I tried a new experiment in carrying for the last couple of days.

I have one holster, brand unknown, of the reinforced (stiff) nylon type that is convertible for left or right hand use as well as for either IWB or OWB*.  I originally bought it for the Makarov but by simply adjusting the retention strap it also holds the SP-101 just fine.

Yesterday and today, I wore it OWB with a long shirt covering it.

It was so much more comfortable.  Just amazing.

I have problems with pants.  Although I nominally wear a 36, there seems to be some dispute among pants manufacturers as to what "36 inches" actually means.  Some brands are so loose that I can't keep them up without a belt, some are so tight that I can barely snap them shut.  The batch that I recently got for Christmas are allegedly "relaxed fit," which with most brands would mean I could easily carry IWB.  Not so with these.

I know of one guy who carried a Ruger Redhawk in .44 magnum OWB by simply wearing a shirt so long that it covered all but the tip end of the holster.  He never had any problems carrying like this.

Anyway, my next gun-stuff purchase will be a belt.  It took me a long time to realize the error of my ways in not having a real belt, built for carrying.  Texas Gunslinger belts are looking pretty good.

Also up for purchase is going to be a new holster for the XD.  It will be either from Comp-Tac or Crossbreed.  I have been wanting to get a tuckable holster from either of these because there are regular occasions for me when having an untucked shirt just doesn't look right.

On another topic, I have noticed that this post has been getting opened from within a lot of different email messages.  Lots of people are emailing it around.  Thanks, folks.  Just keep spreading the word.

*IWB = Inside Waist Band
 OWB = Outside Waist Band
 (Just in case someone didn't know what I meant).

Cool!  I get to post something on the first day of the year.

Traction Control has something for us.


Original is 2048x1536, just resize it for your screen.

Had one of those naps today where I slept too long and awakened with that drugged-out feeling.  You know.  So I was sitting here in my semi-stupor toying with the idea of a new header graphic.  Here's a first rough attempt.  Not finished, not even decided on, just playing around.


UPDATE:  Don't worry, I doubt if I'll be using this either.  However, I feel that I do need to come up with something that doesn't use graphics created by someone else.  It might come down to just the name of the site in some fancy font with some background colors that I can whip up myself.  When this site was still in total obscurity, I wasn't worried too much about using a bunch of obviously copyrighted graphics to create the header.  But, for some time now, I've been thinking that I need to come up with something that doesn't violate any copyrights.  Which is why the little graphic in this post is also out of the question.  I still think it looks cool, though.

From NWAnews.com:

Supporters of Wayne Fincher, a man charged with possessing illegal machine guns, have begun an aggressive campaign to raise awareness of what they think is an unjust arrest by posting “Free Wayne” signs and bumper stickers around Washington County.

“We want people to be aware of Wayne’s plight,” friend Don Bright said. “He was arrested for what we consider to be an illegal law and we think he ought to be out on the streets.”

I wouldn't be surprised if the prosecution now does everything it can to have a change of venue. We can't have the ignorant populace siding with their peer and ignoring instructions of summary judgement.

Via United States vs. Fincher.

Unlike Xavier, I am not a collector of Smith & Wessons.  Mainly because I don't have enough income to collect any specific brand of firearm.  I do, however, have one.

Xavier reports on this model in Serious Business: The Highway Patrolman.

A friend of mine had let me shoot his back in the late 80s, and the robust kick of the .357 magnum felt so good.  When I ran across one in a gun shop in the late 90s that I actually had enough money to buy, I snapped it up.

The trigger pull is so sweet, I consider it a sin to shoot it single action.  Shoot .38 Special in it and there's barely any recoil.  This is a great gun to train someone on, I think.  Completely basic to operate, heavy enough that newbies don't get scared of recoil (especially with .38s), and when they get used to it they can step up to .357 magnum if desired.

I don't mention recoil because I'm scared of it (I'm not), but I've seen so many new shooters (and even a few old shooters) who are.

Xavier says:

Pinned and recessed N frame Smith & Wessons are rapidly becoming scarce on the used handgun market. As a firearm created specifically to fire the .357 magnum round, the N frame is a requisite gun for the Smith & Wesson collector.

I guess if I ever do decide to collect the S&W, I'm already off to a good start.

And before anyone asks:  this one is not for sale.

Top ten blog referrers for December:

1.  Front Sight, Press
2.  Gun Law News
3.  The War On Guns
4.  Hell in a Handbasket
5.  A Keyboard and a .45
6.  Ninth Stage
7.  Oscar Poppa
8.  Parallax Adjustment
9.  South Park Pundit
10.  Four-way tie!  In no particular order:
    A.  Cowboy Blob
    B.  Conservative Scalawag
    C.  Eye On The World
    D.  Ride Fast and Shoot Straight

Top ten posts for 2006 (at least back to February when I moved to Eponym):

1.  Gun Review:  Walther P-22
2.  The Guns of Hellsing
3.  Cartridges of the Winchester 94
4.  The Taurus 4410
5.  Be Sure of Your Grip, Grasshopper
6.  Stevens Favorite:  A Favorite Old .22
7.  A Collection of Shiny Objects
8.  About Me
9.  World War II Ad:  Underwood Elliot Fisher Company
10.  SHTF Radio

Number 2 I've already mentioned in a previous post, it is now at my old Blogspot site.  If I hadn't deleted it from here, it would have easily been #1 and probably remained there for as long this blog exists.

Number 8 is just my "about me" post that is at the top of the left sidebar.  That this made it into the top ten shows me how many new people came through here this year.  It's amazing.

Number 9 is an odd one.  This is a vintage ad post.  The first month, it got about as many hits as any new post does.  The second month, it dropped into obscurity like most posts do.  But then starting with the third month, it started getting serious traffic.  The graphic is hosted at photobucket, and so far I haven't been able to figure out where all the referrals are coming from.  Especially odd because I accidentally misspelled the woman's first name in the file name so it wouldn't show up in any searches for her name.

Number 10 is a post from the old blog that was imported here along with all the other archives, and has managed to work its way up.

Thanks, everbody!