Q & A

This is where I post answers to questions that I get asked quite frequently in regards to holsters, concealed carry, firearms, gear, and also just general questions about myself - Now I won't have to keep answering them and you don't have to ask! :)

I continually add new questions to this page, so feel free to check back from time to time.

FALIA FAQ

Are you in law enforcement or military?

No

Are you sponsored by anyone or paid for any of your reviews?

No. I am not sponsored by (or affiliated with) any companies. If I do a positive review on a product it's because I sincerely like it and recommend it. The only money I make from my Youtube videos is the Google AdSense money that comes from views & clicks on the Google ads that play during my videos. I don't make much from the ads, and the "skippable" ads have to play at least 30 seconds for Youtubers to make any money from them at all - So if you like my videos and want me to put them out more frequently, it helps a lot to watch some of the ads, click "like" for each video (by hitting the thumbs-up button underneath it) and to "share" it (by "favoriting" it or linking to it via facebook, etc.). I do also occasionally get "paid" by a viewer in the form of a donation on the side of this website, so a huge thank you to those of you who have supported my channel that way as well.

Do companies send you products & guns for review or do you purchase the items you review?

Both. I purchase most of what I review, but companies do sometimes send me a gun or a product to review as well. I do not necessarily accept all the items that are offered to me for review, and I always give an honest review, whether or not I purchased the item myself. I have no interest in "selling" products for companies - I only want to help people see products (and hear my opinions on them) so they have a better idea of what the product (or gun) is like (in case they have been considering purchasing it). I also like to try and let people know about  good products that they may have not been aware of before.

What happens if a company sends you a gun for review? Do you get to keep it? Do they provide your ammo?

When I accept a gun for review, I have a set amount of time that it's on "loan." I have to return the gun before the review period is up, and I am also expected to pay the postage to send it back (unless the gun company is generous). Nobody provides my ammo. Even with a "review gun" that I've got on loan, I have to go to the store and pay for any ammunition I wish to shoot. Reviewing a gun is fun (if I like the gun), but it actually costs me more money to buy the ammo than I make from the ads that end up playing on that video - especially since I don't feel like any gun has truly been tested well unless you are able to put a lot of different types of ammo through it.

Why don't you show your face in videos?

I highly value my privacy in day-to-day life, and I carry concealed and would like to keep it that way. I love helping people and sharing information about things I am learning or passionate about, but call me old-fashioned - It's my belief that people have become too relaxed about sharing too much about themselves on the Internet. I actually think it's so important that I hope younger girls who watch my videos can see that it's possible to make videos without sharing so much personal information online.

I also have no idea who has seen my videos and will therefore recognize me in public, and I don't think it's fair (or safe) that I wouldn't recognize them in return. Even though I'm armed, that doesn't mean it would stop a crazy person from having bad intentions or following me home. Being recognized in public gives complete strangers the ability to have more information about me than I'd have about them, which doesn't seem smart to me. Honestly, with a world that's scattered with evil, dishonest people (often unrecognizable from the good, honest people until it's too late), why would you want to show your face to them (along with an expensive list of guns and gear you might own) when they are unknown to you?

How small exactly are your hands?

I'm answering this because MOST gun grips feel too big to me and a lot of my YouTube viewers mention how small my hands look in videos. I wear size XS Oakley gloves when I shoot in cold weather, and my right hand measures about 6" from my wrist to the tip of my index finger.

How long have you been interested in firearms?

I didn't grow up around guns, and my family was never into hunting (although my dad would occasionally use a 22 rifle to shoot a squirrel off the bird feeder). Out of curiosity and a desire to learn about guns to protect myself (if I ever needed to), I shot my first gun (and a lot of other guns) in the spring of 2009 (just a little over 4 years ago). That summer I bought my first gun (a Smith & Wesson Model 63 22 revolver), and that fall I took a concealed carry course to get my first concealed carry permit. I've been carrying concealed since January 2010, so about 3 1/2 years now.

Why do you have posts and links about VW vans?

Before I was into firearms, I lived & traveled in a Volkswagen pop-top camper van for several years.  This blog was geared towards sharing my experiences along the way and anything I learned that could help other people live more comfortably in their vehicles as well (either by choice or necessity). I chose that lifestyle at the time (to save money and live more simply), and I experienced a great sense of freedom with so few material items weighing me down. Living a mobile lifestyle actually changed my entire outlook on life and helped me establish more of a survival mentality by showing me how important it is to be able to fend for ourselves (when we aren't locked into the grid of society).

As I fell in love with living independently, I started thinking about (and planning for) better long-term survival & living off the land. That's also when I became curious about firearms & felt an urgency to start storing supplies, tools, ammo, etc. The correct decision to me at that point felt pretty straightforward - It's just not smart or possible to store a bunch of guns, ammo, and 6 months of food inside a vehicle, so I started focusing on my own survival and what's most important to me - My rights and freedoms, my loved ones & their security, a place to prep & store supplies, and the means & ability to protect and defend those things most dear to me.

Everyone has their own idea of what they need to be "free" (from dependence on society, other people, the supermarket, the government, and the cyclical rotation of day-to-day life that we all get caught up in). It takes a lot of time to get to that point of freedom (if we ever do), but I'd at least like to try to get there.

Yes, I'd live in a van again someday if given the chance, since the freedom and simplicity were like nothing else imaginable - But one thing that's essential to have is a physical location to store supplies and treat as your "home base" when SHTF and things go crazy in the world. My plan is to share with you everything I learn along the way on the path to my own ultimate survival, in terms of defense (firearms, knives, gear), health tips (exercise, nutrition, recipes, gardening), skills, and preparing for the unknown.

GUN, HOLSTER, & CONCEALED CARRY FAQ

What holster will fit my gun?

That depends. What gun do you carry, how do you dress, and what is your body type? Click on the above header "CONCEALED CARRY & HOLSTERS" to see my favorite carry method, some different holsters I've tried (along with my thoughts on them), and A LOT of concealed carry setups (gun, holster, & carry position) from various men & women (all arranged by height and weight). Maybe you will get some ideas :)

Do you have a parts list for your AR-15?

Yes! You can find the complete parts list for everything I've put into "Sprinkles" (my home-built AR-15) by clicking on the "GUNS AND PARTS LISTS" header near the top of this site. On that same page you will also find the complete parts lists for several of my other firearms, including my Remington 870 12-gauge pump shotgun ("Pepper"), Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22 ("Plink"), SIG 1911 Extreme, and Ruger 10-22.

Which one of your videos contained a certain piece of gear?

Did you see a holster, mag loader, belt, flashlight, suppressor, or piece of gear in one of my videos but now you can't remember what it was called & you can't find it again? Or did you see something like a scale, watch, target, or rifle case I was using and wonder what brand name or model number it was? No problem! Just click on the above header "SAW IT IN A FALIA VID?" - There I've listed every piece of gear that I've ever shown in a video (even just for a few brief seconds!) and I've also linked back to where it was shown.

I found a holster that I like (OWB or IWB), but how do I know what angle/cant to get?

Unload your gun, get a natural grip on it, and hold it alongside your right hip (as if you were going to draw out of a holster). As you slowly move the gun around your body, you will see the natural grip angle you have at different positions around your waistband. CLICK HERE to see how I demonstrate this in a video. Think of your body like a clock. 12:00 is directly in front of you, 3:00 is directly on your right hip, 6:00 is at the middle of your back, and 9:00 is directly on your left hip. As you move your gun around your body, you're pretty straight up and down (zero cant) at 2:00 & 3:00, and as you move further back towards 4:00 and 5:00 your gun cants (angles) forward a little more (10-15 degree is common in that position, but I prefer a more extreme 30 degree cant). Small of the back holsters, (worn at 6:00, for example) have a forward angle that's even more extreme than that.