.357

To regular readers, it should come as no surprise that I am an outspoken, unabashed fan of the .357 Magnum. Loaded hot, and shot from a rifle, it can almost match performance with the venerable .30-30 Winchester. Using it's smaller brother,  the .38 Special, it can be loaded light and can be easily managed by novices with the smallest and lightest of handguns. The .38/.357 family of cartridges is one of the most versatile. Loadings can be readily tailored to suit any need from plinking to defense to harvesting game. It's even relatively easy to make shot she'll loads for the .357, although they are admittedly of little use beyond a few yards.

Few individuals outside of war zones (and some within them, I'd bet) feel under gunned with a .357 revolver on their hip. Mine has ridden hundreds (thousands?) Of miles tucked between the seats of my vehicle. A .357 revolver on a dark road, standing next to a broken down truck is a comfort when waiting for a friend to arrive with a tow-strap.

It is also comforting to know that your rifle is up to the job when hunting deer in the thicket-clogged woods I live in. Unless you are on a pipeline, 100 yards is a long shot in North Central Louisiana. A light, short lever-action with iron sights is perfect for stalking white-tails. It is comfortable to carry, rugged, and perfect for snap shooting. If you choose your bullet loading with care, you can place 158 grains of lead, traveling at velocities within 50 f.p.s. of a .30-30 hunting load, into a 6 inch circle at 100 yards. That is easily sufficient to make meat.

If ever I am faced with a need to bug out, circumstance may dictate which of my guns I can bring, and which I'd have to leave behind... but even if I was walking, with nothing more than what I cold carry on my back, I know two firearms that would definitely make the trip.

Clean Livin'

For the last few weeks, I have been thinking about my lifestyle. I have multiple things in my life that are bad for my health. I drink beer daily,  I smoke a pipe,  I eat what I like with little concern for it's healthiness, and I live a sedentary lifestyle. You see, since I got out of police academy, where I dropped 2 pants sizes, I've been relatively the same size. That was 2 years ago. I noticed the other day that my pants are a bit snug. Not uncomfortable,  but unchecked they will be in 6 months.

I decided that I can't give up smoking at this juncture, and if I had to change my diet I would be miserable. My choice made itself. Staying in my current pants size and possibly even trimming down is worth giving up some beer and starting exercising again.

Last week, I told my wife my plan. She was kinda shocked. I'm not exactly a health nut, so this is big for me. The plan is, Monday through Thursday,  run a mile, increasing by 1 block a week, followed by an exercise routine including push-ups, burpees, crunches, jumping jacks, bridges, and other stuff. It will vary slightly weekly, and reps will increase over time. Monday through Thursday I will also abstain from alcohol consumption.

Today starts the second week, and it's beginning to become a natural part of the routine. I don't exactly look forward to it, but I am becoming used to it.

This is the first time in my life that I've voluntarily exercised,  for no other reason than I wanted to for my health. It's also the first time in my adult life that I've voluntarily curbed my drinking. Now, I have no problem going weeks without drinking, and have plenty of times, but this is the first time that I've made a conscious decision to not drink (x) number of days a week.

I'm hoping that because this is voluntary,  and I actually WANT to do this, that it will stick. Get healthy, lose weight, all that jazz.

And, ya know, I'm feeling pretty optimistic about my success in this endeavor.