Niche Gear

Do you have something that isn't used often but sometimes it is just right?

For me a shoulder holster is a great example of this. I generally do not like them as a way to carry. To conceal it you have to wear a pretty heavy over garment so you could pack OWB on the belt anyway. However for long car trips a shoulder holster is the ticket. Far more comfortable and accessible than any other on the body option. The one I am using these days is a Galco Miami Classic which was previously reviewed. A great holster but pretty spendy which drives a lot of folks away from them. Once upon a time I had a Blackhawk Shoulder Holster. You will not mistake it for a Miami Classic however it worked just fine at a cost I could afford at the time.

Another nitch item I have is a Hill People Gear Kit Bag. I haven't really reviewed it but TEOTWAWKI Blog did a solid review awhile back. This piece of gear is the answer for concealed carry with a heavy pack. However that isn't something I do much. Probably shouldn't have bought it when I did but oh well. They are a cool company and it is a good product. In coming years as the kids get older and we are more active in the outdoors it will earn it's keep. Still really want a Mountain Sarape. It seems like a woobie on steroids that can do a lot of things.

What is a niche piece of gear for one person might be a key EDC item for another. A longtime co conspirator carries his High Power in a Miami Classic every day. On the other hand a leather IWB holster like I use all the time is rarely in his rotation. Different lifestyles and situations make some items more important and others less so.

Common sense says you should not put much energy or money into nitche items until the more everyday ones are addressed. However at some point it makes sense to get a few useful items even if they are not useful all the time. While I do not like throwing money at problems sometimes there is just a right tool for the job and it makes sense to have that tool.

What nitche items do you own and use?

Product Review: Galco Miami Classic

Today we will be talking about a pretty classic holster. So classic in fact that it has the word classic in it's name.

Before talking specifically about this holster we should spend a moment on shoulder holsters in general. Shoulder holsters are a rather niche system. They are great for people who spend a lot of time driving or seated, always wear a jacket or for whatever reason can't/ won't wear pants with a pretty solid belt. Driving and not wearing gun friendly (pants w/ a legit belt) are the two times I like shoulder holsters.

They are as discussed a sort of niche system but in said place they are the right piece of leather for the job. Sort of like an earthquake survival guide is just the right way to get ready for an earthquake a shoulder holster is the right way to get ready to carry on the body for long drives. Anyway onto specifically talking about the Galco Miami Classic.

I have owned a couple shoulder holsters in the past. One was a knock off of this system (seriously I think it was called a Falco) and the other was a cheap Uncle Mikes nylon setup. Neither were particularly impressive. That being said as discussed previously shoulder holsters have a place.

I was in the market for a shoulder holster for two reasons. The first was a long drive across the western US.  Secondly I wanted an option to carry, mainly at home, in comfortable clothing. Having tried cheap holsters I wanted to get a good one. The option was pretty simple for me and seeing one at a decent price ($139) simplified matters.

The Good: This thing is comfortable. After a few minutes of fiddling with the adjustments it fit wonderfully. On multiple occasions I forgot that I was actually wearing it. The material and quality of construction are top notch. The fit of the pistol and magazines is tight but right. I can't see retention being an issue with this setup.

The Bad: These things are expensive. MSRP is $189.95. They seem to be all over the net for about $150. Mine was purchased at a big box sports store for $139. A steep price tag for sure.

That being said it is worth considering this is not just a holster but a system. If you look at the price of a quality leather holster, gun belt and mag pouch from a top end American (I think) manufacturer this holster might seem a bit more sanely priced.

The Ugly: Did I mention that the Galco Miami Classic is spendy?

Overall Assessment: If you are looking for a shoulder holster this is a great option assuming you have the money to spend. They are not cheap but are really nice.

Day 1 On The Road

Tonight I find myself in Twin Falls, Idaho. It was a pretty long day on the road.

Went through a part of Eastern Oregon I have never seen before. Man that place is empty. It seems to lean towards ranches which makes sense as it is essentially desert. In case you wondered those ranchers unanimously favor Mitt Romney as measured by their signs. Also I pretty much paralleled the Oregon Trail (except opposite Wagons East style;) for awhile which is sort of cool. 

The Galco Miami Classic I recently purchased was comfortable all day long. More on this will follow.

Today I drank entirely too much coffee/soda and generally ate junk today and am currently paying for it. Tomorrow I need to ration the caffeine a bit and eat some actual real food.

Realized that tomorrow I will be going through James Dakin's back yard.  If I would have realized that earlier I'd have tried to meet him for breakfast or something. Oh well, that's life.

If I was a better blogger pictures would have been taken of my great lunch in a cool little place, all the sites and generally cool funny things but well I didn't do that. Anyway that is what has been going on today.

Quote of the Day and Discussion

"A gun you can’t reach in an emergency is useless. When I read that book (Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, TOR) as a high school kid, it struck me that since I had long possessed guns in my bedroom including a loaded Colt .45 automatic, I would have had a lot more options than Clutter’s son did when the homicidal intruders entered his bedroom…and, knowing my dad, in Herb Clutter’s situation my old man’s regularly-carried Colt Cobra .38 revolver would have probably gone into action long before things got even that far.

In a lifetime among cops since, I’ve noted that investigators who piece together the aftermaths of home invasion murders tend to keep their guns on all the time after that, even when off duty in their own house, and keep them by the bed when they go to sleep.

They have learned from the helplessly-murdered dead"

-Massad Ayoob

Discussion

I don't really have anything to say about the quote. It pretty much stands for itself.  The more worthwhile discussion is to the larger issue of deployment of defensive weapons at home.

If you think getting to the bedroom/ basement, turning the combo on the big ole gun safe left to 12 right to 6 and left again to 3, pulling out and loading a gun is going to work you are kidding yourself. For defensive purposes you might as well not own guns if you can't get to one very quickly. If somebody boots the door you need a gun right now, like almost immediately.

There are two basic options here. Carry a piece or have a bunch of them all over the place. There are some considerations which may affect your choice. The biggest consideration without a doubt is the occupants and regular visitors to your home. I won't tell you how to live your life. However if there are residents like young children (the age could be debated, some folks think a 4 year old having access to a gun is safe and others think it is closer to 25) or adults without the mental capacity to be responsible with firearms then having them lying around all over the place is stupid. Note that I didn't say everybody who is in your home needs to be an expert with guns or even know how to use them. Just that they have the mental capacity to be safe around them. Example, My 28 year old defacto sister in law hates guns and to the best of my knowledge has never touched one. She comes to visit. Her default reaction would be to leave a gun alone if she found it. She would either reach past it to grab something from the cabinet or whatever or ask one of us "could you grab the X from the cabinet with the handgun in it?" Even without the head knowledge she has the adult decision making to leave guns alone.

We could debate putting a gun outside of the physical reach of a kid, like on a high shelf or something. I know folks who have done it without incident. My buddy found out there was a 1911 in the cabinet above the kitchen stove when he was 13, it had been there his whole life. YMMV but personally I do not feel at all comfortable with this plan. Kids get into all sorts of stuff and tend to do it when they are in the dangerously curious accidentally shoot somebody age range.

Anyway to me when it comes to residents or very frequent visitors this is a GO/NO GO thing. Moving a few things around when your sister who has a pair of toddlers comes over for Christmas is easy but if there are regularly little kids or adults with diminished capacity due to mental health issues or drug use having unsecured guns all over the place is a NO GO.

If there are only adults in the home having guns all over the place is an option. Obviously this will only work if you have multiple viable guns to place around your residence.  If you have just one gun it would end up in a nightstand all the way in the bedroom which is a bad option. In Alabama I had a pistol and a shotgun by my seat in the living room, a pistol and a shotgun by the bed, and a handgun in the other rooms. At the furthest point I might have been 4 paces from a loaded gun and that was from an awkward point in the hallway.  This plan was sufficient to me and looking back I can't find fault in it. They were not locked up (which could be debated) but were concealed. With the exception of the steriotypical bedside none of them were in places you would look for a gun. As an option you could get a few of those convenient little quick opening hide a piece type safe's. Put one in the bedroom, one in the living room, etc. Slightly slower but it would be secure.

The other option is to just carry a handgun with you, physically attached to your person until you go to sleep at night. This is really probably the best option as a lethal option is on your person at all times. It covers everything. Working out in the garage, fiddling around on the deck or in the yard, etc. Just continuing to wear whatever setup you use out of the house is a very valid option if you will actually do it.

Regardless of your choice to carry or stash guns having a long gun quickly accessible is a good idea also. You probably won't carry one around the house all the time so it would need to be stashed, maybe in some sort of quick to open safe. Maybe something like this. Long guns are far more lethal than pistols. If memory serves me correctly the boring old 30-30 crushes the venerable .44 mag in terms of energy. Also probably more importantly most people shoot them a lot better. Folks shoot at each other at CQB ranges with pistols and miss all the time. The longer sight radius and multiple points of contact of a long gun make them much easier to shoot well.

Personally I will not do that, it is a fine idea but not something I will actually do. After getting off work and changing out of my stupid greyish monkey suit and boots I almost immediately change into comfortable clothes that are not carry friendly. Some sort of alternate carry method like a shoulder holster or one of the belt and pouch type holsters like the smart carry  or the belly band would be options worth looking at.  When we get back to the states my plan is a loose combination of both. Having weapons readily accessible but secured in a couple key places and one on me. Maybe it is a little belt and suspenders but nothing succeeds quite like excess.