31 December 2014

This Is The End, My Friends

Of the year, that is.

Come this time tomorrow 2014 will have shed this mortal coil and the upstart 2015 will have usurped its place. As in years past foul play will not have been suspected, although once again the timing certainly is convenient.

And at the end of the old year, allow me to suggest a theme...some none of my lies are true.

http://www.miamiherald.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/dave-barry/article4940373.html

(click on pic for Dave Barry's column)

Everyone stay safe tonight, see you next year!

27 December 2014

Be Careful What You Ask For

I don't think this will end like they think it will end.

Maybe someone could explain to me what the sense is in picking a fight with the people who own all the guns?

Mailbag

Yesterday in the mail were two items of note.

The first was a book, Altered Perceptions, that I ordered as part of an Indiegogo project to help an author out with mental issues. It has short stories and snippets (including an alternate ending to Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" which I won't be  reading until I've finished with the book) from several well-known authors including (obviously) Brandon Sanderson, Larry Correia and John C. Wright. I'm looking forward to the read, but it goes to the bottom of a substantial stack of paper books (darn this Kindle addiction).

The second package contained gun leather. I alluded to having a holster made for Grand-dad's High Standard and promised to elaborate when the new belt and holster for the Sig had arrived. Today is the day. The belt and holsters were made by Ed Hall, and when you order yours as you know you want to you can contact Ed by email at chucksteelman5@gmail.com.

First, the pics:





First impressions of the gun belt:

This is a substantial piece of leather.

This is the first actual gun belt that I have owned and I must admit that I was not quite prepared for the solidity of it. When I threaded the holster on the belt I was impressed by the tight fit of the belt to the belt openings. I actually had to unthread the belt once to reposition the holster because I had not slid the holster back far enough when putting the belt on, and let me tell you once that belt is threaded through the holster the holster WILL NOT move.

Aesthetically it is a fine looking piece of leather as well, the tooling and color is just right to match the holsters and it is just a nice piece of work. I especially liked the intricate weave pattern that the maker put on both the belt and the holsters, it is a nice touch and really ties them together.

Functionally it holds the holster solidly, once you put the holsters in place they STAY in place, just as it should be. It holds the holster much tighter to the body as well, which will certainly enhance the concealability of the rig when such things are an issue (such as when I carry in Florida).

Moving around I liked the way I wasn't constantly knocking my elbow against the gun, and no matter what I was doing I never had the impression that I was losing control of the firearm. The gun butt stayed tucked tightly in to my side, just as it should, which has certainly not been the case with the regular belt I had been using.

I tried it with the Sig's new leather, the Sig's old leather (a commercially made Bianchi Minimalist), the Galco Stow n' Go I use for the Glocks, the Dragon Leatherworks Fugly for the Glocks, and the Galco Matrix paddle holster for the Glocks and the new gun belt held every one of them solidly. I had stopped wearing the Fugly in particular because it felt like the holster was tipping over when I was sitting and I was afraid I'd drop the gun out of it. Since this is no longer an issue I expect I'll be wearing the Fugly more often now.

In short, until you have actually owned an honest-to-goodness gun belt you don't realize just how much you need one.

First impressions of the holsters:

When I got the holster made for Grand-dad's High Standard it was the first piece of leather I had ever had made for that particular item. None of the regular manufacturers, either custom or commercial, had a holster for the High Standard Model H-B, which is not surprising given the age of the gun. Since it was on the way when I was going to Florida for Thanksgiving I contacted Ed, dropped the gun off to him and picked up the gun and the holster on my way back.

As you can see it is a very nice looking piece of leather in its own right, and as can be expected from a custom fit it fits the gun like a glove. It holds the gun securely without hindering the draw, and it is exactly what it should be - an attractive and functional home for the gun when it is being carried.

The Sig's holster is likewise a handsome and functional cut of cowhide. The only caveat about the Sig is that it was made from a P226 form instead of molded to the actual firearm (P220) like the High Standard was so it is a bit tight on the fit.

Ed explained to me that it would likely be this way and included instructions on how to loosen it up a bit. If I had the P220R model with the rails, like everyone else, this probably would not have been an issue but of course I have to be difficult.

At first I had some trouble with the draw, the pistol did not want to come out of the holster. I attributed that to the tight fit, but as it turned out the issue was not a fault of the holster at all but rather with the Sig's front sight.

I had not noticed it before, but the back edge of the front sight was vertical and extremely sharp and was digging into the leather and pulling at the stitching when I attempted to draw. Rounding the back edge of the sight has done wonders in improving the fit of the holster, and the draw is now smooth.

I will of course have to carry the Sig in its new leather for a while before I can give a long-term report on it, but going on first impressions I am both fully satisfied with my purchases and enthusiastically willing to give Ed Hall the Refuge Seal of Approval (for what that is worth).

26 December 2014

It's Official

My new shirt that Youngest Daughter got me for Christmas:


The picture I got from Middle Daughter via text message on Christmas night:


I'm not saying they were working together, but the timing certainly suggests it.

It's Not That Liberals Know Nothing...It's That So Much Of What They Know Is Wrong

I am a gun owner.

I have bought several guns.

I have bought guns from private individuals and I have bought guns from retail outlets.

If you buy a gun from a retail outlet you are GOING to get a background check...yes, even at a gun show...either on the spot through NICS or through your permitting process when you get your concealed carry permit (or in NC, your pistol purchase permit).

In some states you will even have to wait a week or so to take your purchase home, even though the background check has been done and the only thing that is happening is the clock is ticking.

If you are legally buying a gun from an individual, it is likely going to be someone you know personally or someone that someone you know personally knows personally.

Either way, a legitimate gun owner transferring a firearm in a private sale is NOT going to leave him/herself open to the tender mercies of the courts by knowingly selling a gun to someone who may use it in a crime.

If you think buying a gun is so easy let's run a simple check. Go buy a gun. Legally. Used or new, it doesn't matter. Now go buy a car. Buy a knife. Buy a bow and arrow. Which is easiest?

Criminals get their guns from many places. NONE OF THEM LEGAL. One more law is not going to stop them.

Please stop trying to "educate" me on how much easier it is to buy a gun than a *insert whatever object your internet meme tells you* or gun show loopholes or if we only had universal background checks, etc. etc. ad nauseum. Whatever the Facebook meme of the day is you can be sure of one thing, and one thing only.

It's probably bullsh!t.

24 December 2014

Merry Christmas


Santa's secret weapon: a 400+ horse open sleigh.

So jump in bed and cover up your head, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

20 December 2014

Yay

The snow is falling in the Piedmont.


Not much of it, and it isn't expected to stay around, but it is falling. We're getting a light accumulation on some of the colder surfaces. It's expected to turn into rain by noon and then go away completely.

But still...snow for Christmastime. That's nice.

Especially since it won't stick around.

19 December 2014

Lazy Today

Go read this guy a bit. He's a recent addition to the Wall o' Shame and has a lot of stories and links on gun related matters.

After that there's a lot more links on the sidebar. I should probably hit a few of them up today myself, maybe it will prompt me to write something substantial.

You can't say you don't get your moneys worth here. :D

18 December 2014

NOW it's Christmas!

Larry Correia has just put up the latest installment of Christmas Noun.



Merry Christmas everyone!

11 December 2014

Note To Prospective Advertisers

I'm not looking to make money off of my blog.

I'm not interested in making you any money off of my blog either.

That's not to say I won't review products that I buy, but I'm not interested in becoming a billboard.

Thanks for your interest, but no thanks.

05 December 2014

Party Time

Mustang Club and company parties both tomorrow, one in the afternoon and one in the evening.

I have a cheesecake in the oven for the Mustang Club party right now. I've pulled a couple out of the book that I've never tried before, one peppermint and one eggnog. The peppermint has candy sprinkles on the top that didn't work as well as I had hoped, they melted and sunk down in causing holes in the top. If I ever make this one again I'll put the sprinkles on after the cake has baked. I also made this one in the springform pan and it didn't work out as well as I had hoped, I'll use a pie pan crust next time.

The second is in the oven now, I'll have to see how it worked out when it is done. It smells pretty good in the oven, though.

Peppermint Cheesecake

To the basic recipe add 1/2 cup peppermint candies that have been crushed fine, I used a food processor to do the deed and found that 16-18 candies made a half a cup. Bake the pie at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, sprinkle another 1/4 cup (8 candies or so) crushed peppermints on top, then allow to cool.

Eggnog Cheesecake

This one is for the springform pan, but if you want to use ready made pie crusts it would work the same. If you use a springform pan the recipe says to press the crust up the sides of the pan 1 1/2 inches.

To the basic recipe (for the pie crusts) add 1 1/2 tablespoons flour when you blend the sugar and vanilla in. Only use one egg, then add 1 1/2 tablespoons rum, 1/2 cup heavy cream and two egg yokes. Bake at 325 for an hour. For the springform pan double everything and bake at 325 for 75 minutes. Turn the oven off and allow the cake to cool in the oven, this should help to prevent cracks.

If they taste as good as they smell they shouldn't last very long.

04 December 2014

21

She was a red-headed hellion, but she was MY red-headed hellion.

I am grateful for the sixteen years I had her.

01 December 2014

December