Cobra

While in Florida, Grams told me she got a new gun. She said it was a 6-shot Colt, in .38spl. I was pretty amazed at what I saw. I'm a bone-deep Smith man, as far as wheel guns go, but the Cobra she showed me was a beauty.

It's an earlier model, as the ejector rod isn't shrouded, but if memory serves, it was made after 67, since the grip is short, with the stocks meeting underneath the grip frame.

If there's a Colt collector out there *cough* (Old NFO) *cough* who could narrow down the year range, I'd be interested. Sadly, I didn't jot down the serial number to help narrow it down more.

Ol' Eagle Eye

He's learnin', he is.

Sunday Shooting

My family went out to go shooting today. We had a great time, and shot a bunch of paper, as well as soda cans and water bottles. My dad got all of us together for a picture when we were done. Top row, from left to right: me, with my Springfield 1911, nephew with a Ruger Black hawk in.44, eldest brother with a Ruger Security Six. Bottom row from left to right: sister with Taurus 627 in .357, son with a 1911 look-alike CO-2 BB gun, sister-in-law with a S&W K-frame in .357. It was a nice afternoon.

For Bluesun

In light of his comment on my last post.... Lego Star Wars.

Went to Legoland yesterday....

I think the face says it all...

Fallen brethren

I have a link in my sidebar that I check on a daily basis, the Officer Down Memorial Page. It's a list of all officers that have fallen in the line of duty in the U.S. and it's provinces. Many in the gunnie community can be harsh towards officers, and frankly, as a cop myself, I have mixed feelings about it. These men and women put their life on the line every day for the safety of their communities, and they deserve our respect for that as a group. Are there bad cops? Sure as hell are. I've met a few. They tarnish the badge they wear, and I'd not choose them to have my back in a bad situation. That said, most of the men and women I've met that carry the Thin Blue Line are  good, honest people that want to make a difference, and to help others. We get shitty pay (although we usually get good insurance), little thanks from our superiors, and are often looked at with distain by the public. Still, most cops I know wouldn't take another job with better pay, because the job is a calling... which brings me back to the Officer Down Memorial Page.

Yesterday, we lost 3 men in uniform. One was in a car accident, and two were shot. Investigator Cuauhtemoc Estrada's shooter has not yet been apprehended. Estrada was a Marine Corps veteran, and had served with the Cook County Sheriff's office for 20 years.

At a time of the year that we are all thankful to be home, and are celebrating family and Christ, remember that 3 families found out yesterday that they will never again see their father, or son, or brother, or husband.

Hug your family. Tell them you love them. But remember these men who laid down their lives in the name of serving public safety. Weep for them, for though some weak souls hide behind the badge and misuse it, most of them are willing to die to preserve not only their communities, but the integrity of that badge pinned to their chest.

1911

Because 1911.

Deer camera blues

It's been hard, patterning the deer in my little plot. I had some crazy action for the first few weeks the feeder was up, then it slacked off a bit. Then the batteries went dead in the feeder, so I didn't have much action for about 2 weeks. Checking the camera today, though, I see that a doe has stopped by for the last two mornings. Maybe I'll slip out there early tomorrow, and hope she swings by for some chow again.

Sawdust and Linseed Oil

That's what I smell like. It's been an interesting few days, building a table in my grandfather's shop. I've ended up with a piece that speaks to me. The trestle table design is hundreds of years old, and this table, with it pegged joints would be right at home in a french campsite, circa 1750. It will, however reside in my kitchen, and family will gather around it on thanksgiving to celebrate kinship and togetherness. The juxtaposition of circular saws with wooden mallets and chisels was interesting. I did enjoy using some of my period-correct tools, and I pegged everything, using no screws or nails in the project, but I couldn't resist the siren call of the power saw.... my shoulder is thankful, I'm sure.

I have 2 more coats of boiled linseed oil to apply, but the project is done for all intents and purposes, and I'm deeply satisfied with the result.

Woodworking

There's something very soothing about working in my grandfather's shop (right outside the door, actually, so as not to make a mess). I'm using my tools, mostly, but I did borrow his router and saw-horses. Weirdly, although this is one of the most ambitious woodworking projects I've ever tackled, I haven't fretted about the way it's going to turn out. Wood has a soul of it's own, and it's going to do what it wants, to an extent, but I know... I KNOW how this is going to turn out. It'll be the best piece of carpentry I've made yet. No where near as nice as what my grandfather could do, but better than anything I've ever made. It's like he's been looking over my shoulder the past two days, and coaching me, so that I don't rush, and make a mistake. Here you see the table mocked up. I wasn't frustrated, and I had nothing else pressing, but with two hours of daylight left, I KNEW it was time to quit for the day.

It's like Pop's standing here, keeping me from getting ahead of myself.

I miss him deeply, but today, in his shop, I swear he was hanging out with me all afternoon.

Fire!

Anyone else anal-retentive about organizing their fire lay? It always takes me 20 minutes to organize my kindling and logs before I light a fire, but because of that, they usually light quickly. Last night, I only used 1 match, which is typical, and had a roaring fire in about 5 minutes. Being organized with your fire lay requires some time up front, but it requires NO effort once you strike the match.

Woodworking

I'm making a table! We'll see how this goes.

Sunday

Went to my father's for lunch today, as is tradition. We talked about family, told old stories, drank a beer, and ate good. My father and I then retired to the garage and loaded about 65 rounds of .38spl. After lunch, wife, son and I ran a few errands, and I picked up my hunting license (two weeks till deer season).

I dropped my wife off for her shift at the vet clinic, and me and the son went home. Did a few chores, and went 'hunting' for rabbits. More of an excuse to wander in the woods with my son, but he loved it.

Spaghetti's on the stove, and I can't wait for a shower!

Hope everyone enjoyed their Sunday.

Deer Camera

My father and I put up a deer feeder and camera on the back acre of my property. There's a little hollow with a small secluded pasture that is perfect for game passing through. We set up the feeder a few weeks ago, and I've been checking it about twice a week. Looks like the deer have found it. There's a 6 or 8 point buck that we've seen on three different days since the 23rd, as well as a few does, but there's a wily old buck that's only appeared twice, in the dead of night, between midnight and 3am. He's at least a 10 point, and probably has a roughly 24-inch spread. Check him out.

I'll be happy with harvesting any venison this year, but if he steps into my sights, I'll be proud to take him home.

Finished!

Man, I'm pleased with the way this turned out. Now, I know that someone experienced could have made a bedgown turn out much nicer, with much nicer stitching, but the great thing is that this is a project that a novice can tackle and have it turn out nicely.

A bedgown uses 'simple' construction techniques, and is basically a light jacket worn by working class women. The higher society wore them too, but more as lounge wear between getting up and getting dressed. I made this one from an old blue wool blanket. The pattern is easily cut, and there are only a few measurements needed. Bedgowns didn't have buttons, and were generally held closed either with pins, or with an apron tied around the waist.

After the basic construction, I couldn't figure out how the 'shawl' type collar worked, but in looking around, I found a few examples with a simple dished neckline, so I went with that.

Finally, I lined the neck, opening, and cuffs with some slightly lighter blue ribbon. I'm sure an experienced seamstress could find a dozen things wrong with it, but I'm pleased with the finished project!

Box pleats

Well, I finished the box pleats on Tuesday. They looked weird, with just the pattern cut, and I didn't understand how they would go together, as I am a visual person, and I was following instructions from a few online sources that didn't have many construction pictures, but I started sewing, and they turned out nicely. Actually, it's a pretty cool construction technique if you want a fitted waist on a coat, with a nice full skirt.

Bedgown

I'm making a bedgown for my wife for the December encampment at Fort St Jean Baptiste. After looking up a lot of information online, I finally broke down and emailed Nancy (look in my blogroll for Excels at Nothing, which incidentally is a misnomer... she excels at many things, 18th century clothing being one of them). She provided me with some great instruction, and last night, I cut the pattern and sewed one sleeve and an underarm gusset.

More to come over the next week!

Brass

143 once-fired .38spl cases. I love range day, for so many reasons...

Gumbo

Of course, the great weather has finally gotten me in the "fall spirit", and of course, this has gotten me in the mood for a good gumbo, and of course, the temperature has climbed back into the high 70's this evening, even though I've been planning on making gumbo for 2 days...
Alas, I'll be sweating whilst eating gumbo tonight...

Of course, there's never a BAD time for gumbo...

Scattergun

I was digging around, and came across one of those butt-stock elastic ammo holders for hunting rifles. I got to thinking about it, and since I don't have a rifle that I'd want to use one on, I put it on my wife's old H&R .410. It's super convenient for those 'Paw, the 'coons are in the trash, again!' moments. Nine rounds or .410 #7 1/2 shot, ready to go!

Traditions

Three generations, hanging deer feeders and setting game cameras. Does it get any better than that?

Moving

Well, last Sunday, I had to call the local PD due to a man with a rifle walking around in the street behind our house. Yes, that's not illegal, but it was raining, and he kept going in and out of a house, and the last time he entered, I heard a bunch of screaming, then a young child ran out of his house and bolted down the street in nothing but his underwear. That's the point at which I called the cops. Couple that with the fact that I have seen a known convicted felon aimlessly wandering my street, and my wife and I decided that it was time to move. Like, sooner rather than later. We were planning on moving out to some family land that my grandmother graciously offered to let us stay at, but we were going to wait until around Christmas. Instead, Sunday afternoon, we packed the essentials, and headed out to my grandmother's property. It's gorgeous out here, and peaceful and quiet. Think bucolic pastureland, pine trees, fruit orchards, ponds and deer stands overlooking meadows. Yeah, it's great!

Anyway, we spoke to our landlord, and since our lease was up in 2 months anyway, he agreed that if we paid for October, he would keep our security deposit for November, and let us out of December. We have almost a full month to get all of our stuff moved, and this weekend I'll go get more essential stuff.

As weird of a week as it's been, it has worked out wonderfully.

Turkey shoot

I helped my dad with the turkey shoot that his church puts on every year. Between measuring targets, I looked over and saw my dad coaching one of my nieces on what to do. I was lucky enough to get a picture of it.

Pipes (update)

For some reason, the picture didn't upload in the original post...

Pipes

For those that don't know me in meatspace, I smoke a pipe. I generally smoke about 4-5 times a day, and it was originally to wean myself off cigars, which I used to wean myself off cigarettes. I know, I know, it's bad for me, but smoking a small bowl of pipe tobacco 4-5 times daily is a lot better than smoking a pack and a half of Camels, I'd bet. It's a vice I can't shake, and I've come to terms with that. Also, pipe tobacco runs me about $10/week, as opposed to $50/week when I was smoking cigarettes. That helps.

Anyway, I have some nice pipes, but I generally use a Dr. Grabow 'Duke' as an everyday pipe. I take care of it, and change it's filter and clean it about once a day. Problem is, I generally get about 6 months from a pipe before it's no longer useable. Sometimes the bit cracks (twice, now), but most often the metal collar that holds the filter and connects the stem to the bowl gives way. It slides out of the stem, and becomes lodged in the bowl. I've had this happen a half-dozen times. Twice, I've gone back to the place I bought it from, and they've replaced the pipe for me.

This time, though, the bowl cracked. Now, yes, I'm a daily smoker, so I put more miles on a pipe than a typical user, but, hell, these Grabows are plagued with problems. Is it too much to expect 2 years from a $30 pipe? Now, I like the way Grabow pipes smoke, and I like a changeable filter system, and I LOVE the 'Duke' pipe grabow makes. It's a straight stem with a small bowl that smokes for 15-20 minutes. In function, it's the perfect pipe for me. I just wish they'd hold up longer.

(Non) Update

Hello, there, loyal readers. Yep, I've fallen off the face of the earth. Nope, it's not permanent. It's been crazy busy around here, but just daily life stuff. Couple that with a wicked head/chest cold, and I just haven't had much gumption for blogging (or even doing blog-worthy stuff...) the cold is on it's way out, and hopefully life will slow down a bit soon, so hopefully more bloggy goodness will be headed your way soon.

Later!

(Not So) Pocket Knife

My oldest brother has had this pocket knife for years. It's badged Smith and Wesson, and its an assisted open knife with a pocket clip. Problem is, he says when he carries it in his pocket, sometimes the blade opens up. Last time this happened, he sliced his pinkie open pretty good while getting something from his pocket. So... he carries it in a belt sheath. Further problem: the sheath it came with is a one-size-fits-none nylon number that flops around. It doesn't hold the knife that well, and the Velcro is starting to wear out.

So he asked me to make him a sheath. He wanted a simple leather sheath the fit the knife snugly and had a sturdy belt loop. So I made him one. Of course, I had to imbellish just a little bit, so I added a stitch-line reminiscent of a fleur-de-lis. Also, I like having a lanyard on a pocketknife that allows one. I tend to make them with complicated knots for several reasons: they look nice, they help you find them if they fall on the ground, and it puts a substantial amount of cordage in your pocket. You never know when having some rope handy will save your ass. His pocketknife now has about 7 feet of tarred Marline on it, in a pretty package that is just over 4 inches long. He may decide he doesn't like it, and can take it off, but I couldn't give it back without adding a bit of pretty, potentially ass-saving decoration.

Hope he likes it.

Comments

Wilson asks in comments about the picture of my brother shooting through a wall in my post titled 'Saturday Shoot'. It was a stage where when you got to that wall, you shot through a window. Inside were 4 'shoot' targets and 1 'no shoot' targets. The problem was, they were arranged in such a way that you literally had to stick your gun through the 'window' to engage one of the targets.

Also, Wilson asks in another post about horse racing if we won. Well, we didn't bet anything, but we had a great time, drank .75 cent miller ponies, ate well, watched some horses run, and spent the evening as a family... so yeah, I guess I did win!

Thanks for the comments, Wilson.

Horse Races

It was fun.

Saturday Shoot

My brother and dad have become involved in a shooting club, Cenla Sport Shooters. They invited me along this weekend, and we did some shooting.

I had a lot of fun, but I'm not sure what to make of it. It seems like your time is more important than accuracy, and the way they handle some things seem tactically unsafe... however, this is a game, not a training class, and it WAS a lot of fun.

By the last stage, I decided 'to hell' with the time, and just tried to make clean shots. I still managed to run the course in under a minute, and got all 28 rounds in the highest score ring.

I think if I end up going back, I'm just gonna worry about clean shooting, and ignore the time factor.

Mother-In-Law's Heater

Remember a while back I talked about my wife's mom becoming interested in self defense and concealed carry? Well, her husband has apparently been silently looking for the gun she wanted, a Ruger LCR in .38 special, with Crimson Trace lasergrips. He found one, with a DeSantis holster, for around 3 bills...

Not only is it a great gift for his wife, but he got a screamin' deal, too!

Bobbing the Hammer on a J-Frame

My wife has been telling me recently that she would like to get the hammer bobbed on her Smith and Wesson model 60. She said that the appendix holster I made for her a few months ago is wonderful, but the hammer keeps poking her, and over the course of a few hours, it gets very uncomfortable. Well, we took her 60 to my father's for Sunday lunch, and after consulting dad's S&W manual, I started disassembling the gun, and got the hammer out. Now, my natural talents only extend a bit into metalwork, but my brother was there, and he's a whiz at all things metal. I explained what I wanted, and he got to work.

First, he cut off the majority of the spur with a cut-off wheel. Next, he used a flat-bastard file, and removed a lot more metal. He then went to needle files. After that, he used a bit of coarse emery cloth, then switched to a stone bit in a drill. Finally, he used a buffing wheel with valve-grinding compound.

I got the little j-frame all put back together, and we shot a few rounds through it. Everything functions like it should, and my wife's carry piece is exactly what she wants. I even learned a bit about gunsmithing along the way. Ya know, this project went easier than I expected, and I'm immensely pleased with the result.

Leather

Man, it's been a busy weekend. On top of going to swimming at the bayou, changing the oil in the car, and going to the zoo, I also made a new holster.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about what i'd like in a IWB holster, and I made one on Saturday. I wanted to be able to carry one of my auto's without worrying about the holster being seen. I like high rise holsters, so I decided that the holster would ride high, meaning I could go with a minimalist design approach. I wanted it concealable under a t-shirt. I wanted to be able to remove it quickly, so either a snap or a clip was in order.

What you see above is what I came up with. I wore it to the zoo for about 2 hours, and it rode comfortably, without causing discomfort, even after I began sweating.

More use will determine if I hit jackpot, but I'm liking the results so far!

Trailer Hitch

I saw one of these a while back, I think maybe at Say Uncle. I showed it to my brother, because he loves all things metal, and all things guns. Apparently, he wanted one, so he made one, and built an extra, cuz he thought I might like one. It's pretty cool, and while the design idea is not original, there's only 2 in the world that my brother made. I happen to think that's kinda nifty.

The Smoke Got Out...

Apparently, cheaply made Chinese brass tumblers don't hold up that well.
I don't think it's supposed to do that.

Tumblin' Brass

My son and I were home alone today, with the wife going to visit friends. We did the obligatory house cleaning, then we went to a children's museum, so the boy-o could do something different. On the way back, we swung by the hardware store to get a few bolts so I could mount my press to the bench. We swung through a sno-cone stand, but they were closed! On a Saturday! What the hell?

Anyway, when we got home, we tumbled some brass. While it was tumbling, I cooked dinner, and boy-o got to add the alfredo sauce and the garlic. After dinner, Boy-o helped me sort out the brass from the media.

It's been a good day.

Once again, reloading

The brown truck of joy came through!

The Knife Fight

As any redneck boys will do, we always found ways to entertain ourselves growing up. My brothers and I generally had loads of fun, and had surprisingly few accidents along the way, considering what we found fun. I mean, sure, I blew my eyebrows off a few times with potato cannons, and got a red ant pile dropped in my lap, and temporarily blinded my cousin once with a firecracker, but who didn't have stuff like that happen? No, today, I'm gonna tell you about one of the times when s#!t got serious. I'm gonna tell you about the knife fight.

It was early march, and I was about 10. My brother Matt was about 15, and Barrett was about 18. The winter chill was still lingering in the air, but in Mom's mind, it was time for spring cleaning, so that meant we had to get to cleaning, or get out of the house. Naturally, we were in the pasture, looking for a way to entertain ourselves.

We were all standing there miserably wiping our runny noses on the sleeves of our jackets, when Matt had a stroke of genius. He saw a 6 foot long 1X4 leaning against the wall of the shed, and decided to try to throw his belt knife into it. The wall of the shed was wood as well, so we could easily see how badly he missed, as his knife was quivering in the shed wall about 2 feet from the board.

Barrett and I each took our turns, then we all went and retrieved our knifes, and proceeded to try again. We were highly amused, and entertained ourselves in this way for a good half hour. Then, of course, my older brothers decided to play mean older brother games.

Matt threw his knife. 'Kerthunk'. Barrett threw his knife. 'Kerthunk'. Before I could throw mine, they winked at each other, and raced forward to retrieve theirs. I was a bit miffed, but I expected such boorish behavior from my brothers from time to tome. After all, they both were interested in girls at that point, and couldn't be trusted to display proper behavior.

They got back. 'Kerthunk, kerthunk'. They ran forward again, Barrett laughing in his fine new pair of insulated Carhart overalls.

The third time they did it, I had enough. While they retrieved their knives, I fumed, and as they turned around, I thought "I'll show them!"  I threw my knife for all I was worth, right at the 1X4.

My aim was off. I sunk my knife right into the knee of a pair of brand new Carhart overalls. Barrett's face was actually pretty comical. His mouth made a large 'O', and his eyes were as big as teacups, whites showing all the way around. I was very concerned that I had killed him to death, and started forward, which proved to be my mistake. If I had taken off running immediately after throwing the knife, I'm sure I could have outrun him, or at least made it up a tree. As it was, I didn't realise my mistake until he reached down and slowly grasped the handle of my knife, and dislodged it from his knee, where it had superficially cut him. It probably would have been much worse if not for those thick new layers of Carhart on his knee.

In retrospect, I'm pretty glad he didn't have the presence of mind to hang on to my knife. If he hadn't dropped it before chasing me down, you may not be reading this today.

Reloading Update

I placed an order to Lee Precision and one to Midway USA today. Now I have almost everything I need either in my possession, or on it's way here. I still need powder and primers, but I can buy them locally, and I still need a set of 9mm dies, which are out of stock everywhere. Midway expects to have some in by September, and my father has set up an automatic notification to be alerted via email when they come in.

Can't wait!

FL CCW

Grams got her CCW in today, while we were visiting. How 'bout that?

Birthday Briar

We've been having fun this week in Florida, and my wife's grandmother remembered that my birthday is coming up soon. Now, my birthday is next week, but I never really think much about it. Birthdays really just aren't a big deal in my family, unless you're under 15. But Grams wanted to have a small party for me and Mother-in-Law (her birthday is within a few weeks of mine), so we went along. Well, I was genuinely surprised.

We had a great lunch of burgers and fries, and we gathered around afterwards for cake and ice cream. I got some very nice clothes, and I got a fine new set of grips for my j-frame, as well as 2 very nice Briar pipes that once belonged to my wife's grandfather.

That's some fine looking wood grain, no?

Model 37

Went and saw my wife's grandmother today, and grams showed me her new heater.
It's a square-butt j-frame, a model 37. No dash. The cylinder isn't recessed, but the barrel is pinned. It has a black anodized frame, and a blued barrel and cylinder. The barrel is 3 inches.
It's a beautiful little .38, and I just had to share it with ya'll.
Oh, and she paid less than $250 for it.

Word To The Wise

Those red plastic hoppers on top of a Lee Perfect Powder Measure? They don't hold up well when you drop 'em on concrete. I'm super gluing this one back together, but if this don't work, I'll have to buy a whole 'nuther one. They don't sell just the hopper...