Bowie Tactical HK P30S w/ Leupold Delta Point

The P30S should be on it's way back from Bowie tomorrow.

He put up this pic.

Have been on the hunt for a new holster for it and have been in contact with Garrett Industries regarding one of their tuck-able IWB holsters.

Really looking forward to getting this out and seeing how she runs.

Pearls of Wisdom From The Greatest Generation Part 1

Pearls of Wisdom From The Greatest Generation Part 1


-Select quotes from “Shooting to Live” –


Fairbairn and Sykes

I am utterly amazed that I have not read this piece before now, I’ve seen it mentioned many times over, have seen it available when shopping for other books but have never pulled the trigger on it so to speak until know. The following is just a list of quotes from the book that jumped out at me for a variety of reasons.

“It must not be inferred on that account that we in any way decry the sport of target shooting. On the contrary, we admire the high degree of skill for which it calls and which we personally cannot emulate.”

…
“Target shooting has its place and we have no quarrel with it. There probably will quarrel, however, when we go on to say that beyond helping to teach care in the handling of fire-arm, target shooting is of no value whatever whatever in learning the use of the pistol as a weapon of combat. The two things are as different from each other as chalk from cheese, and what has been learned from target shooting is best unlearned if proficiency is desired in the use of the pistol under actual fighting conditions.”

Now don't get me wrong here, my reason for quoting this piece of text is not to bash competition shooting in general, during the time when this work was being written USPSA and IDPA were non-existent. Bull's-eye was the pistol sport of the day,  but that being said we still need to reflect on the matter of USPSA and IDPA as well as what commonly passes for training as related to the carrying of arms in this country.

I think we all need a little reminder every now and then that USPSA and IDPA are no substitute for attending proper training when it comes to fighting with a handgun. This is should also reinforce the known that the basic marksmanship class that many take to meet training requirements is just not good enough. I'm very happy to see the widely available training. I think Fairbairn and Sykes would be pleased with the many programs available today.

“…you may find that you have to shoot from some awkward position, not necessarily even while on your feet. There is no exaggeration in this analysis of fighting conditions. Here we have a set of circumstances which in every respect are absolutely different from those encountered in target shooting. Do they not call for absolutely different methods of training?"

Weaver, Iso, Modern Iso, whatever your favorite flavor is, if you sudenly find yourself going for your gun, and incorporate any kind of movement, you're not going to be in your favorite stance. One of the things that I do like about IDPA etc. is that some match directors like to get some unorthodox shooting "positions" in there. 

"To answer this question, we much consider the essential points which emerge from our analysis. They appear to be three in number, and we should set them out in the following order: -

1: Extreme speed, both in drawing and firing
2: Instinctive, as opposed to deliberate aim.
3: Practice under circumstances which approximate as nearly as possible to actual fighting conditions.

Instinctive aiming, the second essential, is an entirely logical consequence to the extreme speed to which we attach so much importance. That is so for the simple reason that there is no time for any of the customary aids to accuracy. If reliance on those aids has become habitual, so much the worse for you if you are shooting to live. There is no time, for instance, to put yourself into some special stance to align the sights of the pistol, and any attempt to do so places you at the mercy of quicker opponent."

 This will be touched on a little more in depth in my review of the Point Shooting Progressions Course I recently attended but some things covered therein and some things seen as something that needs to be addressed in training regarding to close range encounters. Again on the training aspect, I hope this information reaches those that think they're NRA Basic Pistol Course is all they need in terms of firearms training. Don't get me wrong, the Basic Course is fine for teaching fundamentals etc. but it's incredibly lacking in regards to defensive use of the pistol.

"We cannot claim that the system produces nail-driving marksmanship, but that is not what we look for. We want the ability to hit with extreme speed man-sized targets at very short ranges under the difficult circumstances which have been outlined all ready. Nail-driving marksmanship will not cope with such conditions."

I can't say I agree or disagree on this. Again, in the PSP course we worked on a lot of things that I had done in other training classes, such as the Langdon Tactical Inc, Advanced Tactical Pistol Course, some drills / exercises were almost identical expect that we were using sighted fire in one and "point shooting" in another. I would say that I had more accurate hits in the Langdon class, but more hits in the PSP class, and they were not what I would call inaccurate. While we did a LOT of moving in the Langdon class, we did FASTER moving in the PSP course but the lack of waiting for perfect sight alignment / sight picture allowed for a lot more shots on target resulting in more hits, and while they weren't all in the "down zero"

There's a saying attributed to Bill Jordan:

"Speed is fine, accuracy is final."

Where this falls into play...at this moment I'm not quite sure what the correct balance of speed vs. accuracy is. I've been trying to improve my ratio of both speed and accuracy and as of right now I think I have to go with getting good hits and with more time and practice the speed will improve.

"In this training system nothing is permitted to interfere with the development of speed. For that reason we have steadily set our faces against competitions or rewards of any kind. The instant that competitions, with the accompanying medals, badges, etc., are introduced, men will try to shoot deliberately, whether consciously or not, and we find our object is being defeated."

 Man, did this one strike home or what? When you look at the history of the Leather Slappers, USPSA, IDPA, or any kind of scored system...it's impossible to refute the above quote. I got in to IDPA for the "practice" aspect of it and to have a better avenue to apply what I've learned in training and I find myself trying to shoot more for score and competition and I know I'm not the only one. At the end of last season I was pretty determined to leave the game aspect of it behind and I will try to hold myself to that and not care where I place.

HK P30S 9mm & Other Updates

Just a quick update on the P30S. I received my Milt Sparks VM2 for the P30 and have been wearing that pretty much 100% of the time I'm carrying. I am pleased to say that I am not having the issue of de-cocking the gun during the access part of my draw stroke.

I changed out the front and rear sight to a fiber optic front and plain black rear from Dawson Precision and I really like the sights. One thing to note with the P30 is that there isn't much flat, vertical surface to the slide and using a sight pusher can be tricky. I ended up using my 10-8 Armorer Tool as a wedge to keep the slide from canting in the pusher. On a side note, the 10-8 rear sight for the HK45, 45C, P30 and P30L is done and in stock.

I haven't ordered one (10-8 rear) yet, but plan on adding one to the HK45 here in a couple of weeks.

I was kind of worried about my alignment of the sights as the front sight appeared slightly off center, but my initial testing @ 50' from a rest proved the sights to be centered, or at least centered enough for me.

Dawson Precision Fiber Optic Front

Dawson Precision Rear Sight

Five Shots, Rested @ 50 Feet

The gun then went 1200+/- rds of Winchester Ranger NATO @ the Point Shooting Progressions Course I attended in Searsboro, IA with Roger Phillips and Greg Nichols and the sights didn't budge.

An after action review (AAR) of the class is in progress. I apologize for lack of blogging of late but the wife is taking EMT training, which leaves me busy with the kids while she's at class or studying, the IDPA thing, and that pesky thing called a job have been taking their toll on my time for other things.

Be Cool, Don't Shoot Your Tool...

Seto, 27, was tucking the little gun – reportedly a Taurus 380 Compact Pistol into his waistband as he walked toward the store with his girlfriend, Cara Christopher.
The gun went off. The bullet hit Seto's penis and continued through his left thigh.

Article HERE

Always, always, use a holster.

That is all.

The Gun Bug....

No, not Back Up Gun...the bug that bites you and starts the gears turning about that next purchase. I've got it bad. There's four guns on my want list right now. I've been shopping around for an AR in .308 for a while and have pretty much settled on the Colt SP901 once it's available (barring any serious issues with the gun of course), but I've been wanting to add a single action revolver, preferably a .45LC/45ACP Ruger Blackhawk Convertible to my collection for use in NRA classes, but then there's the deal I found on a Les Baer SRP that's honestly too good to pass up, and of course there's the HK P30S /LS that I've been wanting for about two years...

So...what's the gun bug got you going after?



On a side note, I've started clearing out the holster crate and have raised almost $300 to go to my next gun purchase. That's pretty close to the price of the Ruger .45 I saw over the weekend and almost half way to the HK, but not quite 1/4 of the Colt or the Baer. Gotta' give it more time I guess.

From Idaho with Love...

Ordered this back in February, the previous OWB I had ordered for the Nighthawk just didn't meet my expectations after some use. It wasn't as rigid as I liked and the holster and the Ion-bonded slide of the Bob-Rail did not get along and there was an issue the the gun "dragging" on the holster. I could have added a wax or something but with the fit/function of my VMII being awesome, I figured I might as well go with Sparks on an OWB as well. I've always preferred straight drop OWB holsters and this should meet/exceed my needs nicely.

It features the steel reinforced band like my VMII, Sparks always does a good job of covering the band, some "copies" don't always do as well of a job in that area. The sight channel is very spacious, stitching, dye, and overall fit are superb. I don't know how they do it, but the way the gun locks into that leather almost sounds like Kydex without that big dimple in the trigger guard area. Initial fit was a little snug, but in about 30 draws it it feels about perfect.

Getting Acquainted with the HK45

Ever since the P30 was unveiled I've been interested in having one, especially when the P30LS was revealed on HK's website, I still want one but I don't know if or when that's going to happen. Since the same time, I've been eyeballing the Hk45 I'd been lusting over the P30 before I saw the PT endurance testing and the results of the HK45s test just pushed me over the edge. I fondled one on display at Shot show and was really impressed with it's feel compared to some other double stack .45s and the LEM trigger on the demo gun really was something...

 ...So I had the opportunity to help a friend out and bought his HK45 with nine mags and a VMII (oddly enough I sold him the VMII last year when I decided to opt out on getting HK45 after snagging the VMII on eBay for a pretty good deal, cordovan with black shark) So now for the last couple days I've been dry-firing and doing dry-reload drills till my hands have gotten raw.

I got to put a few rounds down range the other day and I'm pretty happy with the gun, I like it a heck of a lot more than the G21SF I just sold. This weekend I'm instructing an Iowa specific course and I will probably be using the HK45 for my demonstrations and hopefully getting some holster time in with it and will probably be taking the pistol to TDI in May.

The pistol is a V1 which allows for cocked and locked carry and for the time being that's probably how I'll be carrying it but a conversion to LEM is probably on the horizon as that when I do dry drawing practice I have a hard time getting the grip right with proper placement of my thumb over the safety, we'll see how it works out, it may be just growing pains.

For holsters I've got the VMII and with some of the left over $$$ from the Glock package sale I ordered a Kydex OWB from Cane and Derby, and just in talking with them on the phone all I can say is that I can't wait to get this holster in my hands. If the product is a good as the people making it this will be the best piece of Kydex on the planet. Their product is similar to the likes of Raven Concealment but their turn around time is about 20 days for non-standard items.

So now back to the gun...

I've blacked out the rear sight as I dislike rear dots, eventually a set of Heinie sights will find their way onto the gun just like I have on my Hi Power and two 1911s. The trough in the trigger guard is annoying as all get out but doesn't seem to irritate my finger that bad, but we'll see what a high round count does for that, odds are I may drop the gun off at Bowie Tactical while I'm at TDI and see what he can do with it.

The gun comes with two backstraps, one small and one medium. I've found I prefer the medium as it seems to fill my hand much better and gives me a more consistent grip. I was always skeptical about the magazine release but I'm actually beginning to warm up to it. I really like the ambit slide lock/release and the feel of the gun in the hand is just amazing, I always loved the grip of the P2000 and the HK45 comes pretty close to it. 

So far my only gripe is that trough, I don't know what HK was thinking when they put that on the gun. Your basic field strip is very user friendly, I was able to change out the back strap without using a hammer and punch. The gun holds 10 in the magazine which is down three from the Glock but up two from a 1911, that's 25% more ammunition which is OK, but I'd rather have the 12rds in a USP45 but some concessions had to be made to get the contours of the HK45.

More to come as I get more trigger time on the gun.

The one thing that really surprises me is how well this gun carries and hides given it's size.

HK45 and Milt Sparks Versa-Max II

Back from SHOT...

Going to be writing up a more elaborate piece later in the week, but off the top of my head some items of interest are:

Colt's RAIL GUN in black Cerakote, I didn't know this at the time but the rail guns have National Match barrels, kind of a nice upgrade for not a whole lot more money. Colt is now using genuine Novak rear sights and a beaver tail that is made in house. All the XSEs, Rail Guns, Gold Cups, Delta Elite, and Combat Elite will have the beaver tails. The when the re-issue of the Colt Mustang goes into production it will have dove-tailed sights to better compete with the Sig P238, if my 238 continues to give me grief, I may just get a new Mustang. No word yet on other Mustang variants.

Colt also has a new rifle coming out, an AR in .308 that will accept 5.56 uppers (MILSPEC of course) and with an adapter kit take 5.56 magazines. The rifle has a monolithic upper and came with a MAGPUL stock...I don't recall which right now, The stock is a VLTOR IMOD if I'm not mistaken.
it's been a long week, I'll scan the flier later on this week.

Galco finally listened to customer demand and is now carrying a dual offset loop IWB called the V-Hawk, it looked like a pretty good holster, reinforeced mouth, body shield and adjustable height which will also allow for switching out loops for clips etc. Should be a good choice for an "off the shelf" rig, the cost may be a little high, but Galco is pretty good stuff.

I'm still torn about the Kimber Solo carry, going to see what kind of reviews the get in the next few months, if I do decide to axe the P238 the Solo may be it's replacement. The running for the replacement is looking like this:

Kahr K9
NAA Guardian (.380)
Colt Mustang
Kimber Solo Carry

I saw lots of interesting knives, SOG has a Spec Elite Micro? that looked very promising and CRKT has a smaller Hissatsu folder that will probably be finding it's way to my door. Spyderco had some nice offerings as well.

More to come later in the week. Need to review some catalogs, finish a course curriculum, and get back to work at my main job, a week off sure was nice but I'm probably going to be behind the 8-ball for the next couple weeks because of it.

Also, if you're ever in Vegas, you need to see the Blue Man Group

Permit Insanity....

So on 1-1-11, Iowa became shall issue, having not been present in any of my previous states of residence when the change took place I can't relate to what happened then but some of what's happening know is just ridiculous.


1: Sheriffs requiring instructors to verify their credentials - turning down apps until those credentials are proven and not being willing to verify them via the NRA Instructor Website. Really? Come on, they were even giving your their ID and zip code so you could log in and verify their creds.

2: "There's a 30 day waiting period" BS, state law says you have 30 days to issue or deny a permit or the person is able to carry, that's not a waiting period, that's a grace period for issuing authorities to have some breathing room if they get swamped or to keep some from dragging their feet on the issuance. So what does this one particular Sheriff's Office (SO) do? Calls it a waiting period and stone walls the applicants for the whole 30 days (Or rather has implied as such), gee Sheriff, that's really mature now isn't it. Why not stick your tongue out at them as they're walking out the door?

3: Petty complaints from "our side" as well. "They are only accepting application on these days at certain hours"...boo hoo. Guess what, they're not Seven Eleven and have other jobs to do other than issue you a permit. Maybe they are doing this to reduce back log and get people permits to them in a more timely manner by having a buffer to run all the NICs checks? You're going to get your permit, chill out.

4: On the topic of training certificates, one SO is requiring all certificates to have some sort of reference to "Handgun Training" on them, this one is somewhat palatable as the law does specify in part that applicants need to have gone through "handgun training" but seriously? Tel me you're not trying to be a jerk.

There's other instances of "wrong doing" I'm not going to list them all as it's nearing the end of the day for me.

Most of these instances are counties not known for fair issuance practices prior to 1-1-11 so is it any real surprise that they're being jerks about it now?

On a happier note, my Sheriff who was not fond of carry was very pleasant to deal with this morning and while I overheard him on the phone with an applicant discussing training I gave him some cards for my NRA Classes and he even asked if I had a flier to for them to post at the SO. This is a big change from when I talked to him prior to moving to Iowa. I for one am kind of proud of him as I know how he feels about carry but is not making waves and is complying with state law without being a burden to the people.

My new permit should be in the mail box by the end of the week, my SO had a little bit of a wait time as they apparently got swamped yesterday. As it's a smaller department, the dispatcher is the one doing the permits as there is not a dedicated admin staff and it's fine with me if I have to wait a while, she has more important things to do like dispatching police, fire and EMS to their calls.


On a side note, if you're looking for a good belt, check out the 5.11 Casual belt, I all ready had one in 1.75" for my competition holster and liked it so much that I bought two 1.5"ers for carry, one brown and one black. Not a bad belt if you ask me.

Just in Time for Shall Issue...

A brand spankin' new Milt Sparks Versa Max II for my Nighthawk Bob-Rail that appears to have been made by the man himself.

Much thanks Tony K, I still have to give the VMII "Best" (if there really is such a thing) IWB holster available. I ordered this just after I ordered my Nighthawk in June, while I wish I would have had it before now I understand backlog and lead times. Besides, it's not like a VMII for a railed 1911 is a stocking item anywhere.

Tomorrow I'm heading to the Sheriff's office to renew my neutered permit to carry and will hopefully have my unrestricted 5yr permit in hand when I leave.


Good times.

Over the Last Year All My "EDC" Has Changed...

Looking over my last few posts, I've come to realize that almost all my carry gear has been replaced / upgraded.

I've replaced my Colt Mustang with the Sig P238, I've replaced my main carry/competition gun, the Les Baer TRS wit my Nighthawk Bob-Rail, my SOG Spec Elite & CRKT Hissatsu have (or rather are going to be) replaced by a Benchmade Griptilian (this reminds me, forget those Kudos to SOG, my replacement belt clip still hasn't shown up) and the KA-BAR TDI ankle knife. The Streamlight PT1L is a new addition and has all ready proved useful both while at work and abroad.

I have not been in the habit of carrying a light for the last couple of years, not for lack of interest, just lack of a nice compact light that had a high output. I wanted a Surefire E1B, but didn't want to pay that kind of money for a light. The PT1L has "better" features and is a fraction of the cost of the E1B. I can honestly say that the PT1L has left the house with me every day since it's arrival from Brownells.

The Desibens Gun Leather IWB #4

Since I had a lot of time before I could carry my P238 I was able to out some good thought into what I wanted in my holster for this gun.

I wanted an IWB, I wanted something with a snap loop, it either had to have a reinforced opening or just be very stiff, as the P238 is super slim I wasn't too worried about the location of the loop, I wanted a single loop for more room to locate the holster to either AIWB or strong side. Why the reinforced opening? Most of my holsters have them and I like them and prefer to keep some familiarity with all my gear, I don't like a bunch of different stuff. Keeping things similar = keeping it simple for me.

A while back I had an opportunity to check out some of Rhome's work, and while that particular holster didn't suit my fancy in some areas the quality of the work did and the impressions made by that holster stuck with me.

When i saw the IWB #4 on Rhome's site I knew it was going to be my choice of IWBs for this little package provided that he could accommodate the order.

Communications were prompt, he went to work to obtain either a 238 or a mold, the order was completed in the quoted time and he even gave me an option of which holster I wanted (both versions can be seen in Rhome's gallery for added comfort and stability but I opted for the minimal design for easier AIWB carry.

The fit of the holster was a little snug at first, but about 30 minutes of working the gun in and out broke it in nicely, no need for wax paper etc.

The material is firm but not too tough, the reinforced mouth is retaining it's shape nicely and the when the gun is inserted there's an audible "click noise" that one would not expect to hear from a leather holster. As I've said about Milt Sparks, it seems the holster has a force of it's own that just draws the gun in....in other words the fit is just really nice.

As Rhome had a P238 mold I did not have to worry about the sight channel being shallow (if one is using a Mustang etc. holster for a 238 this could be an issue), this sight channel is nice and deep. The stitching is good, and again the fit is phenomenal. What I really like about this holster is that I have the option of a single snap loop, or a double snap loop. I am currently using the double snap loop.

I've been wearing the holster for a little over a week and I really like it, I'm thinking that if I were to primarily carry it strong side that I would have liked the added material but as this particular gun is carried more towards 1 o'clock I'm happy with the minimal version.

Enough with the talk, here's the pics.

If you're looking for a good holster for a small gun such as a P3AT, P32, LCP, or Kahrs I'd take a good look at this one. I don't know how I would like the single mounting point on a heavier gun, may if I feel bold I'll order one for the HK P7 and see how I like it.

The Rise of Rhome, A Review of the DGL #2 IWB

This is a holster review from February of '09, thought I'd toss it up here as I'm looking at trying to get one of his holsters (the IWB #4) for my Sig 238 provided the replacement runs. 

Along time ago way back when, I first happened to come across DefensiveCarry.com (CombatCarry back then) and I dug into the Mega-Holster Maker Links page, bookmarked about half a dozen makers and then started making decisions on gear I wanted and started searching out info on those makers.

Of those that I was looking I really liked what I saw from Desibens Gunleather. The gear looked solid and there were no complaints on wait time, price, etc. This was to be my first custom holster so I was a little hesitant after hearing some horror stories. The holster was for my Kimber CDP Compact, previous to that I was carrying it in my Galco Royal Guard for my 5” 1911. I ordered an IWB and two magazine carriers from Rhome in horse with a cherry finish, I loved the holster, but the horse just wasn’t right for me in that configuration, and eventually I ended up tossing the holster in with the CDP for a trade, I kept the magazine carriers and used them often. Currently those magazine carriers are being used by my Father who is currently using them and my Royal Guard for CCW duty in MI.

I never got around to ordering another rig from Rhome prior to his departure from the States. He’s come back and set up shop again in California and has started making holsters again with some new designs, Rhome contacted me and asked me to review one of his new holsters and I was pleased to accept. I received the holster on 1-16-09 and was pleased with what I saw. The first thing that tickled me was that he included a sheet of wax paper and instructions on break in, I made a point to ask him about this and the sheet of wax paper will be included with all holsters, in case a buyer doesn’t have the wax paper this will save him a trip to the store for a whole roll when just a small piece is need…I just thought that was damn cool. Also included was a care and use sheet which those familiar with Gary B’s website will recognize.

The holster I received is the IWB #2 for a 5” 1911 which is based on the Brommeland Max-Con V. Now before we go any further, I asked Rhome if Gary was aware that he was making a rig based on Gary’s work and his reply was that even he is having trouble getting in touch with Gary, but Rhome does give Gary credit where it’s due as Gary was an inspiration in Rhome’s own work, so lets not go into a “He stole “X” from “Y” debate.

Lusty Leather Goodness...

Well, maybe not that lusty but definitely leathery goodness.

This is for the soon to be completed Nighthawk, which will hopefully be done in time for THIS.

Alessi PSS

Alessi PSS

Mad props to Alessi that beat their own lead time, ordered June 4th, holster arrived July 21st. This is my first Alessi product, I am pleased to see the business remain in the family and as far as I can tell the product is still worthy of the Alessi name.

If only I had another railed 1911 to use with this while I'm waiting for the Nighthawk...