I recently placed an order with LA Police Gear for some clothing items. On a whim, I added a Gerber Guardian knife to my cart. It arrived yesterday:

It's a nice little dagger, double edged with a very sharp point. The blades were not as sharp as I would have liked out of the box, so I immediately went to work on them with diamond and Arkansas stones. Reprofiled to 20 degrees, it now borders on scary sharp. It comes with a nice rigid sheath, with metal clip and adjustable tension.

Not surprisingly, carrying a rigid sheath in a boot is not that comfortable. It might work well in-waist band, or small of back. I'm not sure how useful a boot knife really is, so at the very least it is a nice addition to the collection.

By the way, I recognize that if I'm resorting to fighting with a knife, I'm pretty well screwed.

This is not a snow post...

I've spent the last two days preparing my house for sale. One "task" was to clean and organize the basement. The basement is the home for all of my "stuff" - guns, magazines, ammo, reloading gear, tools, food storage, survival library, and the like. To say this was an overwhelming task is an understatement.

Generally, I'm pretty organized. At the very least, I know which pile to dig through to put my hands on something. I prefer to have things stacked and labeled, but that doesn't always happen as I get busy.

So, I began digging through gear, put all my (paper) magazines in a box, all my AR magazines in a box, all my HK91 magazines in a box, bullets over here, loading gear over there, tools in this box, canning equipment and supplies in those boxes, outdoor equipment, garden seeds, matches, plumbing supplies, electrical supplies.... All into boxes, all labeled, all hauled to an off-site storage unit. I certainly made the bunker look bigger.

I still need to straighten up some things, and try to hide the balance of the gun stuff. Having strangers walking through my house doesn't make me terribly comfortable, but it is a necessary evil to selling. I will likely have the movers empty the storage unit, which means strangers who know what I have and where I live.... Maybe I'll get some of that out in advance.

The upshot to this nastiness is a) better organization, and b) better house & property. Going to be a good time - I'm very excited about this move.

==============

On a snow note, predictions are for 4-8 inches of snow tomorrow!

Caleb over at Gun Nuts Radio has mentioned this Tactilite T-1 upper for AR-15 style lowers a couple of times. It's a .50BMG upper for an AR. Since it's an upper, it's not regulated like the lower. So, .50BMG shipped to your door, no FFL involved.

I'm making this post so I can find the link later - I might want one!

On YouTube. I sat with my mouth hanging open.

Available here.

This past weekend, I participated in a Suarez International Force on Force Gunfighting class. This class uses Airsoft pistols to create a dynamic environment, where your target moves around and shoots back. Shooting at a stationary cardboard silhouette target is one thing; when that target charges you with a knife in his hand, intent on driving it into your gut, everything changes.

We ran a series of drills, including bad guy with a knife; bad guy with a gun; two bad guys - one knife, one gun; and two bad guys, two guns. Each combination of these were run with the good guy or bad guy initiating the action. In some scenarios, the bad guys were mobile, in some they were not. We worked these drills from ranges of 21 feet down to about 6 feet. We worked on some close in techniques for managing high and low knife attacks, and worked some pistol disarms. We played out scenarios including getting approached at the ATM, bank robbery, convenience store robbery, and a stick up at the gas pumps.

Some of the scenarios were no-shoot drills, like the guy just wanted to know the time. Those drills showed one of the major weaknesses of this class: we all expected something to happen, and so we were hyper-vigilant. The drill loses something when the "good guy" just stares down the potential "bad guy" instead of playing his part. This proved true in any of the one-on-one drills as well. While standing toe to toe with someone, knowing that he's going to pull a gun, you are on a hair trigger, and your reaction time (OODA loop) is much shorter.

I learned a couple of good lessons. First, standing still will get you dead. Not moving against a mobile opponent sucks. I "knew" that I need to move at the start of a fight, but this was eye opening. It's not about a step to the left or right, it's an explosion of speed in an unexpected direction that makes your opponent process what just happened. A street thug expects you to hand over your wallet when he sticks a gun in your face. He doesn't expect you to slam him into a wall and pump rounds into his side.

Lesson two: Fight to the end. This isn't a new concept to me, it's a mindset I've developed over the last couple of years, but it was a good reminder. If presented with violence, I'm going to shoot, stab, beat with a chair, or choke with my bare hands - but I'm going to win.

Lesson three: The fight happens up close. This "realization" has made me consider looking into some good hand-to-hand or martial arts class. The ability to deflect the initial attack and create space to bring a weapon into play is key. Having a "weapon" that can't be taken away in a "gun free zone" in an added bonus.

A couple of notes on the equipment we were using. Airsoft pistols are gas powered replica of common handguns - in my case a clone of my Glock 19 as posted previously. The majority of students were shooting glocks, although two were shooting 1911 style guns. The gun shoots a 6mm, .20 gram plastic pellet around 300 fps. Students wore heavy sweatshirts and paintball masks to protect from injury. Most wore gloves. Even through that clothing, these pellets sting, and frequently leave small welts and/or blood blisters. A few pellets managed to catch some folks on bare skin (throat and forehead), and left open, bleeding wounds. That said, Airsoft guns really are toys. They are rather delicate / finicky in use, and don't take well to getting dirty. They require ample lube to continue to run. They don't have positive extraction, so malfunction drills are not as effective as they should be.

Overall, this was a pretty good class. I would recommend this class to trained shooters. That said, there were a few things in the class I didn't care for. First, pre-class communications were lacking. I would have expected an e-mail a week or so in advance, confirming the class was on, and providing start times, directions, et cetera. Second, the class seemed a little bit disorganized. I couldn't tell if this was the curriculum, or the instructor. There was a lot of downtime that consisted of storytelling, rather than working drills or interesting scenarios. We probably could have completed the shooting drills in one day - that's disappointing.

I will be doing more FoF classes - most likely with Tactical Response.

When we last left our never-ending bedroom remodel, I had hung some drywall. This past week, I had a drywall contractor come in to "mud" the room. Two guys, three and a half hours, less than $300, and the room was paint ready, with all of my beginner mistakes corrected. I had to do a little clean up, then I was able to get two coats of paint on walls and ceiling this weekend.

Next weekend will involve a random-orbit floor sander and a gallon of polyurethane.

=====================

In anticipation of my upcoming Force-on-Force class, I acquired an Airsoft G23, which bears a striking resemblance to my carry gun. Can you tell which is which?

This is a gas-blowback model, which means it uses a refillable cartridge of compressed gas (propane!) to discharge the pellet and cycle the slide. This functions just like a real pistol, except that it shoots a small plastic pellet around 300fps instead of a lead bullet.

In the couple quick test shots I took with it, I'm pretty impressed. It puts the pellets out as fast as I could pull the trigger, with just a little bit of recoil (from the slide cycle), and acceptable accuracy. It sunk the pellets pretty good into the towel I was using as a backstop, so I know getting shot with one of these is going to suck. But, better this in training than lead on the streets!

I purchased a Safariland 6004 drop leg holster in anticipation of taking a rifle class next year. The purpose of a drop leg holster is to move the pistol slightly lower than belt level, so that you can access it while wearing a load-bearing vest of some sort. Generally, when wearing a vest, it is difficult to access a belt worn pistol. I understand the holster can be made to ride higher than I have it in the pictures by removing the top leg strap - I think I will likely do that depending on what LBG I end up with.

I purchased this holster for my Glock 19 with a Streamlight TLR-1 weapon light. I figure since I'm already going to be wearing a very large holster, making it a little bigger for a light doesn't matter. Plus, in the event that this holster sees use after TEOTWAWKI, having a mounted light might be a Good Thing. ;^)

A few things surprised me about this holster. First is just how far away from my leg the holster positions the gun. It's only a couple of inches, but being use to concealment holsters that press into my side, it feels like miles. I'll have to take extra precautions when moving through doors not to knock my gun into the door frame.

The second surprise is how little retention this holster provides beyond the retention hood. The rotating hood does a good job of securing the gun when its in place, and true to advertising, does become more secure when the gun is pulled up against it. The rotating hood is easy to move out of the way on the draw stroke, and doesn't seem to add any significant time. It is simply a training issue to build muscle memory to release it.

However, I took the second picture looking down into the holster - you can see a gap all the way around the pistol. The gun is held in place by a tension screw on the rear of the holster, in the vicinity of the light mount. I cranked the screw down enough that when I turned the holster upside down and shook vigorously, the gun didn't fall out. Yet, I can still draw the pistol without straining any muscles. (I think what I'm trying to say is that the holster looks to not fit the gun, although it secures it just fine. This isn't an issue with the equipment, just my first reaction to seeing the gear.)

A lot of folks swear by these rigs, many of whom use them on a daily basis in hot places. Based on those recommendations, I think this was a good choice.

I've had a concern about a particular gap in my supplies for a while now - specifically medical supplies. I've still got a decent trauma kit ready to roll since my days as an EMT, but it's small and limited in scope. I keep little mission specific kits spread around my gear, like a blister kit in my hiking pack and a VOK in my range bag, but I don't have a well organized, well stocked central supply of household medical gear.

Well, my wife requested that I acquire her a particular piece of equipment for an upcoming business trip, so I took the opportunity to fill in some gaps. I've now got a collection of nitrile gloves, N95 masks, and assorted dressings and bandages en route. I'm going to try to sit down in the next couple of days and figure out what other gaps exist in that area, and then figure out how to get them patched. If I generate any useful lists, I think y'all may get a peek at them.

And I don't mean Disney - I'm suggesting Cabela's take the title for a while.

I just made one of my increasingly frequent trip to Cabela's, with the goal of replacing my boots before hiking all over Hawaii next month. I ended up with something different than the 8" duty boot I prefer to wear, but probably better suited to the types of hikes we have planned. Unfortunately, I still need to replace my everyday boots.

While there I wandered through the Bargain Cave, and found two unopened boxes of Barnes .308 180gr Boattail Triple-Shock bullets, marked down almost 22% off of retail. Score!

Add to that earning a $50 "Customer Appreciation" gift card for spending the money I was going to spend anyhow, and I'm a happy boy.

And of course, I was openly carrying my handgun the entire time.

I just saw a great post on Notes from the American Outback (the newest member of my blogroll) on the pocket knife. You can read it yourself, but the gentleman reflects on the knife he's carried for 55 years. It got me thinking about my own pocket knife.

I've not been nearly that consistent on which knife I've carried, but I have carried a knife (or three) nearly every day since the seventh grade - 1990. Here are all the knives I've carried in those 18 years.

Right in the center is my Swiss Army "Fisherman" knife, carried from 1990 through at least 2002 - it was at my wedding for sure. My mother gave it to me for my 13th birthday. It has my initials engraved on the main blade, which is still shaving sharp. It really is my favorite knife, but doesn't see much carry any more. The smaller SAK Executive joined me in my travels through Italy in 2005, since it was inoffensive and expendable.

Clockwise from top left:
- Spyderco Endura with plain edge. I "waved" this knife for faster opening. Carried around 2003-2005. Now it's relegated to abusive outdoor work.

- Leatherman Wave. Great multitool, highly recommended. This rode on my belt for a number of years, until about January of 2006.

- Kershaw Chive. This non-offensive looking rainbow knife is my dressy / office knife. My wife gave it to me for a birthday about 5 years ago. It's extremely flat so it rides very well in the pocket of nice slacks. It's "spring assisted", so it opens very quickly. Of course, it is very sharp.

- no-name china knife (half serrated). This blade rode in my firefighting turn-out gear for many years.

- Benchmade Ritter RSK. This is my current everyday knife if I'm dressed casually. It's usually clipped in my right hand front pocket in jeans, or my right hand rear pocket if I'm wearing 5.11 style pants. It has also been known to ride in-waistband at 4:00 if I'm not wearing a pistol and want it to be a little less conspicuous.

- Kershaw Scallion. This was my everyday knife for a few years before the Ritter. Also "spring assisted".

- Syderco Endura, stainless with SpyderEdge (full serrated), and dremel "waved". I only carried this for a short while. It made me realize I don't like serrated blades for most general uses. While the stainless sides look nice, and keep the thickness down, they're too smooth to provide a good grip, and are heavy to boot. Basically, this knife has all the features you don't want in a pocket knife.

There you go, 18 years of pocket knife history. I'll revisit this post in another 18 to see what's changed.