How about a few bumper stickers?

 


  
 



 


 



  

 


 


 


 

 



 


 



  
 



 


 


 


 

 



 


 

 



 


 





 


 


 

Search for the "Perfect Packin' Rig" settles on a .45 and a .44 --Duh!

John Taffin is always writing about his lifelong search for the Perfect Packin' Pistol. Well I'll be satisfied when I find the Perfect Packin' Rig. And I think I've come pretty close if not already there.

My pretty much constant companion since I started carrying double for working at the gun shop has been a Galco small-of-back holster that I wear more or less over my right hip pocket. It usually has a revolver in it but will also do for small semi-autos up to 3.5" barrels. But that's a bit much for weight and tends to drag my britches south a bit too far. For an small auto it works best with my subcompact Kel-Tec PF9. So usually it's a small-frame revolver, J-frame-size .38, or Charter Arms .327 Magnum or .44, that rides in the Galco SOB for my right hand.

Most of the time lately it's been my Charter Arms Bulldog .44 Special 5-shot snubby. I'm prejudiced. If I'm gonna carry a 5-shot snubby, I'd rather have a .44 than a 38 or even a .327 Magnum. Bigger is better.

But the real question has been about the left side. I've tried a wide variety of different holsters and types, leather, kydex and canvas, belt slides, paddles and snap-ons by Galco, DeSantis, Bianchi, Blackhawk, BladeTech and Goodrich & Gould. I've also tried shoulder rigs by Galco, Bianchi and Blackhawk.

And in addition to that I've tried a variety of different handguns, revolvers usually in K-frame size but some J-frames too, and semi-autos from subcompact to compact to full-size.

The revolvers include S&W 65 and Taurus 65, both .357 Magnum, Charter .38, .327 Magnum and .44, and Ruger LCR .38. The semi-autos include Steyr M9A1, Sig Sauer P229 .357 Sig and P220 full-size and compact .45 ACP, Para-Ord P12-45, and last but certainly not least, my Glock 29 10mm subcompact.

Out of these I have settled on the Sig P220 Compact in a DeSantis Mini Slide. Fits better and wears better all day than another combination I have tried.

I'm sorta ambiguous instead of ambidextrous, being strong side right, dominant eye left, so I like the option of being able to grab with either hand, should the occasion arise. I shoot a little better left-handed than right but I'm pretty comfortable shooting with either hand. I just have to line the pistol up with my left eye.

And I also gotta add I like the quiet draw and no retention device of leather holsters. I hate that snick sound kydex makes on the draw and unless I wear the same kind of active retention holster all the time, I might get caught fumbling with a release at a critical moment.

And none of the active retention holsters I've tried wear as well as the DeSantis Mini Slide.

Pandora 'Net radio serves up rock-blues-bluegrass-gospel-country

How did I get by before I stumbled across Pandora Internet Radio? I've created a rock-blues-bluegrass-gospel-country station with a few of my favorite artists and now I can't got a lick of work done on the computer without it. If you're not listening to Pandora, you're missing a great service, and it's free!

Steve Lee sings "I'll Give Up My Gun" right after the oceans dry up

Steve Lee's got another video with the second cut from his album "I Like Guns." This time he sings "I'll Give Up My Gun" which with his Aussie accent is a bit hard to decipher. I think he says something about his cold dead fingers, but I could be wrong. Take a listen and see if you can figger it out.

Cream of the crop from today's auctions listed on gunbroker.com

Thirteen guns listed today on gunbroker for the gun shop where I work and here's the cream of today's crop.

Kimber Tactical Pro II 9mm 1911 with Night Sights

Colt M1911 WWI Reproduction Black Oxide .45 01918

Para Ordnance Hi-Cap Nite Hawg 1911 .45 Subcompact-Used

SigArms Hammerli Trailside 22LR Pistol/Switzerland

Colt 1911A1 U.S. Army Model .45ACP-Artillery Stamp

Kahr PM4544 Black Diamond .45 ACP DAO Pistol-LNIB

And that's all folks!

More gun pron from recent new and used auctions on gunbroker

More gun pron from recent auctions I've listed on gunbroker, old and new guns, but all beauties in steel. If you click on the link above each photo it takes you to the gunbroker auction where you can see on average a dozen or more photos. Some may be sold and the auctions closed, but you can still look at the photos.

Colt Talo Wiley Clapp Lightweight Commander .45ACP

Colt Single Action Army 357 Magnum P1640 4.75" Bl.

S&W 357PD AirLite Scandium/Titanium 41Magnum-4" Bl.

Sig P220R Match Two-Tone .45ACP SAO-Front NS-LNIB

Beretta Laramie Nickel .38Spl. Top-Break Rev.-LNIB

Marlin 1895-1995 Century Limited 45-70 LeverAction

Sig Custom Shop P220R 45ACP Platinum Elite-wNS-SRT

Sig P226R 9mm Gadsden "Don't Tread On Me" w/N.S.

Sig P226R Tactical Operations 9mm DA/SA-Nite Sites

Wilson Combat CQB 1911 .45 ACP Pistol-Night Sights

That's all for now. I wish I could buy them all myself, but I can't. But at least I get to look at them, handle them and take photos of them. Have I mentioned lately how much I love my job?

Gun pron from recent auctions added to gunbroker, new and used

I've shot photos and listed a considerable number of beautiful guns, new and used, in the past couple of weeks on gunbroker for the gun shop where I work. So I thought I'd share a bit of gun pron. The links with the photos take you to gunbroker auctions, some still live, some closed because it's already sold. But you can still see all the pretty pictures and drool even if it's already sold.

Kimber Custom Shop Super Carry Ultra 1911 .45 ACP

Kimber Custom Shop Super Carry Pro 1911 .45 Pistol

S&W 29-2 .44 Magnum DA/SA 6-Shot 3.75" Pinned Bl.

S&W Top-Break .38 Nickel Safety Hammerless 4th Model

Sig P220 .45ACP DA/SA w/Nill Grips-Made W. Germany

Savage Arms Model 1907 .32ACP Semi-Auto Pistol-Box

High Standard Double-Nine Nickel .22LR/.22WMR Rev.

S&W Bodyguard .38 Special+P DAO 5-Shot/Laser Sight

That's all for now. It's already too late, but a warning. Looking at gun pron is hazardous to your fiscal health.

August Web Exclusives | Our State Magazine

Clyde Maness' Music Barn is a place I've heard about but not seen yet, but now I gotta go one Tuesday night real soon.
August Web Exclusives | Our State Magazine

Bags packed and ready for 'Show and Tell' at concealed-carry class

All loaded up and ready for concealed-carry class tomorrow. Range bag, check. Holster bag, check. Pistol bag, check. Revolver bag, check. I love show and tell time during the first two hours when I teach about various types of handguns and how to handle and shoot them safely. Then after two hours of teaching concealed-carry law, we all go shooting. Talk about guns and then go shooting, and get paid to do it. No job on earth is any better than this!

And tomorrow is better than usual. I have a couple of ladies signed up. Generally speaking they make better students than the men because they don't assume they already know all they need to know about guns, even when they're already experienced shooters. Plus generally the women shoot as well or better than the men.

And I particularly love it when a novice shooter, man or woman, "gets" what I'm teaching about how to safely and effectively shoot a handgun. Sometimes it's almost like seeing the light bulb start glowing in their head.

Nill Grips incoming from Germany for my Sig P220 SAO .45 ACP

I couldn't resist when I got an email from Nill Grips announcing their prices have dropped due to the strong U.S. dollar.

The best German pistols, Sig Sauer, should have the best German grips, and without a doubt Nill Grips are just that.

They promised delivery in "2 to 5 days" which is fairly snappy from Germany to here, so I'm hopeful they'll arrive next week.

My Sig P220 DAO .45 ACP pistol is gonna be dressed fit to kill. Literally.

Talo Dragon Sig P229 with golden dragon is ugliest Sig pistol EVAH!

I love Sig Sauer pistols in general and P229s in particular. I love my Sig P229 SAS Gen2 .357 Sig so much I just had to buy another one sorta like it.

A plain Jane P229 CPO (Certified Previously Owned) was bought at a gun show by the gun shop crew and I just had to buy it, too.

But I gotta say, this Talo special edition P229 is just plain tacky. They call it:

Sigarms Dragon
40 cal with the TALO Dragon etched in gold, silver and copper over the slide
Gold hammer, trigger and appointments.
Special walnut grips with SIG insert.

 I believe I have finally seen a Sig pistol I can live without. Plus I just don't like .40 S&W as a caliber.

If you had to choose "just one" defensive pistol, what would it be?

I got asked the following question by email from a writer looking for a Steyr M357-A1 pistol:

I'm still going back and forth between the 357SIG and the 9x19 cartridges, but I appreciate the feedback, very helpful. I thought the 357SIG cartridge would be more reliable in feeding than the 9x19 due to it's signature bottleneck, but I guess time proven beats the hell out of "new technology". The argument is still neutral. If you could have one semi-automatic, autoloading, defensive handgun you could trust with your life in a chosen caliber what would those be and why?

Incidentally, I have already told him finding a Steyr M357-A1 is like trying to locate that elusive mineral, unobtainium. I had one and it was rare when I got it and got so rare it was worth way more than I paid for it, so I sold it. Seemed like a good idea at the time anyway. But back to the question about choosing "just one" defensive pistol. Here's what I replied to that question.

Easy. Only one, my full-size Para P14-45. Ammo is easy to find, reliability is proven, even replacement parts would be available. But that's not an everyday carry pistol for all occasions. For carry I would choose Sig P229 .357 Sig, either of them as I now have two. But you won't go wrong with a good 9mm. Ammo is certainly cheaper and more abundant than .357 Sig and with high-quality hollow points, the ballistics and end results are fairly close to .357 Sig.

 And what I didn't say is what do I really carry more often than any other pistol. Easy again. Kel-Tec PF-9 subcompact with a couple of spare magazines. Fits in the pocket even when I'm wearing shorts.

Murphy's Laws of Combat, stuff that always go wrong in a battle

For a variety of excuses, I've been awfully light on posting lately, but let me take a tip from Brigid at Home on the Range and give you a list of some of my favorite sayings for Gun Nutz 'R' Us.

This one is called Murphy's Laws of Combat.

"If the enemy is in range, so are you."

"Incoming fire has the right of way: a. Friendly fire is not really all that friendly: b. Friendly fire is the most accurate fire, due to their knowledge of your location and maneuvers."

"Don't look conspicuous, it draws fire. Like wearing a white hat to a paint ball range!"

"There is always a way."

"The easy way is always mined."

"Try to look unimportant, they may be low on ammo."

"Professionals are predictable, it's the amateurs that are dangerous."

"The enemy invariably attacks on two occasions: a. When you're ready for them: b. When you're not ready for them."

"Teamwork is essential, it gives them someone else to shoot at."

"If you can't remember, the claymore is pointed at you."

"The enemy diversion you have been ignoring will be the main attack."

"A 'sucking chest wound' is nature's way of telling you to slow down."

"If your attack is going well, you have walked into an ambush."

"Never draw fire, it irritates everyone around you."

"Anything you do can get you shot, including nothing."

"Make it tough enough for the enemy to get in and you won't be able to get out."

"Never share a foxhole with anyone braver than yourself."

"If you are short of everything but the enemy, you are in a combat zone."

"When you have secured an area, don't forget to tell the enemy."

"Never forget that your weapon is made by the lowest bidder, and potentially designed by me. That should be your biggest source of comfort."

My .44 Special Obsession is getting worse daily with no cure in sight

My .44 Special Obsession (look it up, it's in the medical books), is getting worse.

When I need relief, I usually go shooting with my Charter Arms Bulldog .44 Special snubby double-action 5-shooter.

If the obsession gets really bad, I'll break out the big gun, literally, my S&W 29-3 .44 Magnum 4" barrel double-action six-shooter. I hardly ever shoot .44 Magnums in it, by far the more frequent load is .44 Specials.

I have some full-house .44 Special loads with 240-grain flat-noses and plated rounds that shoot like a dream in the big Smith.

I also have a Hy Hunter .44 Magnum single-action 6-shooter which just loves those 240-grain .44 Special loads.

It is not wise to shoot anything over 200 grains in the Charter Bulldog. Tam advised me in a post comment she shoot one to pieces with a few hundred of the over-200-grain rounds.

And as soon as I get it paid off from the layaway safe, I'll have another .44 Special to aid my obsession.

It's my first Night Guard revolver, a S&W 296NG, third from top, which is also a 5-shooter. And being a lightweight Scandium-alloy revolver, it is probably wise to limit loads in the 396NG to 200 grains, though S&W does not specifically advise that with this model, as they do on some other S&W lightweight .44 Special snubbies.

But this week, my .44 Special Obession has gotten measurably worse by some of the guns I've been posting on gunbroker for the gun shop where I work.



First and foremost is a S&W 24 Classic Bright Nickel. That big old N-frame with the "Big 4 T's", target sights, target grips, target trigger and target hammer, is just the prettiest piece of iron I've seen lately.

I need a 6.5" barrel Model 24 like I need another hole in my head, but this ain't about need, it's about my .44 Special Obsession.

I had a S&W 21 Thunder Ranch .44 Special and like a fool I traded it away. Oh well, live and learn.

Then I also posted a Ruger Vaquero Sheriff's Model .44 Special Single-Action 6-shooter with a 3.75" barrel. Ain't that the sexiest little cowboy pistol you ever saw?

I guess I'll just have to shoot my Hy Hunter more often because I can't afford that sexy little Vaquero.

And the last temptation I managed to overcome, on account of I'm broke, not because I wanted to, was resisting a S&W 296 double-action-only lightweight .44 Special 5-shooter.

Tam has one of these that lives in her purse, but I convinced myself it's just too light to enjoy shooting it often,which is one thing I absolutely demand of all my handguns.

And as the fox said after he found out the grapes were just out of his reach, them grapes is probably sour anyway.

There is a cure for my .44 Special Obsession, but the cure is what I don't have. Money. Lots of money. I really have no idea how many .44 Specials I would have to own to get this obsession under control. As I heard John Taffin said, I'd buy a broomstick if it had .44 Special wrote in it.

Some good advice from a beautiful red-headed woman who shoots

Rule No. 18 from Brigid's ".38 Things I Learned From Shooting."

(18) Sticks and stones may break your bones, but a .45 will kill you.

If you're not one of Brigid's readers at Home on the Range, you oughta be. A beautiful red-headed woman who loves guns, takes great photos and writes like a dream. Plus she's a great cook with scads of great recipes on her blog. What's not to love? And judging by the photo of the holster with the Ruger GP-100 above, she's left-handed, too. Where were you, Brigid, when I was looking for a wife?

Sarah Palin leading "Mama Grizzly" movement in 2010-2012 elections

I've never spent much time in grizzly bear country, but any fool knows the last place you ever want to be is between a mama grizzly and her cubs. And I'm predicting, along with Sarah Palin, that 2010 and 2012 also are gonna be "Mama Grizzly" elections. Look out left wingnuts, you're about to get a first-class ass whupping.

As they said about Maggie Thatcher when she was running as the first woman prime minister of England, IMHO Sarah Palin is "the best man for the job" when it comes to restoring sanity into our federal government.