There's no arguing the joys of owning the Ruger 10/22. Chances are you learned to shoot with one, own one, or know someone who owns one. There's also a good chance that after a day of shooting you've had a pain in your thumb from using the original magazine release. The original release works well enough with factory magazines, but longer high capacity (no more than 15 rounds for NJ residents) or aftermarket mags can be difficult to change. Changing mags with the original release is also a slow, deliberate process not well suited to certain environments and situations. The solution to all these issues is an extended magazine release. Extended magazine releases have been around for a while, and they are so popular that, on certain models, Ruger started installing them at the factory a few years back.

If you have an older 10/22 with the original release, you can easily upgrade to the extended version in 5 minutes with a few tools. You'll need a flat head screw driver, a good set of punches, and the extended magazine release. We used one from ProMag because it's long, metal, and reasonably priced.

Perform your safety check, and disassemble the rifle as you would for normal cleaning. Once you've removed the trigger group, use a 3/32 punch to tap out the pin holding the magazine release in place. This will require more force than removing the take down pins but should not be difficult. Next, press the magazine latch (also called the magazine plunger) and pull down on the magazine release to remove it. Take note of the release's direction. Before installing the extended release, test fit the pin to make sure there are no burs that will prevent easy installation. Press the magazine latch and slide the extended release into place. Use your 3/32 punch to make sure the parts all line up, and tap the pin back into position. Check to make sure the release moves and resets well, and reassemble the rifle.

Once installed, you will notice the extended magazine release is similar to "paddle" type releases like those found on the M14, M1A, Mini 14 and 30, various HK's and clones, and AK variants. Pushing the paddle forward releases the mag, and it can be done quickly with a fresh mag in the same hand to facilitate faster reloads. It works equally well for left and right handed users, and allows the magazine to drop free from the rifle. Most importantly, you can save your sore thumbs for loading all those magazines!

Here in NJ, civilians generally don't have collapsible stocks on their AR-type rifles. Because of New Jersey's "assault weapons ban," shooters must not exceed a certain number of features to maintain compliance with the law: conspicuous pistol grip, flash hider, bayonet lug, detachable magazine, collapsible stock, etc. Most of us keep the pistol grip and the detachable magazine. It doesn't seem like a big deal until you try to run a single point sling- there's no proper place to mount a sling swivel on a fixed stock. TROY Industries has an interesting solution. The M16A4 Sling Mount Adapter comes with the adapter, a quick release swivel, buffer tube spacer, and a buffer tube/stock screw.

Installation: Simply remove the top screw from your fixed stock and slide the stock off. Slide the adapter over the buffer tube all the way to the receiver, being careful not to damage the small detent spring. Place the included buffer tube spacer on the end of the buffer tube with the original spacer- don't remove the old one. Slide the stock back into place and use the new screw to secure it in position. Tighten the screw fully, and you're done!
You now have ambidextrous sling mounts directly behind the receiver, perfect for utilizing a single point sling. Larger shooters will be pleased to note that the adapter adds about 1/4 inch to the length of the stock.

During a recent conversation with a gentleman I consider not just a client but also a friend, we turned to the topic of "prepping" or preparing for disasters. He's a smart guy, his family is on board with the process and he has a lot of his bases covered: a 3 month food supply, stored water, first aid and medical training, military experience, weapons and ammo and solid skills to use them, and more. I was surprised when he told me how worried he was about his family's situation and began describing what he felt were deficiencies in his preps and his plans. I'm going to paraphrase and elaborate on some of what I told him.
You must maintain a positive outlook. Do it now. Do it when things go bad. Understand that you can do it. Everyone involved in prepping does some war-gaming -a mental exercising of working your way through a disaster or other scenario- from time to time. If you do it often enough, you will eventually come up with a situation you are not ready for. (Let's see, I know if the power goes out for the night I have flashlights ready with fresh batteries I change every 6 months. If the power goes out for a week I have a plan to go stay with so-and-so because we've already discussed it. If the power goes out for a year and aliens invade with armies of radiation babies... What will I do?) It's the nature of the beast, you can't possibly be ready for every imaginable scenario. War-gaming is a good and fun exercise, but you need to focus on Threat Assessment- the reality of how likely you are to encounter a specific scenario- and prepare accordingly. (I know my area floods every few years and that knocks out power for up to a week. I'm going to set myself up for that. The flooding also has a habit of contaminating the water supply, so we'd better put back some stored water, too.) Don't get upset about the things you don't have or the skills you haven't learned. There are all kinds of cliche quotes that fit here: " Rome wasn't built in a day" or "The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step." Here's my philosophy: Your preps should always make you feel better about your situation- not worse. If just today you came to the realization that you need to be better prepared for a situation, congratulations, you are doing better than you were yesterday. If you went out and bought a simple $1 first aid kit to keep handy, congratulations, you are doing better than you were yesterday. If you spent last Sunday learning how to make fire without matches, congratulations, you are doing better than you were and you should feel good about yourself! The process is continual. It's great to continue down that path and learn more and be ready for more situations. You'll also learn along the way that situations can and do overlap, and something you prepared for a year ago set you up pretty well for another scenario you're working on now.
What you'll need to avoid is the paranoia of writers trying to sell books and retailers pushing the latest gizmo. They use fear to motivate you to part with your money. (Now before anyone throws a penalty flag at me: Yes, Black Bag Resources, LLC does retail merchandise. However, I will never pressure anyone to buy anything. I simply tell you what works for me-  if you'd like to use the same item, I try to make it available to you.) You do need to re-examine your skills and preps from time to time. It's good to have someone else take a look, too. They may find something you missed. However, this is only good to the extent that it shows you what areas need improvement. When you identify them, work on them, but do not loose your positive attitude regarding your situation or your preps.
Remember:
Your preps should always make you feel better about your situation- not worse.

We've been working on the company logo for a while and it hasn't quite come together. We're proud to announce that we have the nice folks from Hold Fast Stickers working on it and we expect to have a real logo within a few weeks. Obviously, Hold Fast Stickers will also fill our order for several different sized stickers once they finish the logo, so look for those to be added free to your upcoming orders.
We've held off on the 2012 Black Bag Resources T-shirts because we want them to have the new logo. We'll also be offering some other great products bearing our logo at very reasonable prices.
In the mean time, we still have several 2011 Black Bag Resources T-shirts remaining in sizes Medium, Large and Extra-Large. (Sorry! Small, and XXL are all gone!)
Thanks again to Hold Fast Stickers- We can't wait!
(Click on their name or photo below to check them out!)

Cowboy Combs are back! Get them before they're gone.. Again!

You asked for it, and Black Bag Resources delivers! PALight Survival is now available with Green LED. The green LED is NVG compatible as well as visible to the naked eye. The green light is great for preserving your natural night vision, or for use without disrupting team mates actively using NVGs.
Also in stock, and EXCLUSIVELY available from Black Bag Resources, PALight Survival with INFRA RED LED! The Infra Red LED is invisible to the naked eye but is extremely bright when viewed through Night Vision Devices. Use this model as an additional illuminator for your NVGs, or attach it to your gear and set it to strobe for IFF (Identify Friend or Foe) operations.
Please note: Safe-Light has discontinued the Survival IR model. Black Bag Resources has acquired all remaining units, and once they are gone- they will be gone forever.

Black Bag Resources received the first shipment from PALight today. We currently have Survival models in stock with black bodies and white LEDs. The first 6 orders will also include one red "signal cone" at no extra charge!

Let’s face it. Hand sanitizers have become ubiquitous. This stuff is kept everywhere:  the desk at work, the doctor’s office, schools, purses, etc. I’ve even noticed dispensers mounted in public places like parks. Hopefully, we all have cleaner hands and spread fewer germs because of it, but one must be cautious if children are using it. Hand sanitizer is basically a jellied alcohol. Some manufacturers add sweet smelling fragrances and children may be inclined to lick it off their fingers. There have been several cases documented of children getting sick- basically intoxicated- so make sure they rub thoroughly and leave no residue.

On the rare occasion you accidentally get permanent marker on a hard surface, quickly apply some hand sanitizer and rub vigorously. I’ve removed several mistakes this way.

In an emergency or even just camping, there is another use for hand sanitizer. It is flammable because of its high alcohol content. Ethyl Alcohol is the primary anti-microbial ingredient and many brands also include Isopropyl Alcohol.

On a COLD camping trip several years ago, I was having a hard time getting the fire started and my wife suggested we use the sanitizer as an accelerant to help get it started. (She’s clever that way- like MacGyver!) It only took a small amount (a drop the size of a dime) to get the kindling started and we soon had a good fire going. Since then, we’ve experimented with several types of hand sanitizers for this purpose. The brand doesn’t seem to matter much, but we avoid anything with lotions or fragrances because they don’t seem to light as easily. Depending on the contents, it burns either clear or light blue so be careful that you don’t burn yourself on an invisible flame. I most often use hand sanitizer to help homemade “fire starters” catch a spark from a ferrocerium rod. A small drop is usually enough to get it burning nicely.

Use caution if you use hand sanitizer both for cleaning hands and starting your fire. Make sure there is no residue left on your hands that could cause you to get burned.