Gun: Mini-14 GBManufacturer: Sturm, Ruger & Co.Chambering: 5.56 NATOManufactured: 1989Condition: NRA Excellent (Modern Gun Standards)Value: $2,200 When initially released in 1973, the Ruger Mini-14 quickly made a name for itself on the recreational-shooting market. Designed by L. James Sullivan and Bill Ruger, it combined the best attributes of the M1 Garand and the M1 carbine with a “rock-’n’-lock” detachable box magazine inspired by the M14. At a time when the Colt AR-15 SP1 was available for $250, the Mini-14 offered comparable shooting characteristics for just $199. But despite its success on the civilian market, the Mini-14 did not make much…

On December 28, 1867, the United States claimed Midway Island, the first territory annexed outside continental limits. — December 28, 1793 was the day that Thomas Paine was arrested in France for treason. The charges against him were never fully detailed, but he was tried in absentia on December 26 and convicted. Best known as the author of Common Sense, he moved to Paris to be part of the French revolution. Initially welcomed, the tide soon turned against him, because he was opposed to the death penalty and the French revolutionaries were sending hundreds to the Guillotine. — SurvivalBlog Writing…

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Armed Citizen® Today In Horry County, S.C., when police responded on the evening of Dec. 8, 2025, to a call about a shooting victim, they discovered a man inside a laundromat with a gunshot wound in his thigh. The man reportedly claimed he’d been randomly shot by an unknown assailant and had fled into the laundromat to escape. However, another person returned to the scene and explained to police that the man had attacked them and they had shot him in self-defense. (The gender of this victim was not reported.) Police arrested the wounded suspect for first-degree domestic violence with…

Offered through the company’s Performance Center shop, the Smith & Wesson Model 19 Carry Comp is built on Smith’s medium-sized K-frame, which offers a six-round cylinder capacity, along with a full firing grip while still being configured for daily carry. Measuring in at about 7.5 inches long and 5 inches high, size-wise, it’s not much different than most double-stack, duty-size 9 mms on the market. Its relatively compact dimensions are thanks to the shortened, 2.5-inch barrel, which also includes a single-port compensator on the top, dubbed by Smith & Wesson as the “PowerPort.” As configured from the factory, the Model…

00:00:05 Speaker 1: Welcome to this country Life. I’m your host, Brent Reeves from coon hunting to trotlining and just in general country living. I want you to stay a while as I share my experiences in life lessons. This Country Life is presented by Case Knives from the Store More Studio on Meat Eaters Podcast Network, bringing you the best outdoor podcast that airways have to offer. All right, friends, grab a chair or drop that tailgate. I’ve got some stories to share. The project. Every successful project usually starts with a good plan. It kind of goes hand…

On December 26th, 1776, after crossing the Delaware River, Washington led his men against Hessian soldiers garrisoned at Trenton. After a brief battle, nearly the entire Hessian force was captured, with negligible losses to the Americans, significantly boosting their flagging morale. — December 26, 2004: The Indian Ocean region Tsunami took more than 250,000 lives. — And on December 26, 1848, the first gold seekers arrived in Panama en route to San Francisco. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 122 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A…

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. announced the return of an iconic American over/under shotguns with the Ruger Red Label III, renewing Ruger’s commitment to being a full-line manufacturer of firearms. The original Ruger Red Label was launched in 1977, and quickly earned a reputation for rugged reliability, classic looks and American-made quality. Ruger maintains that legacy with the Red Label III, while upgrading it with premium materials and world-class fit and finish. Built by highly skilled craftsmen at one of the world’s premier makers of fine firearms, Connecticut Shotgun Manufacturing Company (CSMC), the Red Label III marks a new era…

Hodgdon Powder Company has released the 2026 Hodgdon Annual Manual. It features data for Hodgdon, Accurate Powder, IMR, Ramshot and Winchester Smokeless Propellants. In total, more than 12,000 loads are represented, with updates for more than 116 rifle and pistol cartridges and more than 1,000 shotshell loads. “This year’s Annual Manual reflects our continued commitment to both new and experienced reloaders,” said Aaron Oelger, vice president of marketing at Hodgdon. “For 2026, we expanded our educational focus with a series of Reloading 101 articles for beginners and advanced Reloading 301 features for seasoned handloaders. This edition also includes a memorial honoring…

There were approximately 8 million combat deaths in World War I. After artillery, machine guns were the second leading cause of combat casualties. Some estimates put the total number of deaths related to machine gun fire in World War I at more than 2 million. Most folks remember the rapid-fire, death-dealing British Vickers, German MG08, French Hotchkiss, Russian Maxim and American Browning guns. Often forgotten among the fraternity of Great War “grim reapers” is the Austrian Schwarzlose. German-born Andreas Wilhelm Schwarzlose was a bit latecomer to the early machine gun design community. But what he lacks in notoriety, his design…