Back to The Barn

Two hour ride this morning.  We haven't ridden much this year and other than the half day ride in Montana, today was the longest.  Nice weather and a nice ride.  On the way back I took my cell phone and did my first video holding it in my hand as we rode down the road to the barn.

Damn Job

The Boss and a friend are going riding tomorrow morning. And what will I be doing? Going to work while they're riding their horses through the woods.  Damn job.

This time next year, after the Boss turns 65, I'll be retiring.  Looking forward to that eventuality. 

Never Saw Anything Like That Before

The day started off normal.  I took the day off from work to take the Boss to get steroid shots in her spine.  After leaving her at home I headed to the county sheriffs office to pick up my renewed carry license.  That's when things went a little strange.

Picking up the license was uneventful.  Then I went to a local holster shop, they make them there, and ordered 3 new holsters, 1911, Kahr PM9 and 4" 44 Bulldog.  And then on to the range for an hours worth of short gun shooting.  I was actually quite pleased with my marksmanship, especially considering how little range time I've had this year.  My trigger finger got its long needed fix.

The weird thing happened when driving through the city going to the sheriffs office.  On a corner of an intersection was a middle aged woman wearing a bikini, with no swimming pool near by.  But I took a second look, and found that she was wearing absolutely nothing below.  Her boobs were the only part of her body covered.  I needed fuel so pulled into a station on the other corner.  I saw people on their phones talking and others taking pictures.  A few firefighters arrived with pants for her, then she ran off.  Other than probable mental issues she appeared unharmed, so I traveled on.

When talking to the lady in the sheriffs office I learned that a few days earlier a different woman was spotted walking naked in the middle of a street.

Sounds like a drug problem to me.

Why the 1911

I've been asked many times why I carry the 1911, 45ACP.  The one I carry is the little Kimber UltraCarry with a 3 inch barrel. 

First of all, being short, the shorter barrel keeps it from digging into my ribs while sitting and I can draw without going into contortions.  But other weapons are available that meet that criteria.

The real reason is that I have smaller than average hands, and I can modify the 1911 such that I can get a good grip one handed.  For that reason I own four 1911s in 45ACP.  Two have 5 inch barrels, one 3.5" and one 3".  If ever needed the 45 will create a bigger hole, and I shoot them well.

The down side is that they are prone to collecting lint when carrying.  Until tonight I have been negligent in keeping my carry gun clean.  And boy it was dirty as hell.  Though it appeared to be functional.

The striker fired weapons don't have near the dirt collection issue.  I own one of those.  The little Kahr PM9.  At the time of purchase it was the only one of that kind that I could hold correctly and reach the trigger.  It's also slightly smaller than my smallest 1911, so I sometimes carry it when a bit more concealability is warranted.

Horse Ride

Another short ride today.  The horses did very well.  The Bosses leg started to go numb again.  She is scheduled for another round of spine shots in a couple of weeks.  My arthritic hip was getting sore as well.

Went by an old barn in the park when heading home.  There was a fork lift loading a flat bed truck.  Our horses have never seen that before, so we let them stand and look at it for a minute, then took a wide path around.  When the backup beeper started, my mare jumped into her racking gate to get away quicker.  After just a short distance I pulled her back into a fast walk.  Sure glad she doesn't go nuts when I'm on her back.

Brutal Recoil

The back of the latest NRA rag has pictures of the Bond Bullpup and a 2 barreled 44 Mag.  The little auto-loader probably has a place in the concealed carry world, and some interest to me.  The derringer 44 not so much.

I have fired the Super Blackhawk and a Thompson Contender in 44Mag.  I didn't like either of them.  The recoil was stiff but not as bad as with my Super Redhawk 454.  The guns were the problem, not the cartridge.  Lighting off a 44 Mag in a derringer on the other hand would probably be brutal.  Although loading it up with 44 special cartridges, might be OK.

Speaking of the 44 special I see that Ruger is now chambering the GP100 in that old cartridge.  I find that tempting.  I now have a Charter Arms, and I like the cartridge better than the gun.  The Charter is nice and light for carry and reasonably accurate.  It's not a bad gun but not near as rugged as a Ruger.  The lightweight revolver, with thin grips, is such that I keep 240 grain bullets under 900 feet per second, or it's painful to shoot.  It still packs more punch than a 38 with 158 grain bullets, and not any harder on the hands in a lightweight revolver.

Short & Hot

Went trail riding today.  We left the barn at 8AM and got back shortly after 9AM.  A shorter ride than usual, but rather hot.  The horses tolerated the heat better than the riders.  The Boss and I both had sweat running, but the horses only under the saddle.  They did get to cool off a little bit when we waded the creek 2 times.

Will it Happen Again

Not only are we more divided than in my lifetime, but we're actually getting violent over our differences.  And to put icing on the cake an actual socialist beat out an old dog Democrat in an election.  If this continues, will we end up in another not-so-civil war?

Air Travel Sucks

The trip to Glacier was very good except for the air travel.  Three different planes to get there and 2 planes to get home.  Not one of the 5 left on time, and for one we changed terminals twice for 3 different gates.

Air travel just sucks.