See that itty bitty target next to the hat? I shot a .22 rifle yesterday. A big box of rimfire and a rifle and I think I'd be happy all day long. (I love bolt action. There is just something so neat about working that thing back and forth and making the cartridge pop out. Is that weird?) It was only about 10 yards away so I could hardly miss - but, hey, at least it's a start.
So now I need a rifle. I should probably get another job or win the lottery or start selling plasma - this shooty stuff is getting expensive!
I really like summer but I do have my limits. The hotter it gets, the more I start to consider open carry. Seriously. I am dangerously close to the point where I whine, "It is 95 degrees outside, I don't have A/C, I can't layer clothing, I just caaaaan't..." I get swoony and a little bit cranky when I'm hot. My ancestors were of the pale blue variety, accustomed to soft mists and cool gray skies - at the merest hint of sunlight we freckle in places you can only imagine (like inside the ears, duh. What were you thinking?), melt into wretched, sweaty sunburned puddles, and while our hair sometimes turns white early in life, it does absolutely nothing to help reflect heat.So I wore a long tank top and cargo pants to the grocery store. I had my Bersa Thunder .380 holstered at the small of my back, covered by the shirt. I was printing like crazy and learned that a push-up bra comes in handy. Cleavage can be a great distraction from the other lumps in your shirt. Plus, since I have my second amendment rights and a permit, I'm starting to not really care what anyone thinks. (although if someone ever asks, I think I might tell them it's a colostomy bag. Chances are pretty good that they'll leave me alone after that.)
29 comments:
"I love bolt action. There is just something so neat about working that thing back and forth and making the cartridge pop out. Is that weird?"
Had I died when I read that, I'd have died a happy man, a man with a dirty mind.
hahaha!!! =D
(dirty mind indeed, Michael)
You need a better concealed holster! :)
You should be able to find a used marlin .22 for a hundred...
bulk federals were only 12.75 /550 last time I bought them.
On the print through, grab a light long sleeved shirt (too hot to wear it...) and tie the sleeves loosely around your waist.
rsdkdm?
???
!!!
It hasn't gotten hot here yet, but I was playing with wearing concealed and distractions like pocket protectors with pens and pencils help cause the disappearance of the weapon underneath the arm. Not having all your gender's problems or challegnes I wish you well on your search for the perfect solution.
"It's an emergency medical device--I probably don't need it, but I've got a condition that might make it necessary"
(pretty much the truth, nevermind that everyone shares that condition...)
Kim Dutoit has a nice roundup of .22 rifles
You've probably heard this before, but small-of-back carry is a really bad idea; if you fall and land on your gun you may never walk again.
.22 is fun and cheap, but I like things that go boom.
Small of your back is fine, ignore the naysayers. I've packed a Beretta 92 that way without incident for years.
You said that your CCW instructor open carrys, you ought to try it. Ladies get away with far more than guys.
Heath
Small of your back is fine, ignore the naysayers.
Yes, it works fine until you fall on your back or butt and that hard, steel object crushes the bones and nerves in your spine.
It's a BAD damn idea, unless you like wheelchairs.
My old Marlin .22 Bolt Action is my favorite rifle to shoot.
Seeing the patch on your hat along w/ every else telling me where they're putting them made the whole thing worth-while.
Thank you.
BTW, I'm stealing the photo for my site. :)
nifty job you did there on that target, seems to me!
I'm 42, and shoot my dad's old Winchester bolt action .22. It's my favorite gun, except maybe for the Springfield XD I carry.
Attractive women like yourself probably have a harder time wearing clothes that conceal than do guys like me. While my untucked polo shirts hide not just my gun, but also the fact that I'm in good shape, and getting better all the time (hat tip to Crossfit.com), I'm basically OK with that. You're intelligent and creative; you'll find a solution that works for you if you're also patient.
+1 to what Michael said. I blame the anti gunners for always throwing out the compensation crap.
1) A .22 rifle and a brick of ammo is a great way to waste an afternoon. Nilla Wafers make great biodegradable reactive targets.
2) I have long planned to use the colostomy bag line, but nobody's ever called out my gun...
There are other issues beside the injury potential with SOB carry (though that is a valid one).
1. It becomes harder to defend against a grab/take-away assuming you've been "made". (The second you bend at the waist, you print.)
2. During the draw stroke at contact distance (you should be doing something else besides drawing your gun anyway at that distance ... another discussion) you place yourself in a very vulnerable position for being controlled.
3. There are also issues with the muzzle sweep.
If you pursue SOB carry, you owe it to yourself to practice and train extensively. Here's one holster manufacturer's opinion and here's a discussion.
A Marlin .22 bolt action was my first gun ever. Was passed onto to me from my dad. Shoot all day long for under $10. Gotta love it.
Good Woman,
I'm sure that it is a lot further around to the small of my back than to yours. It is certainly a long way for a middle aged fat redneck to reach. Even if you don't break anything, a nasty bruise results from landing on your holstered weapon. I wear my Taurus 1911 on my hip in a Blackwater SERPA holster It prints somewhat, I'm trading a little concealibility for a lot of accessibility and a positive retention system. I've been made once because of the two magazines hanging off the other hip. It was at my place of business where I can carry open if I desire.
I try to stay away from any "shoot me first" clothing, such as, "tactical" vests, trousers or shirts. I think you can even get "tactical toilet paper. I don't want any bad guys to know I'm carrying until little holes start appearing in their chest.
http://tinyurl.com/658wkd
LawDog
Keep in mind that part of your heat-management problem is that you're missing a limb. Your body is producing the same amount of heat, but you have less mass to keep warm and less skin surface area to bleed heat from. I'm sure in your case being Irish does not help. Fortunately all the men in my family carry salamander DNA and it doesn't bother me as much (except the sweat build-up problem...).
I will second Lawdog's suggestion, with one revision. Given your petiteness, you might consider the youth model .22s. I have an ex-girlfriend who was 4'10" and my Remington 597 and CZ 452 FS were both a bit too much gun for here... The Henry youth model lever action was what I was considering for her if she wanted a gun of her own. If you want a bolt action, there's lots of youth models, but I am partial to CZ's - not only is it very high quality and good value, but it's the only one that can be converted to a repeater. Browning's Buckmark rifle is also an interesting choice for shorter shooters, but it's $$$.
Thirdly, I will echo the other people arguing against SOB carry... I used to carry a S&W knife that way, until one day when I was walking up some stairs with both hands full and my prosthetic knee buckled... I slid all the way back down to the basement and landed squarely on the knife. I felt a blinding flash of pain that ran all the way up to behind my eyeballs and numbness that went all the way down my leg and didn't go away for about ten minutes. Scared the living piss out of me, I don't mind saying.
Cargo pants/shorts.
Pocket carry.
Smith & Wesson model 38 for me, seems there's a 642 you can use, right?
That *is* one advantage to living in a severe anti-gun state like Massa-freakin'-chusetts - no one expects you to be carrying a gun.
I've gone to give change and come up with my spare magazine in my hand, that was awkward...
Have you looked at the smartcarry.com holsters yet? They conceal very well, even with shorts & no shirt. (On a male type person.) Access is quick & easy.
Don T.
Open carry indeed! See this article on the Open Carry movement
The Bersa is small enough that you could probably OC and people wouldn't notice. I suppose it depends on your outfit.
Great interview at Reason TV with Alan Gura, lead attorney for the defendants in the Supreme Court DC v. Heller case, a case whose decision is due any day now.
You can get a Ruger 10/22 for around $200. Not a bolt action, but reliable, easy to care for, cheap to feed, and can be tricked out lots of ways.
I have about eight hundred bucks in my 10/22, so as you see the upwards cost potential is pretty good, and I'm not even trying for the "Most Expensive 10/22 Award". I bet somebody has one with two grand in it. Still, it's hard to beat for punching holes in paper.
I also have a pair of Gamo air rifles, for when I want to stay on my own property and practice. I can hang a trap on a tree and plink all day long.
Nice Target! Cute Patch.
Concealed Carry ideas:
A tight sports bra or underwire will support a lightweight holster and a medium weight pistol for underarm carry in a pinch if you're wearing a tank or sleeveless top.
Cargo cropped pants with roll-up legs, I LOVE mine for carrying. I've carried everything from a Kel-Tec P-32 to a Colt Officer's Model in various pockets and I've NEVER been made.
Shoot, LaP and I walked into a restaurant last week and I had forgotten to remove the empty holster from my belt. Nobody looked askance, or said a word. Most peeps are OBLIVIOUS. WE worry a lot more than is necessary I think.
I'm practically Make-Proof: I'm Silver-haired, over 50, female and bigger than societal norms. Most people do NOT get past my chest if they look at my body at all. There are advantages to gettin' older and bein bigger than a size 12. [not much bigger, but bigger]
I'm a woman (not, however, a petite woman) who open carries (OC) most of the time. It's darned difficult to find good concealment for a woman, particularly with hot weather. OC can be very uncomfortable at first, but when you realize how few people even notice, you'll be amazed.
As you look through concealment, stay away from the Pager Pal - I supposed it might work on a short-waisted man, but I find it abhorrent and the company to be among the rudest I've ever seen.
I bought my daughter a (5.11?) tank top with the built-in holster. It still requires her to wear a cover shirt, though, as she's in TX and has no open carry option. It was a recent gift, so I don't have a report on it yet.
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