Monday, January 27, 2014

A Cold, Snowy, Icky Monday in January

'Bout sums it all up. Temps been hovering around 10 degrees and it has been steadily snowing all day...even Alf the Wonder Beagle cut her walk short. The only fun thing I did today was the podcast. I also finished grinding up a Blade-Tech Holster for the Taurus Public Defender, the D.D.W.G.* (*designated dog-walking gun).  I ended up with a holster for a 4.5-inch barrel instead of a 2.5-inch barrel...kydex, meet Mr. Skillsaw! I also ground off a part of the holster that extended beyond the grip of the Taurus revolver, which sort of kept me from getting a good 100% grip on the gun. The net result is my perfect holster for the dog-walking gun.

And please, please don't tell me that you read on the Internet that .410 buckshot won't penetrate newspaper, can actually be stopped by a silk shirt and is only useful for separating shills from their money. I'm just not in the mood...maybe I'm in a bad mood.

I am in a bad mood. That must be it. I shot a cowboy match yesterday and actually did pretty good, much better than I expected. I think its because I shot absently...game the stage...run the guns. There was a run and gun shotgun stage, which plays to my strengths. Of course, Mr. Tricksy Hobbit went to the next stage, figured out there was one spot where I could shot booth revolvers and the rifle without moving my feet, which would save a few pieces of seconds. I cranked through the first 2 pistols, started on the rifle and, as I swung the right I torqued my legs...followed by a funny popping noise in my right knee. LOL!

Damn, that hurt! It's all swollen up today. I look like a crab going up and down the stairs. Well, nobody ever said getting old was for sissies. Give it a day, and it'll be back to normal.

At least today is Margarita Monday, and since it's snowy and the plow hasn't been by lately (like, since 8AM), I decided to work with what I had on hand...Republic Tequila Plata, Cointreau and lemon juice. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to win Iron Chef Tequila with it, but it's a good margarita.


13 comments:

George said...

I hope this picks you up, Michael: I heeded your advice and bought 44 Russian brass today. All in all, that's a nice cartridge to shoot!

Michael Bane said...

.44 Russians do rock. The Black Hills cowboy loads (210 gr @ 650 fps) are puff balls. I have 2 Uberti 3.5 inch top-breaks in .44 Russian and a modified '66 converted from Special to Russian. I can run BlackHills equivalent Russians at the same speed as .357/.38 cowboy loads (158-gr @ 800 fps).

I'll be perky in no time. January's always a bitch for me.

mb

Overload in Colorado said...

Lemon juice? Not lime juice?

George said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
_DonWorsham_ said...

Attack of the Crab Monsters is on cable today...

Anonymous said...

Curious about the thought process for choosing the public defender as the "DDWG". Assuming the primary concern is other dogs and things, I would've thought a 9mm with defensive ammo would suffice?

Michael Bane said...

RE: DDWG, I was very impressed with the performance of Federal 4-pellet buck in ballistic gel (12-14 inches for all pellets). The pellets stay grouped very well. We were even able put 3 our of 4 pellets on a pepper popoer at 25+ yards from this gun. Excellent penetration in the plywood baffle box, predictive of performance against bone.

Coyotes, mountain lions and feral dogs are soft-skinned animals. The gun of choice for lions hunters who used dogs to tree the lion used to be a .22 rifle or pistol. Any carry pistol caliber will kill a soft-skinned animal.

However, having lived in the back country for more than 12 years, and I'm familiar with coyotes, cats and the greater problem of feral dogs. I am not HUNTING lions or coyotes or dogs. Rather, I am looking for the most efficient, effective way of SHUTTING DOWN THE FIGHT, ideally before it starts. I've consulted with a lot of people in addition to my own experiences, and I keep coming back to DAMAGE. I want to inflict the maximum amount of damage on the animal in a minimum amount of time.

QED, buckshot at close range. Having been in dog attacks and having seen coyotes stalk and hunt, things can happen very quickly. The problem with walking a smaller dog like Alf the Wonder Beagle is that she's on a leash, and she'll panic — or worse, discover her Inner Dire Wolf and want to attack...it adds an element of pure chaos to the situation.

I can certainly kill a soft-skinned animal with my EDC gun, but can I stop it really really quickly? My goal is the same as hunters stalking wounded big cats...use the buckshot to break the animal down.

Coyotes are grab and run, but feral dogs are grab and hold. If I have failed to stop the attack before it starts, e.g. the dog or coyote grabs and holds, I will use the buckshot against the hips and shoulders, looking for a pain release.

RE: Lemons vs. limes...lemon juice is more consistant than lime.

mb

kmitch200 said...

I think I might have gotten a slight sunburn yesterday playing golf.
(sorry but I've got to get in my licks before AZ turns into Hell on Earth)

Did the guy with painful knees build a Hidden Bunker with stairs in it?

Michael Bane said...

One of the reasons for the new Secret Hidden Bunker is no more stairs and 3000 feet lower...

mb

kmitch200 said...

Nice!

George said...

Since we're talking about the secret hidden bunker, I was wondering if you have built a moat around it with filled with piranha's, crocodiles or, if your budget is tight, ill-tempered mutated sea bass?

Michael Bane said...

BTW George...even as much as I love .44 Specials, they never, ever sell. I buy one, John Tappin buys one, Jeff Quinn buys one for his brother Boge, 6 of our closest friends buy the rest and that's it.

mb

Sheepdog1968 said...

Hi Michael,
I saw this interesting posting on the GunCulture 2.0 blog about gun shootings that summarizes a recent paper. I thought you might find it interesting.

http://gunculture2point0.wordpress.com/2014/01/29/american-society-of-criminology-paper-who-gets-shot-and-when-are-gunshots-fatal-evidence-from-rochester-ny/