Today I went to the range with just the SD9 to finish up it's 1000 round break in and to test some reloads. My first ten round string had a lot of vertical stringing and was about two inches to the left. That kind of bummed me out because those are both signs of fundamental flaws in my shooting, bad breath control and recoil anticipation. I tried several more times but the groups just kept getting worse and worse. After about thirty rounds I switched to a different reload as I figured that it must be an ammo problem. It got worse, much worse. I was so focused on my shooting and a suspected ammo problem that I completely failed to notice that the rear sight was loose and working it's way out of the dovetail. After drifting it back into the middle of the slide and tightening the set screw everything came right back to normal. Not the greatest day at the range as I wanted to work on reloads and holster presentation, but I did run 300 rounds downrange and found a weak spot to keep an eye on with this gun.
Shooting log summary:
1015 rounds total
300 rounds today
malf list:
3 failures to eject total - weak handloads
4 failures to lock back on last round total - weak handloads
2 failures to feed total - human error.
2 failures to feed today. Both times failed round was slide release nose dive on a fresh magazine. Hand racking the slide cleared both malfunctions. Probably sloppy putting the last round into the magazine.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Getting a 'Good' Gun
Caleb over at Gun Nuts posted this today.
http://gunnuts.net/2010/12/15/life-is-too-short/
I encourage you to go read the article as it's a pretty good post about equipment reliability and choosing a firearm that you can trust. The only thing I don't agree with is his characterization that a Glock or a S&W revolver is going to be a better gun than a Bersa or any other cheap gun. All guns are mechanical objects that can fail. The only way to never experience a failure with your firearm is to never shoot it. I own two PF9s, a Ruger P95, a Smith and Wesson SD9, and a Sig P239. I mention these guns in particular because two weeks ago I took them all to the range for an extended range session. Now up here in Montana we are experiencing something of an indian summer. It's above freezing and the sun is shining. Two weeks ago it was 12 degrees and there was 17 inches of snow on the ground.
These are not ideal gun conditions. Guns carried next to the skin are warm, happy, and moist. The second they clear the holster they are covered in frost and you don't want to lick them. The first thing I did when I got to the range was practice an all up, the crap is hitting the fan drill. Now, not all of my guns were in their carry holsters on my body when I got the range. The SD9 is brand new and hasn't earned it's place as a carry gun yet. The Ruger is semi-retired with almost 8k rounds through it. One PF9 was in my pocket and the Sig was IWB. The PF9 came out first and all eight of it's rounds rang the steel at 25 yards with narry a glitch. Same with the seven round reload. The Sig came out and the first round range steel at the same time that the magazine dropped out of the gun and all the little bullets rattled around on the ground at my feet. The magazine spring was stuck all the way at the bottom of the magazine and I was unable to clear that malfunction until I got the magazine on the bench at the house.
Both the P95 and the SD9 choked on the some low power LRN bullets that I built in my quest for the most accurate range load I can build. But when using factory and full power reloads both of those guns performed flawlessly. The Sig continued to run very well with a different magazine.
I guess my point here is that a cheap gun is probably no less reliable than an expensive gun. The only way you really know if a gun is going to go bang for you, is to pull the trigger. I would never have guessed that my Sig would have such a catastrophic failure that day. Two is one and one is none, no matter how 'good' a gun you've got on your belt.
http://gunnuts.net/2010/12/15/life-is-too-short/
I encourage you to go read the article as it's a pretty good post about equipment reliability and choosing a firearm that you can trust. The only thing I don't agree with is his characterization that a Glock or a S&W revolver is going to be a better gun than a Bersa or any other cheap gun. All guns are mechanical objects that can fail. The only way to never experience a failure with your firearm is to never shoot it. I own two PF9s, a Ruger P95, a Smith and Wesson SD9, and a Sig P239. I mention these guns in particular because two weeks ago I took them all to the range for an extended range session. Now up here in Montana we are experiencing something of an indian summer. It's above freezing and the sun is shining. Two weeks ago it was 12 degrees and there was 17 inches of snow on the ground.
These are not ideal gun conditions. Guns carried next to the skin are warm, happy, and moist. The second they clear the holster they are covered in frost and you don't want to lick them. The first thing I did when I got to the range was practice an all up, the crap is hitting the fan drill. Now, not all of my guns were in their carry holsters on my body when I got the range. The SD9 is brand new and hasn't earned it's place as a carry gun yet. The Ruger is semi-retired with almost 8k rounds through it. One PF9 was in my pocket and the Sig was IWB. The PF9 came out first and all eight of it's rounds rang the steel at 25 yards with narry a glitch. Same with the seven round reload. The Sig came out and the first round range steel at the same time that the magazine dropped out of the gun and all the little bullets rattled around on the ground at my feet. The magazine spring was stuck all the way at the bottom of the magazine and I was unable to clear that malfunction until I got the magazine on the bench at the house.
Both the P95 and the SD9 choked on the some low power LRN bullets that I built in my quest for the most accurate range load I can build. But when using factory and full power reloads both of those guns performed flawlessly. The Sig continued to run very well with a different magazine.
I guess my point here is that a cheap gun is probably no less reliable than an expensive gun. The only way you really know if a gun is going to go bang for you, is to pull the trigger. I would never have guessed that my Sig would have such a catastrophic failure that day. Two is one and one is none, no matter how 'good' a gun you've got on your belt.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
SD9 Magazines
For a very reasonably priced gun, magazines are silly expensive. $40 a pop. I tried the gun show today but struck out. Found a total of four at local sporting goods stores. All of the mags I found are for Sigmas but other than a slightly different floor plate, they are identical to the SD mags. The Sigma floor plate blends right into the gun.
Friday, November 26, 2010
SD9 at the range
It was a blowing blustery day at the range. Probably 30mph winds and a brisk 25 degrees. The SD off the rest at 25 yards put together some 4 inch 10 shot groups for me. I think it's capable of more, but not in those conditions. At 10 yards I had no problems keeping 15 shots inside a two inch circle off hand. I also stopped by the store and tried the gun in a Serpa M&P holster (size 25) which fits it like a glove. I'm betting most holsters for the M&P will fit the SD9 with no problems at all.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Pictures of the SD9
Hopefully it will go to the range tomorrow. I did about 200 dry fires last night. I really like the way it feels in my hands. The trigger is just fine, it's no STI but I like it. For a budget gun it sure has a nice finish.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
New Pistol Smith and Wesson SD9
A S&W SD9 followed me home this week. I really like the trigger. It's better than a Glock trigger and certainly better than a Sigma trigger. I've never had a chance to shoot an M&P so I can't comment on that. Overall I like the gun to start. It's grip angle is slightly different than my P95 so I'm a little slower getting on target. The front night sight is great, very easy to pick up in low/no light. It appears the magazines are Sigma mags with a different base plate, $40 a pop is bit expensive, but that's S&W for you. The grip frame is very comfortable and surprisingly slim for a double stack gun. I've got a nice holster on the way for it and I'm hoping that the Serpa M&P holster will fit it. Pics and a range report to follow.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
My first pistol match
Yesterday I bit the bullet and entered a USPSA club match. I've had exactly two practice sessions with the club and I was hooked.
Here is the blow by blow:
First stage. This stage was called confusion and I wish that I could have come at it a little later in the day. From the start box there were two stacked targets on the right and two side by side targets on the left. When that buzzer went off I was so hopped up I managed to miss one target completely and Alpha/Charlie the other three. After the first two you run through a doorway and there are four more targets, two left, two right. Somewhere in that group you've got to do a mag change. I should have shot left first, then it's easy to do a safe mag change when switching to the right hand targets. I failed at that and almost got a DQ for muzzle breaking the 180. Then you procede through another doorway and engage three more targets, two left, one right. I did ok on these and then it was time for another mag change. Then there are four steel targets to shoot through a low porthole. I took two shots on each before I got them all down. The second row of targets were all A/C while the three before the steel were A/D, A/A, and A/C. Third row were all C/C An absolutely dismal performance.
Second stage. This stage started in a chair facing a porthole with three targets. I did really well on these getting A/A on all three. Then there were two more groups of three targets that I believe were all A/C and then three steel targets that had to be engaged through the porthole. I missed the steel quite a bit and that hurt my time as well. I went slower on this round but those C hits really hurt. Some people may be able to miss fast enough to win this game, but I can't. The range officer warned me that I had my finger in the trigger guard during my mag changes. This is a first for me. I'm usually very careful about that but when concentrating on everything else it appears that I slipped.
Third stage. Steel Qualifier. With only six targets 36 feet away, you'd think this one would be easy. So they but a board right in front of you and make you shoot around it. When I practiced this, I placed one foot on each fault line and used that extra wide stance to get low and lean around the barrier. When I shot it for real, I tried a left foot back stance. I really had to crane around to shoot at the targets and it took me twelve rounds to put those six targets down. After the stage, the range officer told me that I was missing left. That was a real eye opener two me as I though I was missing high. On further examination my middle finger was tightening with my trigger finger pulling the gun to the left. *Sigh* Yet another thing to work on.
Fourth stage. A texas star. Hunt youtube if you want to see what this is. I did pretty well on this stage making my goal of under one minute. Of course par time would be 12 seconds so you know what my score was like.
Fifth stage. I'd gotten another warning about my trigger finger so the only thing I worked on during this stage was trigger finger placement. I ran it really slow and got some awesome hits through out the stage.
Moral of the story? Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. If I'd fired all my stages like the last one, I would have finished much higher in the standings. I'll have to remember to come read this before my next match.
Here is the blow by blow:
First stage. This stage was called confusion and I wish that I could have come at it a little later in the day. From the start box there were two stacked targets on the right and two side by side targets on the left. When that buzzer went off I was so hopped up I managed to miss one target completely and Alpha/Charlie the other three. After the first two you run through a doorway and there are four more targets, two left, two right. Somewhere in that group you've got to do a mag change. I should have shot left first, then it's easy to do a safe mag change when switching to the right hand targets. I failed at that and almost got a DQ for muzzle breaking the 180. Then you procede through another doorway and engage three more targets, two left, one right. I did ok on these and then it was time for another mag change. Then there are four steel targets to shoot through a low porthole. I took two shots on each before I got them all down. The second row of targets were all A/C while the three before the steel were A/D, A/A, and A/C. Third row were all C/C An absolutely dismal performance.
Second stage. This stage started in a chair facing a porthole with three targets. I did really well on these getting A/A on all three. Then there were two more groups of three targets that I believe were all A/C and then three steel targets that had to be engaged through the porthole. I missed the steel quite a bit and that hurt my time as well. I went slower on this round but those C hits really hurt. Some people may be able to miss fast enough to win this game, but I can't. The range officer warned me that I had my finger in the trigger guard during my mag changes. This is a first for me. I'm usually very careful about that but when concentrating on everything else it appears that I slipped.
Third stage. Steel Qualifier. With only six targets 36 feet away, you'd think this one would be easy. So they but a board right in front of you and make you shoot around it. When I practiced this, I placed one foot on each fault line and used that extra wide stance to get low and lean around the barrier. When I shot it for real, I tried a left foot back stance. I really had to crane around to shoot at the targets and it took me twelve rounds to put those six targets down. After the stage, the range officer told me that I was missing left. That was a real eye opener two me as I though I was missing high. On further examination my middle finger was tightening with my trigger finger pulling the gun to the left. *Sigh* Yet another thing to work on.
Fourth stage. A texas star. Hunt youtube if you want to see what this is. I did pretty well on this stage making my goal of under one minute. Of course par time would be 12 seconds so you know what my score was like.
Fifth stage. I'd gotten another warning about my trigger finger so the only thing I worked on during this stage was trigger finger placement. I ran it really slow and got some awesome hits through out the stage.
Moral of the story? Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. If I'd fired all my stages like the last one, I would have finished much higher in the standings. I'll have to remember to come read this before my next match.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Religious Fanatics
The little punk ass preacher down in Florida? How come this makes the news? Burning books, what is this 1810? The guy is a complete nut job with an invisible friend that talks to him. The only people who should be paying attention to this guy are the ones with the nicely tailored jackets and rooms with upholsterer walls.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Hippie
You are 35% hippie.
You're in the middle, leaning towards the non-hippie side of things, but you're not afraid to try out some hippie philosophies. Good going! An open mind is all a person really needs to lead a happy life.
Are you a hippie?
Take More Quizzes
Are you a hippie?
Take More Quizzes
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
New Gun on the Way
So, I was hanging out on my favorite gun forum and I saw a gun up for sale in the trading post. Sig 239 in 9mm with 5 mags, 3 holsters, etc. Basically the whole kit and caboodle minus ammo, for about the price of the gun in used condition. I've only gotten to shoot a Sig once, a single stack full size 9mm. I liked it, but not enough to spend the money on one. This week, I bit, the price was just to good. I can hardly wait to shoot this gun. Will is be as nice as I remember? Will it be as accurate as I've always heard they are? Will it be small enough to become my new EDC? I hope so, it cost me $300 in wife tax to bring this one home.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Win 1000 rounds of .380 ACP Ammo
During the great ammo shortage of 2008 I really caught the reloading bug. I've come to enjoy the simple pleasures of making my own little precisely measured dollops of lead poisoning. That said, I wouldn't have the brass I needed to enjoy reloading without places like Lucky Gunner to buy ammo at. So when Breda posted that Lucky Gunner and The Firearms Blog were giving away ammo. I got excited. With ammo prices still running almost 150% of 2007 pricing. Every shooter is feeling the pinch. Now I don't shoot .380. Not because I don't like it or think it's not effective. I just don't want to complicate my ammo supply. So, because I've enjoyed reading Breda's blog so much, I'm giving any .380 ammo I win to her.
All this reminds me on why I've made my personal ammo decisions. I stick with NATO calibers for all my firearms. 7.62 is plenty big enough for any animals I hunt. 5.56 is a great plinking round. 9mm is everything I need in a defensive round. 12 gauge is what the Marines use for house clearing, I've never been one to argue with a marine about ammo choices. I find that twelve gauge works just fine from home defense to Canadian Geese. It can be a lot of fun to play with different calibers, but if I really want to shoot a .45, I've got lots of friends to help scratch that itch.
Now my son, he has to get all fancy with that 25-06, the little rebel. He listens to rap music too. I guess if that's as bad as he gets, I've probably got the best kid in the world.
All this reminds me on why I've made my personal ammo decisions. I stick with NATO calibers for all my firearms. 7.62 is plenty big enough for any animals I hunt. 5.56 is a great plinking round. 9mm is everything I need in a defensive round. 12 gauge is what the Marines use for house clearing, I've never been one to argue with a marine about ammo choices. I find that twelve gauge works just fine from home defense to Canadian Geese. It can be a lot of fun to play with different calibers, but if I really want to shoot a .45, I've got lots of friends to help scratch that itch.
Now my son, he has to get all fancy with that 25-06, the little rebel. He listens to rap music too. I guess if that's as bad as he gets, I've probably got the best kid in the world.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
PF9 Mark II Update
My new to me PF9 has performed beautifully for me. It's been to the range three times kicking about 250 rounds down range each time. No malfunctions to speak of. But I've got a problem. I can't seem to trust the PF9 design as much as I used to. Having the takedown pin walk out on me makes me wonder when it'll happen again. What if it happened when I really needed the gun? So I found a screaming deal on the Sig P239. Hopefully it'll be small enough to become my every day carry gun.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
New to Me Carry Gun
So with my little PF9 off to the factory for repair, I've been carrying my full size pistol. A full size Ruger 9mm is not a very comfortable carry gun when you've gotten used to the small light, disappear in your pants PF9. So I was very happy when I found a used PF9 at my local pawn shop. I went to the bank to grab some cash and when I got back, it had been sold. :(
The next morning I got a call from the broker, the buyer had been denied on his background check. Bad luck for him, great news for me.
The gun was in perfect mechanical shape, I'd say less than 100 rounds down the barrel. No frame rail wear, the are still tool marks inside the barrel. It did have a lot of holster wear. I'd say that 90% of the bluing was gone. An afternoon with some cold blue has that all taken care of and tomorrow it's going to the range. If this gun is a shooter, I'll be happy to carry it until my primary gun comes home.
The next morning I got a call from the broker, the buyer had been denied on his background check. Bad luck for him, great news for me.
The gun was in perfect mechanical shape, I'd say less than 100 rounds down the barrel. No frame rail wear, the are still tool marks inside the barrel. It did have a lot of holster wear. I'd say that 90% of the bluing was gone. An afternoon with some cold blue has that all taken care of and tomorrow it's going to the range. If this gun is a shooter, I'll be happy to carry it until my primary gun comes home.
Monday, June 21, 2010
PF9 going back to the factory
Saturday was not the best day. It started beautifully. Wide open time line, plenty of ammo, some new loads to test, and great weather. Things were going really well until I pulled out the pocket pistol.
I had just fired it's first five round string of the day and the take down pin broke. Not a good deal, but not a major problem either. The problem showed up when I started examining the frame. It appears that I have a crack where the assembly pin mates with the right side of the frame. Most likely the head of the pin sheared off do to some unseen defect and the crack happened as the pin began walking out of the hole. So, the whole gun went back to Kel-Tec today. I'll report back when it comes home.
I had just fired it's first five round string of the day and the take down pin broke. Not a good deal, but not a major problem either. The problem showed up when I started examining the frame. It appears that I have a crack where the assembly pin mates with the right side of the frame. Most likely the head of the pin sheared off do to some unseen defect and the crack happened as the pin began walking out of the hole. So, the whole gun went back to Kel-Tec today. I'll report back when it comes home.
Reloading
I sure have enjoyed the reloading game. Each round is a work of art. With a single stage press, hand primer, and a liquid cleaning solution, I can load about 100 rounds an hour spread over two days. Day one is deprime, clean and size. Day two is prime, load, and seat. Now that I've got a chrono (PACT Mark IV), it's easy to find loads that shoot very accurately.
For my 7.62 NATO, I've standardized on 168 grain loads. 43grains of Varget makes for an awesome mid-power load (2588fps) that makes one 7.62 hole over a 5 round group.
For 5.56 NATO, I'm still in the hunt, but a 55gr bullet over 21 grains of H322 is bringing in great accuracy, but mediocre velocity (2550fps). 24grs of H322 isn't bringing great accuracy, but has the velocity I'm looking for (2800fps).
For 9mm, I'm not super thrilled with my accuracy, but I've found that 5.6grs of Unique under any 115gr bullet delivers 1100 fps very reliably.
For my 7.62 NATO, I've standardized on 168 grain loads. 43grains of Varget makes for an awesome mid-power load (2588fps) that makes one 7.62 hole over a 5 round group.
For 5.56 NATO, I'm still in the hunt, but a 55gr bullet over 21 grains of H322 is bringing in great accuracy, but mediocre velocity (2550fps). 24grs of H322 isn't bringing great accuracy, but has the velocity I'm looking for (2800fps).
For 9mm, I'm not super thrilled with my accuracy, but I've found that 5.6grs of Unique under any 115gr bullet delivers 1100 fps very reliably.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Patience Grasshopper
Last weekend I got a screaming deal on a Hornady Reloading kit. After spending hours researching, cleaning, sizing, priming, charging, and seating. I'm staring a dozens of cartridges that I created. Awesome. But I'm a data hound. I love data. I always want more data.
And I don't have a chronograph.
This is a problem.
Lots of research has led me to the perfect chrono. A quick order and I began my long vigil at the mailbox. After a week, still no box, not even a shipping notification. Hmmm. I called and they are out of stock awaiting the next order. It'll be a couple of weeks. I don't want to shoot these cartridges until I can really see what they are doing.
This sucks. I guess I'll shoot factory ammo for a couple of weeks.
And I don't have a chronograph.
This is a problem.
Lots of research has led me to the perfect chrono. A quick order and I began my long vigil at the mailbox. After a week, still no box, not even a shipping notification. Hmmm. I called and they are out of stock awaiting the next order. It'll be a couple of weeks. I don't want to shoot these cartridges until I can really see what they are doing.
This sucks. I guess I'll shoot factory ammo for a couple of weeks.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
On Maps
Middle Son to Youngest Son: I made a treasure map for you!
Youngest immediately grabs the popgun.
Middle Son: You don't need a gun!
Youngest: There might be bears.
Middle: There aren't any bears on the map!
Youngest: There are woods on the map.
I'm so proud.
Youngest immediately grabs the popgun.
Middle Son: You don't need a gun!
Youngest: There might be bears.
Middle: There aren't any bears on the map!
Youngest: There are woods on the map.
I'm so proud.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Global Warming/Climate Change, what have you.
I see a lot of people claiming that climate change is horrible and a lot of people claiming it doesn't exist.
I claim it doesn't matter.
Let's look at the facts of my little corner of the climate:
1. We have had one year in the last fifiteen that had a normal amount of precipitation.
2. Even though we have set a record for snowfall staying on the ground this year, we are still behind in total rainfall, snowpack, etc.
3. Pine beetles have been killing the shit out of trees around here for the entire drought and it's worse this year than in any in memory.
4. It takes a long time to grow a nice tree around here, in the wild, fifty plus years is normal.
5. With dry trees that are dying, fire is big deal, even for city dwellers. I've still got a pretty defensible fire perimeter, but a really bad year, or water rationing in the city could change that, fast.
After fifiteen years, it's time to make plans like things might not get better. I'm not talking cap and trade or any of that kind of crap. If you are going to spend money on something, it should be of econmic benifit all on it's own. Say, drought resistant landscaping, low flush toliets, water disipline while brushing your teeth. All of these things do one very important thing, they reduce my costs of home ownership. Just like CFL bulbs make it cheaper to light my house, and LCD monitors lower the cost of my computer habit.
They also have a second effect, they help the environment. I really care about the land around me. I don't dump motor oil on the ground, I use it to heat my garage. When I wander into the woods, I don't leave anything behind that would let someone know I was there. That allows more people to enjoy the woods and keeps the woods nice for my kids.
Cap and trade assumes that there is no economic reason for companies to reduce their carbon footprint outside of some artificial market. Carbon footprints go down as energy gets more expensive. Energy gets more expensive every year. Energy efficiency will happen automatically, if you want to to show up faster, drop some money on R&D instead of implementing a new tax.
If you want to know the real reason we are in a recession you really don't have to look much further than the huge spike the energy prices took a few years back. Sure, there were lots of nasty bad things happening in the banking industry, and housing was out of control. But nothing kills an economy faster than high energy prices. High energy prices effect every part of every day of the entire world. Transportation gets more expensive, making food more expensive, it costs more to heat the house, so you've got less money to spend on that food that now cost more. Oh, and that max leverage mortgage you took out to buy that 'investment grade' house has left you without any extra income to afford those higher energy prices. It's a vicious cycle that only really has one solution, use less energy.
In short, make your life more efficient and leave some slack in your budget. And remember, not even taxes are sure, only change is constant.
I claim it doesn't matter.
Let's look at the facts of my little corner of the climate:
1. We have had one year in the last fifiteen that had a normal amount of precipitation.
2. Even though we have set a record for snowfall staying on the ground this year, we are still behind in total rainfall, snowpack, etc.
3. Pine beetles have been killing the shit out of trees around here for the entire drought and it's worse this year than in any in memory.
4. It takes a long time to grow a nice tree around here, in the wild, fifty plus years is normal.
5. With dry trees that are dying, fire is big deal, even for city dwellers. I've still got a pretty defensible fire perimeter, but a really bad year, or water rationing in the city could change that, fast.
After fifiteen years, it's time to make plans like things might not get better. I'm not talking cap and trade or any of that kind of crap. If you are going to spend money on something, it should be of econmic benifit all on it's own. Say, drought resistant landscaping, low flush toliets, water disipline while brushing your teeth. All of these things do one very important thing, they reduce my costs of home ownership. Just like CFL bulbs make it cheaper to light my house, and LCD monitors lower the cost of my computer habit.
They also have a second effect, they help the environment. I really care about the land around me. I don't dump motor oil on the ground, I use it to heat my garage. When I wander into the woods, I don't leave anything behind that would let someone know I was there. That allows more people to enjoy the woods and keeps the woods nice for my kids.
Cap and trade assumes that there is no economic reason for companies to reduce their carbon footprint outside of some artificial market. Carbon footprints go down as energy gets more expensive. Energy gets more expensive every year. Energy efficiency will happen automatically, if you want to to show up faster, drop some money on R&D instead of implementing a new tax.
If you want to know the real reason we are in a recession you really don't have to look much further than the huge spike the energy prices took a few years back. Sure, there were lots of nasty bad things happening in the banking industry, and housing was out of control. But nothing kills an economy faster than high energy prices. High energy prices effect every part of every day of the entire world. Transportation gets more expensive, making food more expensive, it costs more to heat the house, so you've got less money to spend on that food that now cost more. Oh, and that max leverage mortgage you took out to buy that 'investment grade' house has left you without any extra income to afford those higher energy prices. It's a vicious cycle that only really has one solution, use less energy.
In short, make your life more efficient and leave some slack in your budget. And remember, not even taxes are sure, only change is constant.
New Holster
At the beginning of December I ordered a new holster from Side Guard Holsters for my Kel-Tec PF-9. I already had a pocket holster I liked, and an IWB holster that was OK, but didn't fit with the Armalaser attached. I decided that what I really wanted was a basic, OWB holster that would fit my gun with the laser attached. There didn't seem to be anything off the shelf that really got the job done. So I order this one. I got mine with a 15 degree FBI cant as I like to wear my gun right behind my hip, say about 3:30 to 4. The farther around behind your hip, the more important the cant of the holster becomes, without tilting, the butt of the gun ends up sticking out an printing no matter how heavy your cover garment is.
The above the belt nature allows me to wear a shirt or sweatshirt that doesn't really look like it's to long for me. It also reduces the chance that I'll flash my gun when reaching for my wallet.When the gun rides this high, the muzzle doesn't get pushed on by your hip, which in turn doesn't push the butt into your side. Great for comfort, not so great for concealment.
Erik told me that the belt slots on this holster are critical for a good fit and concealment. It's very important when ordering a holster that it match your belt width, otherwise the holster will move around and the gun won't be exactly where you expect it when you need it. In the case of this holster, it's doubly important. Erik also told me that it would be seven weeks before he could make my holster. I have trouble waiting seven hours got new toys. I'd rather pay extra to go pick it up today. I resolved to forget that I ordred the holster at all.
Seven weeks passed like lightening. Not really, I was actually sure that the end of the world would come first. On first examination the holster is really a piece of industrial art. There is no unnecessary leather, the stitching perfect, the boning is enough to hold the gun securely and yet no nooks for my shirt to hang up on. Initial comfort was pretty good. It took about two days for the leather against my side to soften up enough to feel like it was a part of me. The gun rides beautifully tight. The butt rides just under my rib cage, the muzzle rides even with the bottom of my belt. No part of the muzzle protrudes below the bottom edge of the holster. This holster is everything I wanted and needed in an OWB holster. Recommended. Next, a IWB model, tuckable I think....
The above the belt nature allows me to wear a shirt or sweatshirt that doesn't really look like it's to long for me. It also reduces the chance that I'll flash my gun when reaching for my wallet.When the gun rides this high, the muzzle doesn't get pushed on by your hip, which in turn doesn't push the butt into your side. Great for comfort, not so great for concealment.
Erik told me that the belt slots on this holster are critical for a good fit and concealment. It's very important when ordering a holster that it match your belt width, otherwise the holster will move around and the gun won't be exactly where you expect it when you need it. In the case of this holster, it's doubly important. Erik also told me that it would be seven weeks before he could make my holster. I have trouble waiting seven hours got new toys. I'd rather pay extra to go pick it up today. I resolved to forget that I ordred the holster at all.
Seven weeks passed like lightening. Not really, I was actually sure that the end of the world would come first. On first examination the holster is really a piece of industrial art. There is no unnecessary leather, the stitching perfect, the boning is enough to hold the gun securely and yet no nooks for my shirt to hang up on. Initial comfort was pretty good. It took about two days for the leather against my side to soften up enough to feel like it was a part of me. The gun rides beautifully tight. The butt rides just under my rib cage, the muzzle rides even with the bottom of my belt. No part of the muzzle protrudes below the bottom edge of the holster. This holster is everything I wanted and needed in an OWB holster. Recommended. Next, a IWB model, tuckable I think....
Saturday, January 30, 2010
New 'Safe Gun' Tech
Here you will find an article about the new gun law in New Jersey. I really applaud the idea of keeping guns in the hands of ordinary citizens so they can defend themselves while attempting to prevent criminal abuse of firearms. I do have a couple of problems with this idea.
It wasn't very many years ago that BMW designed a car that opened and started with a fingerprint ID. Let's imagine what would happen someone was carjacked with such a vehicle. "The two youths kept the owner with them for quite some time so they could continue their drive. At least until they figured out that they really only needed his thumb."
Fortunately BMW never took this feature to market. Instead they went to electronic key fobs. Nifty for the extra features that it brings to the car, but doesn't really increase the security of the vehicle.
The second problem with this law is it's exemption for police officers. Police officers' guns get stolen too. With every other gun in the state locked down and more prone to failure, why wouldn't the criminal walk up behind an officer, smack him to the ground with a pipe, and take his perfectly function, 100% mechanical gun? If it's good enough for your citizens why isn't it good enough for your police? I'll tell you why, they only way to get the law enforcement community on board for this kind of law is to offer them an exemption. I don't really blame them. Every gun is already a complicated device that is built to contain a rapidly expanding gas cloud at 23,000 psi or more to propel a projectile in a very specific direction. Does this sound like a good environment to introduce electronics and radio signals into? I know I don't really want it on mine.
The system put together by this company faces a similar problem. It also faces the problem of radio signal interference. Sitting here in my bathrobe I can think of two ways to steal this gun and use it for badness. I'm sure I could think of more with a little more coffee. I can also envision a small jammer unit that would prevent these guns from working when they are close to me. A handy device to have, if I wanted to rob an otherwise armed citizen.
Keeping guns away from criminals is a great goal, but I haven't seen any way of actually doing it yet.
It wasn't very many years ago that BMW designed a car that opened and started with a fingerprint ID. Let's imagine what would happen someone was carjacked with such a vehicle. "The two youths kept the owner with them for quite some time so they could continue their drive. At least until they figured out that they really only needed his thumb."
Fortunately BMW never took this feature to market. Instead they went to electronic key fobs. Nifty for the extra features that it brings to the car, but doesn't really increase the security of the vehicle.
The second problem with this law is it's exemption for police officers. Police officers' guns get stolen too. With every other gun in the state locked down and more prone to failure, why wouldn't the criminal walk up behind an officer, smack him to the ground with a pipe, and take his perfectly function, 100% mechanical gun? If it's good enough for your citizens why isn't it good enough for your police? I'll tell you why, they only way to get the law enforcement community on board for this kind of law is to offer them an exemption. I don't really blame them. Every gun is already a complicated device that is built to contain a rapidly expanding gas cloud at 23,000 psi or more to propel a projectile in a very specific direction. Does this sound like a good environment to introduce electronics and radio signals into? I know I don't really want it on mine.
The system put together by this company faces a similar problem. It also faces the problem of radio signal interference. Sitting here in my bathrobe I can think of two ways to steal this gun and use it for badness. I'm sure I could think of more with a little more coffee. I can also envision a small jammer unit that would prevent these guns from working when they are close to me. A handy device to have, if I wanted to rob an otherwise armed citizen.
Keeping guns away from criminals is a great goal, but I haven't seen any way of actually doing it yet.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Tax Software
For the last three years I've been using the H&R Block tax software called Taxcut. I've been pretty happy with it. It's better than going to their offices and way better than doing taxes by hand. Last year was the first year that it couldn't do everything I wanted it to do. It was incapable of electronically filing my state taxes if I wanted to get credit for the insulation I blew in. I went through the complete nightmare of filling out the state tax forms by hand..... and discovered that the credit would only give me about another $50 and because I was filing on paper, it would take almost six weeks to get my check.
This year I see that Taxcut has become H&R Block at Home. It won't work on my primary desktop machine because I haven't upgraded my OS since W2k. Sue me, it's incredibly stable. It's also gotten a touch more expensive. More than a touch actually, last year I bought a copy with my state edition for $35. This year it was $45. It really wanted me to spend $55 so I could chat with a live person about my taxes.
Really? If I wanted to talk to someone, why wouldn't I just go to the H&R Block store? I don't like people, I don't want to talk to them. I would let this go if it didn't ask me to upgrade four more times.
The jury is still out on this software because I'm still waiting for forms from the mortgage, the bank, the IRA accounts. Sometimes I wonder if computers are really worth it. All these records are 100% electronic. How come I can't get last years info until a month after it's all over?
This year I see that Taxcut has become H&R Block at Home. It won't work on my primary desktop machine because I haven't upgraded my OS since W2k. Sue me, it's incredibly stable. It's also gotten a touch more expensive. More than a touch actually, last year I bought a copy with my state edition for $35. This year it was $45. It really wanted me to spend $55 so I could chat with a live person about my taxes.
Really? If I wanted to talk to someone, why wouldn't I just go to the H&R Block store? I don't like people, I don't want to talk to them. I would let this go if it didn't ask me to upgrade four more times.
The jury is still out on this software because I'm still waiting for forms from the mortgage, the bank, the IRA accounts. Sometimes I wonder if computers are really worth it. All these records are 100% electronic. How come I can't get last years info until a month after it's all over?
Sunday, January 24, 2010
An Interesting Study
I don't think there is a single person out there that wants criminals to have guns. I certainly don't. Many would like to legislate some way to keep guns away from criminals. I can't think of a single way to make it happen that doesn't completely destroy a persons right to self defense. This is a link to a study on criminal use of firearms. It's worth reading.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Some Days
It took me 30 minutes to travel fifteen miles on an almost empty interstate today. I could see a highway patrol officer, lights and sirens going traveling my way. I never exceeded forty five miles an hour, and he never caught up. Days like today make me think about moving south. Maybe the Yucatan.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The 60th vote
Let's be clear here. It doesn't take a two thirds majority in the Senate to pass a bill. The only time you need a two thirds vote is when the minority is holding the majority hostage. It makes me sad to think that even when two thirds of the country knows our health care system is completely broken and getting worse, we can't do anything to fix it.
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