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.