Watch full video on YouTube

March 16, 1802: The first US Military Academy at West Point was established through a Congressional act. It opened July 4, 1802. — Today’s feature article is the third and last installment of a guest post by our friend Mrs. Alaska. We highly recommend her blog and books. — We need entries for Round 123 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $981,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 123 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles…

Watch the full video on YouTube

The A.H. Fox F. Grade shotgun that accompanied Roosevelt on his 1909 to 1910 African safari, and later during his “River of Doom” Amazon River expedition, will be on display when the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library opens on July 4. American Rifleman can’t think of a better day to officially unveil the Rough Rider’s stunning gun and significant historical artifact to the public than the 250th anniversary of this great nation’s independence. The craftsmanship and quality poured into this double-barreled shotgun is stunning, although Roosevelt requested a more workmanlike model before his Africa hunt. “When I wrote you I did…

Watch full video on YouTube

(Continued from Part 1.) Power Most remote homes and lodges rely on generators. The problem with generators is that they are noisy and smelly. So many people build a ventilated shed around them to buffer the noise. I appreciate that! In our case, we built the power tower (for the wind turbine, solar panels, antennas, and satellite dish) and power shed on the highest point on our property, so the 120 foot tower rises above the tallest trees, 400 feet east of the cabin. When we use the small generator as supplemental power, on rainy, snowy, still days, I am…

After a multi-month restocking hiatus, we are again taking orders at Elk Creek Company. Here are our updated inventory counts: Pre-1899 Antique Rifles:  24 (We have deeply restocked 7×57 and 6.5×55 Mauser rifles.) Pre-1899 Antique Shotguns: 9 (Most are 12 gauge and most of them have fluid steel barrels!) Pre-1899 Antique Pistols and Revolvers: 21  (Mostly S&W top break revolvers.) Blackpowder Revolvers: 23 (Most are .44 caliber, with modern cartridge conversion cylinders available. We have deeply restocked the much-in-demand Ruger Old Army revolvers.) Blackpowder Rifles: 7 (Most of them are .50 Caliber deer/elk hunting rifles.) Knives and Bayonets:  24 (Edged…

Seekins Precision is known for modern sporting rifles and precision platforms, and the company’s latest product is in the latter category. Designed for a U.S. Special Operations Command contract, the Seekins Interchangeable Caliber (SIC) rifle is a modular, bolt-action precision design that allows for easy customization by the owner. The SIC is a brand-new design from Seekins Precision with a one-piece receiver that serves as the chassis for the rifle. The heart of the SIC is a one-piece, machined-steel receiver to which all other components attach. As the receiver does not sit in a separate stock or chassis, there are…

Most people who want to own a lever-action rifle are traditionalists. A lever action appeals to them because it is “the rifle that won the West” or the type of gun that grandpa carried to his deer stand. Part of that tradition is the tubular magazine underneath the barrel of that lever-action rifle. Though it might seem heretical, box magazines have been used on lever actions since the 1890s. As of late, the push to produce “tactical” lever-actions and rifles for the modern hunter has resulted in a resurgence of the the box-magazine-fed lever-action. One of the most recent examples…

We bought undeveloped land in rural Alaska, in a region with no municipal infrastructure within a 20-minute flight to the nearest community. So, we built everything from scratch, after we hauled all the requisite supplies in by snowmobile trailer or by float plane. We made many mistakes in our design and construction, as well as a few good decisions. I actually think that people who buy a property that has an old-timer’s cabin, layout, and tools, may have an advantage in making future adjustments. The following are my suggestions for considering how to build and design property in a remote…