So The Little Guy and I built a house in the garage:
His Mom and Dad have the same chest freezer we bought, and they built a "house" for him to play in with it. I had cut-up the box ours came in to make it easier to store, and while we were out in the garage the other day playing with the bubble machine, he spotted the box and said he wanted to play "In My House". I thought he wanted to go play IN the house, but after realizing what we wanted, I grabbed my trusty packing tape gun, some extra cardboard from the "Chewy" boxes we have, and we proceeded to put his house together.
It's a nice little house, with a window:
And a comfy chair:
And even a wall-mount TV so he can watch "Paw Patrol":
And up on the roof, we have a Satellite, and a chimney for his pellet stove!
When he said he wanted a "Satellite!" on the roof, I think he meant a satellite dish for getting his "Paw Patrol" fix on his TV, but he said "satellite", so I made him one.
If you squint your eyes a bit, and put on some blue lenses, it kinda-sorta resembles a Hughes HS-376:
Maybe.......
Anyway, we had fun building his new house here, and I suspect he'll want some "improvements" in the near future.......
EDC Question:
All my training has been with a 1911 pistol. I can run it in the dark, and keep it running, and just about do a field-strip and clean in a black bag, and get it back together with no left over parts. I can smoothly transition from/to pistol, rifle, or shotgun, and prior to that tragic boating accident some time ago, I had two full-size Kimbers, a TLE-II, and a Custom Shop Eclipse. Also had a Sig P-226 in 40S&W, and the barrel to convert it to 357SIG. The magazines are the same.
BUT, a full-size 1911 is a bit hard to CC on me, unless I'm out camping or "off roading", so something "smaller" is desired.
Browning makes a sweet little "1911" in 380, and I'm sorely tempted, but I'd prefer something with a bit more muzzle energy.
I've never fired a "Compact" 1911, or even a "Colt Commander" sized one, so I'm hesitant to just jump on one of those.
Yes, I have a strong "1911 Bias" here, and I freely admit it. Perhaps a compact 1911 in 9mm?
What say you?
Not too long ago I picked up a Ruger aluminum frame Commander pattern, forget how they evade trademark. In .45 ACP, it had persistent reliability problems even with ball ammo. I eventually theorized that the recoil was jolting the light frame so hard that it was causing feeding problems. Of course (!) you recall that the original LW Commander was in 9MM so this would have been less of a problem. There's probably some sort of threshold effect. I used to carry a 1911, went through some side roads and currently use a Springfield XDM 10. I find that a pronounced forward tilt aids concealment. I use a hybrid IWB with the leather backing somewhat reduced from its original WWF belt buckle size. I also converted it to sewn loops. No snaps or clips here. It has to have the belt threaded through, but OK then.
ReplyDeleteI know someone who uses a fake cardboard play house to hide the safe.
ReplyDelete"Hidden In Plain Sight" camo, eh?
DeleteYeah, holsters are a whole 'nother ball-O-wax! I have some of the "Kydex" holtsers, outside the waistband, and they're great for open carry.
ReplyDeleteMy first holster was an IWB one, and not knowing any better, I used it with my belt, OWB. It worked very well until one day on the range the belt was a bit loose, the Instructor said "DRAW AN FIRE!", and I brought the gun up, still in the holster!
the Instructor said it was the funniest thing he'd seen in years.
Since the 1911 is so popular, the pattern is available in guns that aren't sold as 1911s. The Springfield 911 in .380 gets its name as a joke (as I understand it). It's a 1911 so small they can't even get the extra "1" on there.
ReplyDeleteSig Sauer's 9mm, mini 1911 is called the P938. This time of year when it's so hot and humid it's tough to conceal anything, I routinely carry its baby brother, the P238. Very nice little gun. Also a micro 1911, but in .380.
Good luck finding anything in this market!
Yeah, that's a problem I hadn't considered. I'll have to check Gallery of Guns and see what's out there, along with some of the local shops.
Deletegotta agree with the above. the 938 is a 9mm 1911 about 1/2 the size. the 238 is a Mustang copy.
DeleteI own both. Nice firearms. excellent reliability. Both have lots of holster choices.
Thanks, B.
DeleteI'll look around, but first glance last night shows only "high-end" pistols like Wilson Combat and Les Baer are in stock.
Being a revolver guy that is what I would go with. My 40 year old Charter Arms Bulldog has never failed to fire. Even bad ammo cleared the barrel. Easy to carry. Blessedly, I've never had to even display it, let along use it.
ReplyDeleteThe only semi that I ever liked was my son's Makarov 9x18, and I liked it a lot.
At my age and level of physical fitness, I don't anticipate prolong gun fights. Close encounters over quickly with the greatest distance being across a convenience store parking lot.
If I were into carrying a BUG, I'd get a small revolver, but I'm not. Even though I'll carry a couple of extra loaded mags, it would have to be Armageddon for me to go through it all.
DeleteWhat dimension of the 1911 is giving you problems? Grip height, or slide length? Or both?
ReplyDeleteYou can get the 1911 .45acp in many barrel lengths: 3, 3.5, 4, 4.25, 5, 6, and 7 inches. There is much less variety in grip length. Basically two, and not with all barrels, unfortunately. The short grip is only found on the 3 and 3.5 inch barrel versions, although you can find the long grip on the 3.5, but it was rare. You can also get an aluminum frame on most of them, except the 6 and 7 inch.
I would have liked to find a 5 inch aluminum with a short grip, but no one did that. May have to make one. The alum frame is easier to carry, and not a problem with recoil or longevity. My experience is that the grip length is more critical for concealment in most carry methods on body. Also, the "Bobtail" can be a useful mod, as getting rid of that corner on the rear bottom of the gun helps in concealment, and it should feel better in recoil on the short grip versions.
Probably "All of the above"!
DeleteIt might very well be the holster I have. If I had one with a "forward cant" to it, it might be fine.
It's mostly the barrel length (5") hanging down that seems to bother me.
We're going to the range next week, so I'll talk to the people there.
I was a 1911 guy, but uncle handed me a Beretta Brigadier when I was at FLETC and made me fire thousands and thousands of rounds of .40 caliber through it. Then uncle made me give up back my 96D and handed me a .40 HK, later they wanted the first HK back and gave me a newer version .40 HK.
ReplyDeleteI've never gone back to a 1911, but I did move to a 9mm when the Carpal Tunnel is really bad.
Springfield Armory XD-S Mod 1 in 9mm. (They now sell a Mod. 2 version)
I can't advise you how to get exactly what you want, I can only tell you my experiences and what we spend out money on.
The first (and so far only) time I shot a friend's XD-S, I tagged clay birds on the bank 3/3, and was immediately accused of being a show-off. Let the record show, I'm not really that good, I had some help. Well, it did have a trigger kit.
ReplyDeleteGo shoot one before you make up your mind.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! If I can't find something to my "liking", I'll experiment with holsters. I seem to recall the IWB holster I had with the "forward cant" worked pretty well for a full-size 1911. All I have now is a "straight down" Kydex holster. I know people EDC a full-size 1911, guess I should google a bit for that.
DeleteA straight drop holster is only good for range (open carry), or AIWB (appendix). Hip area should have a cant, typically an FBI angle, both outside and inside pants carry.
ReplyDeleteAlso look at shoulder rigs. Most concealable is an angled rig. Gun sits with the grip lower (slide at an angle, not horizontal, unless it's very small, like a .25). Typically this style of holster can fit any length slide, as the muzzle end usually is open. My preference is for the Aker brand for the holster, although I often mix and match the harness and ammo carry parts. This type can often be worn under a button up shirt for concealment, so a wider weather environment can be handled. This is sometimes called the superman carry, as you can rip the shirt open if set up for this action (snaps or velcro). A vertical holster can work well for some people, as you can access the gun through the neck of your jacket instead of having to open it completely as is sometimes needed for the angle carry. There are even muzzle up vertical types available for some guns.
Bear in mind that when you get down to the 3.5' 1911's, the recoil spring gets stiff since the slide is getting light. I think my Officers Model 45acp guns are running 24lb springs. These shorter slides require premium magazines for reliable function, as they move noticeably faster than the 5" government models. I can clearly see the slide of the 5" moving back and forth when others are shooting them, but the Officers is a blur as the cycle speed is much faster.
I'm a little wary of a shoulder rig. Gives you a chance to muzzle yourself, and that could be bad.
DeleteAll I use for magazines are the ones from Wilson Combat. They work 100% in my Kimber, and are very nicely made. I don't shoot my Sig enough to need a stack of mags for it, so I have Sig mags.
I'm starting to lean towards a Kimber CDP in the "compact" size, and I think I spotted one as a rental at the range.
"I'm a little wary of a shoulder rig. Gives you a chance to muzzle yourself, and that could be bad."
DeleteLook on Old NFO's blog where this was discussed. Not a problem when done right.
https://oldnfo.org/2020/06/09/horses-er/
I love .380s but one problem you may not be aware of. Right now there is no .380 ammunition for sale....basically not at any price. ( Ok, rarely for maybe $1.25 or more per round but rarely even at that price.
ReplyDeleteYep, the ugly realities of our times are showing.
DeleteSupposed to go to the range Friday. They have a variety of compact pistols to rent, so I'll fondle a few of them, and see if there's any I'd like to rent and try.
Rent first is EXACTLY what I did several years back. I went to range recently. Son wanted to go ( first time ever for him). So I told the lady I wanted some .380 ammo. She said they were out. After I got home I checked out Cheaper than Dirt and multiple other websites that sell ammo. No one has .380 . Seemes to be indications it May loosen up towards fall. Apparently .380 is typically run by the larger mfg only a few times a year. In a " normal" year not enough demand to justify running 7 days a week. Of course, this isn't a normal year. My setup is simple, I have a little .380 Taurus ( Not a " name " brand but mine goes bang every time ). I added a lazer to it. I use a Sneaky Pete holster. ( It Looks like a blue medical bag. Small. Looks like maybe I need an inhaler or similar but is actually a holster designed to fit whatever gun you choose. Has a magnetic clasp. ) You can check them out here and no I dont work for them. https://sneakypeteholsters.com/blue-covert-series/
ReplyDelete