Ragnar Benson

Ragnar Benson is the pen name of a prolific  survivalist author who specializes in preparedness topics, particularly  survival retreats, hunting, trapping, austere medicine, false identification, explosives, firearms, and improvised weapons.   Many of his 46 books were published by Loompanics Unlimited (which went out of business in 2004) and by  Paladin Press.   Both Benson and Paladin Press are controversial, because actually formulating or constructing many of the explosives and weapons that he describes would be illegal in most jurisdictions.  Some of his books have been  banned ("challenged") from importation into Canada, by the Customs Canada censors at the Connaught Building.  His book Ragnar's Guide to Home and Recreational Use of High Explosives was reportedly pulled from distribution in 1999. 

Secretive personal life
Benson has revealed very few details of his background and personal life.   His real name has not been revealed publicly.  He was reportedly born in Indiana and was raised on a farm where dynamite was used for utilitarian purposes.  As of 1999, he lived "...on nine acres in southern Idaho with his pet skunks and his wife and 100-plus guns of varying caliber."  He was apparently the son of a German immigrant. ( In his book Urban Survival he recounts some of his father's experiences growing up in Germany after World War I.)

Benson has travelled extensively and has had no settled career.  In the narrative of his book Bull's Eye: Crossbow, Benson mentions that he at one time worked as a firearms dealer in Rhodesia.  In a rare interview with Salon magazine, he mentioned that he "...learned about man traps while serving as an agricultural specialist in rural Southeast Asia " In the narrative of another book Homemade C4 - A Recipe for Survival Benson mentions that he had fired a M72 LAW rocket while at Fort Benning, Georgia, home of the US Army Infantry.   In the same book, Benson continues to state that he participated in the Army's Tank Commander school, something reserved for a senior enlisted soldier (E-6, SSG).  Benson has also intermittently worked as a private investigator for more than 25 years.   As of 2010, he was 72 years old.   His writing pace has slowed in recent years.  In 2007, he authored the Foreword to James Ballou's book Long-Term Survival in the Coming Dark Age: Preparing to Live After Society Crumbles. 

On Dec 3, 2010 Ragnar Benson was interviewed on the Omega Man Radio Show with Shannon Ray Davis for over two hours.  In the interview, he mentioned that he has travelled to more than 90 countries. 

Selected bibliographyAcquiring New ID : How To Easily Use The Latest Technology To Drop Out, Start Over, and Get On with Your Life Action Careers: Employment in the High-Risk Job MarketBreath Of The Dragon: Homebuilt FlamethrowersBull's Eye: CrossbowDavid's Tool Kit: A Citizen's Guide to Taking Out Big Brother's Heavy WeaponsDo-It-Yourself Medicine: How to Find and Use the Most Effective Antibiotics, Painkillers, Anesthetics and Other Miracle Drugs... Without Costly Doctors' Prescriptions or HospitalsEating CheapThe Greatest Explosions in History: Fire, Flash and FuryGuerrilla Gunsmithing: Quick And Dirty Methods For Fixing Firearms In Desperate TimesHardcore PoachingHome-Built Claymore Mines: A Blueprint For SurvivalHomemade C-4: A Recipe For SurvivalHomemade Grenade Launchers: Constructing The Ultimate Hobby WeaponHow to Survive the Coming PlaguesLong-Term Survival in the Coming Dark Age: Preparing to Live After Society Crumbles" (Foreword only—book authored by James Ballou)
Mantrapping
The Modern Survival Retreat
Modern Weapons Caching: A Down-To-Earth Approach To Beating The Government Gun Grab
The Most Dangerous Game: Advanced Mantrapping Techniques
New And Improved C-4: Better-Than-Ever Recipes For Half The Money And Double the Fun
Ragnar's Action Encyclopedia of Practical Knowledge and Proven Techniques (A compilation from some of his other books)
Ragnar's Big Book Of Homemade Weapons: Building And Keeping Your Arsenal Secure
Ragnar's Guide To Home And Recreational Use Of High Explosives
Ragnar's Guide To Interviews, Investigations, And Interrogations: How To Conduct Them, How to Survive Them
Ragnar's Guide to the Underground Economy
Ragnar's Homemade Detonators
Ragnar's Tall Tales
Ragnar's Ten Best Traps: And A Few Others That Are Damn Good Too
Ragnar's Urban Survival: A Hard-Times Guide to Staying Alive in the City
Starting a New Life in Rural America: 21 Things You Need to Know Before You Make Your Move
Survivalist's Medicine Chest
SURVIVAL!  Live Off The Land In The City And Country
Survival Nurse: Running an Emergency Nursing Station Under Adverse Conditions
Survival Poaching
The Survival Retreat: A Total Plan For Retreat Defense
Switchblade: The Ace Of Blades
Switchblade: The Ace Of Blades (Revised Edition)
Tough Times Survival Guide (contributor)

See also
Explosive
Flamethrower
James Wesley Rawles
Shaped Charge

References

Category:Living people
Category:Survivalists
Category:Gun writers
Category:American non-fiction writers
Category:Writers from Indiana
Category:Writers from Idaho
Category:Pseudonymous writers
Category:Year of birth uncertain
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)