Gun safe

I have been wanting one of those bedside safes for a long time. In my single days, and after getting married, but before we had a child, I kept a handgun on my nightstand. Along came my son, and I had to rethink my game plan. First, when he was an infant, the gun just got moved up higher, but still by the bed. When he took his first wobbly steps, it went on a shelf in the closet. Then it got put in a handgun case in the closet, which is how I have been keeping it for the past few years. Yes, I still have a gun close, but it is not as secure from small hands as I would like, nor is it as accessible to me as I would like.

Well, I got a $50 gift card to bass pro shop for my birthday from my wife's grandparents, and I knew what i needed to get with it- a bedside touch pad gunsafe. I found one that was roughly $50, and brought it home. Now, let's be serious... a $50 gun safe is not the highest quality. It will not stop a determined thief from making off with my gun. But it will stop my 4 year old from getting it, which is what i really want it for anyway.

Now, the factory spring on the safe didn't pop the lid with authority. Hell, it didn't pop it open with a heaving gasp. In fact, about 1 out of 5 times, the factory spring didn't give enough 'oomph' to pop it open at all. But hey, i knew what I bought, and I figured i might have to do some modifications before i even opened the box.

I scrounged around in my dad's garage with my brother, and we found an old spray bottle-like the kind that Formula 409 comes in. We ripped the spray mechanism apart, and removed the spring. It fit perfectly over the housing of the factory spring in my gun safe, but was TOO strong. It was so stiff that the lock mechanism had too much tension on it and wouldn't release. We cut about one twist off the spring, and viola! It works perfectly!

I can now safely keep a firearm by my bedside again, and still keep small fingers away from it!

Success is a great thing.

Iron Sights

I have been thinking lately about iron sights. I really wanted a good long gun for a BUG out bag, something big enough to take game with, but rugged enough to take a beating without being effected much. I settled my mind on a lever action 30-30 with iron sights.
While at my dad's today, i was discussing the merits of this with him, and he said "hell, why don't you borrow one of mine? I have 3!" We decided that I would bring back the .308 Handi-rifle I borrowed for hunting last year, and I could take home a 30-30. He had one he picked up at a pawn shop that he installed synthetic stocks and peep sights on. Said he had about $125 tied up in it. It looks as if it rode under the seat of a pickup for about 10 years, but the barrel is pristine, and the action is tight for a lever gun. It's a perfect BUG-out gun.
I plan on hunting with it this year, to get comfortable with iron sights again. I haven't done non-scope hunting in probably 10 years. We worked up a hand load for the gun this afternoon, and I shot it in my back yard. The longest shot i could make at my range is 50 yards, but 50 to 100 yards is about as long a shot as you can make in the woods where i live anyway, unless you are on a clearcut. Besides, with iron sights, i wouldn't shoot at much beyond 100 yards anyway.
Shooting from a squat, holding the rifle in my hands, at 50 yards, I put 5 shots in a 3 and 7/8 inch group. That's shooting into the front sight accurate, and that will be a sub 8 inch group at 100 yards, plenty good to harvest deer. I need to adjust the sight to pull the group 2 and 1/2 inches to the left, but otherwise, I'm ready for the woods.
She may not win any beauty contests, but this Winchester '94 is a workhorse, and I feel comfortable with what she can do.
Now to buy a hunting license before October...

Test

The Blogger app on my phone died horribly for some reason. Uninstall. Reinstall. Repeat.

No Joy.

I am now trying email blogging. Lets see how this goes.

Shootin'

Called my uncle yesterday evening. My wife was planning on helping my aunt decorate their new house, so I called my uncle to see if he wanted to come over an shoot.

He did... imagine that! Apparently he'd rather shoot pistols than place furniture where ladies tell him to!

He brought out his newest piece, a S&W M&P full sized .40 cal. I had my Glock 19, and my Springfield 1911.

We went to my pistol range in the back yard and posted targets, then we shot, bullshat, and shot some more. As you can see, he enjoyed the 1911.

Afterwards, we drank some ice water, discussed holsters, deer rifles, and laser sights, as well as talked about family.

It was a great way to spend a morning.

Portmanteau-purse

What have i been doing this week? Well, taking it easy and hanging out with family, mostly. We have done some sightseeing, some swimming in the Atlantic, and a lot of eating.

I have also done some leather working to pass the time. I taught my brother a bit about leather working, and have showed him the basics of layout, design, and stitching. He actually picked it up pretty quickly. He's a sheet metal fabricator, so design and layout he gets. I made him a wallet 2 years ago, and he loved it, but had some design improvements he wanted in his next one. So it seemed only logical to teach him how to do the work, and let him make his wallet.

I also had a cousin recently graduate high school. She is an artist and a writer, and has a flair for the eclectic, unique, and funky. I decided to make a purse for her, but a run-of-the-mill purse wouldn't suit her. I took the design idea from a portmanteau, but added a bit of flair to make it suited for college parties hosted by theatre students.

I hope she'll like it.

Road Trippin"

Well, 600 miles into the trip, and we are over halfway there. Currently in Georgia for the night, outside Atlanta. The morning holds breakfast and a return to the car. Hope to be hitting Myrtle Beach around 3 pm tomorrow.

Can't wait to meet up with my wife! I miss her and the boy-o.

Officer Down

Brian Lorenzo

http://www.odmp.org/officer/21332-police-officer-brian-lorenzo

Officer Down

Leopoldo Cavazos

http://www.odmp.org/officer/21330-border-patrol-agent-leopoldo-cavazos-jr

Aaron Beesley

http://www.odmp.org/officer/21317-trooper-aaron-beesley

Leather

Those of us in law enforcement are always looking for new gear. The equipment most departments issues is contracted through the lowest bidder, so quality isn't that wonderful. And even if your department does give good gear out, a holster that works great for me may not work well for you. Differences like length of arms or torso, how you draw, and where you carry can make a good holster unworkable for you. As such, peace officers are always spending money on gear they think will work better for them. I bet my dad has spent several thousands of dollars just on holsters, belts, and pouches (for magazines, cuffs, radios, etc.) over his career. Every time you buy a new piece of gear, you think 'this is gonna be better!' Usually it is. You wear it, you like it, it works for you, and you are happy with it. But after a few months, you notice a small problem with it, something that you will look for next time, so you don't have the same problem. Maybe a snap is a tad tight. Maybe the adjustment screw loosens by itself over time. Maybe you want more cant. It's always something, and after a year or two, it bothers you enough to make you buy a replacement. The new one solves the problem, and you like it and it works well... except this one thing.....

The point of all this is that I recently ordered a few things from Gall's. Of course, both of the items were listed a stocking items, and both ended up back ordered. When they did finally send me my holster, it wasn't the one I ordered. After returning it, and another 3 week wait, the right one finally came in. Now, Galls' shipping and stocking departments suck, but they do have excellent customer service. I won't go into the details of how they fixed their repeated screw-ups, but suffice it to say that the customer service dept. Does a wonderful job, and are very friendly.

Anyway, i ordered a holster and handcuff/magazine holder made by Aker Leather. The quality is nice. It's not handcrafted by any means, but for the price and for being a machine made product, i like them. They are built to last a long, long while. Being a plainclothes officer, these items work great for me as opposed to more traditional duty gear. They wear well on my 100% top grain leather belt, so i don't need to use a duty rig, and the magazine/handcuff holder saves room and weight on my overloaded belt.

I'm truly happy with these products, and they fit my needs perfectly. I wouldn't change a thing about 'em!..... well.... except.....

So it goes!

Independence

Watch "Too Late to Apologize: A Declaration" on YouTube

Let Freedom Ring.