All Saints Day, Clean Your Gun

You can be part of today's benighted entitlement culture and think that the State is going to step in and clean your dirty gun. Go right ahead, just keep on thinking that and wonder why your firearm doesn't work anymore.

On the other hand, you can take destiny into your own hands and clean the filthy little beast yourself. Like a free man.

That's what I did tonight, as I reflected on the Saints and in particular on the Cure D'Ars, Patron Saint of parish priests. Jean Vianney didn't own any pistols, much less a Glock 21, but he could read minds and see into peoples' souls.

He also led a life of extraordinary asceticism, living on a potato and a glass of warm milk per day. He did that for decades and when he died, the examining doctor stated that there was no earthly reason why the humble priest should have lived as long as he did.

The Devil would taunt him at night, bellowing out, "Potato eater!" Look it up on the modern Delphi that is the internet, if you doubt me.

Have a blessed All Saints.

LSP

Very, Very Scary

Two friends came over from Dallas yesterday and stayed over. One of them brought along a SOCOM 16, which is a short barreled variant of the M1A, and we wanted to test that out and see if it worked. So, undaunted by rain, we headed out to a ranch where there's a good area to blast away in the wilderness. 

You can even access this range via rocky roads, in your pal's new Tundra. No danger of getting stuck in the mud, right?

Well Done, Team

Wrong. We got stuck in thick sandy clay. An hour later, and lots of rocks under the tires, we were out of the mess and shooting. The SOCOM worked just fine, a right little beast of a 7.62 barker.

Proper Little Barker

On the way home, one the crew had to ask, "How many soldiers, former and serving, does it take to get stuck in the mud?" That would be three, apparently.

Moral of the story? Get a SOCOM, and a winch, and a 4x4.

Happy Halloween,

LSP

Take a Bath, Hippie

At least that's what the horses say, and who can blame them? I rode out on Tres this morning after a week's break, caused by torrential rains and the horses being let loose to pasture in Texas' idyllic Mesquite Groves.

There was a little bit of rodeo (bucking) but nothing too radical. That was worked out by galloping up and down a hill and making our way through trails in the woods.

It was beautiful to ride in the clean, crisp, air and I went back to HQ refreshed and uplifted. Blue Destroyer, in the meanwhile, had chewed up an issue of American Rifleman. And some butter.

I wasn't too happy about that.

LSP

Carve The Pumpkin With a Gun

Here's Hickok45, getting the world ready for Halloween, and now I want a lever gun. Make that several.

Gun rights,

LSP

You Killer

Oregon. What a tragedy. Was Mercer a Muslim? We don't know, but he hated Christians and loved the IRA, strangely.

Mercer's victims, rest in peace.

LSP

This Is Not Aberystwyth

It's raining, here in Texas, and that's about as far as the similarity to Wales' notorious seaside resort, Aberystwyth, goes.

A Typical Aberystwyth Street Scene

After Morning Prayer the power went out, so I took the dog for a recce patrol. I also took a pistol along for security, in case things got out of hand with the grid being down. 

Texas

In Aberystwyth that'd be illegal, because you can always call the police when you're being attacked by Welsh seaside rowdies.

A Bright Cheery Morning in Aberystwyth

The power's on, now, and we'll see how long that lasts. Smart people are building cisterns to hold the rainwater because, at some point, the electricity may not come back on again.

Off Grid,

LSP

Blackhawk Holster For The Glock 21 Review

I was looking for a holster for my Glock 21 that, in a word, worked, didn't break the bank and could be used at the range and for open carry. I settled on Blackhawk's Serpa Concealment offering.

It comes with two mounting options, a paddle, or a belt loop attachment, and both allow several cant positions for the holster itself. Assembly is easy, simply screw the holster into the attachment you want to use at the position you like. Don't be an idiot and overtighten the supplied screws, or you'll bust your new holster. 

Back of the Paddle. Note Cant Positions

The paddle comes with two snap in retention hooks that fit into the back of the paddle and stop it coming free. The belt attachment has two detachable snaps that adjust the attachment to the size of your belt.

What are the benefits of this holster? 

Its special SERPA Technology locks your pistol into place in the holster and it can't get out unless you depress the special SERPA Auto-Lock Release on the outside of the holster. This gives you weapon security. According to Blackhawk, your pistol isn't going to fall out of the holster, which is important, but you also have to be able to draw your pistol. How does that work? 

Mysterious SERPA Tech

Press the special SERPA Auto-Lock Release and out it comes, ready for action. To that end, Blackhawk advertise the holster as having a "speed-cut design for rapid draw, target acquisition and re-holster," as well as a "full firing grip for draw and immediate retention upon re-holster."

Is all this true, or just another exercise in marketing flimflam, flummox and smoking mirrors?

Don't Believe The Hype

I'd say it's true. Blackhawk's holster holds the Glock 21 tightly, in a mechanical Serpa grip. The pistol's not going anywhere unless you use the holster's release. And sure enough, its design makes for a quick draw, placing your index finger naturally over the trigger well, ready to shoot. That done, the pistol fits back in its holster easily and clicks authoritatively into place. Serpa Tech seems to work.

SERPA Auto-Lock Release

But there's a catch. If you have a stroke while you're drawing your pistol and allow your index finger to slide ineluctably from Auto-Lock Release to trigger, you might have a negligent discharge and shoot your foot off, or your buddy, or whatever. Don't do that, keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot. Personally, I don't see this as a problem, some PDs and competition shoots do.

So, if you want a holster that works, consider Blackhawk's Serpa. It costs around $40. You can conceal it, too, somewhere.

Gun rights,

LSP

Horse And Gun

Riding is good for mind, body and spirit, it's fun, too, provided you don't fall off the horse and smash yourself to pieces. With that in mind, I went for a ride yesterday on a new horse. 

She's an Arabian mare called Wendy, who had been in very bad shape when she was bought for the vast sum of $300. She looks fine now, but what was she like to ride? After getting a cup of coffee at Big Willy's, I went to find out.

First off, she was gentle and well behaved, at least to humans, maybe not so much with her horse pals. She was also responsive and easy to ride, even for a rusty horseman like myself. We walked, trotted and cantered and I thought, "I like this horse!" 

No crazy bucking, head tossing, snaking, ducking and diving, just riding, with plenty of power held in reserve. She'd be fun to gallop and run, and I'll try that later. It turns out she's had good training, though that wasn't known when she was bought. Long story short, I've ridden horses that were orders of magnitude more expensive and much less good.

After horsing around I went for a shoot, and that was alright too, though my groups weren't much to write home about. Whatever, it's all rounds down range.

Stay on the horse and keep squeezing the trigger,

LSP

Whatever, Hippy. Gun Rights.

A few years ago I told an English friend that I enjoyed shooting and supported the 2nd Amendment, unlike, say, the repellent Piers Morgan. My pal looked at me like I was a crazed snake-handling fascist redneck, who had gone native in a bad way.

Hated NWO Shill

"That's so backward," sneered my buddy as he sipped green tea out of a biodegradable cup, made out of re-purposed, sustainable  hemp mash. "Whatever, hippy," I replied, toying with a razor sharp kukri, "I'd rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6, and while we're at it, what're you going to do when ISIS shuts down the Tower Hamlets Trans Theater Collective? Go whining to the Sharia Police? Yeah, good idea."

This Store Didn't Get Looted

But seriously, why do you think people are arming up and stockpiling ammo? Why are people looking at off-grid solutions, and laying in food? 

This Store Did

Because cities like Detroit, St. Louis, Chicago, New York, and Baltimore, to name just a few, aren't a few steps away from breakdown? Or because a financial system based on infinite debt and accordingly infinite growth, is somehow viable? Or maybe you feel safe in a society that has lost its ethical moorings to such an extent that it actively funds an organization that sells baby parts.

Crazed Looter

In the meanwhile, the FBI has seized Hillary's private server. Maybe she'll go down, like the video producer she framed. Maybe, and maybe the IRS will get disbanded. Don't hold your breath.

Gun rights,

LSP

Get Out And Shoot

Some people think that Texas is quite hot in August and perhaps it is, but that doesn't mean you can't go out and shoot, which is what we did.

There was skeet.

And more skeet.

And then some more.

Until the shotgun needed some surgery. Gun fixed, we shot some more of the clay opposition, then turned to the ARs and blasted away.

Green terrs down, the shoot concluded with a bit of pistol action, and that was fun too.

So don't be a pathetic lib, get out and shoot, even if it is 150 degrees in the shade.

Congrats to the kids, they shot like champs.

Gun rights,

LSP

Shoot the CHL

I took the CHL test today at a room in El Conquistador, and very enjoyable it was too, despite having to drive through ferocious Climate Change to Waco.

The first part of the class was mostly about gun safety, the law, and why it's better to be "judged by 12 than carried by 6." That said, our instructor emphasized deterrent; a CHL isn't a "license to kill" he told us. That ended with a Mexican lunch, chicken enchiladas for me, followed by a test. It's not hard.

Then we convoyed off to a range, which was interestingly situated behind a BBQ place, and split into two groups. Group One for people familiar with their pistols and Group Two for those who were less so. I was in Group One and wondered how I'd match up with the other shooters, especially given less than stellar performance at the range lately.

But I shot alright and the Instructor congratulated me, "Good! I thought you Brits didn't like guns!"

"Chief," I replied, "I'm from the olden days." He thought that was very amusing.

That's More Like It

So a good day was had by all. Do the CHL class; it's fun, it teaches you something and improves your shooting. After you've certified, you have to send various documents into the DPS  and you get your license.

And that, my friends, is one small step in the ongoing War on Weather.

Shoot straight,

LSP

Who Are These People?

Some say that Cameron and Osborne are Edwardian Prefects with the minds of ASDA managers.

With Michael Gove as their fag.

(U.S. readers take note: "fag," in this instance, does not mean a privileged and protected class of wealthy, white, upwardly mobile, litigious citizens, but a junior boy at boarding school who acts as a servant to the senior boys.)

Carry on,

LSP

Hog Poetry

I know, I know, it's been a long while since I posted a hog poem and I apologize for that. But here's something, inspired by Manhattan Infidel.

“Master thyself, then others shall thee beare”

     Pull down thy vanity

Thou art a beaten hog beneath the hail,

A swollen magpie in a fitful sun,

Half black half white

Nor knowst’ou wing from tail

Pull down thy vanity

     How mean thy hates

Fostered in falsity,

     Pull down thy vanity,

Rathe to destroy, niggard in charity,

Pull down thy vanity,

     I say pull down the trigger,

And slay the hog.

With no apologies to Mr. Pound.

LSP 

Deadly Assault Carbine Got Even More Deadlier, Installing the Fortis Hand Guard

Sometimes you look at your deadly black assault carbine and think, "I know, this gun's got to get more deadly, much more deadly." Inspired by this vision of the future you go out and get a new hand guard. In my case, this meant getting a Fortis Switch 556 12 keymod system.

Obey the System

Why? In the first place, keymod fore-ends are practical because you can attach items to the rifle without the extra weight and profile of multiple rails. Why Fortis? Because their system is lightweight, robust, easy to install and in-budget. The hand guard simply clamps into place over the supplied barrel nut without the need to index the gas tube assembly to the nut. At least that's the marketing. What's the reality?

Exactly as described. After removing my old Yankee Hill free float tube, the new barrel nut torqued onto the receiver without a hitch, the gas tube went into place above it and the hand guard worked as advertised. I eyeballed the guard's top rail with the receiver and liked the snug fit, there's negligible space between the two.

The gas tube doesn't need indexing with the barrel nut

Then, to clamp the hand guard into place, simply close the proprietary Fortis mechanism's lever  90 degrees until it clicks into place and... that's it. Absurdly easy to install and as described, it's robust, lightweight and well made.

Line up the hand guard with the receiver

Would I recommend the Fortis Switch to a friend. Yes, I most certainly would. Is it easy to install? It comes with instructions, I'm not sure they're necessary. Is it tactical? Look, it's black, what more do you want. Does it work?  I should say so! Is it affordable? Yes, cheap at half the price.

Clamp Down!

So go out and get yourself a Fortis hand guard, if you want, and I don't think you'll be disappointed. This version has the following specs:

Material: Aircraft Grade 6061-T6 Aluminum / Locking handle: 7075-T6 Aluminum

Length: 12.42”

Weight: 8.5 ounces minus barrel nut. Barrel nut is 1.6oz.

Internal Diameter: 1.34"

Continuous Top Rail

Rotation Limited QD Sockets

Keymod at the 3, 6, & 9 o'clock

Mil. Spec. Hard-coat Anodized

4140 heat treated barrel nut (1-7/16 X 16 T.P.I.)

A whole lot deadlier, thanks, Fortis

It's made in the USA too, and that's a bonus.

Shoot straight,

LSP