Hunting

I went hunting this weekend with my good friend, Greg. His family has been leasing the same acreage since 1982, and they have quite the camp. They graciously gave me a place to hunt on a well-traveled-by-deer piece of pipeline. I didn't see anything, but I had a great time.

We sipped cheap whiskey, told lies by the fire, and ate like kings. Saturday,  one of the guys shot a 4 point, and watching lifelong hunters process and skin a deer was very cool. In a total time of about 4 hours, the deer was completely processed, and all the waste could fit in a 5 gallon bucket. They were very efficient in using all the meat possible, and soon had piles of steaks, roasts, loins, and burger.

I also learned that my target gun is just not very friendly to hunting. A 14 pound rifle is a chore to carry, and doesn't shoulder quickly. Unfortunately, we were hunting a pipeline, so 200 yard shots are common. This made my rifle choice for me. A lever action chambered in a pistol caliber with iron sights just wouldn't be up for those shots. One day I will fill the hole in my gun collection left by a sensible, no frills hunting rifle for making 100-300 yard shots, but in the mean time, I will make do.

I made no meat, but had an awesome weekend, nonetheless.

New Holster

I have been kicking around the idea of a paddle holster for a while now. While on the job, I don't like them, because they aren't very secure to your body. At least not as secure as a good belt loop and a top grain leather belt are. In my normal work attire, the least secure part of my holster-to-body contact is my belt loops.

I like IWB carry, though. Problem is, I have some pants that fit my body in such a way as to make IWB carry impractical/uncomfortable. I have been thinking that a nice paddle holster would be great for those quick trips to the store, as it can just be slipped on without any wardrobe adjustment, except for perhaps throwing on a light jacket or cover shirt. In that vein, I built a paddle holster. I have a few paddles from various bits of gear that have belt/paddle mounting options, so I bought some Chicago screws, hauled out my leather working supplies, and Googled up some paddle holster images.

Of course, I stitched a Fleur-de-lis into the holster, because if I decide to open-carry, I want my holster to look nice. I also added a tension screw with a rubber grommet, so I can adjust the tension level on the firearm. You can see it behind the trigger guard.

I like how it turned out. A few months of use should tell the story of if I got it right, though. I will keep all informed.

Shooting, and Halloween

Life has been busy. This weekend, I worked late, Halloween being a holiday where there is a lot of crime and criminal mischief. I missed trick-or-treating with the Boy-o, but got to hang with him during his sugar-high late in the evening. He had fun.

Saturday morning, my buddy and I went to the range. I sighted in my father's AR-15, which I am borrowing for a carbine course. I also ran some new defensive loads through my CW9, and had no feeding issues. That afternoon, we went to my brother's new house for a party, and generally ate, told lies, sat by the fire, and had fun.

Today, we have been running errands and doing chores. Which reminds me, I need to do another load of laundry.

Ya'll have a great week!