathered 120,735 signatures, exceeding…