Call me Ahab

posted by Caleb on Jul 16

Last night on the podcast, The Breda mentioned that she was “buying that holster” I had recommend her.  This morning, I had a couple of emails from people asking me what rig she was talking about, so I am more than happy to oblige your gear-lust.

The rig in question was the “Stinger” belt holster from Galco - I recommended it to her because I used one when I carried a Bersa .380, and I thought it was a great holster.  Obviously, the usual caveats about different body types and comfort levels apply, but I’m hoping that this holster will work out as well for her as it did for me.

posted by Caleb on Jul 15

Squeaky and I will be talking concealed carry for the ladies with Breda from The Breda Fallacy.

The show is live at 11pm Eastern time, and you can listen live at www.blogtalkradio.com/gunnuts, you can also call in and speak with Squeaks, Breda, or myself by calling  (347) 539-5436.  If you’re a woman who carries, please feel free to give us a call and share your experience with us.

Again, the URL is http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gunnuts and the show goes live at 11pm eastern time.  If you can’t catch us live, you can visit that same URL the following morning and download or stream the most recent show, as well as any other show from our archives.

Tonight - Gun Nuts The Next Generation and Breda, live at 11pm Eastern!

posted by Caleb on Jun 26

Everyone who is cool is talking about holsters right now; I have decided to drop my two cents into the communal pool.

I deal with an annoying situation when I carry, namely the fact that as a not-exactly-large guy, I have to choose my holsters very carefully when I’m carrying anything larger than a pocket pistol.  I’m not exactly brand loyal, which is a nice way of saying that I have a drawer full of holsters that I’ve tried and ultimately discarded for being uncomfortable/impractical or just plain bad.

As a self-described metro-tactical person, my holster selection is further confounded by my choice of clothing.  Assuming for the moment that I’m not carrying a pocket gun like my Beretta .25 ACP, my preferred method of carry is an inside the waistband holster.  For me, that’s been an ideal solution, as it allows me to usually carry a full-sized handgun without having to strap a giant holster on to my not giant frame.

When I carry outside the waistband, it is really a mixed bag, although I tend to use a lot of Galco holsters as I like their construction and durability.  But I’ll also go plastic fantastic sometimes with my holster, as the Blackhawk designs often allow the fastest access to the gun from concealment.

Tam is absolutely right about holsters - you need to put as much thought into your rig as you do into the carry gun itself.  Because I’ve taken the time to develop my carry guns, to carefully chose which holsters work best for which carry situations, I’ve reached a point where I can be pretty safe to guess which new rigs will and won’t work for me.

But the key to getting to that level is carry your gun a lot.  A lot of people buy a new blaster with a crappy holster and then leave the gun in the sock drawer because “it’s too heavy” or something, not realizing that it’s probably your holster that’s causing the problem.

The most often overlooked component of your carry set-up isn’t your holster though - it’s your belt.  Because the holster rides on the belt, a crappy, saggy belt will go a long way towards reducing the efficiency of any holster that you use.  Galco and other companies actually make purposely designed belts for carry, which are often reinforced with plastic linings inside the belt.  The problem with those is that sometimes they’re not exactly stylish, but that’s okay.  For a man or a woman, any thick, stiff belt will be a good choice.  One of my favorite gun belts is quite “hip” (or whatever the kids are saying) as it’s thick leather with two roles of metal rings reinforcing it.  I can carry my Beretta 92D and two spare magazines on this belt like it’s not even there.

Even though I’ve already said it two or three times, you need to try a lot of holsters before you find “the one” that works.  Just because your first holster/belt combo didn’t work isn’t a reason to toss the gun, it’s just a reason to find a new holster and belt combo.  Then someday you can be like me and have a drawer full of holsters you never wear.

posted by Caleb on Jun 6

Comments like this one really, really piss me off - in fact they piss me off so bad that the only comments I’ve ever deleted other than obvious spam were along the same lines of “let’s shoot some cops”.  The comment below was made in reference to a fellow who was arrested for legally openly carrying and then made some poor choices after the fact - but at least he was smarter than this guy:

Why? Because I believe that submitting to this sort of infringement and then trying to seek redress in the courts is a de facto surrender of my 2A rights. I would shoot the bastards [the police] on the spot without a second thought [emphasis mine]. As it is, I frequently carry concealed without a CCW because I refuse to submit to an unconstitutional permitting process.

Talking about shooting police in a public forum, website, or anything like that is always a dumb idea.  If some guy is getting arrested for carrying legally and decided to shoot it out with the cops, I will be the very first person to throw his ass to the legal wolves, because murdering police officers is never, ever going to make our case.

Whether or not I personally have a line that I won’t allow the government to cross isn’t even the issue, because like everyone else, I do - but I certainly won’t be bragging on the internet about how I’d “shoot the bastards”.

In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m usually “pro-law enforcement” on here; in part because both my dad and I work/worked in law enforcement.  I believe that as a movement, it only helps gun owners to have the police on our side, and as many of us know a lot of rank and file cops are already on our side.  But all this crap about shooting cops because they’re “infringing” on your rights is stupid.  If one CCW holder decides to get blasty-blasty with the police, it screws over every single other law abiding gun owner in the country, because don’t think for a minute that the media wouldn’t blare that incident all over the news night and day.

On the other hand, if a CCW holder is wrongfully arrested and detained, and fights the battle through the legal system and wins, instead of ending up a dead idiot, he becomes a legal precedent.

I guess I should thank my lucky stars that most people who talk about shooting cops on the internet are armchair commandos, and would never actually go through with it in real life - of course, that doesn’t lessen the stupidity of saying things like that.  Alienating law enforcement will never help us expand our right to keep and bear arms, and will only increase the current divide in public perception between “us and them”.

posted by Caleb on May 23

From John Snow at The GunShots:

Beretta says its sub-compact versions of the PX4 Storm pistols are going to start shipping on June 1. The pistols come in either 9mm (13+1) or 40 S&W (10+1) and list for $600 and $575 respectively.

Did someone say “sub-compact 9mm Beretta”? Maybe I can get John to send me their test pistol for uh…further testing and carrying.

Sidebar note: I’ve added a new category for posts, labeled “Beretta”, since I plan on doing some Beretta specific content here in the future.

posted by Caleb on May 21

My last gun porn post from the NRA Annual Meetings centers around my wife’s search for a carry gun.  She’s starting the process of getting her Indiana carry permit, and wants a gun that is not only effective, but “cute”.  I fully support her in this endeavor, because honestly I don’t care what a gun looks like as long as it does the job of going bang when the trigger is pulled.

The gun below is one I’m trying to get my hands on so I can really wring it out - it’s the Charter Arms .327 Federal Magnum with a 3 inch barrel.  I’m intrigued by this cartridge - in theory it could be the coolest thing to happen to concealed carry wheelguns in a long time.

The rest of the pictures are contained beneath the cut, again I don’t want to jam up the entire front page with a giant gun porn post.

Read the rest of this entry »

posted by Caleb on May 15

A couple of days ago I posted that the Secret Squirrels Service isn’t going to allow heaters into the hall where Johnny “Col. Tigh” McCain is speaking on Friday’s Leadership Forum at the Annual Meetings.

There were some pissed off people in the comments, and I also got some nasty emails that were directed at NRA, Sen. McCain, and the Secret Service all with varying degrees of vitriol.  I actually really wanted to talk about this issue, because a lot of people have really got the the wrong idea about this and are angry about something they don’t really have a good reason to be angry about.

First off, this isn’t NRA’s fault.  NRA can in no way dictate to the Secret Service how they (the Service) is going to run protection for Sen. McCain.  Trust me on this one, when you’re dealing with the Secret Service on the issue of executive protection, it’s their way or the highway.

It’s also not really McCain’s fault either; the minute he agreed to accept Secret Service protection, he immediately ceased being the guy who made the final decisions about his safety and security.

I want you guys for just a second to look at this issue from the point of view of the protective detail that has to watch McCain’s shorts during this convention.  If I was in their shoes, I would have made the exact same decision to screen people.  And it wouldn’t be because I think some NRA member is going to take a shot at McCain, it would have been because if I didn’t screen everyone going into this thing, than I wouldn’t be doing my job.

Having been to events before involving presidents and candidates and such, I can say that attendees have been screened at every single one that I’ve seen in the past - to expect NRA members to not be screened is expecting special treatment.  Even if every single NRA member that would be carrying to this event is a law-abiding citizen, the protective detail really can’t take that chance.  Just because you or I or any of the other 60,000 NRA members in attendance wouldn’t do something stupid/illegal doesn’t mean that the Secret Service isn’t going to treat this like any other speaking engagement for a presidential candidate.

If you don’t like McCain, that’s fine.  If you don’t like NRA, that’s your prerogative as well - but if you are going to hate on NRA or McCain, don’t get mad at them for something that’s completely out of control.  It’s also kind of foolish to get mad at the Secret Service for doing their jobs.

posted by Caleb on May 13

I mentioned yesterday that I had picked up a Beretta 950 Jetfire from Gander Mountain, it’s a little pocket sized .25 ACP. Beretta has been making pocket pistols in .25 ACP since the early 1900s, in fact, I have one of their early 1919 models - sort of the great grandfather to the Beretta 950.

The Beretta 950 is a single action, semi-automatic magazine fed pistol; like most pocket guns it’s blowback operated. Because it’s chambered for .25 ACP, it lacks an extractor, although the Beretta style open slide usually allows for positive ejection of spent cases. While pre-1968 models lack an external safety, mine does the safety which allows me to carry the little pistol cocked-and-locked.

Of course, you want pictures. Click for a fullsize picture.

With the pocket holster, it just drops right into a jeans or trouser pocket, and can basically go anywhere that there aren’t metal detectors or pat searches. Sure, the .25 ACP isn’t a manly super-blaster of a cartridge, but when I can’t carry the 9mm or the .45, it certainly beats going around unarmed. Sort of by way of compensation for the tiny, tiny bullets, the 950 does have an eight round magazine, plus one round in the tip-up barrel/chamber - giving you nine rounds of .25 ACP.

The biggest appeal of this gun to me, aside from the fact that it says “Beretta” on the gun, is that it really is a spectacular deep concealment piece in terms of ease of carry. I’ve never made any bones about the fact that I’m a small of stature, and being able to be carrying a 9 round pistol plus an 8 round reload without even a hint of a “print” is a nice feeling.

posted by Caleb on May 12

It appears that coyotes are getting more and more comfortable around people, apparently having attacked some more kids in California.

Coyotes are starting to turn into a problem out here in Indiana as well; in an odd coincidence I saw one loping through the woods behind my house just this morning. There are running trails in those woods, and a lot of kids play back there as well. The comfortable nature of coyotes with people is one of the reasons that I carry when I go for walks with Mrs. Ahab - while I’m concerned about 2 legged predators, the reality of the thing is that I’m much more likely to confront a dangerous animal than I am a dangerous person.

I do agree with Uncle though; a 40 grain .22 in the head of a coyote is a lot less likely to upset the neighbors than a .204 Ruger or a .223 Remington R-15 VTR.  If you’re really cool, you could use a suppressed 9mm AR at short ranges to do the same job.

posted by Caleb on May 8

To the NRA Annual Meetings!

One of Louisville’s biggest conventions, the National Rifle Association, begins Friday May 16th with most events at the fairgrounds. The NRA is advising its members to feel free to bring along their own firearms if they are so inclined. And apparently even to a speech by the republican presidential candidate John McCain.

When McCain appears at the NRA convention in Louisville next Friday, not only will his security detail be armed, but so will the audience.

The national rifle association’s Ashley Varner says it’s “a treat” that the Kentucky Exposition Center, unlike previous NRA convention sites, allows concealed weapons.

This is neat on multiple levels for people attending the Annual Meetings and the Blog Bash. First off, since the convention center is allowing carry guns, that means you don’t have to worry about leaving your gun in an unsecure hotel room while you go gallivanting around the convention. Secondly, like Sebastian I’m very pleased that McCain has called off the Secret Service and will allow said permit holders to attend his speech while armed. It shows a tremendous amount of respect for law-abiding citizens, and is an excellent way to start his courtship of the gun owner vote that he will need come November.

Remember, Kentucky honors all carry permits, so it doesn’t matter where you’re from, as long as you have a permit you’re good to carry in Kentucky. Of course, it creates the other question of what carry gun to bring with me to Louisville. Sure, I could just bring my Beretta 92D, but that’s not sufficiently snazzy enough. A good Bar-B-Que gun might be in order to carry to NRA Annual meetings, something with a little bit of class and panache to it would obviously be the order of the day. Maybe my ‘37 Brazilian S&W? On the flip side, I’m going to be doing a lot of walking, and I don’t know if I want to be weighed down by a heavy carry piece - I could always go old school and pack a .32 ACP Beretta from WWII, that would be neat-o. Oh, decisions decisions.

Clarification: It seems that the reporter got a little carried and took a bit of “creative license” (I know, I know, a reporter making a mistake - will wonders never cease).  You can carry at the convention center on the convention floor, however security details for McCain’s speech are being kept confidential.