My HideAway Habit

Years ago, I stumbled across an interesting knife mentioned on a gun forum. Called the HideAwayKnife, it was a small fixed-blade designed to be pretty much undroppable. The unique design made it perfectly suited to both defensive and utility purposes.

I always carried a folder (or three) and figured I could handle them effectively if I needed to use them for last-ditch personal protection. But as is so often the case, a bit of force-on-force taught me how foolish that was. There just isn't enough fine motor control to spare.

I ordered a HideAway, along with a training drone and SouthNarc's great training DVD. I know better than to think a DVD alone can prepare anyone to fight for their life, so I loaned it to an instructor (retired SEAL) I've worked with extensively in armed and unarmed technique. He was impressed, and helped me develop better competency with the little knives.

Only about an inch and a half long, they fall well within most jurisdictions' knife carry blade length limits. Some areas ban all fixed blades regardless of length. As with the confusing array of gun laws on the books, it is our responsibility to research what is and is not allowed where we live and travel. Nebraska, for example, defines a knife with a blade over 3.5" in length as a weapon, but then throws in "any other dangerous instrument capable of inflicting cutting, stabbing, or tearing wounds" for good measure. This state also defines a "deadly weapon" as "any firearm, knife, bludgeon, or other device, instrument, material, or substance, whether animate or inanimate, which in the manner it is used or intended to be used is capable of producing death or serious bodily injury." Animate or inanimate? Well, I did have a cat with an attitude years ago who qualified.

But getting back on topic, I don't want a bad guy getting any closer to me than absolutely necessary and a knife is absolutely an up-close-and-personal weapon. I also understand that I will not be able to set the parameters of any true defensive encounter. Having highly-concealable options for the worst-case scenario can only be a good thing.

HideAways are like potato chips, though. You can't have just one.

Sidesaddle For Sale

A friend is selling a restored Western-style sidesaddle, without a leaping pommel:

She's asking $350. Leave a comment if you're interested.

UPDATE 09/15:  The saddle has been sold.  Thanks.

I May Have A New Favorite Holster

Back in early September I ordered a FIST All Around IWB holster through my favorite local gun store. It finally arrived a week or so ago, and I am seriously impressed.

Ride, cant, position, you-name-it, this holster redefines adjustable. I carry a bobtail Commander 1911 appendix IWB, and the All Around works better than any other holster I have for getting everything just right. The belt clip allows just enough wiggle to keep it comfortable while not letting it move out of position. Molding to the gun is excellent with firm retention. Drawing requires a firm, positive move. It is impossible to shake the gun out of the holster upside-down, even fully loaded with Dummunition for maximum weight.

After I wear it a little more, I'll probably use the ol' hair dryer to shape the Kydex at the top to conform more closely to the safety and rear of the slide. I might also shape it a bit at the muzzle, since it can dig in when I move around.

The clip is very secure but kind of clunky, but with it attached by Velcro I can easily replace it with any alternative attachment my devious little mind can contrive. It also gave me the idea of using self-adhesive Velcro to attach a leather backing to a few of my other Kydex IWB holsters to improve comfort and keep me from sweating on my gun.

For sheer versatility, functionality, and practicality, this thing's a winner.

New Sights And Level III Class

I got a good chance to test out my new Wilson Combat Ultimate Speed Sights in the Advanced Pistol Level III class last weekend. The class included a lot of low-light work with and without flashlights, and overall I have to say that so far fiber-optic front sights and I just don't get along.

We were working about mid-range and the only ambient light was from the viewing room windows. With light only coming from behind the gun, the front sight appeared totally black. When using my Surefire E2D 200-lumen LED light, the fiber-optic insert became totally academic as the silhouette of the sights stood out clearly against the brightly illuminated targets. Working without lights, my sights were essentially invisible until they picked up my muzzle flash.

In normal light the sights are taking some getting used to, but do work very well. My hits were good from the start and got better as the class progressed despite fatigue and adrenaline. I had some problems with my Wilson not locking open on an empty mag (the same thing I sent it back to have fixed) during the flashlight drills, but I feel I was probably limp-wristing with the gun held in one hand and the flashlight in the other. During all two-handed shooting the gun ran perfectly.

The tactical medicine portion of the class was excellent. We were each given a Tac Med Solutions Downed Operator Kit and hands-on work with training versions of its components.

My CERT training in disaster medicine gave me an edge in the surprise force-on-force exercise that followed. This was the first FoF scenario I've ever done that included administering emergency medical care to a victim. It was a very valuable experience, and more training opportunities in this area would be greatly appreciated. And since the syllabus made no mention of a FoF drill, there was no opportunity to mess myself up psych myself out for it ahead of time. Also very valuable.

One thing I'm noticing after training with multiple training providers is how much of their material can conflict. Exposure to a variety of techniques is great, especially with instructors who explain where those techniques came from and why they work, but it makes for some awkward moments when what you're expected to do in class is diametrically oppposed to a technique you've practiced extensively for months or years.

Oh yeah, and nothing makes you feel more like a doorstop in a training class than a fellow student who's an Army Ranger turned police officer.

Mr. Wilson Goes To The Doctor

My custom Wilson Combat Elite Professional is on its way back to Berryville for repairs.

When it stopped locking open on an empty mag, my first thought was pilot error. I had several respected friends including two professional gunsmiths look it over, and they all agreed wear on the slide stop and slide were the true culprits. So I called Wilson and made the appointment.

What I found interesting was everyone agreed they'd never seen anyone with a custom Wilson actually shoot it as much as I do. I can't imagine having a gun built expressly to your shooting and carrying preferences and then not shooting and carrying it. There is plenty of wear visible on the gun, outside and inside. Honorable scars, just as with working dogs and horses. I hope they'll consider them honorable scars.

Until it comes back, I'm carrying my Government-size Wilson CQB. It's a major pain to switch to a longer barrel, especially when you carry appendix IWB.

I'm also sufficiently bummed that I'm considering picking up a Dan Wesson VBOB with the black "duty finish" as a spare carry gun. I seriously considered their CBOB before I ordered my bobtail Commander from Wilson, but the CBOB only came in stainless. I have to do too many stealth transitions between holster and lockbox to ever want to carry anything other than an all-black gun. Nothing has driven home the value of a bobtail frame for carry like having to go back to a standard frame.

As long as it's in the shop, I'm having the rear sight switched out for one of these. I've wanted a rear sight with a cocking ledge for easier one-handed gun manipulations for a long time.

Oh well, they told me it should be back in a week. It's gonna be a looooong week.

Clunk!

I had a CLUNK in a public restroom over the weekend.

No, it wasn't my gun, the restroom was a one-holer, and it was in a business where if the proprietors had known what happened, they would have just pointed and laughed.

In no-jacket weather, I've been carrying my two reloads in a spare snubby-size pocket holster in my left front jeans pocket. It's comfortable, they're readily accessible, and they're less conspicuous than in a mag carrier on my belt.

While I was paying careful attention to my 1911 in its Minotaur Spartan IWB, the other side of my jeans drooped just enough for the two loaded mags to slip out of the snubby holster and hit the tile. No harm-no foul, but a great teaching experience.

Keep track of all of your EDC gear, all the time. Thus endeth the lesson.

And You Thought My Range Bag Was Bad

When I went through my range bag for this meme, I couldn't help wondering if some laws of physics weren't being violated when I packed everything back in. Unfortunately, that's not my only overstuffed crap carrier.

I have horses, and horses require grooming. Grooming requires assorted currycombs, brushes, and other implements. Lots of them.

Behold the horror that is the contents of my brush box:

Believe it or not, I really use all of that on my herd. No two items fill the exact same purpose. All the brushes are natural fibers only, from rice root and union fiber to pig bristle and goat hair. Synthetic brushes don't remove the dirt, they only push it around.

There's a lot of crossover between dog and horse grooming, hence the rakes, English Greyhound-style, and flea combs. Nothing like a flea comb to get the last little crud crumbs out of a horse's ears or armpits.

Just like my ridiculous range bag, everything actually does fit:

There's even room left for the couple of items that escaped and are currently AWOL somewhere inside my car.

"My name is Hecate, and I'm addicted to horse brushes."

"Hello, Hecate."

Eyes And Ears

I've seen plenty of photos of ballistic eyeglass lenses that were intentionally shot with various projectiles for reasons of testing or demonstration. As I cleaned my prescription shooting glasses* after a range session, it occurred to me that showing people the actual damage they've sustained might be informative.

So here they are. The lenses are clean, so except for one highlight to the right of the nosepiece, every mark is impact damage.

Every gouge and divot in those ballistic-grade polycarbonate lenses could have cost me my eyesight had I not been wearing them.

You'd think hits like those would get my attention, but I honestly cannot remember a single one. When concentrating on my shooting, I don't notice crap bouncing off my glasses any more than hammer bite, blisters, or hot brass. Once I had a hot rifle casing land on my bare arm and stick there. No flinching, no jumping, I just peeled it off and kept on going. The burn scar took over a year to fade.

After severe ear infections as a child, my hearing is slightly compromised. Since I really want to keep what's left, I double-plug. I have several pairs of E.A.R. Inc. Insta-Mold custom ear plugs that I use under Gentex Wolf Ears.

I ordered the Wolf Ears from Massad Ayoob's online store about five years ago. For normal practice, I leave the electronic amplification turned off. For training or other situations where I need to hear range commands, it's indispensable. The directionality of their hearing enhancement is excellent, great for zeroing in on the noise in the bushes that might be a rabid raccoon.

I chose Wolf Ears based on Massad Ayoob's recommendation, but they are now discontinued. I know mine won't last forever, so any recommendations for a potential equivalent-quality replacement would be greatly appreciated.

Impact isn't the only risk to vision for shooters.


I call this one "Gun Scrubber Backsplash Meets Anti-Reflective Coating." Sigh.

* The right (dominant eye) lens is single-vision focused on my handgun front sight. The left lens is my normal no-line progressive prescription. The progressive gradients on my normal glasses are set to favor handgun shooting. Thank you, Dr. William Schlichtemeier, opthalmologist and Olympic shooter extraordinaire.

There's An App For That

Well, maybe.

Smartphones are the ideal platform for a concealed carry application. So far, I've found two written for Android, Right2Bear (formerly iBearArms) and CCW-USA. I would consider both of them to be a good start, but not quite ready for prime time.

Both are paid apps rather than free, and have no trial versions. I test-drove them both, but in each case uninstalled them for refund during the 24-hour grace period. The reason was simple: neither one was accurate enough for me.

Keeping track of reciprocity is the main reason I want a CCW app on my phone. Both apps failed badly in that regard for a Nebraska resident. CCW-USA's list of states that recognize a Nebraska permit was incomplete. Right2Bear listed the states that Nebraska recognizes where the states recognizing Nebraska should have been, and stated that Nebraska has no "formal" reciprocity agreements with anyone. That is incorrect, as a quick check of websites like Handgunlaw.us and Pack-N-Go will verify.

Right2Bear seemed to have better information for other states. I liked CCW-USA's GPS-based notification option that warns you when you're entering a state where you aren't legal.

CCW-USA had an annoying slide-racking sound effect that I couldn't find a way to disable.

Neither app can handle multiple permits so far.

CCW-USA costs $1.99 and Right2Bear costs $2.99. You can only uninstall once for refund. After that, if you reinstall the application, you can't get your money back.

Bottom line: Both applications have their good and bad points, but neither is good enough for my purposes to pay for right now. I will be watching the Android Market for updates to both apps and the comments from people using them.

If anyone knows of any other concealed carry apps for Android, please let me know. Thanks.

Carry Gun Hygiene

I just spent my morning once again scrubbing the schmutz out of my bobtail Wilson. Before I started carrying all the time, I used to think shooting was the only way to crap up a gun. Boy, do I ever know better now.

Lint, skin oil, itty-bitty skin flakes (ick!), and sweat are way worse than carbon and copper. Wearing a gun all the time also leads to finding occasional traces of the R-word in the deepest nooks and crannies alongside the sights and inside the hex-holes in the grip screws. Utterly horrifying to a clean-gun-freak like me. Not even a day at gun school shooting hundreds of rounds makes that much of a mess.

I use a piece of paracord when field-stripping as no-idiot-mark insurance.

Every so often I grit my teeth, hold my nose, and let my gun actually get dirty as a test of reliability. I certainly don't have time to clean it every day other than maybe a quick spritz of Tetra Gun Spray and a wipe-down. If getting a little gunky causes malfunctions, I need to know -- and probably would opt to carry a more-tolerant gun for self defense. Fortunately, so far my Wilson has run like a champ even when less than pristine.

Every time I unload my carry gun, I rotate the chambered round into the magazine to avoid possible setback. When all nine rounds have been chambered once, I shoot out my carry loads. The two spares I carry just get checked for hairballs. Maybe once a year I'll burn through all of them, swap the mags, and start over.

Yeah, I know there are plenty of folks who clean their carry guns seldom or never, and those guns will probably go bang if needed, especially if they're Glocks or wheelguns. Me, I just have to treat the thing like my life might depend on it some day.

With all this near-OCD thorough gun maintenance going on, you'd think I wouldn't be afraid to detail-strip the thing to make sure I really get all the crud out. Well, here's the embarrassing admission of guilt. Yes, I am afraid to do a full detail strip. I can field-strip it with my eyes closed (if I don't mind pinching some part of my hand at least once thanks to that 22-pound recoil spring and flanged barrel), but replacing a plastic mainspring housing with stainless steel in one of my Kimbers is as far as I've ventured into the realm of Tasks That Require Pin Punches. I have all the stuff I need to do it, except the nerve.

Did I mention there's still an escaped HK P7M8 magazine spring lurking somewhere in my house?

My $29.95 Netbook

The weekend after Thanksgiving, I stopped by Verizon to see about upgrading my phone to the new Droid. I wanted better internet functionality than what my current device can handle. Alas, they said I couldn't upgrade until mid-December, but they had something else there that caught my eye.

A Gateway LT20 10.1" netbook for $29.95.

After seeing how much certain other bloggers love their teeny tiny computers (and double-checking that I did really read the price right) I took the plunge.

And after fooling around with this thing for a couple of months, all I can say is WHAT TOOK ME SO LONG??

It beats the daylights out of similar-sized, less capable products like the Kindle and iPad. It has full 3G built in, so I have wireless broadband pretty much everywhere. Plus built-in 802.11b/g WiFi and gigabit Ethernet.

The additional data plan doesn't add that much to my monthly wireless bill, and helps ensure I don't run over my bandwidth limit. Alltel's data plan on my air card was unlimited, but after Verizon assimilated them I have a 5 GB monthly cap.

Oh, and FTC? Nobody paid me one red cent to write this. Go screw yourselves.

Putty In My Hands

Cando Theraputty, to be exact.

I'm always looking for ways to improve my shooting. My snubby convinced me that while my hands are strong, they're not strong enough. Fifty rounds through that little thing is still downright unpleasant. And the Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel +P ammo I use for carry? Ouch.

I've tried those hand strengtheners with springs and the rubber balls without much success. A physical therapist friend suggested I try the putty, so I ordered a set of four-ounce containers of six different resistances from extra-extra soft to extra firm. A four-ounce blob is just right for a small woman's hand, and I can work through all six stages in ascending order in about twenty minutes while watching TV.

Noticeable improvement was very quick. I still think I suck, but my standards for suckage have become much higher.

New "Megan Magnum" Holster

My custom-made Kellogg Custom Megan Magnum holster arrived today!

I had it shipped to my office instead of home, because I have a perimeter fence and a locked gate. Delivery drivers usually just leave parcels on the ground, where they instantly beacon a "steal me" signal to the local miscreants.

Based on a quick test-fit in the ladies' room (just to see how it fits me, not my gun -- I work in a defenseless-victim zone), this should be the most awesome concealment holster for my Wilson 1911 evah!

I like to carry in the appendix position with a strong muzzle-forward rake. Every holster Kellogg makes is a full-custom hand build, so accommodating uncommon preferences is no problem for them. Pictures of course will follow.

Many, many thanks to Isaiah and Megan Kellogg of Kellogg Custom Leather. You folks rock!

Vanishing Act

Now you see it.

Now you don't.

Cool.

Range Bag Meme*

Q: What's in your range bag?

A: Way too much crap.

Here's the actual inventory:

Target tapers
Snap caps and dummy rounds
IDPA rule book
1" sticky dots
2" sticky targets
Extra batteries for range ears
Magazines, all preloaded on range day to save time
Lens wipes and cloths
Band-aids
Spare Shok-Buffs for the full-size Wilson CQB
Clothespins for paper targets at the indoor range
Heavy-duty pumice hand soap and scrubber
Bore-Snakes
Bushing wrench
Driver handle with bits
P7 tool with scraper and brush
Allen wrench for two-piece guide rods
Kimber take-down paperclips
Hobby clamp for changing Kimber recoil springs
Bootlace for guns that don't capture the recoil spring
Spare extractors, firing pin stops, slide stops, gun springs
Microfiber cloths
Prescription shooting glasses
Electronic range ears
Custom molded earplugs
Magazine cleaning brushes
Patches and pocket cleaning kit
UPLULA
Spray cleaner/lube, needle oiler, grease
Practice hardball and carry ammo

The photo doesn't even include the stuff I found in there that needed to be thrown away.

And it really all fits . . .

In a surprisingly compact package.

If I can't handle it with this, it probably needs a gunsmith.

* Yeah, I think it qualifies as a meme. Thanks, Brigid, Sebastian, Gun Nuts Media, Uncle, JayG, Kevin, et al.

Creative Improvisation

I carry at home, including in the house. Since my usual at-home wear is sweats or t-shirts with loose-fitting athletic shorts (aka "chore grubs") I always used to wear my SmartCarry. But wearing loose-fitting clothing made me uncomfortable with the SmartCarry's ability to retain my gun during strenuous activity, or if I fell asleep watching TV.

Then I happened across an inexpensive ambidextrous nylon pancake holster.

It had an adjustable thumb break, and the wheels started turning. I bought the holster and took out the stitching holding the gun in position and setting its cant. I put my Commander-size 1911 in the holster backwards and adjusted the thumb break tension. With the gun in Condition 1-and-Only, the angle of the backwards retention strap not only blocks the hammer but puts upward pressure against the bottom of the thumb safety, ensuring it cannot disengage.

So far so good, but now how to wear it? Sweatpants and athletic shorts don't have belt loops, and I prefer IWB anyway. I dug out a Wilderness Instructor Belt I've had for years but usually wear only for gun school and put the holster on it from the back.

Et voila! Worn appendix-carry under clothing at the natural waist, the gun cants neutral-to-slightly-muzzle-forward. The pressure of the belt holding the holster against my body makes the stiff, reinforced nylon material mold itself to the gun, keeping the gun from moving around inside the holster. I torture-tested it for several days with an unloaded gun and the retention never failed, nor did the safety disengage. Drawing speed is comparable to the SmartCarry, or any other deep concealment method. I can slide the rig around in case it digs in while bending or reaching.

It probably looks like it would be uncomfortable, but it isn't at all. I've worn it shoveling snow, working on the car, pooper-scooping, doing dishes, carrying a struggling 70-pound Greyhound down the steps who didn't wanna go to the vet, and lying on the couch, all without any problems. We'll have to wait and see how it fares in hot weather.

Yes, it does print, but the only time I'm ever "outside the wire" in chore grubs is to go to the mailbox or put out the garbage. It doesn't have room for a spare mag, but if I need more than nine rounds of Hornady TAP at home, I'm reaching for my shotgun, not a handgun reload.

All in all, not bad for less than $20.