PLACES I'VE BEEN LATELY

Some months ago, I added Slampo's Place and strongly encourage anyone who likes excellent funny writing to check out this post because I was rolling and laughing out loud when I read it. It might not be as funny if you're not from Houston but I think the great writing comes through no matter what... Shami Time! (Updated With the Latest). Slampo ultimately asks the ultimate question in his essay:

It's easy to chuckle at Mr. Shami, but before we indulge in an easy laugh at his expense we must all ask ourselves, "How many hairdressers did I comfort after 9/11?"

I don't know Slampo personally buy like my friend Texas Ghostrider, I really enjoy his writing. TG often posts about neckties of the day, sometimes hideous and sometimes cool. I've been meaning to send TG a box of neckties I haven't worn in about 4 years. There are some classics in there as well as lots of not-so-classic ties in that particular box, which was packed up about 5 years ago and has been ever since.

In any event, I will be sending TG a "necktie care package" for he and his fellow officers to have. I some some officers working plainclothes (or in uniform that need ties on occasion) are on real tight budgets, taking excellent care of their families and working very had to provide for them while putting their life on the line every day... so if it's between my ties going to the resale store or a women's shelter resale shop and some cops who work hard to protect me and mine every day, then guess who gets the free ties.

Slampo's post brings back old memories of the myriad political campaigns of "Texas Sam Houston Fayed. I'll give him points for trying, cause it seems like he's run for a lot of offices over the years.

Slampo is a funny mofo.

I've also been reading a newish blog called STEALTH by Black ink. I like it as well.

As any reader of this blog for any frequency has noticed, I've been talking a lot about firearms lately, particularly handguns. Like most Texas kids with families with rural roots, or at least kinfolk in the country, I did a fair amount of shooting and fishing from a very early age. I was BB gunning from age 5 or 6, and of course had a collection of toy guns.

My father wasn't a big hunter but he occasionally liked a good bird hunt, particularly for quail. It reminded him of his younger days growing up in depression-era rural East Texas, and how they put food on the table. Like fishing, I do love to go shooting, I'm just not a hunter for the most part, unless you're talking wolves or coyotes or hogs that are decimating the stock or crops of friends of mine who farm and ranch for a living. Otherwise, I leave the hogs and wolves and coyotes alone as long as they are leaving me and my friends alone.

So lately I've been reading about guns again and have had the itch to add at least several new firearms to the collection, such as it is right now. Once upon a time, before marriage, I had a wide and varied firearm collection, worthy of any Texas male who had been a law enforcement officer in his young twenties. That collection dwindled from it's finest, from this emergency or that, usually when several hard hitting emergencies came and were decimating the emergency savings fund

Two blogs I especially have enjoyed reading have also been added to my blogroll. I've been reading some of their old posts, and they write quite well and like me, have a diverse interest in a wide range of firearms.

Xavier Thoughts and his nice post on the Clark Custom Carry Piece. Read back through his postings to read about the gun he gave his son-in-law as a wedding present. What a hot rod .45 to get as a gift. Something that will surely be cherished forever as a family heirloom.

Read about the wedding gift here http://xavierthoughts.blogspot.com/2009/12/wedding-gun.html. Like me, Xavier is a fan of the 1911 and of revolvers and has a lot of interesting posts on handguns and concealed carry weapons and things of interest other than guns.

The other blog I stumbled upon was Gunner's Journal, and it too is writted by a man of my own heart, when it comes to 1911's and revolvers, as well as other guns. It's quite a comendium of information regarding the kinds of handguns that my circle of long term (20 to 30 years) Texas male friends have been interestetd in. Kick ass guns.

I'll note that both of these blogs have extensive links to other great sites and blogs.
I particularly liked this post on Gunner's Journal about the excellence that is the combat revolver, and why a good 5 or 6 shot revolver beats a jammed automatic any day of the week. http://gunner777.wordpress.com/category/sw-snub-nose-revolvers/

This fellow knows lots more about 1911s than I do, and I know quite a bit about them. He knows LOTS about firearms in general and I can say that I find his writing quite informative and interesting. And yet, like me, he often chooses to sport a revolver for his defense, in spite of the fine autos he owns.

One thing Gunner and Xavier and I enjoy is the K frame Smith revolvers. For many years, my concealed carry weapon of choice was a Model 67, which as I've mentioned before, I'm letting my mom use. That's how much I like that weapon.

It's downloaded with Federal Premium low recoil self defense JHP ammo so it's easy for Mom to shoot. Low recoil.

But like the two bloggers I mentioned above, I'd like to get a Model 65, or even better, the shrouded ejector rod Ladysmith version of the Model 65. But I'd be happy with even a nice Model 13, the blued version of the Model 65.

In any event, all of these blogs offer great reading. I've been hanging out at these blogs quite a bit lately.

TROUT FISHING AND GUN SHOOTING TO START THE NEW YEAR

So one cold day a few weeks ago while El Fisho Jr. and I were in Central Texas, we visited a State Park that had recently been stocked with rainbow trout.

We skunked out. El Fisho Jr. is beginning to learn that not every fishing trip is a bonanza. We've fished several places on many occasions where it was almost a "fish on" on every cast, but this was not one of those times. In fact, at age 3 or so, his first fish was an abnormally large and long channel catfish from a Brenham area pond that was actually taller than El Fisho Jr. at the time.

Nonetheless, although it was as cold and windy as it could be, we were well clothed for the weather and had a great time on an otherwise beautiful day. Not many folks were there, and we were both fishing a variety of proven spinners that have caught lots of rainbows in the past.

We fished for several hours, and I had two strong hits that didn't hook up and El Fisho Jr. had at least one strong hit. There was a weed situation because the recent high winds had blown weeds all over the accessible shorelines, and apparently weeds that had grown during the drought were ripped free by the recent high winds and currents.

So it wasn't ideal but it was very nice. Next time we'll take a canoe out there, but it was a spur of the moment deal where we had some other plans fall through and we just loaded up and took a father son road trip. We both had a blast, as we always seem to do.

We did see two fellows catch a couple of rainbows. They were using a proven method, which is fish deep with a nice saltwater rig with a long rod (don't forget to use a 10 lb light leader with the heavy saltwater line) and a spinning real. You can cast REAL far in a small State Park lake or the like with a cheap saltwater rig, and if you just use it for freshwater fishing, it'll last forever.

Sometimes, the cheap rigs don't last too long with salt water fishing, although I've got a long term rod and reel I got cheap in the mid-90's that is still going strong with near 0% maintenance. It's been doing so good for so long I'm afraid to open that reel up or tamper with it at all, other than to add new line ever few years.

But using such a rig for either lake or river fishing makes a lot of sense, particularly if you encounter large catfish (yeah) or carp (boo) or gar (boo hiss). A big fish needs a big rod to boat it. You can catch trot line sized cats on a salt water rig.

I first saw saltwater rigs used in freshwater in the 70's on the Trinity river by white bass ("gaspergoo", they called them). They used large Zebco saltwater reels or spinning reels on 8 foot long thick rods (A K-Mart rig, as we called it back in the day, when you could buy a decent ready made rod and reel rig for a decent cheap price) to hunk their crayfish on a bottom rig out to the bottom of the river channel, probably fifty or more yards away.

Since then, Billy Ray and I have been big proponents of the theory that HUGE BAITS and big salt water rigs are the way to go if you're hunting huge catfish. Lots of other folks I know have done this for years. Lots of small and medium sized rivers, creeks and streams can hold huge bass in deeper holes, as can even moderate sized farm ponds.

In any event, the fellows I saw catch one each were using big salt water spinning rigs and casting to the deepest part of the water. The trout had been recently stocked and had been biting sporadically for the last several days according to the park ranger. They were fishing kernel corn at two depths, about 15 feet down and on the bottom. They were catching about a fish an hour between them, and were about to limit out and return to their park cabin and have a fish fry.

New Year's Weekend, we got invited over to the ranch of some friends who live near La Grange on the Colorado River, or should I say on a huge hill well above the Colorado on a sprawling expanse of ranch. Lots of friends and relatives live nearby, and the land has been in the family for years. Just breath taking Texas beauty at it's finest.

This was El Fisho Jr's first shooting trip, and mama was along to keep a watchful eye on the proceedings. Our hosts are big shooters and both have carry permits, and they had quite a range set up at their place in a ravine that provided several levels of earthen hills and backstops to ensure no errant shots would go anywhere but into dirt.

They had silhouettes for shooting with .22's, and along with the guns I brought, our hosts had a dazzling array of guns of their own for us to shoot. El Fisho got started with the .22 rifles and pistols and it was evident that all of those times we've shot airsoft and bb guns have paid off in terms of accuracy and gun safety. We had no safety issues at all.

They had tables and bench rests and the like, so we were able to have our gear from our shooting bags lined out along with ammo and the unloaded not in use weapons.

El Fisho Jr. got to shoot a variety of big bore handguns, each loaded with only one cartridge. He was surprisingly accurate with a .45 auto and several .38 snubbies. He enjoyed shooting them. I shot my classic 30-30 lever action from the childhood, and I was astonished that it was still well sighted in despite lots of jostling and moving around over the last few years since I had shot it.

After that, this past weekend, we went to an indoor range and tried out a Sig 9mm pistol, the 239. El Fisho Jr. did so well with his share of the box of ammo that some of the folks in the range stopped their own shooting and were watching him.

Over the past few months, I've gotten to do quite a bit of shooting. I used to shoot quite regularly, sometimes weekly and sometimes monthly in various pistol leagues and competitions. The past few years, I've been substituting music playing for doing a lot of shooting, and I didn't realize how much I missed it.

So El Fisho Jr.'s introductions into shooting was, much to his mother's relief, a safe and fairly trauma free event (for mama). El Fisho Jr. and I have been working on gun safety and learning to shoot with BB guns and airsoft guns over the past two years, and he has been taking gun safety seriously. Even though he, like me, has no real desire to hunt, I think we'll take a hunter safety class just to get some more fundamentals into his head about gun safety and gun handling.

Now he's curious about shotguns, and he doesn't know that I have a fairly excellent single shot Harrington and Richardson .410 youth model that was mine as a child. I guess it's about 40 years old. I think we bought it for about $25 at K Mart in Houston at Beechnut and the Southwest Freeway. I'm going to have it checked over because I have not shot it in over 30 years, and make sure it is in great operating condition.

CHIC GAYLORD: PART TWO

THIS IS A POCKET HOLSTER MADE BY BELL CHARTER OAK. CHIC WAS FAMOUS FOR HIS POCKET HOLSTERS.

DUBBED THE "NEW YORK RELOAD", THIS HOLSTER WAS POPULAR, SO THE LORE SAYS, WITH COPS IN HIGH CRIME NEIGHBORHOODS OR NARCO SQUAD JOBS AND WITH SPYS. ORIGINALLY DESIGNED TO CARRY TWO SNUBBIES, IT WAS ADAPTED TO FIT THE 1911 AND THE HI POWER. THIS HOLSTER IS ALSO BY BELL CHARTER OAK.

ANOTHER BELL CHARTER OAK HOLSTER BASED ON A CHIC GAYLORD HOLSTER.

COLT DETECTIVE SPECIAL IN A BELL CHARTER OAK HOLSTER, ONCE AGAIN, ONE MADE BY BELL CHARTER OAK.

THIS HOLSTER IS ACTUALLY BY THE LATE LOU ALESSI, BUT IT IS VERY CLOSE TO A GAYLORD DESIGN. NOTICE THE OFFSET BELT CLIP, POSITIONED BEHIND THE CYLINDER SO AS TO FACILITATE AND NOT COMPLICATE CONCEALABILITY.

One very interesting forum thread I came across in my goggling about Chic was this one here
http://www.pistolsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=20539

There's a lot of information in this post by some old timers (I'm officially old too, according to my wife and one of the kids, no insult intended) who knew Chic. It's six years old, and contains contributions from the legendary late holster artist Lou Alessi talking about Chic. Certainly worth a read if you're interested in Chic.

The thread starter, a Austin Behlert said:

"There was a real famous guy in the sixties named Chic Gaylord. As some of his customers say, he had the hands of a craftsman, the eye of an aartist and the mind of a scientist. He majored in art in college and after graduation worked as a cartoonist for the famous Peter Arne, dean of American cartoonists. He finally went on his own and in his shop on West 47nth St NYC he began to develope the finest holsters for law enforcement people. He never advertised as his fame came from word of mouth. He also became known in those days to be the top man in combat shootng. He made holsters for every type situation and all type pistols. He once put on a demo with 17 weapons concealed on his body. I had the pleasure of meeting him a number of times when a friend in law enforcement asked me to go."

Another poster, a Gordon Hulme responded:

"Never thought I'd look like Chic , but now I do. I have two of his holsters still, an ankle one for a J frame snub, which is a good , but not the best of it's kind I've seen. His plain Speed Scabbard I have for a 2.5" Model 19 is my prized holster for this concealment gun. I bought it in 1966 when I was assigned to Military Intelligence. Although I had to carry a 2" Model 10 in it on duty assignments I kept it to this day in fine shape.The stitching is still tight! What Austin politely has not shared, is that Chic was quite the "piece of work" in his demeanor. Just imagine a 'high speed low drag' wise guy in NYC who all the "princes of the city" (and every wet work spook in free world) cow- towed to!!!! Not only to get the leather of their dreams , but to learn his "speed shooting" secrets. I even got him to show me with his beloved High Standard Sentinel snub .22!!!!! Remember how he liked those Austin?"

I can certainly identify with looking more like Chic as I age.

The late Louis F. "Lou" Alessi said:

"Gaylod was quite a guy. I remember talking to him a few times on the phone when I was playing around making holsters for myself, and a few cop friends. He spent a lot of time talking about design, the benefits of heavy thread for stitching, and properly molding a gun to a holster. In those days, he used real guns to mold the holsters. Today, it's just not possible with all the different manufacturers, models, and variations of the same model available. Not many people realize it, but Chic passed away about 10 years ago. He was in a nursing home until his death. One of his good friends, Lefty Lewis, a retired NYPD Detective, and holster maker, used to visit him regularly. Chic certainly was the father of the concealment holster as we know it today. Lou".

AND

"Chic Gaylord's logo was a lightning bolt logo that incorporated his name into the logo. Lou"

You don't get much more knowledgeable or to be more of a great holster artist than Lou Alessi was, I'll tell you. I have one of his holsters for one of my handguns, and let me tell you, it is a work of art. Rest in Peace Lou, and I'm glad your family is carrying on the business and I'm sure the quality will live on in the business.

This fellow, Rob Garrett, is probably the one who wrote the multi part article I recall reading years ago, perhaps in the early to mid 90's, that I previously wrote was a two part article. I'm pretty sure I have those articles filed away in a "things to think about writing a book about one day" file, but I have accumulated an awful large number of files which are in cabinets and rubbermaid storage bins in the attic.

I recall these articles and the great pictures which went along with them.

If Rob Garrett ever reads this, I'd love to have a copy or a scan of those articles if you have them handy. The email is in the profile. I'll be happy to pay for reproduction or mailing costs if not digitally stored.

"I had the pleasure of meeting Chic in June of 1991. He was residing in a care home on Long Island. I spent about three hours interviewing and visiting with him. This research became the basis for a three part article i did not Combat Handguns. Chic lived hard and in many ways, life was not good to him. However, he left a lasting mark having been the father of modern concealment leather. Heres to you Chic!

Rob
"We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm" George Orwell"

CHIC GAYLORD, HOLSTER MAKER AND AUTHOR: PART ONE

I grew up reading gun magazines. When I was in high school, they had Guns and Ammo and The American Rifleman in the school library. I liked the magazine especially then, because it had a monthly feature on swat teams and police departments in different parts of the nation. COPS and show like that are kind of common place now but back in the day there wasn't much non-fictional policing going on in the movies or on TV. About the closest was a TV show called Police Story, which had realistic story lines and where the good guys didn't always win.

Over the years, I began to read various gun publications, particularly those dealing with handguns. The fishing magazines I've read since my youth, like Outdoor Life, Field and Stream and Sports Afield always had gun and hunting articles along with fishing and camping features.

And once I started reading other firearm magazines, and going to gun shows and gun shops, I kept hearing the name Chic Gaylord when it came to concealment holsters and shooting techniques.

Over the years, I've read at least one two-part article devoted to Chic, his famous book and his concealment holsters. And at least a hundred references to his name as an influence on either other holster artisans or a particular holster design or with regard to his opinions on shooting, weapons, drawing a weapon, gunfights and combat pistolcraft in general.

The late Lou Alessi was likewise a renowned holster maker and openly proclaimed the influence of Chic on his work. I've been wondering who, if anyone, will pick up the mantle of Alessi, as he made some really, really nice holsters.

There's not too many slouches in the Chic Gaylord fan club and appreciation society that seemed prevalent amongst handgun writers I've read in a mulitude of publications for over 30 years.

Chic must have been some kind of likeable guy.

Chic lived in New York City, and apparently did quite well for himself as a one man holster shop making high quality, handmade, innovative and apparently effective holster designs for law enforcement and government agents. I'm not sure about the duration of his career but I know he was especially active in the 1950's and 1960's.

I've known some ex-NYC cops who own his holsters and wouldn't part with them for love nor money.

I've done some googling and some looking and linking, and I've found a bit of information on Mr. Gaylord. He certainly needs at least his own wiki page, and I might just have to do that myself in the near future. I know he has a daughter who posted some time ago on a handgun forum.

Here's a copy of her post from last May and here's a link to the thread on an excellent handgunning forum:


May 24, 2009, 02:33 AM
#3
dianegaylord

Member

Join Date: May 24, 2009
Posts: 1
who was Chic Gaylord?
He was my father. His shop was a leather shop. He made custom holsters,belts and bags. He was a gifted designer. He thought about peoples safety needs and designed to their specifics situation. He invented the ankle holster and many customers were law enforcement personnel.His book actually gives a pretty good narrative about where he was coming from. I think he was pretty sincerely on the side of the law.especially the cop on the beat. The ordinary guy on the beat who needs to make it home at the end of the day to his family.It's all in the book.

Here's the link: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=192338

I'll be doing some writing about Chic Gaylord in several more posts. I need to sift through the 75 pages of information I located on the net in a quick sweep. Much of it seems repetative.

I also found a copy of his legendary book, The Handgunner's Guide really cheap and it's on it's way now. Got it for like $3.00. I think you can still buy it new at Paladin Press, and I know for sure there are several sites and several ebay sellers who are selling this book new for a little over $20.

Here's a thread at The High Road that gives sort of a synopsis of the book. I'll see if I agree with it once I've actually read it. Chances are, I will, because I've seen articles about Chic and his opinions on guns and holsters and pistolcraft and shooting and everything I recall seems to agree with what this gentleman says and quotes from Chic's book.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=158879

During his career, a lot of very influential handgunners and handgun writers and law enforcement and even some spy types knew Chic was an artisen in leather holsters and the like. I know that times change and that in Chic's day, most crooks didn't normally carry automatic and high capacity weapons like so many do today.

Chic would probably have some strong opinions about the Beretta, Glock and Sig Sauer dominance in law enforcement and military circles, but of course, I don't know what those opinions would be. I'd infer that he seemed pretty damn sensible about law enforcement officers defending themselves, and he'd have some recommendations about calibers and handguns for today's urban policeman.

Back in Gaylord's heyday, NYPD was using Colt and Smith and Wesson revolvers in .38 caliber. We know Serpico and apparently lots of other NYPD officers carried the Browning Hi Power as a second gun, for it's high capacity. I knew patrol cops in Houston in the early 80's who would carry a second gun, often a Hi Power, when it was jacket weather and when they worked a rough part of town where backup might be some distance away (or they carried a hammerless S&W snubbie in the front jacket pocket, where it would be unseen by folks on traffic stops or bad calls. You would have your hand on your gun and no one knew, it just looked like it was cold and you had your hand in your pockets).

In any event, cops everywhere face the same problem. Either off duty or assigned to jobs where they don't need to be obvious that they are the "POH-LICE", A weapon needs to be concealed but be available should the officer need to defend himself. And that is the beauty of the holsters of Chic Gaylord. Simple, they don't print against the clothing of the wearer if worn properly with the proper clothing.

Bell Charter Oak Holsters mostly carries on the mantle of Chic Gaylord. I don't know whether they bought the designs or whether they are under license but they are Chic's holsters.

Here is their wonderful site: http://www.bellcharteroakholsters.com/

I've recently read one highly critical review online in a forum about one of Bell Charter Oak's holsters but one of my friends is loaning me one of his BCO Gaylord inside the waistband holsters for my Colt snubnose. I've mostly read great things about these holsters and the folks I know who own them truly love them and swear by them. So I'm pretty sure I'm going to like it because I have made a few holsters myself and have an idea what works and what doesn't.

I'm more of a fan of IWB holsters in my older years than I was in my 20's and 30's, and perhaps it's the slight expansion of the waistband that now better facilitates a holster inside the waistband. In other words, my pants are larger and roomier than they were in my younger, more tight britches years.

My friend no longer has a pistol to fit this holster so I'll probably end up trading something for it if I like it. I can't find a picture of it but it is the "Gaylord Hold Out IWB" in the middle of the page. You have to scroll down to find this particular holster.
http://bellcharteroakholsters.com/iwb.html

They make a lot of nice holsters at BCO and I recognize a lot of them as Gaylord designs. They all may be his designs, I'm not sure. I know Alessi made something called The Federal Speed Scabbard that was also a Gaylord Design.

More about Chic later, as soon as I can read his book and the rest of the material on him I'll post more about what I find and how I like his Hold Out IWB holster design. I like the partially offset belt loop, because putting a loop or clip right over the cylinder just makes a revolver that much harder to conceal.

FIVE GUNS I LIKE: PART ONE

I've always liked the .38 Super round, and of course Colt made it popular in the 1911 pistol. In many countries, the .38 Super is used because civilians and police can't own guns in military calibers. It's a unique round, but old times like Texas Ranger Frank Hamer favored the .38 Super over the .45 auto because he was having gunfights with folks in cars, like Bonnie and Clyde.

The Colt shown above, with the very nice and functional rubber grips, is the current production model of the .38 Super. Nice and shiny and shoots really well. I had the opportunity to shoot one of these in East Texas a few months ago and just fell in love with the gun.

There are those gun folks who adhere to the theorum that a gun is best designed as designed by the original manufacturer, in this case, John Browning. They believe that a 1911 or its descendants need to be big and not short. There are still folks who think the Commander was a mistake and many more who certainly don't like the 3" barrel 1911's like the Kimber shown below.

The Kimber Ultra Carry. A reasonably priced and extremely high quality gun with an EXCELLENT TRIGGER. A cheaper version of Kimber's very nice Ultra CDP II. It shoots well and is just as great looking and well designed. Sharp edges have been removed and it's function over form in the grips and sights. Nice extended beavertail as well.

This version of the Taurus Judge family, THE PUBLIC DEFENDER, is an ultra light and short snubby version of the popular Judge series, that shoots both .410 shells and .45 Long Colt bullets. A five shooter, the PD features lightweight alloy frame, very unique recoil absorbing serrated rubber grips, and only shoots the .410 2 1/2" shells.

Several friends of mine own the full size 3" barrel Judge pistols, but in the ultralight frame configuration that shoot the 3" magnum .410 shells, and they swear it doesn't kick that bad. One of my friends who has shot one says it kicks substantially less than my very heavy Pacmayr gripped Thomson Contender with a 10" barrel chambered for the same rounds.



With buckshot rounds that have been developed for .410 shells, it's a formitable handgun. And in the field, loaded with #7 shot, a snake doesn't have a chance.





I shot this pistol last weekend and enjoyed it immensely. El Fisho Jr. and I shot a box of shells through one of these and found it to be an accurate and easy to shoot gun. We were shooting ball ammo, and the recoil was sort of brisk but certainly not as bad as I've seen in other compact nines. It's a heavy rascal, coming in at like 29 oz. unloaded. But compact and it fits well into a holster and from my limited time with it, concealed very well in the thin generic leather IWB I had with me.

I want one of these but really think I will opt for a used HK P7 for my next nine purchase.



The Walther PPS (Police Pistol Slim). This new single stack Walther is a very thin nine. I've seen one and it is indeed just a hair bit larger than the venerable Walther PPK and I can't wait to shoot one. There is the chance that if this pistol shoots well that it could replace the HK P7 mentioned immediately above as the next nine I'd like to buy/trade for. I do like the way the P22 shoots and the P99 shoots well also but I just don't care much for the P99 personally.

I'd like to have a P22 and nearly bought one a couple of years ago, and probably should have. It had a slight nick in the frame and was going for like $180 new.

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE GLOCK PISTOL COMPANY

Hello Glock!

I've been an owner of your fine pistols since 1992. I bought a Model 21 as soon as I could find one. I shot thousands of rounds through it in pistol competions of different types. It never let me down.

A few years ago, I bought a Glock Model 36 used. It's a great pistol as well. It jammed on me twice recently, but I'm prone to thinking it was the particular cheap ball ammo I was using, basically new ammo but just one step above reloads. I noticed a great inconsistency in recoil in this box of ammo, some seemingly very hot and some seemingly underpowered.

In any event, I'm having it checked out this week by a Glock armorer, and I'm not worried. With the brand of Federal hollow point low recoil high dollar ammo that I've been using in the gun, I've fired hundreds of rounds with no jams.

The point is this, Glock:

I know PR and those types at your company have email google alerts on Glock and the like. I have a couple of product suggestions for Glock, and from what I've read around the web on various forums (including Glock Talk) and from talking to fellow Glock users and fan club members over the past 20 years, I know you've heard them before.

Nonetheless, I perservere.

GLOCK NEEDS A COMPACT ULTRA SLIM 9mm SINGLE STACK.

It should be thinner than you did with the Model 36, which, as a .45 is fine as it is and understandably thick.

But do like Walther did with the PPS: LESS THAN AN INCH THICK. Give us that familiar glock action just thin down that slide assembly and the frame it's mounted on. Single stack. Nice thin grip and frame. The most important reduction needs to be in the slide department: it needs to be less than 1" thick. I know you at Glock can do it!

In addition to the Walther PPS, other imitators, cough cough Smith and Wesson M&P, cough cough Taurus, cough cough Springfield Armory. You know what I mean.

But several handgun makers have been successful in slimming down some compact carry 9mm pistols recently, and although I really don't want to buy most of these products, if they can do it, I KNOW Glock can do it. Kel Tec. Kahr. I know they are great guns, but they are not for me.

It doesn't have to be super lightweight. A little mass adds a lot of recoil absorbing ability. But that mass doesn't have to be in the HUGE width of the slide. A compact grip on a Model 19 slide is not going to be happening or exciting, nor will it make me want to ebay other stuff or use hard earned dollars to snap one up ASAP like a truly nice slim. Think Walther PPS as to the full sized P99 as compared to a slim Glock 9mm vs the full sized 19.

GLOCK NEEDS SOME DEDICATED .22 CALIBER PISTOLS, HIGH CAPACITY AND A 2/3 SINGLE STACK MODEL.

While you're at it, make a dedicated .22 caliber Glock for women who don't like larger calibers and do like Glocks. Yeah, it's not an ideal defense round in many ways, but lots of folks who don't like shooting big guns have .22's in nightstands, coat pockets, purses and gloveboxes to keep away the boogie man.

Again, I'm not talking a conversion kit on an exisiting model. Shrink that bad boy in size, including width, to 2/3 full size. Think Walther P22 as to the full sized P99. It doesn't have to be as slim as the single stack carry nine mentioned above, but a smaller grip would be nice.

For the full size version of the Glock 22., a key feature would be a high capacity magazine that would hold 20 or so rounds. Make an extended high capacity magazine (not unlike the 33 round ones available for the Model 19 and 18) that extends beyond the grip an inch or two) for some extra shooting fun. Throw an extended threaded barrel on it for silencer use like the Sig Sauer Mosquito and you've got a very cool, and very marketable Glock.

Get those young shooters hooked on Glocks with some Glock .22's.

Great Snub Nose Holsters Part One

The holster pictured above is the Galco Speedmaster. The picture shows a "J Frame" five shot Smith and Wesson Hammerless type .38 or .357 in the holsters, but it is made for a lot of other guns.

I recently used a Christmas ebay card to get one of these at about half price, but brand new. It's so new the leather still creaks a bit while turning the torso when wearing it, but it's creaking less and less every day.

Mine is for my Colt Cobra and it fits perfectly. The hammer is sheiled from both my body and whatever garment covers this holster.

Of course, living in Texas as I do, abundant hot and humid weather much of the year limits the amount of time this holster can be worn. Right now, it's mighty cold, and thus easy to conceal either under a sweater or a jacket or coat(s).

I've never tried to be a fast draw artist. The holsters I began using when entering law enforcement always had a 10-15 degree cant or a flap (the widowmaker, as we used to call them). Pretty soon after I began in law enforcement they eliminated the flap holster, called the widowmaker because it was (a) so slow to draw from; and (b) not a very secure gun holster when fighting or wrassling suspects.

I like a forward cant in most holsters, as I standardly carry on my strong side at anywhere from 3 to 5 O'Clock, depending on the gun, the wardrobe, what I'm doing and the holster.

After a few weeks with this holster, I'm already a fan of it, and will probably get one for my S&W Bodyguard Model 38. It reminds me of the Roy Baker Pancake holster in which I used to carry my Python.

It's not the first Galco product I have owned. Several years ago, in College Station, I found a snubnose paddle holster with no thumb break strap that fit my Bodyguard perfectly. It's an excellent quality holster, and like the bevy of fine late 70's and early 80's Bianchi holsters that still look almost new and are as new in the fit and functioning department, I suspect the Galco holsters I acquire will outlast me and still be highly functional when they get ultimately passed to El Fisho Jr.

Although these two snubbie holsters are my first Galco products, I'm not new to the company. Back in the early 80's, when I was an officer on the street moved into a plainclothes assignment, I bought an extremely nice horizontal shoulder holster rig for my Python from the predeccesor company to Galco, which was called The Jackass Leather Company.

You know the holster I'm talking about. I believe Galco now calls it the Miami Special or something like that, because in the mid-80's it was popularized on the show Miami Vice. But several years before that show and Don Johnson reared their heads on TV screens, Jackass Leather made it's debut to cop shops around the country and it didn't take long for police officers across the country to figure out that the horizontal shoulder holster was far better designed to carry a heavy handgun like a Python, a 1911A1 or a Hi Power than anything that Bianchi or Safariland (then two leading makers of shoulder holsters for law enforcement) had come up with.

I sold that holster on ebay some years ago, me no longer having a need for a heavy duty leather shoulder holster to carry a large frame .357 revolver with a 4" barrel. It brought several hundred dollars more than I paid for it originally and was in fine shape still after all these years.

I give this Galco holster five stars. Excellent construction, fit, materials and it's comfortable as all get out. It's a big plus that I got it new for about half off on ebay from someone who bought it and for whatever reason, didn't want to keep it.