fm2176
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Posts posted by fm2176
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Looks interesting. The TS2.0 cases do have a different feel to them, but in all honesty I haven't paid but so much attention to them, merely loading them with tools and stacking them along with the older versions when I have a weekend project.
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Very true. I think I own USB hubs for every battery platform I'm on minus MetaboHPT. I really need to find the DeWalt and Ridgid chargers; I have quite a few 10+ year old 12v Max batteries that would be perfect for a charge or two, and have a couple of Ridgid 9Ah batteries that would be good for multiple charges.
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Two things I’ll touch on here, in case I forget to share them in the upcoming thread:
1) Being a tool guy has helped out tremendously. Though we had a lack of service until last night, I have been able to keep five phones charged with my Ryobi 150-watt power inverter, a 3Ah battery, and two 6Ah batteries. The DeWalt power station has been used to keep those batteries charged, and also in a failed attempt to power on the router (internet was down too).
2) Organization (or lack thereof) has been the bane of this experience. The DeWalt power station is nice, but it isn’t exactly economical to use FlexVolt and XR batteries to charge Ryobi batteries. I haven’t seen my DeWalt USB charger or its Ridgid equivalent since I moved here 3.5 years ago. Not that it matters, my batteries are scattered all over between here and the flipper house 100 miles south, so even my Bosch and M12 USB chargers were all but useless (though I did find and charge a 4.0Ah M12 battery for the wife’s heated hoodie).
When I finally retire from this career, I plan to set up my tools and batteries so that they are both accessible and useful during an emergency, along with other basic preparations. The Gulf Coast usually gets more hurricanes than snow storms, but my trip to Baton Rouge last February proved that anything is possible.
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Who else got some of this wonderful snow in Central and Northern Virginia? I know many of you are from areas where under a foot is just a crisp fall day, but the family and I have been weathering in (for the most part), trying to stay warm and entertained in a modern (read: electric powered) house without electricity. Both the local authorities and power companies were overwhelmed to say the least, while our outgoing governor and the state seem to have decided to play the blame game for why a state of emergency wasn’t called on Monday.
Anyway, this is just an initial post. I started a much longer thread on my phone yesterday, when cell service was spotty, data almost nonexistent, and of course power a thing we still haven’t seen since Monday morning. Admittedly, I was inspired by reading some back issues of Backwoodsman magazine (the only mag I still try to buy monthly), where I realized that we weren’t the absolute best prepared family, but we were far from bad off, unlike those stuck on I-95 for 18+ hours. Virginia is one of those states that sees just enough snow each year to have adequate supplies and equipment for most winter weather as well as drivers who think they know how to drive in snow and ice. Unfortunately, a lot of those from and passing through Virginia take for granted that there will be no overly extreme road conditions and that, if there are, VDOT, first responders, or other government entities will save the day within the hour.
Hope everyone around these parts and elsewhere are doing well and enjoyed your holidays. I’ll post another thread (really, almost an opinion article) on my experiences and thoughts on the situation in VA in the next few days, once I finish writing and editing it.
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There are a few projects planned, tools to buy, and guns to budget for this year. I'm thinking of joining the Quantico Shooting Club since it's the closest range facility I know of, and if I do I'm hoping my son joins as well.
Best of all, this is my last full year in the Army. My retirement was disapproved due to a no-cost move last year, so I'm submitting an exception request. It looks like 12-16 months left, but I have a few months of leave to use in the meantime.
Hope everyone enjoyed their New Year's Eve! We made stuffed bell peppers and went to sleep at 11pm. 🐶
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I recently found this channel and have enjoyed their content so far. The video below reinforces some of my long held beliefs about self defense firearms. The KISS principle applies, IMHO, but I'll modify the acronym to Keep It Simply (Mostly) Stock. These attorneys differentiate between function enhancing and cosmetic modifications to carry or home defense guns. I agree, modifying a firearm to increase its functionality for you (the individual) is one thing. Adding extraneous things to make a firearm "cool" can be used as a weapon against you in court.
As a new Glock owner, I recall reading about the "New York trigger" in the late '90s, which the NYPD adopted to increase the trigger pull weight from 5.5 lbs to 8 lbs. This decreases the chance of negligent discharges, though it probably goes against what most private citizens would want. On the flip side, modifying the trigger pull weight to 3 pounds might be considered "dangerous" and a prosecutor might successfully argue this in court. Another matter is slogans being printed on a gun. Much like posting signs (i.e. "No trespassing. Violators will be shot, survivors will be shot again"), this could open up a prosecutorial argument that someone who used deadly force had been looking for a reason to do so.
As always my posts are nowhere near legal advice, but a column by Massad Ayoob from one of the gun magazines I picked up in the mid-'90s has always stuck out. He shared his experience when called as an expert witness in a self-defense case, where a homeowner used deadly force during a burglary. The homeowner had a Beretta 92 equipped with a laser sight, flashlight, and extended magazine (thank the Beretta 93R for larger capacity factory mags, much like Glock owners can thank the Glock 18), and from what I recall this was used against him in court, ending with him being convicted of manslaughter.
For this reason, my Mossberg 590 with bayonet lug, 8+1 capacity, Side Saddle, and Speed feed stock sits in the closet, with the plain Jane police surplus Winchester 1200 Riot serving as the home defense scattergun.
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I usually smoke them, but my current charcoal grills are less than ideal for that, and given the amount and variety of food to prep and cook I opted to grill them this time.
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Christmas is over...
This year Thanksgiving fell through. Okay, not really, we cooked two turkeys and a couple of hams, along with a number of casseroles and other sides, but I wasn't able to fry the turkeys so I decided to cook everything indoors.
Christmas was another matter, we decided to do something different: twenty pounds of chicken wings on the grill, ten pounds of shrimp boiled outside, while inside we had two crockpots of chili (about 11 pounds of beef total, one pot with six habaneros and some jalapenos) and a big caldero of homemade chicken and sausage gumbo. My sister sauteed some scallops and everyone went home happy with some leftovers.
I'll admit, though, I did most of the cooking but barely ate while everyone was here. After the guests left and the family went to bed I made a nice ham and cheese omelet along with some scrapple for myself while cleaning up. All together, not a bad way to spend Christmas.
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Merry Christmas! A couple days late, 😬.
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The batteries can be hard to remove from some tools, especially the M12 batteries, with their push tab retainers.
DeWalt has a much wider accessibility, due to their presence in both smaller stores and at all of the big box home improvement retailers. I have seen some impressive Milwaukee tool displays, including one at a hardware store in Leesburg, GA (near the old project house), but most stores dedicate equal or more space to DeWalt, at least in my experience wandering around the Southeast.
I don't have Makita (yet?) but have been tempted a few times. I've heard a lot of good things about their tools, but I might be covered with what I currently own...until I find a Makita kit on deep clearance at Home Depot. 😀
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18 hours ago, 65refinyellow said:
In my lineup I am glad that I have a few dual M12/M18 chargers but I wished they were one battery with maybe a 12 v option and 18 v option. Yes I understand that a M12 battery in the same form and plug factor wouldn’t run my bigger M18 tools to their capacity but having multiple voltages in a single battery housing would make Milwaukee perfect.
DeWalt really missed out on building their 12v Max system, which was released around the same time as M12 if I'm not mistaken.
The biggest problem with trying to make a combination 12v/20v (10.8v/18v) battery is the number of cells each voltage requires. A 12v/24v system would be possible, but having a 24v battery housing would limit the size and versatility of compatible 12v tools. In my opinion, FlexVolt has it about right: 60v or even 120v for large stationary tools, while also giving the user the option of using those larger batteries in their handheld tools if needed for additional runtime or if their smaller batteries are drained near the end of the day.
Going back to DeWalt: unlike Milwaukee, DeWalt developed their 12v Max batteries to use a similar interface to 20v Max, making them compatible with most of their chargers. Additionally, they released some dual 12v/20v products, mainly radios but also the USB adapter. I can use my ToughSystem radio with a 12v Max 1.3Ah battery or with a 20v Max 5Ah with the only difference being runtime (unfortunately, larger batteries such as FlexVolt do not fit in the original TS radio).
DeWalt released the original 12v Max tools in the early 2010s, then let the line grow dormant with the occasional laser level release and zero battery upgrades. Meanwhile, M12 grew into the largest and most popular 10.8v class system in the US. Now DeWalt seems to want in on that market, but the Xtreme line is hardly competition for M12. I own a number of both M12 Fuel and Xtreme tools, and the tradeoffs don't really make any one tool stand out over its counterpart. What does stand out is the fact that Milwaukee offers a lot more tools and larger batteries.
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Simply put, a mechanical switch that changes the battery cells from a parallel to a series connection, allowing a FlexVolt 6Ah pack to change to 60v Max voltage with 2 Ah. Check out ToolGuyd's Q&A thread for detailed information.
Unfortunately, the 20v Max batteries do not work in FlexVolt tools.
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So, I'm currently looking for a good place to do some regular shooting. It kind of sucks not knowing anyone around here anymore, as until a few years ago I had a few choices of private land to shoot on within a couple of hours. As I told my wife, if I decide to pursue a law enforcement career I feel a need to train vigorously. Heck, regardless, I want to train with my carry pieces, especially weak hand with a backup gun (BUG) such as one of the Kel-Tecs, the Taurus .38, or the new SCCY. I hope to never have to resort to deadly force as a civilian, cop, or even during my remaining military service, but I guess I'll have fun in the meantime.
Additionally, my son and his girlfriend will be old enough to get concealed carry permits in the coming months. I've already discussed gifting a couple of my pistols to them, but want to impart some knowledge gained from years of experience carrying. For example, how camouflage complements concealment...e.g. my Kel-Tec P32 with pocket clip looking like a knife so long as it is in a good holster that prevents printing. Also, carry something good enough for the budget and always have a reload or two, especially for semiautomatic pistols (my experience is that a failure to feed is the most common failure in detachable magazine fed weapons).
The G17 has truly grown on me, and while I haven't carried it in a few days, the Glock Combat Holster (very little retention if open carrying, but an inexpensive and quality holster nonetheless) has stayed on my belt. I'm really liking the thought of adding a G26 and maybe a G19 to the collection, enabling me to adapt my carry piece to the weather and my wardrobe without requiring too many different holsters. The double magazine carrier I bought for the G17 could be kept on my belt, and I'd have the choice of swapping out mags (or not, if I have the G17 mags while carrying a G26).
In the end, those of us here who enjoy shooting or who believe in having the proper tools for self-defense will mostly differ in preferences and opinions. I went from a lifetime Glockaphobe to actually liking my new Glock 17 enough to consider getting its baby siblings. Heck, I was also eyeing some of the Slimline Glocks last week. I'll continue updating this thread with my new purchases as they're made. As stated previously, if I'm buying from a licensed dealer, especially on a military installation, the proper authorities already know what I'm buying. Funny enough, out of the four handguns I've bought since September, I've been put in a "delay" status for three of them. Just like old times, but now the system's automated, so I only wait for 45 minutes instead of three hours. 🔫
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On 12/20/2021 at 10:51 AM, Eric - TIA said:
What do you think of the Polymer80 - P80?
The 80% gun companies are legal under current law and from what I've heard, most offer quality products. I had to look up P80, but I think I've been on their website before. I like the concept--80% finished gun frames/receivers that require a slight bit of craftsmanship to complete--but I'm wary of how long these will be legal, and what might happen to those who buy such kits if and when they are declared illegal.
I had the (mis)fortune of turning 18 under President Clinton, when the Assault Weapons Ban was in full swing, and as I shared in my yet-to-be continued Crime and Criminals thread, I feel like I was made an example of due to the type of firearms I owned at the time. Those who are old enough to remember the '90s remember the stories of ATF raids on gun owners, and nearly everyone has heard of both the Waco Siege and Ruby Ridge, which were both based on firearms charges. Needless to say, I'm a bit distrustful of federal agencies and I don't want to give them an
excusereason to investigate me for something I legally own. Heck, I live fairly close to the FBI Academy nowadays, so I'm doubling down on not owning anything that would raise eyebrows in all of the Alphabet Headquarters an hour north of me. 😇The media and anti-gun activists already have a term for P80 and similar companies' products: "ghost guns". Like bump stocks, pistol braces, and the "assault weapons" that were banned from 1994-2004, these things are vilified as making communities unsafe and turning otherwise law-abiding citizens into dangerous criminals who are plotting to overthrow democracy as we know it. Or something like that...
Again, I like the concept. I doubt I'd buy one of these anytime soon, though, primarily due to my cynicism and the possibility that any of us could become a felon overnight if certain legislation is passed. Heck, if I lived in certain states, I'd face well over a hundred charges for possessing "high capacity magazines" right now.
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20 hours ago, Eric - TIA said:
The SCCY CPX-2 looks like a nice handgun. Always like the black body with the silver upper. That S&W Bodyguard looks like a nice one also. Might have to check those out.
It seems well made and tolerances aren't bad, but most reviewers consider it to be what it is...a budget gun. Speaking of which, the Exchange also had a Hi-Point for $180. The Hi-Point is often considered "junk", but in my opinion it provides low-income persons with a viable means of self-defense, much like Jennings, Jimenez Arms, and other low price/low quality guns. I wouldn't choose a Hi-Point for concealed carry, but if it was all I could afford for a bedside gun I'd choose it over a bat. Worst case scenario, it's a solid projectile to throw at someone.
I actually had a Hi-Point once, unbeknownst to me at the time. A coworker at the Caddy dealership had a .40 S&W Iberia he offered me for $100. I bought it but never carried it with a round chambered. No idea how many rounds may or may not have gone through it (I fired a mag or two while I had it), but the gun was extremely loose, with an exposed trigger bar that seemed unsafe. My memories may be a bit blurred, but at the time I already owned my Beretta and knew that the Iberia was not a pistol to carry for personal defense. IIRC, I gave or traded it to a friend. It wasn't until fairly recently that I looked up the model and saw that it is made by Hi-Point.
SCCY and similar companies (I'm really out of touch with modern budget manufacturers, and just found out that even Century Arms is in the game now with Canik) are a vast step up from Hi-Point and their ilk, IMHO. I doubt we'll see these brands competing for military or law enforcement contracts, but I have no doubt that some regularly train with and carry these with full trust that they'll perform if needed.
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While in a meeting this morning, I sorted my wallet and saw that it's been 31 days since I bought the G17. So, off to the Exchange, where I considered adding a G19 or G26 to the collection before realizing how close it is to Christmas. On to cheaper guns, and an olive green Ruger Wrangler .22 Long Rifle revolver caught my eye at $230. Tempting, and perhaps next month's purchase, but I wanted to try something a bit more practical for concealed carry. The Ruger LCP II and S&W Bodyguard both caught my eye, at $380 and $360 respectively. Almost $200 less than the Gen 5 Glocks ($555) and they are both in .380 ACP, a caliber for which I have ammunition but no longer have firearms to shoot it. Still, a bit pricey.
So I decided to take a gamble with a new (to me) company and shelled out $230 for the SCCY CPX-2. Reviews are mixed, but I have a number of other handguns to carry should this prove less than reliable. In fact, I'm already considering a lime green grip module just for the heck of it. We'll see if this was a good buy or not, but in the late '90s I purchased a pistol from another relatively unproven budget pistol manufacturer located a bit south of SCCYs facility. The no-frills Kel-Tec P11 is still going strong, and the only issue I've had with the P32 purchased around 2004 is the mainspring breaking after five years of near daily pocket carry. Let's hope this SCCY proves itself.
I did notice (and probably knew but forgot at some point) that Virginia concealed carry permit holders are exempt from the one handgun per 30 days limit. I can't afford to buy more than one a month, but it's nice to know I won't have to count the days. The G26 is a definite purchase in the near future, followed perhaps by a .380 and a .40 of some sort. If and when a S&W Model 19 pops up in the Exchange or for a good price locally, I'll be buying one of those as well. The Exchange has competitive prices, but the key benefit to shopping there is the lack of sales tax.
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8 hours ago, 65refinyellow said:
I figure the simple, perhaps outdated 20 v max line are not always compact or up to the minute like an Atomic or XR, but they have a proven track record for getting the job done. I know they’re not elegant like a Festool or even like Makita Subcompact Series, but I have started my brother on DeWalt because it’s what I see on jobs as much as anything out there and in a pinch more types of hardware stores carry yellow.
True, regular 20v Max tools are still extremely capable, if not the most powerful or sexiest of tool lines. Heck, look how long the admittedly more primitive-looking 18v XRP line lasted, and notice how many are still on the jobsite. I'm as guilty, if not more so, of taking my tools for granted. I don't have the absolute newest releases, but I do have some of the best drills and saws from the likes of Milwaukee, DeWalt, Ridgid, MetaboHPT, and Bosch. Even so, the M18 Fuel OneKey drill sees almost no use compared to the standard M18 brushless compact. The FlexVolt saw only comes out on occasion, with M18 Fuel or Ridgid Gen5x preferred for most jobs. Previously, my kit versions of the 20v Max circular and reciprocating saws saw a lot of use before I gave them away.
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13 hours ago, DR99 said:
Man and I thought the GM badge engineering days were confusing!!
Tell me about it. When I worked for the Cadillac dealership in the late '90's, GM still had a 20% stake in Subaru, and the cafeteria at the General Motors Technical College campus in Northern Virginia proudly sported the logos of every major GM brand at the time Cadillac, Buick, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Hummer, GMC, Saturn, and Saab. The dealership went from exclusively selling Cadillac in 1999 to also selling Hummer, Saab, and Subaru by 2001. Of course, my time there overlapped with the Opel-based Catera's run--"The Caddy That Zigs!". There were so many badge swaps that I am still learning about them, but every major auto manufacturer has been doing this for decades, whether it's Ford/Mazda, Pontiac/Holden, or Dodge Mitsubishi.
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15 hours ago, 65refinyellow said:
Very cool to know.
I had assumed Atomic was universal anywhere a retail store sold DeWalt.
DeWalt has a bit of a brand identity crisis, in my opinion. I didn't even think about FlexVolt Advantage or Power Detect when I wrote the earlier post. Their brushed 12v Max system seems to have been replaced by the brushless Xtreme tools, but the same can't be said for 20v Max. From the top of my head, here are DeWalt's current 20v lines (including, where applicable, the big box store they are exclusives at):
20v Max brushed: usually relegated to entry-level drills and large value-oriented kits, these are time proven but mostly outdated work horses.
20v Max XR: the original Yellow brushless tools, still packing a lot of capability without the fancy features of their named lines and seeing some new product releases.
Atomic (Home Depot exclusive): Team Yellow's foray into super compact, yet still powerful tools. I don't own any, but they seem to be almost an alternative to the 12v Max Xtreme tools.
FlexVolt Advantage (Home Depot exclusive): offers more power when paired with a FlexVolt battery.
Power Detect (Lowe's exclusive): offers more power when paired with an 8.0Ah battery.
FlexVolt (Home Depot exclusive): okay, these aren't 20v Max, but DeWalt does sell kits that mix 60v Max FlexVolt tools with 20v Max XR tools. Also, the FlexVolt batteries are compatible with most 20v Max tools.
Of course, DeWalt is also running two different high capacity battery lines: XR and FlexVolt. The smallest FlexVolt batteries are 6Ah at 20v (2Ah at 60v), and they also offer 9Ah, 12Ah, and 15Ah. The XR line offers 6Ah, 8Ah, and 10Ah batteries utilizing different cells, along with smaller batteries from 2Ah to 5Ah. This isn't to mention their standard 1.3/1.5Ah and 3Ah packs, , compact versions, ToolConnect, and oil resistant batteries (sorry, I was checking out their website and am astonished at how many options there are).
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I used to work for FlipClean, a gutter company with a proprietary hinge system invented by my then-boss's father. I looked them up a while ago and they seem to have expanded to a few other states, but they are nowhere near as big as they should be, in my opinion, given the ease of cleaning them out (this coming from a guy that has trees sprouting in his own gutters at the moment). We cut the hinge pieces from bar stock, drilled and assembled them with roll pins, and used a homemade tumbler to get them ready for paint. For installation we'd rivet them in place on the gutter and screw them to the fascia, providing the customer an expandable pole with nylon end for flipping the gutter, easing the cleaning process.
Anyway, the cordless power tools we used way back then (mid-'90s) were simple 7.2-8.4v drills with the "heavy hitter" being a 12v hammer drill. Anything else we had was corded, and we usually had to rely on the customer to provide a power source for us to plug in saws and to keep spare batteries charging. We didn't really need enough power to justify a generator like most framing and other construction crews did back then. Nowadays, I'd feel more than well equipped with an impact driver for reinforcing or replacing fascia boards as needed (and for driving screws for the FlipClean hinges), an 18v class hammer drill for drilling holes in mortar for downspout straps, a 6-1/2" circular saw, and [maybe] a pair of cordless metal shears. We rolled out our own gutters to near-length, and metal snips, a crimper, snap-lock tool, and manual pop rivet gun along with hammers, squares, and tape measures were our mainstays.
If I went back to work for the same company now, I'd probably buy the M12 rivet tool and throw my M18 Fuel rotary hammer in the van along with a basic cordless setup (drill, impact, recip and circ saws) for unforeseen circumstances. I'd still have my manual tools just in case but would bring enough batteries to avoid imposing on the customer, opting to charge them overnight.
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DeWalt seems to have different agreements with Lowe's and The Home Depot. Both get brushed and XR DeWalt 20v Max, but Atomic and FlexVolt are exclusive to Home Depot, while 12v Max is exclusive to Lowe's. I caught onto this around 2016, when Lowe's put 20v Max outdoor power equipment (OPE) on clearance shortly before it popped up in Home Depot stores. I still use my 20v Max string trimmer and blower bought back then, and I'm glad I didn't "upgrade" to the 40v Max OPE Lowe's carried in lieu of 20v Max.
Home Depot put the DeWalt 12v Max tools on clearance around 2017 or 2018, not too long before both the Xtreme and Atomic lines came out, and no longer sells them. I'm not 100% certain, but I think the 8v Max gyro screwdriver is only carried by Lowe's now.
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I've yet to purchase any of the Atomic tools, but do own a lot of the 20v Max XR and both M12 and M18 Fuel tools. My M12 Fuel impact driver needs to be sent back for repair as it doesn't retain sockets (came out of the Packout Gen 2 Fuel kit like that a coupe of years ago). I've used the drill quite a bit and like it, but to be honest my newer Xtreme tools are equally capable for what I do.
I think that a big problem with us tool aficionados is that we can find something to like in every major platform. For me, I got into DeWalt because it's what I used way back when in the trades and family and friends swore by it. I got into Milwaukee initially for the price but then for the amount of power that many Fuel tools offer. My Gen 1 circular saw sees a lot of use, much more than the more powerful but way heavier FlexVolt wormdrive style. Ryobi sells some unique products not found elsewhere, Ridgid has their LSA, Bosch is, well, Bosch, and MetaboHPT is a bit of a sleeper, often being passed over for Yellow or Red tools but offering stuff like their Triple Hammer. My brother is a life-long DeWalt user but loved the Triple Hammer impact so much that I had to bring it home. To be honest, I wasn't worried about it coming up missing, but the first trip or two to the flipper house saw me bringing a hodgepodge of Milwaukee, DeWalt, Bosch, MetaboHPT, and Ridgid tools which I've gradually brought back, leaving some M18 Fuel stuff (so as not to get it mixed up with his DeWalt) and a handful of DeWalt 20v Max tools and batteries to supplement what he has on the jobsite.
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10 hours ago, Eric - TIA said:
Sweet, I have heard good things about the P226. I get to complete my paperwork today for the guns I built out in Utah, so once I get them, I will take a picture.
Sounds good. I haven't built anything yet, but may eventually do so. I also want to get into reloading, especially for the .44 MAG. It would be nice to have a custom load between .44 SPL and .44 MAG, kind of like a +P.
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I've yet to own or even shoot a SIG Sauer, despite currently serving in a position that gives me access to the M17 and M18, which were developed from the P320 to replace the Army's aging M9 (Beretta M92FS) and M11 (SIG Sauer P228) pistols.
Virginia State Police issued the P229 from '97-'04, as a gun guy who worked in a dealership where a Trooper would check our state inspection logs monthly, I was curious about that and read back then that they were ordering both .357 SIG and .40 S&W barrels, with the intent to switch barrels (and calibers) as they wore out. Checking the Wikipedia page, it seems that they stuck with .357 SIG, adopting the P229R in 2004 and the P320 in 2018, both in that caliber.
During the 2005 Inaugural events, I chatted with a US Park Police officer who carried an H&K P7, in my opinion an oddity for American LEOs, but for the most part Glock and SIG Sauer seem to have cornered the market on law enforcement service weapons. While I still need to train with the G17, I will say that the grip angle doesn't bother me as much as it used to, and dry fire drills have proven that the sights align for me almost as instinctively as the 92F or my revolvers. I do have to consciously think about what I'm carrying, but the muscle memory is developing to where I can tell by the feel of the grip where I need to aim (if that makes sense, I'm not a firearms instructor by any means, but have noticed a tendency to be able to effectively draw and engage targets in a smooth manner).
I've already spoken to the wife about future training if I decide to go into law enforcement. Jiu-jitsu or another grappling martial art training is a must, and I plan to use my military retirement to help pay for addition self-defense and especially firearms tactics courses. Twenty years in the Infantry have made me confident that while that I can hold my own on the ground, I need to train away from my go to submissions, which are usually choke holds.
In the end, whether I'm Mr. Home Depot next year or in an Academy, I want to be "that guy" that never has to resort to violence even while being prepared to do so. If I become a cop I want to be capable of defending myself and others but retire without ever forcibly subduing someone or drawing a weapon outside of training.
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Pulled the Trigger... (New Firearms Thread)
in Pub Talk
Posted
I finally found a seemingly decent holster for the G17, and just received one for the Taurus revolver today. The Glock holster is locally made by Southern Custom Tactical and is a kydex inside-the-waistband (IWB) style while the Taurus holster is a leather belt slide style made in the US by Outbags. I've been using the Glock Combat Holster quite a bit, mostly for concealed carry, though I will open carry at the flipper house. I've been using a TEGE brand (made in China) dual magazine carrier for the Glock, which was inexpensive but seems to be fairly well made and is adjustable. It is a bit bulky but conceals well under a vest, jacket, or heavy shirt.
Whenever I replace the S&W Model 19 I hope to locate my old holsters. The favorite was a paddle-style that I could keep in the truck while working but could conceal in uniform if needed (this was during my days as a Recruiter). I also have/had a pancake style holster for it that worked well along with a leather police surplus speed loader pouch. After buying the Model 29 and the Taurus I got a cheap nylon speed loader pouch but have yet to use it, opting instead to keep the couple of reloads in a jacket pocket.
As I renew my dedication to daily carry and look to optimize both my carry options and my gun handling abilities, I need to locate the rest of my old carry holsters and such. Being left-handed usually means a big lack of holster options in stock, but some 12-20 years ago I was able to get some bargains on quality holsters for my Beretta 92F, Para Ordnance, and of course the Model 19. Law enforcement supply stores usually had a few left-handed holsters in the clearance bin, especially for those handguns that were falling out of common use on the pistol belts of law enforcement officers. Basically, if it wasn't a Glock or a SIG I could probably find a good belt holster for it at the time for pennies on the dollar.
Finally, for now, I may look into other carry options, particularly for the revolvers and pocket pistols (e.g. Kel-Tec P32 and Beretta Tomcat, along with a possible .380 in the near future). I've almost always carried strong side on the hip, with the exception of using a thigh holster in the woods on occasion, but the little Taurus or especially a .32 would carry well in an ankle rig, while the Model 29 almost begs for a shoulder and/or chest rig. I like the thought of having a variety of holster options, as how I carry in an urbanized area will almost always differ from how I carry on my property, in the woods, or while working.
My renewed carry permit should be here in a week or two, and I'm almost due for another gun...if I can afford one this month. I've been compaaring the G19X to the standard G19 Gen5 but may end up going for another pocket pistol or a Baby Glock instead. Also, I've never owned a SIG Sauer or HK pistol so those are on the list to eventually research and consider adding to the collection.