The Wandering Minstrel

I spent most of today trying to iron out a minor speed bump on the road to building a new home. I won’t bore you with the details other than to say I have been chasing in circles on both the wireless and Internet.

Most financial institutions have a voice menu tree a mile long. Not only that, when you get through to the crappy elevator music, a voice that tells me all of our associates are busy with other customers, so please stay on the line. I was aggravated before the call, more after the phone tree and even more than that after the five or ten minute wait to actually get a human on the line. Hard to remain civil when you talk to the person, but I need them to do something for me. Seems ass backwards to me, but I guess that’s life in the electronic age.

This holiday weekend, I’ve been breaking in my new Don Hume holster for my Glock 26, “Little Boy.” To assist me, I looked up “breaking in a new leather holster” on the internet. This is what I found - a step-by-step procedure.

Note: I edited the original text a little to correct terminology errors. Clip vs. magazine and bullets vs. rounds. The eHow author must not actually be a gunnie. Other than those errors, it looked like good advice.

New handgun holsters are usually stiff and tight. They should be, because the leather will mold itself to you and your use like a baseball glove or shoe.

1. Empty your handgun and/or the magazine of any rounds.
2. Push the handgun as deeply into the holster as you can.
3. Wear the holster and handgun around the house, as much as possible. This will speed up the holster conforming to the gun and to your body. Wear a belt holster with the belt you usually wear.
4. Draw and holster the pistol whenever you find a few moments. Only through repetitive use will drawing and holstering become easier. Work any catches or snaps as well, to break them in also.
5. Twist the holster on occasion, perhaps once or twice a day for the first week, flexing the leather one way and the other. This will loosen the collagen fibers (the tough inner structure of leather).
6. Store the handgun in the holster at night. The leather, softened by a day of your body heat and sweat, will continue to break in overnight.

The holster is still tight and catches on the slide a bit but it’s getting better. I’ve only had it since Friday so I’ll keep working with it.

Last week, I ordered this holster for my Glock 26, “Little Boy.” I had been considering carrying “Fat Man.” my Glock 30, when we go to Arizona, but I decided that the 9mm with HP rounds would be adequate. It’s also thinner and lighter than the .45 caliber pistol. I have an adjustable shoulder holster, but it’s not exactly comfortable when I carry the Glock 30 and if I wear a T-shirt, the gun prints fore and aft of my shoulder. Forget about wearing it under a tank top or muscle shirt.

So, I ordered a Don Hume IWB Strike holster custom for the Glock 26. The holster is made from cowhide leather and the belt loop is Kydex thermoplastic.

Product description:

The IWB Strike holster tuckable with a 1 1/2″ Kydex belt loop is designed as an inside the waistband that will permit a shirt to tuck between the holster and belt so as to provide maximum concealment. The holster is made of two pieces of cowhide leather for strength and durability and also features a thumb break with a safety strap.

I don’t normally tuck my shirt in, but if I ever have to wear the ol’ Sunday-go-to-meetin’ outfit, I can still pack.

Now this is HOT. Illegal in Kalifornistan, I’m sure, but if we save our dough over the next few months, maybe we can get one in Arizona.

Smith & Wesson announced the expansion of its popular M&P series with the M&P15-22P at the NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits, a tactical pistol version of the M&P15-22 already in the product line.

The M&P15-22P will feature a 25 round detachable box magazine, adjustable front and rear sights, a carbon steel barrel and 6-inch barrel.

The full specifications include:

Manufacturer: Smith & Wesson
Action Type: Blowback, semi-automatic
Lower Receiver: Polymer
Barrel: 6”, Carbon steel
Rifling: 1:15″ right hand twist
Magazine: 25 round box
Sights: A2 Style front sight; A2-style rear sight adjustable for windage and elevation; top, side and bottom Picatinny rails
Trigger: Single-stage
Weight: 3 lbs., 3 oz.
Suggested Retail Price: $585

About a year ago, Ruger introduced their version of the scary-looking AR-style carbine.

The Firearm Blog reviewed it quite thoroughly.

When we have the money saved up, we just might go to Cabela’s in Glendale, AZ and procure one of these.

With any luck, we should be calling this home before fall. You can see American flags flying in all quadrants from the lot.

Spotted today in Lake Havasu City, AZ - a seventies all American muscle car. This Super Sport sounded and looked just as good as the day it rolled off the line. Bright red, with shiny chrome. The American Flag Arizona tags read “USMUSSL.” Very pretty. Clickable image taken by The Better Half.

Forging a lifestyle change, we engaged a real estate broker in Arizona last week to start negotiating with a contractor to build a home for us. Today, we met with the broker, and started the process.

We went to a model with a similar floor plan to the home we’re considering. We liked what we saw - a lot. After that, we went to the actual site where the new home is to be constructed. The clickable image is of yours truly discussing options, firearms and the new Arizona laws regarding illegal immigrants with our broker on the lot where the house will be constructed - that’s me in the aloha shirt and panama hat. It’s nice to work with a businessman on the same page with us.

We will meet with the contractor tomorrow to begin customizing the new digs.

As for the house in the Golden Tarnished State, we will be making trips back there (after establishing residence here). We will have to dispose of our vast accumulation of stuff and to get the house on the market.

Even though I am a native Californian, I qualify for honorary Arizona naturalization by virtue of being married to a native Arizonan, my Better Half. I am truly blessed.