December Encampment

For my re-enacting brethren.


To avoid re-hashing the same story, I shamelessly stole this from my wife. Nancy might notice a certain hat I'm wearing in the photos.

Range Day

Well, I've spent the last two days at the range. It was time for annual re-qualifications for our office, and they had the new agents tag along. Although we are not licensed to carry side arms until we have had a mandatory 40 hour training course, the senior officers decided that we could use the practice, so we got to spend two days shooting the state's ammo, and get paid for it.

I scored decently with my backup gun, my Smith and Wesson j-frame yesterday, and today, I got issued my department side arm, a Glock 19.

Now, I have always found Glocks to be ugly, and have never really had a desire to shoot one. It's a plain, ugly, black gun. Nothing special. Now, I knew that they were rock-solid dependable, and reliable. I mean, so many law enforcement agencies use them, they would have to be, right?

Never have I fell for a gun so fast.

I pulled it out of the box, loaded it up, and fired a 119/120 on the POST course. With a gun that I had NEVER BEFORE HANDLED.

Will a Glock replace my 1911? My S&W revolvers? Never. But when I am on duty, and want to KNOW that it will be rock-solid and work EVERY time? I'll grab the Glock.

What can I say? I'm a convert.

One week

Well, I'm one week into the new career as a probation and parole officer. So far, I've basically read a metric butt-ton of training manuals, and spent a lot of time with senior officers, trying to glean knowledge.

I'm enjoying it immensely, and I'm having a lot of fun. I know that when I get a case load next week, I will have a huge stress-level increase, but I'm ready for it.

The P/T to get ready for academy kinda sucks, but it's one of those things you have to do.

I'm enjoying the new career.

And Wilson, no, there's no fancy uniform. Slacks and a button-down, and a badge.

My kind of dress code! :)

News

So, I was going to wait until my start date for this post, but my wife beat me to it without telling me. Since the cat's out of the bag...

I am starting a new job with the Louisiana Department of Probation and Parole.

I'm pretty excited about it.

pocketknife

Okay, so it's a stock image, but I don't have a camera handy. I am currently carrying a Kershaw Leek, just exactly like the one in the photo, with the pocket clip removed. I'm not a fan of pocket clips. I carry a pocketknife in a pocket.

This is a great knife, but sometimes I change it out for an Opinel No. 7, which is a GREAT knife.

Also, I used to carry a full sized Case Sodbuster, but I lost mine about a month ago... I'd had it for about 15 years, and I need to buy a replacement...

Anyway, meme complete.

Still Kickin'

Hey, guys, I'm still here.

I am still doing living history and making holsters, but I have a butt-ton of stuff going on in my life right now. It's all good stuff, so I'm happy, and when things settle down (probably in October) I will fill everyone in on what's new in my life.

Hope all is well, blogosphere!

Talk to ya'll later!

More Leather

I've been doing a lot of leatherworking lately. I've been jonesing over a Galco Jackass rig for my 1911, but, alas, it hasn't been in the cards. Last week, I decided that, hell, I know how to work leather, so I went to Hobby Lobby to buy some supplies.

I bought a belt blank to cut up for straps, some button snaps, and I got a large Farmer's bundle of leather. Next I ran to Lowes, and I got a large metal ring, and a length of chain, and I was all set.

I used the small chain links as the metal bindings for the holster and magazine pouch, and the snaps made the thumb break and tie-downs easy to operate, but I had to do some serious thinking about how to set up the strapping. Eventually, I just cut the straps into 4 even pieces, and ran them through the ring, taping them with masking tape, and adjusting them until I had a good fit. I think it turned out.

Here's a picture of me wearing the rig.

Here's a concealed picture.

I do like it, but it is a bit bulky for summer wear, and I wanted another project, so I tackled a pancake holster for my S&W J-frame. I had to do some serious wetting to fit the firearm to the holster, but I got it shaped well then dried it on the clothesline before oiling it.

I truly like this rig for summer wear.

Wilson's Explanation

In comments, Wilson asked for an explanation of the 1/2M.O.A. post.

Basically, I was shooting my savage, with the new stock, and it was the first chance I've had to really wring it out. I went with my dad to the sheriff's range, and settled into the 300 yard range. I had to work with my mil-dot scope to get the elevation right, but after a little tweaking, I found my groove, and the rifle did it's part. My rifle was a 1M.O.A. rifle at 200 yards before. Seems the stock shrunk my groups a bit.

Anyway, Wilson, and all my readers, sorry for the terse post. hope that explains it a bit better.

1911 Grips

I've decided to try my hand at making grips. I enjoy working with my hands, and it passes the time. I had a few pieces of poplar lying around, so basically, I just used another set of grips to trace a pattern, and I cut them out with a jigsaw. After drilling the holes, I shaped them with a pocketknife, and sanded them smooth. I coated them with polyurethane, which gave them a slight amber color. After installing them, I realized that I forgot to put the bevel on the bottom edge of the grips, so they have flat bottoms.

I like them, though.


I was also going to make a set for my dad, using red oak, but when I was digging around, I came upon this great piece of deer horn, so what the hell, I decided. I mad my dad a set of stags for his Kimber. They are a little outside of spec, as I was working with an irregular section of horn, but they turned out ok... I just wish I would have flattened the back of the left grip just a tad more.
Ah, well. They still look nice.

1/2 M.O.A.

1.42 inches at 300 yards? I think so...

New Leather

I made a purse for my wife while she was away in Florida. Monogrammed, with a 'clutch' style handle, and a flat bottom, so you can stand it upright. I like how it turned out.

Father's Day

Yesterday was Father's Day. I made my dad a holster, and gave it to him last week, but I'll let him tell you about it.

My wife is leaving to visit family next week in Florida, and she's taking my car, because it's a gas-saver, so I'm picking up my dad's motorcycle tonight. it's a Honda Goldwing. Super-gas saver, and about as comfortable as you can get on two wheels.

And next Monday? Why the old man, my brothers and me are going to a 300 yard range.

Heh.

.308 Monday

Monday, my father and I traipsed off to our private range for a little trigger time. I recently updated my .308 with a Choate stock, and I wanted to see how it shot. Results were good, with my group average being around 8/10ths of an inch. Most groups were around 3/4 of an inch. I also brought a Handi-rifle in .308 of my father's that I will probably be hunting with this year. It shoots well, but I will probably take it out a few more times to make sure it's right.


Dad brought two hunting rifles as well, both in .308. He had a Savage and a Remington with him. both gave great cold barrel shots. both are capable of taking game.


It was a great day.

Meatstravangaza

Being that my friends Emily and Will werein town last week, we had a party last week. it involved lots of food, and we dubbed it the Meatstravangaza.

Here you see Brisket; Roast pork; Roasted potatoes and carrots; Potatoes smothered in ranch ,cheese, chive, and bacon; pit beans; and pistolettes.

Also there was beer. lots of beer.

Also, my friend Jess, and my brother Barrett decided to do shots of pork drippings.

No Crap.

New Shooter

So last week, my friends from Florida, Emily and Will came for a visit. They were great house guests... you know, the type you don't mind having around. Anyway, Will informed me that he had never shot a gun before, so I knew what I was going to be doing on Tuesday.

We started with .38 special loads from a 4 in. Taurus .357 magnum. Recoil was minimal, and he handled it easily, keeping 6 shots in about a 6 inch group at 7 yards. Not bad at all for a first timer!

We moved on to .357 magnum loads, and he handled those with ease as well, So I gave him my S&W snubbie with .38's. I think he only shot one cylinder... obviously not a recoil junkie.

I moved him to my 1911, and he truly enjoyed that, putting 30 or so rounds downrange. I think it was his favorite handgun.

Finally, I gave him a 20 ga. pump shotgun. He REALLY liked that!

Anyway, I didn't get any pictures, but he had a blast.

Count that as one more citizen that has been acquainted with guns.

Keychain Flair.

I was at my Dad's yesterday, and I was looking at his reloading bench. I became inspired.

That's the bullet I fire in my Savage. Well, it would be if I had put powder behind the bullet. And there was a primer in it. And if I hadn't drilled out the primer hole and hammered a cotter-pin into it...

But it makes a nice keychain, no?

Leatherworking+Guns=WIN

It's no secret that I like guns. It's also no secret that I enjoy leatherworking. I have recently combined the two. It's pure awesome.

The 'JD' in the welt? we in the family refer to that as the 'Rocking Jay, Dee'. It was my grandfather's and father's cattle brand. I've taken it as my maker's mark.

It rides very well, and I'm pleased with how it turned out. Now, I do live in Louisiana, and during the summer, condensation will form on the firearm because it is relatively cool, and my skin, which the holster rides next to, is relatively hot, so I only use this holster if pocket carry isn't an option due to the fit of my pants or the cut of the pocket. If I use this holster, I have to clean the weapon afterwards to remove moisture and re-lubricate it, but I LOVE the way it rides. During the winter, It will probably be my everyday carry holster.

Now, I'm left-handed, so it rides on my left hip, right above my wallet. I don't have to remove it to get in a car, and it will stay comfortably there all day.

It turned out.

Stock Finished (or 'Look, I Made a Gun!')

Ok, so I didn't actually make a gun, I just put a stock on one, but the Wife and I were at a friend's house eating barbecue the other week, and said friend commented that my blog had two types of posts :Look, I made something! , and Look, I have a gun!....

I responded by commenting that I also sometimes posted about food, but whatever. The parenthesised title is for her.

Anyway, I filled the right-handed bolt handle hole in my rifle stock, then I painted it. The paint isn't an exact match, but it's close. And, yeah, I'm no professional gunsmith, but I'm happy with the results.

After the bedding compound set up, I cleaned it up with a pocketknife and a file. I then put a light coat of ultra-flat camouflage green paint on the epoxied spot. After it dried a bit, I put it in it's case and left it alone for a week. It's hard to tell in the photos, but apparently the epoxy wasn't fully dry, and it reacted with the paint, giving the epoxy a slightly textured appearance that more closely matches the stock. Happy mistake. Here's a wider shot.

I know it's a bit amateur-ish, but hell, I'm an amateur. I'll let ya'll know how it shoots.

Big Shooty Boom-Stick

So I mentioned recently that I’m in the process of fitting a stock to my gun. Well, the stock in question is a ‘The Ultimate Sniper’ stock made by Choate. It’s made to fit a Savage model 10, with the short action and a heavy barrel. I just so happen to have one. BUT…. This project is anything but ‘drop-in’ The biggest thing is that the stock is made for a right-handed action. I’m left-handed, and have a left-handed model 10.

So I had to cut a chunk out of the stock… after measuring and eyeballing and marking for a good twenty minutes, I took a hacksaw and made two cuts on marked lines down the stock to a marked ‘stopping line’. I then made perhaps six or eight cuts between the first two, and basically chipped out an opening. I attached the action and checked the fit. The hole was the correct width. I removed the action again. I then used a bastard file and a triangle file to set a slope to the bottom of the notch, and to dress the sides and clean up the hack-saw marks. During this process I played the ‘attach/detach action’ game perhaps half a dozen times. Everything finally fit!

I went to screw in the action screws. The one closest to the trigger guard bottomed out on the bolt, essentially preventing the action from being cycled. I found a #6 split-ring washer and put it on the action screw, and it fit properly. Next, I went to insert the forward action screw. It was too short! (no, I didn’t reverse them. I had them marked) I brought the stock out to my shop, and searched until I found a bit that fit the hole snugly, without binding. I seated the screw in the action, sans stock, and counted threads, then subtracted that number from the total number of threads on the screw. Keeping this number in mind, I slowly removed a few millimeters from the bedding block’s screw hole. I inserted the action screw in the hole. Not enough threads. I drilled some more (repeat, repeat, repeat)…. Eventually, I had enough screw sticking out that I could mount the barrel and action to the stock. That went off without a hitch.

Next, I tried to figure out how to mount my bipod to the stock. It has some weird rail system that I’ve never seen before, and it doesn’t really work with an off-the-shelf-bipod from Gander Mountain. I was able to remove one of the rail’s hex-head retaining screws and insert a sling swivel into the forend, but I had to add 3 washers in order to get it high enough up past the rails to mount my bipod. This led to me realizing that the bottom of the forend of this stock is flat, whereas the bipod was made to fit onto a standard, curved-bottomed rifle stock, so the mount isn’t exactly secure. I’m going to have to either find a bipod with a flat mounting area so it will mate to the stock better, or I’m going to have to find the mounting components for this rail system and invest in a few parts.

I believe I’m going to get some bedding compound and fill in the bolt handle slot on the right side of the gun. It’s not hurting anything how it is, but I’d like to clean it up a bit to make it look nicer and to help prevent dust and things form getting on the underside of the receiver.

And fitting this stock has taught me a few things. Like ‘there’s no such thing as a drop-in stock’… and that while washers may sometimes help, like with the action screw, sometimes they just help over-complicate things, like with the bipod. Overall, though, I like the stock. It adds a lot of weight, which is a help with a target rifle. It looks nice. It was a fun project. And hell, it brought a bit of excitement back to this gun for me. I have less than 150 rounds through the gun, and I get 1 and ¼ inch groups at 200 yards consistently. Maybe I can wring more accuracy out of this gun now. Hell, maybe the accuracy will go to crap now, and I’ll have to eventually put the old stock back on. But I’ll tell ya’ll something… I’m having a blast working on the rifle, and I’ll have a lot of fun shooting it this summer while I find out what it can do. I’ll post some more pictures when it’s done!

A Gunnie Household

What do you find next to the root vegetables in a gunnie’s kitchen? .45ACP brass, of course!

Leatherworkin'

Sometimes, I make things for other people while I’m at work, because, well, I’m demonstrating a period craft anyway, so if I bring my own materials, why not? Over the past two days, I’ve made a dice cup with a lid (used work’s materials, so it stays there) 2 credit card wallets, a hair tie, a bracelet, and these: It’s a purse and ID wallet. No, they aren’t period correct, but the woman I’m making them for doesn’t re-enact. Her initials, ‘AG’ are monogrammed into the flaps of both. Also, the ID wallet is just big enough to hold an ID, a credit card, and a few bills, so if she doesn’t want to carry her purse out, then the ID wallet will just tuck nicely into a hip pocket. Check out an inside view of the set. Oh, who is the mystery woman I’m making a purse for? No, my wife’s not jealous! It’s my mom. She’ll get it as an early mother’s day present.

Teh Cuteness

Wannna see some 18th century cuteness? oh, okay... here.

Who Fell off the Map? (or, hey again, guys, I got a new gunnie project...)

So I apologize to my tens of regular readers about being.... uh.... irregular.... Life has gotten a little crazy. I am gainfully employed with Louisiana State Parks, and I love my job. My life's 'new normal' is a lot busier than before, and I don't have internet access at my house, so I still won't be posting SUPER regularly, but I promise I'll try to post at least once every two weeks from here on out....

Ok, so ya'll have to see this gun... it's super ugly, and decidedly ill-functioning to boot, but dad has turned it into a project gun. The stock is made to fit my rifle, and my rifle is a paper-puncher anyway, so we're gonna mount the stock this summer sometime when me and pop can get together, and see if we can wring some more accuracy out of my rifle. Now, it's cut for a right-hand bolt, and my Savage is left-handed, so I'll have to do some relieving work with a rat-tail file, but I think it will come together nicely.... and if it doesn't, well, I'll still have the stock....stock....


So, yeah! there you go, my loyal readers, ya'll will be hearing from me again on a semi-regular basis!

Wet Weather Musings

Yesterday was cold, wet, and nasty in my little part of the world. As I was driving home, the weather got me to thinking back to similar days in my childhood, spent wishing I were a bit more warm, and a bit more dry. It was the cold, gray, slow-rain type of day that always reminds me of duck hunting.

Now, I grew up on the poorer end of the middle class scale, and when me and the old man went duck hunting (or any kind of hunting, for that matter) we did it on the cheap. Now out of the types of game I've hunted in my life, none seem to claim as much time and money as duck hunting. I spent many an hour of my childhood poring over hunting catalogs making a mental wish list of all the accoutrement's that I wanted for duck hunting. Of course, if I had gotten all of said gear, I wouldn't be able to move through a swamp bottom without fear of sinking under the weight, but that doesn't seem to slow the 16 year old mind much.

Anyway, I digress... The day that I came to think about due to the weather was a cold, wet nasty day in December, about 2000 or 2001. I had never been duck hunting before, and a few weeks ago, dad got to reminiscing about childhood duck hunts. I asked him to take me duck hunting, and he said he would, as soon as the weather got right. I slunk into the house after a tortuously long day in school, wanting nothing more than to drop onto the couch and forget about the rigors of algebra.

Pop looked at me and wrinkled his brow. "Wanna go shoot some ducks?"

I think it took all of about 3 seconds for me to get changed into camo and grab my boots, shotgun, and a hand full of shells.

Dad pulled on a sweater against the chill.

"You gonna wear THAT, dad?"

He considered the fire-engine red sweater. "What? I'm don't wanna get cold."

I knew we weren't going to get a single thing with dad dressed like that, but I wanted to go hunting, so I went along with it, just for fun.

We hunkered down against the wood line and waited as the temperature dropped and a front rolled in. We shot two ducks that day. I like to think I shot a duck, I really do. I emptied my gun at the sky, at any rate. When we walked over to pick up the ducks, Dad unloaded 1 shell.

"That's it. That'll be the only flight tonight. Unload and we'll walk home."

I hurriedly unloaded the 2 shells I had just loaded.

"I got one, dad!"

He chuckled. Yeah, boy, looks like.


Dad was a good shot.

But I've thought about that day many times. Dad knew another front was coming through, and made sure we were out there a half hour before it reached us. He also knew that the treeline would hide that bright red sweater he was wearing. And, he knew that there was a slough about a hundred yards from our treeline that small flocks sometimes would roost in if they were pushed in by rain.

I'll take hunting advice from a man feeding his family, who knows the land and the local weather patterns over the advice of one of those guys on the Outdoor Life Network any day of the week.

Monmouth Cap

A few months ago, I made a set utensils for Nancy. She was happy to have the treenware, and asked if I wanted anything. Now, I'm no great knitter (ok, I'm mot a knitter at all...), so I asked her if she'd make me a Monmouth-style cap. She helped me sort out a style and color, and right before Christmas, a package showed up.

The cap nestled within was beautiful.... and .... Large. Now, I'm no small guy, topping the scales at around 280 pounds, and standing over 6 feet tall, but this thing would have fit two of my pumpkin-sized heads. If you look closely, you can see that the hat is rolled up about 3 times, just so I can see.

Nancy sent me an email, which I got a few days later, telling me to 'full' or wash the hat until it fit. Now, to full a wool item, you apparently have to wash but not dry the item. If I would have dried the hat, it probably would have been to small to fit my 2 year old son. So I washed it. It shrunk up nicely, but was still a little too big, so I washed it once more, and hung it up in the laundry room. Ta-da! The hat now fits nicely,the knitting is much tighter due to shrinkage, and I now have a period-correct piece of headgear for those cold days up at the fort. AND.... it's in french colors.

Go check out Nancy's site. She runs a great blog, and she'll probably do a post on the hat real soon.

New Years Eve

New Year’s Eve was a blast. Before I went to bed the night before, I put on a brisket to cook, real low, in the oven, so I woke up on New Year’s Eve to the decadent smell of freshly cooked brisket. I puttered around the house for a few hours in that heavenly smell, and kissed my wife goodbye, as she was taking the kiddo and going to spend a few hours with my grandma to ask her some stuff about gardening.

Then my dad and brother, Barrett showed up. We had 12 handguns between us. If you look at the picture, starting clockwise from top right, you’ll see: A Ruger Mark III .22, a S&W M&P in .45acp, a Ruger LCP .380, a Springfield G.I. .45 1911, a Kimber CLEII 1911 .45, S&W Model 66 .357, Ruger Super Blackhawk in .44 Magnum, Model 28-2 6in. .357, Model 28-2 4 in. 357, Ruger Security 6 .357, Taurus Tracker 627 .357, and a S&W 638 in .38spl.

Also, my brother Matt showed up a little later, and brought a Ruger P89 as well. We had an even baker’s dozen. We shot, both copious amounts of ammunition and the B.S., and had a great time.

And suddenly someone walked up. My neighbor Tony showed up. He had been hearing us shoot for over an hour, and decided to come see what we were doing. He’s originally from California, and doesn’t know much about guns. It took all of about 45 seconds for him to want to shoot. I gotta hand it to him, he shot everything we handed to him without complaint. Everything from .22's to .357's to 1911's to............

.44 Magnums.

When we got done shooting and were standing around b.s.ing, I slipped off and put some sausage on the pit. Tony joined us for lunch, and we ate some excellent kielbasa. Then I broke out the brisket, so I could slice it for the get-together I was having later that night. We had to sample it too, of course.

I invited Tony to come over anytime we he heard gunfire and join me on the range. I think he will.

Then I put the brisket, sliced, on the pit, along with the baked beans, and smoked them both for a few hours. My brother Barrett showed back up a few hours later with his girlfriend and her children, and so did my aunt Margaret and Uncle Chuck, along with their girls. We ate brisket and beans and mashed potatoes, along with a nice salad, and thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company. There were several fine desserts there, including a King cake, which is a Mardi Gras delicacy that is damn hard to find in Florida. Yay!

After everyone left, and I cleaned up, me and the wife sat on the couch and watched Dick Clark’s New Years Eve special on TV, and the kiddo fell asleep between us. We kissed when the ball dropped, even though it was 11pm for us, and went to bed, exhausted, but satisfied with the day.

It was a great day.