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.

(click on pic for Dave Barry's column)

Everyone stay safe tonight, see you next year!

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).

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.

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!

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.

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

NOW it's Christmas!

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



Merry Christmas everyone!

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.

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.

21

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

I am grateful for the sixteen years I had her.

December

Splashdown

We have returned.

The car has been unloaded and that's as close to unpacked as I'm getting tonight. Tomorrow everything reverts back to normal routine.

On the way down I dropped off Grand-dads High Standard to be fitted for a holster, and on the way back I picked it up. It is a very nice piece, but I've been asked to hold off doing a review or publishing pics until I have the matching belt. Suffice it to say that I like it well enough to order a matching one for the Sig.

Review will happen when the goods are in hand.

Note to FTC, I'm buying these with my own cash, so piss off.

Apprehension

Youngest Son will be meeting his birth father for the first time today.

I'm not quite sure how that will go, and even less sure of how I feel about it.

Ultimately it isn't about me, it is about Youngest Son, and he does deserve to know.

I just pray that the cost of knowing does not exceed the value of it.

Fun Time

Youngest Son and I hit the road bright and early Monday morning heading to Jacksonville FL for Thanksgiving.

Middle Daughter and Son In Law have recently purchased a pair of S&W semis, one in .40 and one in 9mm, so today we took them out to put them through their paces. Also along for the ride was the .22 revolver that Son In Law found at Pops.

Youngest Son begged off, but I took Grandson and his friend for their very first range time. After a 4 Rules drill and proper handling techniques they fired all that was available, but they liked the .22 the best.

The last firearm to make an appearance was a rental that Son In Law's brother just had to try; a .50 caliber Smith and Wesson 500 revolver. The rounds were $5.00 each, and after he had fired two I knew I had to try it as well.

Yeah, it was fun. I'm glad the barrel was ported though.

All in all it was a good time.

A Message From Our Sponsors

We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.

Happy Veterans Day

from an old fat retired squid. Thanks for your service, be it 2 years or twenty.

Gender Wars

So I was reading through a thoroughly enjoyable Attack of the Correiakin on Brad Torgersen’s Facebook page where he was destroying a troll over the whole Republican/conservative “war on women” hashtag twitter battle thing. One of the things the troll kept bringing up was the whole gender-gap pay-gap meme.

I’m not going to look for links, do your own damn homework, but that has been pretty much proven to be bunkum. It has to do with leave of absence due to child rearing, which is something that most women choose to do, combined with the fact that mothers are going to be more likely to take days off for family things and the like. The problem with that is it leaves a huge gap in your resume with the resulting decrease in pay due to less time in service and smaller paychecks due to not being compensated for all the days that are taken off.

It strikes me as funny that this should be an ongoing issue when the matter has been so thoroughly explained, but it keeps coming up time and again as proof that old white men hate women or some such thing as that. What I find so funny is that this is what the womyn have been agitating for all along...equality. If a man has a gap in his resume he also is going to experience lesser pay because of it. If he takes time off for family things he is not going to be paid for all of those days.

Congratulations ladies, you have reached parity, you have attained your goal, you are now being treated exactly as your male counterparts would be treated given the same set of circumstances. This is what you have striven for, is it not? Hear you roar! Or is that...why are you crying? Isn’t this what you wanted?

No?

Welcome to the real world. Very often what we think we want and what we actually attain are two separate and sometimes diametrically opposed things.

In this particular case you are faced with a choice, as we all are. Either your kids are worth the sacrifice so you chose a decrease in pay later on in return for the rewards of watching them grow, or you accept what has traditionally been the male parents burden of missing out on everything while you try to make a living, only to wake up one day and realize this is the day you are to walk your daughter down the aisle; that she has grown up quite without your consent and you have missed the whole thing.

I completely agree with the notion that one parent should be a stay-at-home parent, studies have proven that kids who have a parent at home are going to do better in school which translates to doing better at life in general. Traditionally this role has been filled by the female parent, but more and more the roles are being reversed. Either way, one parent is going to watch the child grow and the other is going to miss quite a bit of it as they earn the family's daily bread. The bottom line is, nothing is free, all things have a price.

Take what you have paid for.

Historical

So it was a pretty good election day for the Republicans, not so much for the Democrats.

The Republicans picked up eight seats in the Senate, sixteen additional House seats (18 new ones minus two losses), and added four new governors as well. When the new Congress is seated in January it will be firmly in Republican control once again. Time will tell if they have the sense to hold it this time.

Everyone is talking about that, but there are a few things that it seems no one is talking about. Historical things, things that are happening for the first time ever.

One of those things is the election of a black man from the South, Senator Elect Tim Scott. He is not the first black Senator from the South, there have been others that were appointed in the years following the Civil War, but he is the first one elected to his position.

In the Congress Utah now has a solid Republican bench, re-electing three and adding one, Mia Love, who becomes the first black Republican woman ever.

Elsewhere, in New York Elise Stefanik becomes the youngest woman Congressperson ever and Senator Elect Joni Ernst is the first woman veteran elected to the Senate, and with that my birth state of Iowa now has two Republican senators for the first time in as long as I can remember.

Not bad for a bunch of sexist racist mouth-breathing gun-toting sister-swapping rednecks (and those are some of the more polite names I have been called).

And on another note so long/good riddance to the junior Senator from North Carolina, Kay Hagen, who was unable to win over Republican Thom Tillis even though the Democrats poured more money into her re-election campaign than has ever been spent in any election anywhere in the US.

What makes this particularly special is...I don't even particularly like Thom Tillis, and neither do a great number of North Carolina gun owners who remember his duplicity in stalling gun related bills in the NC state house, but as long as he remembers to stay bought he should be OK.

And last but certainly not least, since it is November it is the month of Thanksgiving. In that spirit, I leave you with something to be thankful for, this month's ROTM.