Military Portraits By Patriotic Artist Kaziah Hancock

The video you are about to see in the below video at the below link is an absolutely amazing outpouring of compassion on the part of an artist by the name of Kaziah Hancock. She paints very special portraits, of very special people, to give yet to other very special folks. This woman is most definitely one of the finest patriots and one of the most wonderful ladies of which I have ever heard and she is one heck of a good artist too. As she says, she cooks!

Well, I tried to embed the video but it did not work, so here is the link:

http://www.militarytimes.com/multimedia/video/?bctid=51748824001

All the best,
Glenn B

My Son's First Internship Interview

My son is scheduled to be interviewed for an internship tomorrow. I am pretty proud of him to see him taking some of his first steps toward trying to secure a career for himself. I am even prouder to realize that he somewhat wants to follow in my footsteps. You see, the internship is with my current employer. I told him not to get his hopes up too high; I did not tell him I have already set my own hopes too high for both of us combined. It would be a truly excellent feeling accomplishment for him should he get the position and a truly great feeling of accomplishment for me too. If he gets it great but if not, I am sure he will try again until he does get one. I am really quite happy to see he is applying himself in the right direction. It makes me feel that all that parenting stuff was well worth sticking to for all those years.

All the best,
Glenn B

The New World Trade Center...

...is finally starting to take some form in the way of buildings. They have been going up, probably, for less than a year now. I visit the area fairly often to eat and really do not remember when it went from a huge vacant lot (excavation / foundation pit) to the building actually going up.

I often eat, just across the street from the south side of the complex, at Ho Yips Chinese Restaurant. (I am not certain about the name but that is what we call anyhow, it is across from the far side of the pictured building). It is not the same as it was before 9/11 but the food is decent, they give you a lot and it is inexpensive. Not as good as the food in Chinatown but then Chinatown is not right across the street from the Trade Center.

I guess that when I am there, I sort of take the work going on for granted or at least am used to it by now. For several years though there was little going on, if anything, construction wise. I was not too happy that it was being held up as long as it was being delayed by one thing or another but lived with it like the rest of us. Now, I am happy to see it finally reaching for the sky as it should be doing.

There are two buildings currently going up that you can see from ground level over the fence around the construction site. One is pretty tall already, maybe 40 stories and is being built over the site of the old Custom House that was at 6WTC. I believe that will be the Freedom Tower or whatever they are now calling it to be politically correct. The other is immediately across the street from the Chinese restaurant I mentioned and even from the 2nd floor of the restaurant the view is now blocked by it. There used to be an excellent view into the foundation pit, now there is an excellent view of the side of the new building.

I figured that while some New Yorkers like me see it often, there are many of you across the nation who have no to little idea of the progress finally being made with the construction and who have not seen pics of it. With that in mind, I snapped 3 really fast pics of it while on lunch about 2 or 3 weeks ago. Forgot all about them til I downloaded other pics from my camera today. So if you are among my few loyal readers, you will get to see what it looked like a couple or so weeks ago. Feel free to pass the pics onto others or to copy them for use in blogs. The only conditions of use are that you please credit them to me and that you post a link, with the pics, back to this post.

All the best,

Glenn B

Ballseye's Gun Shots 129: Marlin 336 Disassembly & Reassembly (Field Strip) For Maintenance & Cleaning

I used to have 2 informational videos up on my blog regarding the disassembly and reassembly of my Marlin 336 rifle. I had them here on the blog by way of YouTube. I received several nasty comments, on YouTube, about the videos because of a very lengthy disclaimer I had in each of them. The disclaimer is now covered below in brief and also, over on the right side of my blog in the Red Zone, in depth.

These new videos do not contain the lengthy disclaimer of the past videos so should be more enjoyable to watch. The reason I remade them is because I think people were getting a lot out of them. Regardless of the disclaimers, the blog post originally containing them was one of the most popular of my blog if not the most popular. It was often number 1 for the number of page views and visits.

Here is my new brief version of the disclaimer followed by the videos: If you view these videos, use information from them, or pass them on, to others who view them, use info from them, or pass them on yet again (ad infinitum), you do so at your own risk and agree to hold me harmless and indemnify me.






If these videos are not viewable, please leave me a comment to that effect.

All the best,
GB

Spring Cleaning - The Tropical Fish (and Newt) Aquarium

Maybe it was the sun shining brightly today or the somewhat warmer temperatures than the last few miserable rainy days but whatever it was it bit me and got me itching to clean my big aquarium. Now it may not be big by your standards, it is only about 35 to 40 gallons but it is certainly a lot bigger than any of the other three I currently am keeping. I have two 10 gallon tanks, one 20 gallon and the big one set up right now.

I started the chore of cleaning it and I do mean a complete cleaning hours ago. I drained about 2/3 of the water. Then I caught the fish with a net. (By the way this is last time I will use a mesh net on my Pictus Catsfish, I had to cut off one pectoral fin tip to free the fish and the other side's fin now wears a bit of nylon mesh as I also had to cut the net; and I should have known better but did not think of it at the time I netted the first one. I got the other one with a cup.) I put all the fish into a 5 gallon bucket with the water they had been in and I aerated it while I worked. Then I took out the rest of the water and the gravel. I cleaned the gravel. Luckily my son was home, because I had Brendan give me a hand getting the tank outside where I scrubbed it out and rinsed it with the garden hose. Then back inside and back on its stand. I then cleaned all the tank accessories and filters. Once that was done I put the gravel back into the tank, set up some driftwood (natural and artificial), replanted the Amazon Sword Plant, put in fresh water, and then dumped in the fish and the Iberian Ribbed Newt and 2 snails. Except for the one Pictus Catfish wearing a bit of mesh on one fin and missing the tip of another, all look none the worse for the wear. The only real loss today were two guppies I missed that wound up going down the drain with water I had siphoned out of the tank and the tank heater. The heater will be an expensive loss, probably $40 or so. I forgot to unplug it, shame on me, and it cracked when I drained the water. Oh well, such is older middle age, the brain farts a lot and shit happens.

Right now, there are about 20 or 30 guppies in the tank along with 2 Pictus Cats, 2 Kribensis, 2 rams, 1 Cardinal (I just cannot find them healthy at any nearby pet shops or would have more), 5 Corydoras paleatus Catfish, 2 snails and 1 Iberian Ribbed Newt. With any luck, with the water change, cooler temp of the water I added today (I cooled it by about 5 degrees) and some good feeding lately of high protein foods, the paleatus cats will breed. That would be a big bonus for the job of the tank clean up. I have some Green Aeneus cats (Corydoras aeneus) in another tank and they breed repeatedly whenever I do a water change with cooler water but the paleatus cats are more picky as to when they breed. Hopefully all this will trigger them. As for my green aeneus cats, while they breed like rabbits or better, none of the eggs are ever fertile. I am almost positive I have 2 males and 2 females too. Of well, food for the guppies that share their tank and for the blue tailed newts too I suppose. If the paleatus cats breed, I am hopeful I can gets the eggs out or covered before they are all eaten by tank-mates. The one time before that these fish bred for me the eggs were fertile but got eaten before I had a chance to save them. I should know in a day or two if I gave them the desired conditions to trigger their breeding. Keeping my fins crossed til then.

All the best,
Glenn B

A 12 Year Old Dutch Girl Gives Birth...

...and if you read the article about it - well, you may start to wonder what in hell is wrong with the world! It sure made me wonder that and a few other things.

First the article tells us that she gave birth while on a school trip after having complained about stomach pains. That is when the teachers realized she was in labor. Wow, those teachers were pretty sharp to have realized that a 12 year old girl was in labor; I would say sharp enough that they also should have realized she was pregnant long before she went into labor. So why didn't anyone notify the police well before the girl gave birth? How is it that they, who pretend to be smart enough to teach our children, better than they claim we the parents can, about sex and condoms and AIDS and morality, did not recognize that a little girl was pregnant!

Then the article says that the girl refused to name the father of her baby. Understandable, she is probably terrified of whoever impregnated her. The article does name a suspect, at least a suspect as I see him, and that is the girl's own father. You see, it is reported that the girls father sexually abused another of his daughters and served 2 years in prison for that offense. Are you wondering again? I am. I wonder how is it that the girl's father, who had already sexually assaulted another daughter, could get close enough to the little 11 year old (she would have had to have been 11 when the intercourse took place) to be able to even be a suspect. Of course, he is innocent until proven guilty but you don't need to be proven guilty to be a suspect. If you were wondering too, how he could have become a suspect, here is the answer: He won custody of the little girl, his daughter, after he divorced from his wife.

Okay, I understand now, a convicted sexual offender, who was convicted of sexually abusing one of his own daughters, who reportedly went to jail for 2 years for sexual abuse, was considered to have done his time and to have been rehabilitated and then won custody of his children - that he no doubt loved dearly. Why would someone wonder about that, happens all the time - doesn't it!!!

The article then explains that the police are now involved:

"Dutch police said in a statement Wednesday, "The girl got pregnant when she was 11, which in itself means there has been a criminal offense. Article 244 of the Penal Code, sex with a minor under 12, is punishable. In addition, there are now [circumstances] reported by the Child Protection Board. Taking these two circumstances, the police is now investigating who the father [of this baby] is." Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/03/30/12-year-old-dutch-girl-gives-birth-school-trip/#ixzz1IB3mglf7

Are you now wondering anything else. I surely am. You see, I have to wonder: Would it have been legal in the Netherlands for a man to have sex with his 12 year old girl? I mean, didn't the report just say that the reasons the police are investigating is because sex under 12 is a punishable offense and because the Child Protection Board has made a report about it all? So are they implying that had she not been under 12, or had the Child Protection Board not reported the sexual assault, that the police would not have investigated? That makes me wonder if sex with a girl 12 or older is legal in the Netherlands!

Hopefully the police will be able to soon discover who is the father of the 12 year old girl's baby. Hopefully that person will soon be in jail awaiting trial. Hopefully they will have arrested the right person and that person will be found guilty and that person will go to jail for many, many, many more years than two. I would also hope that, if the father is the guilty party, he is never released from jail to be able to do something like this again.

I wonder, am I out of my mind or is it the assholes liberal leftists who, in essence by way of only a 2 year sentence for sexual abuse, excuse this type of behavior, are out of their minds. I believe, if anyone ever deserved to be executed for a crime, it is the person who commits the crime of impregnating a little girl. I even wonder about that though, about why everyone else in the world does not think likewise.

All the best,
Glenn B

Too Tired...

...to blog.

Blogging to continue tomorrow.

All the best,
GB

Today In History - The Colt 1911 Adopted By The U.S. Army

For the most part, I am neither a fan nor a detractor of the Colt 1911. I don't own one but I readily admit I would like one.

With that said, allow me to point out it is one fine American Pistol. There was probably no other pistol so well associated with United States military strength as was (and probably as still is) the Colt 1911. Based upon that honor and upon how many of our service members have carried and shot them, I would be remiss as a gun guy, supporter of our military, and somewhat of a history buff if I did not tell you all that:

Today marked the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the Colt 1911 as the sidearm of the United States Army.

It held that honor for many years until it was pretty much replaced by the Beretta M9 about 25 or so years ago. The Beretta, though an excellent pistol, shoots the measly 9mm pea-shooter round. The Colt 1911 shoots the venerable .45ACP, and you can bet it packs a wallop. I am pretty sure many of our wartime enemies could attest to that. It was and remains a great pistol among the great pistols of the world. My hat goes off to John M. Browning for designing it and to Colt for manufacturing it and to the U.S. Army for arming our soldiers with it once upon a time in history.

All the best,

Glenn B

Ballseye's Gun Shots 128: Slide Fire Solutions SSAR-15 Stock = Bump Fire With Finesse

Ever heard of bump firing. It is a technique whereby you hold a rifle in a certain manner with your finger on the trigger in a certain way and the next thing you know, it is the recoiling motion of the rifle that is in essence firing the rifle. It can make it seem as if you are firing fully automatic. With traditional bump firing, you lose accuracy because it is difficult if not impossible to control the rifle in the proper manner.

Step in Slide Fire Solutions with their SSAR-15 stock. It is an awesome device that replaces the stock on an AR15 and brings bump fire (or should I call it slide fire) to a whole new level. The stock can be used in a locked position whereby it acts like a normal stock and the shooter must pull the trigger with motion of the finger to fire the rifle. If you unlock the stock, the shooter then must place his finger on what is basically a rest that sits just outside the trigger guard area, the rest (or whatever they call it) seems to be attached to the replacement grip that comes with the stock. The finger goes through the trigger guard to have the end of the finger sit on the rest on the other side while the middle of the finger is across the trigger. Then the shooter gives a push/pull to fire the weapon. With what seems, to me, to be a piston like motion, the stock slides back and forth on the buffer tube of the AR. As you push/pull, the gun fires activating the trigger each time it recoils from what I can tell. You must push forward with the non-trigger finger hand and pull back with the trigger finger hand to fire. You can fire single shots, two very rapid shots, three very rapid shots (appearing like auto bursts but not actually auto fire), or you can just keep firing making it appear that the weapon is full auto. The trigger is, it seems, activated separately for each shot, it is just done so at an incredibly fast rate. It sure appears as if you are firing fully automatic and the firing rate is probably as high as found in many full auto weapons but it is being fired semi-automatic. While you can achieve this while bump firing the traditional way, the big plus with the SSAR-15 is that you can still control and aim the guns while shooting that fast.

Now, I am none too sure I explained that exactly right but think if not 100% correct I got it pretty darned right. Take a look at the company web-site to learn more:

http://www.slidefiresolutions.com/Product-SSAR-15.html

This is not an inexpensive device. The price on the manufacturer's site is about $370. I have seen it elsewhere on the web for about $350. It is supposedly legal, at least on a federal level and it comes with a copy from the BATFE supposedly saying it is legal federally. The letter can be seen in a slide show at the above link to the page showing the stock. I note, the letter calls the stock a firearms part and says it is therefore not regulated under the Gun Control Act or the National Firearms Act. I think I should point out, it did not say that when attached to a rifle, it does not turn the rifle into one that is fully automatic or that the rifle would then still be legal. Read into it what you will. The manufacturer and at least one retailer claim it is legal. On the state level, that may be another issue. It may or may not be legal in your state. I cannot see why it would be illegal here in NY but I am no lawyer. I also am sure that once the antigunners find out about it they will strive to ban it.

If I could find the change, I probably would have to go for it but that would be tough right now. Just watch the video again and listen to the laugh of that cute grandma-like lady shooter; her laugh says it all - I want one and I don't even own an AR (although my son does)!

All the best,
Glenn B

Coconut Macaroons

I spent virtually all of the day, on Sunday from 0730 to 1500, at a reptile show. I was manning a table for the Long Island Herpetological Society. Luckily, for me, I was there with another member, harry F., who was willing to let me sneak away for about an hour or so to make a quick run over to the nearby Costco. I needed to pick up some things for the house. Since I was manning the table at the show, I had pretty much decided, ahead of time, to just look for the items on the list given to me by my wife. I figured I would be in and out within an hour.

I was pretty much right on the money for the time I would be in there but I wound up straying a bit from the list at hand. When I saw this huge container of Coconut Macaroons I would have needed ropes and a mast both twice as thick as those that bound Odysseus as he sailed past the allure of the Sirens. They were calling me and I succumbed.

They were a big hit once i got them home. My wife apparently loves them. I imagine the kids have gone for some too although Brendan is not much the sweets eater. I have eaten more than my share but must say am happy for the help I have been receiving, probably from Linda & Celina, in making them disappear. I'd hate to see how many pounds I would have gained had I alone liked them. There are still some left but my guess is only about 1/3 their number remains. Mmmmmm-mmmmmm good!

Next time I shop there though, I may grab the Hostess Twinkies - they had huge boxes of them. They were my all time favorite packaged pastry/cake treat when I was a kid. Haven't had them in years but will have to give them a try again soon.

All the best,
Glenn B

Blogger Is Screwy Lately

When trying to post lately, while in the compose mode, anything that is written up winds up in one big block of text without line or paragraph breaks. This can be fixed, with a lot of effort on each individual post, in HTML mode. Blogger's solution - get another web browser other than IE. Hopefully they will fix it soon.

Now yet another problem has arisen, the publish icon does not function when clicked on with the mouse button. Instead I have to run the mouse cursor over the icon, then hit enter to publish.

I may have to search for a new place to blog if this type of stuff keeps up. It is getting annoying, one little problem after another. yes there have been other issues recently. Very annoying.

Anyone know of another free blog site?

All the best,
Glenn B

Firearms Manuals - Steve's Pages a Great Source of Info

Once upon a time, I had a link to firearms web pages that were a really great source for firearm's manuals in the form of links to those manuals. It was called Steve's Firearms Pages. I used them fairly often. Then one day the links no longer worked and I could not find the site again. Today, I got an email from a buddy of mine that had a link to a firearms site. When I checked it, I was very happily surprised to see it was a link to the lost site. When I took a few minutes to look it over, well I realized that the site sure seemed different. There wasn't much of a change if any in format, or as to type of content but it sure seemed the site had grown. Where it had contained a lot of firearm's manuals before, it now looks as if it has greatly expanded. It was a great site then and it is awesome now.

Compiling the link list must have been an arduous task considering that each was probably not only collected and added to the list but was also checked to see that it worked and that the content of the link matched the link name. That is not the half of it though. You see, it appears the links are not to manufacturers' web pages that have manuals on them but rather that the links are to PDF files that were created by Steve himself making PDF copies of firearms' manuals. So he placed all of the manuals into PDF files, then linked to each PDF file separately, then placed every link in alphabetical order (sort of) for all of us to use for free. (There is a donate link on the site.) The list of available manuals goes from A-Z with only two letters not represented - Q and X. Not every firearm is listed there, it is nowhere near that large, but yet it is quite impressive. If counted correctly, it has 1424 linked firearms manuals in PDF format. After the firearms manuals there are other links to optics, reloading tools, flashlights, metal detectors, photography and other stuff - all on the same page as the firearms manuals links. That is just on one web-page. WOW!

Besides the informational links to the firearms manuals there is a lot more offered on the site‘s Main Firearms Page. You can find links on the Main Firearms Page to:

Illustrated Parts Breakdown Page

Owners' Manuals (PDF Files, Adobe Required)

U.S. Army Field Manuals

Archival Books (Firearms and Reloading)

Magazines & Articles

Downloadable Catalogs

All Kinds Of Other Interesting Stuff

Down at the bottom of the main Firearms Page are additional links to:

The Front Page Knives

Welcome

Big Sky Country

More Montana

Even More Montana

My Bronco 4x4

Aftermarket Photography

MIDI Jukebox

ZIPped MIDI Files

Movies

Reloading

Weather Page

Me

Message Forums

Just the firearm’s manuals alone, all in one virtual place is a great source of information. Add to that lots of useful information on all those other topics and it is pretty impressive to say the least.

Here is the link to the Main Firearms page:

http://stevespages.com/page7.htm

Here is the link to the Firearms Manual page:

http://stevespages.com/page7b.htm

All the best,
Glenn B

I Am Betting Against Insomnia Tonight...

...but then about a half pint of Vodka, with more on the way, will help prevent it. Mind you, it's not a long term cure, not even a short term remedy, just felt like getting looped tonight once I got home from work and I am guessing it will put insomnia out of the picture for tonight. Don't do it often but sure am headed that way tonight. Maybe some Irish next.

All the best,
GB

The Four (4) Inevitable or at Least Quite Possible Bad Outcomes of the Four (4) Rules of Gun Safety

Rule Number 1: All guns are always loaded.

Inevitable Bad Outcome Number 1: All guns are not always loaded as you will be sure to find out when you need one to defend your life as you squeeze the trigger and it goes click, click, click…:rolleyes:

Moral Number 1: Foolish of you to have blindly believed rule number 1, wasn’t it! Make sure if you carry a gun for self defense that it is indeed loaded, otherwise you are sure to get yourself wounded or killed when you depend on an empty one.

Rule Number 2: Never allow the muzzle to cover anything you are not willing to destroy.

Inevitable Bad Outcome Number 2: You are so caught up in being concerned about exactly exactly where your muzzle is pointed, even when it is holstered, that you neglect to pay attention to your surroundings and some bad ass puts a hurting on you.

Moral Number 2: Your muzzle is going to point here, there and everywhere at one time or another; so make sure your finger is off the trigger until it is pointed in the right direction when some dirtbag wants to kill you, before he gets the chance to do it.

Rule Number 3: Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.

Inevitable Bad Outcome Number 3: If you need to draw and fire in a hurry at close quarters and you wait to place your finger on the trigger until you have proper sight alignment, you may just wind up looking like Swiss cheese because your opponent knew how to point shoot.

Moral Number 3: Know when to use your sights and when go without them like when to point shoot, hip shoot, or shoot while vertically tracking, it may keep you alive. Remember that can mean placing your finger on the trigger and shooting without paying attention to the sights. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to activate the trigger mechanism, sights or no sights.

Rule Number 4: Be sure of your target and what is beyond.

Inevitable Bad Outcome Number 4: If a bad guy draws down on you there will almost always be someone else behind him, within the effective range of your bullets. If you don’t shoot, when you have a clear and reasonably sure shot, you may just wind up dead.

Moral Number 4: You are the one who either has to live with the consequences of your actions or die because of them. If you think you can get a relatively safe and sure shot that saves your own life and maybe those of others, wouldn’t you chance a shot no matter who or what is beyond your target.

Be MINDFUL THAT THE INEVITABLE BAD OUTCOMES I LISTED ABOVE CAN ONLY HAPPEN IF YOU STRICTLY ADHERE TO THE 4 RULES OF FIREARMS SAFETY AS SO MANY PEOPLE CLAIM THEY ACTUALLY DO. Those outcomes usually do not come about simply because people do not strictly adhere to the rules whether they want to admit that or not. Thus as usual, rules invariably will be broken because they were not written to cover every situation. It takes a well trained and wise person to know when to bend them, when to improvise to save a life instead of unnecessarily jeopardizing lives.

Shoot safely and shoot to stay alive and protect other innocents.

All the best,
Glenn B

Insomnia Again and Again and Again...

...it just seems the norm lately. I don't know what sucks more, not being able to fall asleep or the crappy movie line-up on FIOS. They have plenty of movies to bore me to tears but nothing to lull me to sleep.

Later 4 U,
GB

Muslims Seemingly Go Berserk - Destroy Churches & Homes of Christians Over Accusation of Koran Desecration

A guy, apparently a Christian in Ethiopia, has been accused of desecrating a Koran. What outcome, as a normal law abiding citizen of any non-heavily populated Muslim country in the world, would you expect. I imagine that if the Koran was owned by someone other than the guy who allegedly desecrated it, you would expect that then maybe he would be charged with a misdemeanor and have to go to court. He might face a fine or even a brief jail sentence for destroying some other person's property. If it was his own property - I would expect nothing of much importance to be the result.

Well, if you live in the world of the so called religion of peace, some of you (a high number or so it appears to me) seemingly look at it otherwise. You apparently believe that an accusation of Koran desecration is the green light for you to go berserk, to take the law into your own hands, and to punish every one else who is not a Muslim but is part of the accused person's religious group. This is evidenced by this article: Thousands of Christians Displaced in Ethiopia After Muslim Extremists Torch Churches, Homes.

About the only thing with which I disagree in this article is that it says Muslim extremists were responsible for the crimes of arson. I tend to believe that those responsible are much closer to the run of the mill Muslim. I lean toward believing that Islam is a religion geared toward violence onto others who are non-Muslims. That is my personal opinion, but I believe it based upon episode after episode of Muslim violence onto non-Muslims, and on takeover after takeover of numerous non-Muslim countries throughout the history of the world, all apparently in the name of Mohammad or Allah.

Pretty soon, I can almost see myself in one of these: http://www.cafepress.com/+crusades_cross_tshirt,167588292

All the best,
Glenn B

Obama Supported The Revolution In Egypt...

...because he said, in essence, it was time for the oppressive government of Mubarak to be outed and for democracy to take over. He fully supported those who were revolting and demanded that Mubarak step down. He supported the takeover of power by those who took control of the government when Mubarak left the government. So what is one of the initial results of the Mubarak regime no longer being in power: Egypt Soldiers Tortured Female Protesters, Gave "Virginity Tests" Following Uprisings, Group Says.

Now try to bear in mind that the Egyptian Army, the one that the soldiers who are mentioned in the article serve, was on the side of the revolutionaries.

It is ever so nice to see that we now have a better, more peaceful, more humanitarian, pro-populace, law abiding, ethical, and moral government running Egypt. It is so nice I want to puke at the thought that, if these allegations are true then our nation's influence is in part responsible for this situation. If you are wondering who is in charge in Egypt, it is the army. They took over when Mubarak stepped down.

One can only wonder how it will turn out in Libya.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Gun Shots 127: Spring Cleaning & Maintenance - For Your Holsters

If you carry a firearm in a holster and do so frequently then the early spring is a good time to perform an inspection and maintenance, including a good cleaning, of your holster(s) and shooting related leather and nylon gear. Holsters and all that other leather and nylon gear like belts and magazine pouches (I'll just refer to them all as holsters for the rest of this post) are often pretty much forgotten when it comes to taking care of firearms and accessories. You may be the type who takes good to excellent care of your guns; for example you may clean and lubricate your pistols, rifles and shotguns immediately after shooting them. You also may clean your shooting related optics just as often. After all they are on the guns. Now tell me - do you clean your holsters that often? Be honest about it too; I'd bet most of you don't!

Truth be told, all too many of use don't care for our firearms and scopes as well as or as often as we should, so - you can bet that way too many shooters don't care for their holsters as often as they should. Now, if you are one of those folks, who doesn't do all that much to care for your holsters, you may be wondering: 'What in hades is this guy Ballseye talking about - holsters don't need any care!'. Then you may think about that nice leather holster you bought two years ago, which you have worn everyday since then, and it may come to mind that yep it sure could use a bit of shoe polish to get rid of some of the scuffs on it and to bring back to life some of the worn off color. Then you wonder: 'Yeah, that's what he must mean but why write a whole blog post about that?'

Well, while I do include polishing the leather in the list of things to do for your leather holsters, the truth is there are quite a few other things you can do and most of them can be applied to any type of holsters be they made from leather, nylon, Kydex, or other, materials. The reason I recommend early spring as a good time to clean/maintain your holsters is because of what can happen to them over a long harsh winter, especially in places like the northeast United States. We had an exceptionally cold and snowy winter this year, heck it was like that of much of the Midwest, southeast too. A cold winter like that tends to expose your holster to a lot of harsh environmental factors. These include cold dry air, then dampness when the snows melt, then cold dry air again and oh - did I forget to mention salt (used to melt snow on sidewalks and roads). Even if covered up by all of your heavy winter clothing they can be effected by these elements. Now, I know you are not likely rolling around in the snow getting your holster full of snow, ice and salt. The thing is though, the weather does have its effects, especially on leather and you certainly can get snow melt salt onto your holster by handling it after coming into contact with the salt by spreading it on your sidewalk, by pulling off your boots then handling your holster, by getting it on your clothing and then it transferring to your holster and so on. Speaking of your winter clothing, that could be among the worst things to which a holster is exposed.

One of the worst things for any holster, but especially for those designed with a closed bottom, is what you get from your winter clothing. I am talking about lint. Lint rubs off of wool, cotton, and fleece like clothing and can build up in pretty incredible amounts in places that catch it. Guess where one of those places is located. If you own a closed bottom holster, that you have worn all winter under sweaters and fleeces, why not take a flashlight and shine it inside the holster to see what is down at its bottom. Look carefully, sometimes it has been so compacted as to look like part of the holster itself. Or maybe better yet, stick a finger in there and see what you can scoop out. You may be surprised. I have seen people draw a weapon that actually had a lint blob, ball, thingy hanging off of the muzzle end. What happened was so much of it got compacted in the holster bottom, it started going up the sight channel, then it got stuck to the sight when the weapon was drawn. Looks really funny at the range but I am willing to bet you would not be laughing if you had to draw in self defense and the muzzle was full of lint or the front sight was obscured by it.

Lint and other foreign objects are the first things I check for when doing holster maintenance. I recommend examining a closed bottom holster monthly, in the colder months, for lint buildup. I also recommend cleaning them that often. I use a toothbrush to best effect to loosen it all up and pull it out although you can use your booger picking index finger, a vacuum (with the narrow super sucko tube attachment on it) or whatever else works. I also recommend checking even open bottom holsters since I have seen lint build up in them now and again (more along sticking to the sides of the holster especially in the sight channel or in the pocket like area in which the trigger guard rests.

Once I get any lint or other foreign material out, I do a general examination and cleaning of the holster. I look the holster for damage and wear - inside and out. Then if all is okay I clean the outside of the holster. The material of which the holster is made has a lot to do with how I clean it. With Kydex, I use a damp sponge or cloth with a bit of mild dish washing detergent on it. I wipe it off well, then rinse it under running water, then make sure to dry it especially making sure I dry any metal parts (such as rivets) so they do not rust. Most Kydex holsters can be washed inside and out in this manner. With nylon holsters I either wipe them down as described for the Kydex but then do not rinse them unless I have ample time to allow them to dry out completely in case they absorb any of the water. Yes, nylon is water repellent but not waterproof. If you do not want to rinse them under running water, then clean with a damp cloth with a bit of mild detergent followed by a wipe off or two with a damp cloth with only water on it. Let it dry completely before use.

Leather holsters are a different animal when it comes to cleaning. I will sometimes wipe them off with a damp cloth but make sure not to overdo the amount of water. I don't want water soaking into the leather if I can avoid it. I only wipe off the finished shiny outside of holsters with a damp cloth. (If you do not want to use water on your leather products there are specialty leather cleaners available.) I let it dry, then treat it by polishing it with a paste shoe polish of the appropriate color. I may also apply a tiny bit of leather treatment but am very prudent in its application because I do not want to soften the leather and effect the shape of the holster. Again, the water, detergent, shoe polish and leather treatment are only applied to the outside of my leather holsters, I never use water or show polish or leather treatment (such as Mink Oil) on suede liners or suede holsters. Suede liners and suede holsters can be cleaned with specialized suede cleaners and then protected with specialized silicone containing products or other products made to protect suede. All the products you need to clean, protect and preserve leather can be had at the local supermarket or sporting goods store. Products like those manufactured by Kiwi are quite suitable, in my estimation.

With all the holsters, I also pay attention to any metal snaps, clips and or rivets. I make sure they are cleaned too. Snaps can build up foreign material on their inner surfaces and that can interfere with the working of the snap. So just make sure they are clean. if water gets on them while cleaning, I make sure to dry them off well, that includes any metal parts of my holsters. Now and then, I may apply a very light coat of oil to those parts with a cotton swab but most times it is not needed as most of those parts are fairly corrosion resistant (but not all so I make sure to dry them off as I mentioned above). With snaps, it is a good idea to check them now and then to make sure they are not coming loose from the material in which they are embedded. I have had lots of nylon holsters where snaps have come loose but it can happen with leather holsters too. Better to check them now and again than to have a gun come flying out of its holster when you run across the street.

As far as frequency of holster maintenance and cleaning goes, it is a good idea to give them a once over at least monthly but for certain, don't go more than a quarter year before checking on their condition. If your holster gets subjected to things like a lot of grime, moisture, salt, lint, hard work you may want to check it at least weekly to make sure it is clean. If it gets banged around a lot check it at least weekly to make sure it has not been damaged (including tears, stretching, scuffs, snaps coming loose and so on). The absolute best way to make sure your holster is in tip top shape is to give it a good visual inspection each time you use it and each time you take it off for the night. In other words, when you start your day give it a good going over and do the same again at the end of your day. The inspection only takes a few seconds. Then, just perform cleaning or other maintenance as needed based upon your daily inspections. Remember, a good and fully functional holster can be a very important part of your firearms gear. It goes a long way toward assuring your gun will be secured there and ready to be drawn when you need it.

All the best,
Glenn B

Hope & Change BUT The Words Remain Virtually The Same

Each of the below statements was made by the president of the United States of America; the thing is they were spoken by very different presidents at very different times yet they are almost identical.

March 19, 2011:

Today we are part of a broad coalition. We are answering the calls of a threatened people. And we are acting in the interests of the United States and the world.

March 19, 2003:

American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger.

That George W. Bush is sure a sneaky fellow, his influence carries on in more ways than you probably would have expected. I'll bet you liberals who voted for Barrack H. Obama never thought you were voting for a guy who incessantly would strive to model himself so much after Dubya!

I would almost be willing to bet they show a Coalition Organization Complete sign on an American aircraft carrier in the not too distant future.

All the best,
Glenn B

Insomnia Sucketh...

...and lately it sucketh a lot. Work comes too soon to still be awake at this hour. Once I do get to sleep, one of the dogs is almost certain to wake me, between 0430 and 0530, wanting to go outside. Oh Joy!

Later 4 U,
GB

Don't Forget - The Japanese People Need Our Help

Today is pay day for me. That being the case, I made a donation to the American Red Cross specifically to go toward relief efforts for the earthquake/tsunami disaster that recently struck Japan. If you have not given anything already, I urge you to do so to any legitimate organization that is helping the Japanese with relief efforts. Let's not let down one of our best allies and her people in their time of need. There are many organizations, helping out in Japan, to which you can give. I imagine they would be happy to receive anything from a dollar on up. It adds up but more importantly it helps.

All the best,
Glenn B

Charlton Heston...

...had, what has to be (for me at least) one of the best if not the best, single line from any movie ever:

"Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!"

It made my 12 year old heart thump with excitement, and all the movie goers screamed in unison with approval, for the courage exhibited by the brave hero who spoke those lines in the face of overwhelming circumstances.

It was followed, a couple of minutes later, by what was probably, when taken in context, one of the second best movie lines ever:

"It’s a madhouse - a madhouse!"

Of course, the last lines of the movie were pretty good to:

"Oh my God. I'm back. I'm home. All the time, it was... We finally really did it. (screaming) You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!"

Yep, I was just watching Planet of the Apes. When it came out, it was probably the best, most startling, awesome and advanced, sci-fi movie of its day. It easily still remains among the top 10, maybe even the top 5. No sequels, no television series, no remake(s) can do it justice.

All the best,
GB

Happy Purim - Hope You Enjoyed the Hamantaschen

To my Jewish friends and to those of said faith who read my blog, Happy Purim.

There are not many Jewish holidays, of which I am aware, that celebrate the feats of a Jewish woman, but this is one of them. It celebrates Queen Esther saving the Jews from the wrath of Xerxes I (her husband) that had been stirred by Haman (his lackey and an anti-Semite). When she revealed to her husband that she was Jewish she saved the Jews from meeting their end at his hand.

I wish I had realized Purim was upon us on Friday. I would have headed to Williamsburg, NY, to a good Jewish bakery and picked up some Hamantaschen. They are delicious. My wife likes them best with raspberry filling which is not a traditional filling used by Jews, though that filling is sometimes used it is usually when you find them in German or other secular European style bakeries. I like them with raspberry filling but traditional ones are just as good if not better. If I remember tomorrow, I will have to stop by Williamsburg and go to a kosher bakery to see if they still have fresh ones and pick up a dozen.

All the best,
Glenn B

Oh Henry

Finally got to the range with the Henry Survival Rifle. Being that I took it apart, cleaned it well, then put it back together and got it done right (I know now since it worked), I can say I am a bit disappointed. It jammed about 10% of the time with 3 types of ammo and about 80% of the time with yet another. Except for the one ammo jamming 80% of the time, it was pretty much doing what it had been doing before I took it apart for a good cleaning. I had thought it was doing that because of fouling, guess I was wrong. It did like one ammo though, CCI Mini Mag 36 grain hollow points. Only jammed once firing about 40 rounds of that.

It both fails to feed (lousy design of the rifle I think) and fails to eject. I will have to do another detail strip, maybe this time going all the way and taking apart the bolt - completely. There is a possibility it is jamming because of some fouling inside the bolt then again I tend to doubt it but a good cleaning of all of the bolt's components will not harm it. There is also a possibility the ejector is worn or sheared at its tip, I will have to check that. That could be causing the failure to eject. I may polish the feed ramp a bit to see if it helps it feed ammo better. I am using original factory magazines so tend to doubt they are causing the feeding problem. Oh well, time and some tinkering will tell.

All the best,
Glenn B

Home Depot Bound

What a less than fun way to ruin spend a weekend day, even part of it. Going to Home Depot is not my idea of fun. I had other things planned today once my chores would have been over; that is had the new wireless doorbell I bought at Home Depot actually worked! Our old doorbell was still hanging on the wall and connected to the wires but we have not had a front door bell button for years now. The wiring was fried and causing the bell to overheat. I asked my wife, many times, to go to Home's to pick out a bell. She did not and I forgot all about it. A couple of weeks or so back, I happened to be walking down the electrical aisle at HD and grabbed a doorbell. It was not fancy, not pretty, but had 2 push button units, one for the front and one for the back, or in our case the side door - so I took it.

I finally got round to trying to install it today. That is when I found out it did not work. I went over everything 3 times too. I opened the push button units, took out the tabs that prevented battery contact, made sure the batteries were oriented right, put 3 D batteries into the main bell unit, made sure they were in right, made sure the volume was turned up to high (tried it in the opposite direction too and in the middle),, took out the batteries from the main unit and out them into a flashlight and it shone brightly when I turned it on. I have no way of checking the batteries in the push buttons and am figuring they are the culprits as to what is wrong.

So, as soon as I let off some steam by blogging about it, I am off to Home Depot to make an exchange. Well, actually to get a refund then buy another because they do not allow straight out exchanges which would be so much easier. Happily, I have the receipt. Went there once to bring something back and a manager implied I had stolen it and was returning it to make some money. I got the overall store manager who reamed her a new one much to my satisfaction. As a matter of fact, a few weeks later she was fired for being a jerk toward customers. Most times the folks at Home Depot are nice but that does not make a trip there much easier. I am sure that once I am there I will be thinking of and buying other things I need for the house or garden. There are bound to be way too many other folks there at the same time as me and that is what makes a trip there barely tolerable to miserable. The only good thing is that I can get some things I need for the garden so as to have to make one less trip later when the spring rush is on for garden supplies.

I guess, I'll go right to see my mom after going to Homer's. Then, if I have time, I am going to go to the range to shoot. That always has a calming effect, sort of like meditation or whatever with the concentration and mind/body coordination it takes to do it well. I hope I will have enough time but I will be cutting it close because I have to be home in time for dinner tonight since the daughter's boyfriend is coming over. Speaking of being short on time, I had best get going.

Later 4 U,
Glenn