AD: an After-Action Review

Well, this post hurts my pride, and was something I hoped to never have to post about.

At approximately 2140EST on 06DEC08, as I was clearing my normal carry sidearm (a Taurus Millenium Pro in .45ACP) in preparation for cleaning it, it discharged, sending one round of .45ACP JHP through one interior wall and 2X4 and through the exterior wall and siding, exiting the structure.

I KNOW I kept my finger off the trigger. Without a doubt in my head, I did- I'm very good about that.

Since day one this weapon has had extractor issues. It will extract a snapcap without problem. However a loaded round of 45, no matter the make, will hang up on extraction every time. The extractor won't even fit the rim of the cartridge well enough to hold the round in place with the slide off the weapon.

What I SUSPECT happened:

I dropped the mag, racked the slide, and failed to confirm extraction/ejection. dropped the slide and either had a slamfire, or put my finger on the trigger.

Lessons learned:

-drop the mag and put it away.
-rack the slide, observe the chamber, and account for the chambered round. I normally do this to the point of being OCD about it.
-BE OCD about it. EVERY time.
-NO, I am NOT "Good enough" to do this without ammo anywhere in the room

Weapon is going back to the manufacturer for a full going over, and the extractor WILL be right this time.

So in review, the problem was a combination of mechanical failure and wetware complacency.

As well, I failed at least 1 of the 4 Laws:

2. Never let the muzzle of a firearm point at anything you are not willing to destroy

On examining the entry and exit holes in the exterior wall, I find that I was about 10 degrees on the lucky side of going through an apartment building about 75 yards from my house. While possible the heavy and slow 45ACP hollowpoint would have struck the siding and embedded itself in it while doing no further damage, it's not something I would want to risk.

I got VERY lucky. This can NOT happen again.

I shook, hard, for three hours after the event, keeping my ears pricked up for sirens and the like. Heard nothing, have kept an eye on the news, and noone's been hurt. Yes, I would have owned up to it had someone been.

Sorry I've been gone...

I note from Statcounter that my traffic is up. WAY up. I even had comments to moderate. :)

Apparently my 2 visitors told someone, and they told someone, and now I've got folks that seem to be regularly returning to see if I've tripped my fingers round the keyboard and imparted my own brand of idiocy to the Internet. I am flattered!

I apologize for no new content in the last (does the math) 2.5 weeks. I've been pretty swamped at work as I've been shifting my hours around more than usual, so I'm either working or sleeping.

OK, so it's more like working, or supposed-to-be-sleeping-but-playing-Second-Life-instead. For the longest, I said I'd never participate in one of those MMORPG's, because "I know me... I'll lose sleep and not get anything done round the house". This was in response to the guys at work trying to get me to play World of Warcrack, and apparently I didn't apply the rule to SL.

No, I will not tell you who I am in the game so you can say "Hi", either. There are lines that must be drawn- this is one of 'em ;P

Vote Reaper goes off

Testify, my brother:

Just lost all respect for Colin Powell

So Powell's done what there's been rumor of for months, and come out supporting Obama.

While I don't think it's "just because he's black", I do believe that it indicates that Powell's not showing the best judgement.

I hereby retract any and all indicators of support for Powell in my previous posts or comments (both personally and in the blogosphere), and am strongly considering retracting my opinion of him as "a good man".

REMARKABLY ill-advised, General. I'm glad you didn't this lack of judgement when I served under you. Sir.

Things to remember when voting

Income redistribution



Barack or McCain?

Worth remembering

4-wheeling Monday

Let's start the week off on a high note, shall we?

If this song doesn't stick in your head, nothing will...



Note how the TJ just walks right on past the H1 in the rock field.

Fair disclosure: I drive a 90 XJ. Yep, I'm a Jeep guy.

Thomas Paine talks Common Sense

Most important part of the video is at the end.

"Choose to be part of the Second American Revolution- not of bullets and of violence, but of Pressure! Pressure!Pressure! Call the Congressional Switchboard every day at 1-866-340-9281"

EDIT: perhaps the video is a bit dated. The 866 number didn't work for me. The verified number is 202-224-3121.

I'm not condoning a violent revolution by ANY means. I'd love to see a Voting Revolution- clear all the dead wood out of office and let them know if they don't respect the Constitution and the will of the people they WILL be replaced.

The stuff that's happening now is the sort of stuff that leads to violent revolution. It is my sincere wish that we can avoid that.

EDIT: not sure what that "Download video" crap is about.

Heimliched the pooch...

So I'm sitting there talking to my wife about some things while all three dogs are chewing on their new toys.

Suddenly Kylie (my Aussie) comes running at me, fullspeed, and claws me full on in the chest several times, hard. I look at her, wondering what's the matter, and notice she's making this motion like she's trying to bark, hard, but nothing's coming out.

I realize she's choking, and give her a healthy swat on both sides at once. Being rather alarmed, afraid I was about to lose my buddy, it was all I could think to do.

GACK!! A loud cough and apparently the bit of her chewie that was stuck in her windpipe dislodged and was swallowed. TONS of hugs and kisses after. Yes, she actually does hug.

Close one. I'd have missed my little girl. She's an amazing dog, and sharp as a tack. Besides, who else is going to keep the Lab Boys (bka the Idjuts) in line?

Holster-making gallery (56K death!)

If you've got dialup, you might want to go grab a coffee...

This is in response to several folks that have asked for more info regarding the stitching and so on.

Here you see that I've gone round the back wing, drilling holes with my Dremel first, then doing a simple lock-stitch. Note that the holes are, frankly, too large. I couldn't find my smallest drill bit at the time. I ended up doing a second trip around the stitching to make up for the gaping holes in the leather left by the drill, and my less-than-optimum control of the awl. If you look closely, you can see where some of the knots have come through the front. VERY amateur, but I learned quickly!

Another, closer, view of same. Also note the T-nut that I forgot to mention installing. Install is simple: drill hole (come to think, that was already done, too- did I mention Nate made this EASY?), insert T-nut, then glue the two halves together. Closer stitch detail, too. See what I mean about the knots coming through the front? Beginner mistake!

Closeup mainly to show the size of the line I am using. It's too big to call thread, too small to call rope. Waxed polyester, has a pretty hefty breaking strength. Yeah, it'll work! BTW- if you're looking for a sewing awl, by no means go buy one at your local boater's shop. I paid $27 for one at West Marine (well, I needed it THEN, to repair my ruck, going camping with the kid the next day). I could have gotten one for $13 online, and I stumbled across one VERY similar in Harbor Freight, with a 100-yard (as opposed to 30) skein of line, for $5 a few weeks later. Hell yes I bought it- I can't even get the line itself that cheap elsewhere. Need one? Drop me a line! (You see, how I made that little pun there... I am a kidder. I kid)

I should have mocked this one up better. What you are looking at is how the lockstitch works. Basically, poke the awl through the holes, then pull out a quantity of line on the back side, at least enough to go around the perimeter 1.5 times or you'll be cutting and retracing your route often to get a good lock. Getting the string to the back is easier said than done unless those holes are WAY too big. Solution: Punch awl all the way through. Pull it about halfway out. Use the tip of a spitzer round (or a pen, chopstick, whatever's handy) to grab that loop, and pull the awl through. Now pull the bitter (loose) end of the line through. Poke the awl through the next hole, withdraw, and run the bitter end through the loop. Pull on both lines, you've made a stitch!

I'm not real clear on the proper way to terminate the stitch. I backstitch two stitches, then run the bitter end through the loop three times, then pull. Cut flush, and apply brief heat to the remaining bit of the line. This ought to work.

Second lap of stitching on the back wing, completed. Looks a lot better now. For production use, I will run a double row of stitching up against the weapon as it's a high-stress area. Otherwise, single will be fine.

Front wing completed now, too. Can you notice the difference? I found my smaller (smallest) bit, so only had to run one loop. Also, I had figured out how to run the awl properly at this point, ending up with the locks in the middle of the holes, not on the front or back. MUCH more professional. Almost looks like I know what I am doing, huh?

I've wet the leather, just to the point that it's darker-brown. Literally a minute in very hot bathwater. Put it in the tub and swish it around- when it is uniformly dark, it's ready. It's very much like working with stiff clay at this point. You can see I've started the boning process, the trigger guard, dust cover, and takedown lever are most evident. Yes, I am a man that wears jewelry. Celtic stuff, mainly. Shaddup.

In the name of safety, and not wanting an AD when reholstering, I use an ultra high-tech, precision-engineered Trigger Guard Embossing device. OK, so it's my thumb. This ain't rocket science, folks. As a famous holster-maker once said "There's only so many ways to wrap leather around a fuckin' gun". Curmudgeonly fellow, that. I think I'd enjoy his company.

Hey, if it's stupid but works... it ain't stupid. 'Nuff said.

As you can see, there's a VERY snug, secure fit. This weapon won't come out unless you mean to use it.

YES, I know. Shut up! I am flat-out OUT of ammo for this weapon at this time, the safety is on, the trigger is covered, and my finger is nowhere near the trigger. Also, I cleared the weapon three times before putting it in the holster. I'm not a complete idiot (there are parts missing!). Nice view to show how the boning is split between the halves of the holster, to suck it into the hip more. Also, all the better to marvel at these cheap 6MP cameras that are out now. Why did I wait so long?

Two shots of attempting to bone the ejection port with my thumb. Fail. While it's good enough for some folks, I like a holster with a well-defined ejection port- better retention. Hmm.. what can I use to better emboss this? If I only had some more deer antler left over I could make a tool with my Dremel tool...

That's the ticket! A Fisher compact Space pen. Not only does it write in zero-g, vacuum, upside down, and prevent global thermonuclear war while saving the Apollo-13 astronauts- it also makes a damn fine embossing tool for wet leather. OK, so would a AA battery. But darn, now I have these nasty over-emphasized embossing marks around the port that look like crap. This would be easy to fix it this was really wet clay. Hmmm...

Nice! Apparently the wet clay metaphor was more accurate than I realized.


A very well-boned holster.

I've got to invest in a better backdrop. Are you folks tired of seeing my keyboard and desk yet?

Finished product shots


It wears well, too!