Monthly Archives: November 2009

Thinking about the .38 Super

Caleb and Tam both have posts up about the under-loved .38 Super, which still hangs on as a gamer round but lags far behind the 9mm, .40 and .45 as a defensive cartridge.

I’ve been wanting one for a few years now, but it’s low enough down on my “OMG I MUST HAS!” list that nothing serious has come of my Super jones. I do keep an eye on the market to see what’s available. Colt puts out a steady trickle of Supers, Kimber has a few models in the catalog, and Springfield builds a run of guns every couple years. The one I’m eyeballing right now, though, is the STI Trojan 5.0.

I have zero hands-on experience with STIs, but I know Joe Huffman is a big fan, and I respect STI’s decision to tell California to fuck off. The Trojan has a lot I like (ramped barrel, which I think is a wise idea on a .38 Super, stippled frontstrap, factory-installed thin grips) and a few things I don’t (full-length guide rod, ugly & HUGE rollmarks, plastic mainspring housing). Were I to order one, I’d opt for the hard chrome and fixed sights. I’d also immediately drop in a GI-style stub guide rod and plug, and probably swap the mainspring housing for a stainless steel unit with machined checkering. Otherwise, I think it would be quite satisfactory.

If only I could talk them into building me one without that damn billboard on the slide…

Product Improved Beer Bread

Kevin Baker’s beer bread recipe is damned tasty. It’s even damned tastier if you mix a cup of shredded sharp cheddar into the batter, then sprinkle a little extra on top:
bread

Parking Lot Bills in Michigan

NRA-ILA reports that bills are advancing in the Michigan House and Senate to prevent employers from firing employees who store guns in their cars.

My workplace is a “gun-free zone” under Michigan law, though the law does make a parking lot exception. So while I can legally leave a gun locked in my car, it’s against my employer’s policy and I could be fired for it. Of course, criminals don’t care about “gun-free zones”, and violent crimes are a not-infrequent occurrence at my workplace.

Here’s to hoping the bills pass!

Detroit’s City Council is Packing.

According to Rochelle Riley of the Detroit Free Press, at least 4 of Detroit’s 9 City Council members have CCW permits, with a fifth planning to get one.

“It’s not an indictment upon the citizens of Detroit but just for my own personal assurances. I was concerned that the city of Detroit not turn into the wild, wild West, but I’ve talked with several incumbents, and the office presents some challenges. I don’t feel I have to use it, but I’ll feel more comfortable having it.”

Good. Given the extraordinarily corrupt, dirty nature of Detroit politics, you’d be a fool to NOT take steps to protect yourself.

Keep up with those patches, folks.

Squeaky’s blog got hacked last week due to a WordPress vulnerability. I was able to repair the damage and update her WordPress to the latest version, and all appears to be well again.

WordPress has a less-than-stellar security track record and there’s no shortage of bots scanning for vulnerable installs, so take the time to make sure you’re up to date!

Christmas in November

This showed up in my mailbox on Friday, courtesy of a crypto-Canadian who shall go unnamed:

yes, it isbattletoads

And in case you don’t get the joke…

Monsters are real.

Oh yes they are.

As pdb would say, “Carry your damn guns, people.”

NSSF First Shots?

Seems my local range is participating in the NSSF First Shots program, a free, 3-hour introduction to shooting with handguns.

I have a friend who might be interested in learning to shoot, and this could be perfect for her. Does anyone have any experience with First Shots?

Clancy’s birthday (observed)

I don’t know the exact date, but Clancy turned up on my doorstep on December 15,’07 at about six weeks of age, so we celebrate on November 1st. Well, I celebrate. He seems pretty blasé about the whole thing:

clancy

He’s getting a few extra Greenies on his special day, though.