I want a car safe. I can carry to and from work, but not at work. Additionally, when I’m running errands, sometimes I stop by places I can’t bring my Bodyguard in with me. I have a locking glovebox, but I don’t think that’s enough.
There are different kinds of car safes out there… at a gun show once, I saw a metal mesh bag gun safe. I haven’t been able to find one of those again. There are also key locked gun safes and combo locked gun safes. I’m not sure how easy either of those would be for me to open quickly in the dark. I wish they made car gun safes with the same sort of open-sesame technology that is utilized on lockers for students with disabilities.
MasterLock's 1500iD
Abus 150/40 C
Masterlock makes a lock that has four buttons: up, down, left and right. The combo can be entered purely by touch. Abus makes a lock whose combination is entered by aligning mini-switches to positions numbered 1-4. It seems these locks would be easier to open in the dark in my car than a key lock or a combination lock would.
I’ve also seen fingerprint locking safes. Those just creep me out. For those of you who have a car gun safe, do you use the fingerprint, lock or combination type? Do you have any tips, tricks, advice, recommendations for me?
When I took my CCW class, I was in a tough spot in life. My not-so-nice ex-husband and I had recently separated and he had made some threats against me. Additionally, he left me with a lot of debt. I had a need for self-defense and no money to make that happen. I couldn’t even pay rent on my own. But GB helped me out by letting me borrow his Bersa Thunder .380 as a carry gun for me and Armed and Safe allowed me to take their CCW class for free through a scholarship for a female shooters made by an American soldier.
I knew Armed and Safe would help me with an addon just like they helped me to get my original permit, so after I left Safe Shot on Saturday disappointed that I couldn’t qualify there, I called Armed and Safe. Allan Main answered my call on his cell phone. He was out at the range setting up for a CCW class to qualify. He told me if I got my happy butt to the range before 1:45 p.m. that day, he’d qualify me right there. No range fee, no target fee, no fancy ammo. Just $5. Nice.
Before exiting the car, I applied my eyes and ears, grabbed my gear and then bee-lined for the firing line. I checked in with an assistant of Kelly. I didn’t catch his name, and that’s a shame, because he was awesome. He bellied me up to the firing line, eyeballed my gun and told me a few things about it and revolvers in general. He revealed to me that he himself conceal carries a revolver. Good times.
Allan and Kelly both came over and checked out my new toy. I showed Kelly the laser (which I didn’t use to qualify; it’s not visible in daylight) and Allan showed me his sights on his revolver. The gentleman who was supervising me showed me his too: his front sight was painted with bright red nail polish. Nice!
On my revolver, the sights are black on black and set very close together both horizontally and vertically. This coupled with what I read online that my gun tended to shoot high and off to the side due to the insane trigger-pull on it inspiring people to drag wood or jerk the trigger meant I needed to be careful. So when the line was hot, I paid close attention to my trigger discipline. My first five shots were all high of my target, but they were grouped nicely, so I just had to work on my sight alignment and sight picture a little bit more. This was my first time shooting this gun, so I had to get used to it and I did. My next shots were right on.
Kelly surveyed my work and proclaimed me “qualified.” She filled out the paperwork and I signed it. Then, I gave her the quoted $5, plus a $5 tip for all of the help she and her two coworkers had provided. As we wrapped things up at the range, the rest of the class participants headed back to Scheels where their class was taking place and I went back home.
My 24-7 Series Lightweight Tactical Pants should make ________ easy and comfortable.
(performance)
Concealed carry: Concealed carry is super-awesome in these pants!!! In
24-7 Series Lightweight Tactical Pants in black. Photo credit: TacticalPants.com
fact, that might not be enough exclammation points. Here’s some more: !!! The reasons why concealed carry works so well with these pants is that the 24-7 Series Lightweight Tactical Pants from TacticalPants.com are made to accomodate such a large and stiff belt as the belt I carry with and these pants fit well around the waist. Because these pants have an elastic waistband, the pants accomodate the gun without taking any space away from my belly as happens with other pants this stiff which don’t have the elastic panel. Concealed carry in these pants might not be 100% concealed however. No they don’t flash, print, or show off my gun in any way, but other people familiar with the look of tactical pants might presume I am carrying. For example, I saw a guy in similar pants at the Bank of America ATM near my work and I scoped him up and down looking for his gun. If I’m doing it, other people probably are too.
Open carry: Open carry is easy in these pants because of the large belt loops. The gun sits at a good place on my hip due to the great waistband and appropriate length of rise on these pants. The authoritative nature of these pants helps many people to feel more comfortable with me open carrying. They presume I work somewhere which requires a gun. Those of us know know that pants don’t automatically make someone a security guard, cop, military woman, etc. look at me cockeyed for open carrying in such an intense outfit.
Walking, jogging, running: Walking, jogging and running in these pants is doable as long as you keep in mind that they require a little bit more force to get them moving because they are so darn stiff. I expect some of the stiffness of this fabric to relax over time, but they are not stretchy in any way. They do not give like a good pair of jeans does. Additionally, when doing anything involving the movement of your legs, keep in mind, especially if your thighs fight for space like mine do, everyone will be able to hear you coming. These pants swoosh when you walk. I was able to get away with wearing these pants in a quiet office all day and no one said a word, but I felt self-conscious as my wooshing filled my ears. On trips out shopping, I found that the pants noise wasn’t audible over the noise of the other shoppers however.
Jumping, climbing: Jumping in these pants was easy, as was climbing. The stretch in the waist band came in handy while climbing over fences, etc. I was able to get my thigh above my hips easily. One tiny oops was that these pants gap a little bit in the waistband above my rear when I have one leg up high on a climbing wall. The harness I wear when I rock climb at the gym kept the gap from getting very large and replicating the movement at home in front of a mirror revelaed the gap isn’t severe enough to flash crack at anyone and wearing a belt solves the problem.
Crawling, squatting down, bending over: Crawling, squatting down and bending over all went very smoothly. Crawling was much like climbing, only horizontal instead of vertical so the same ease of movement was there as was that same gap in the back of the pants. The gap was also visible when bending at the knees, back straight as if I were going to lift something heavy off of the floor. Wearing a belt solves this problem. As I presume most of you will be carrying, the gap won’t bother you since you’ll have your belt on.
Sitting, standing: Standing still in these pants was comfortable to me, however sitting was not. The heavy-duty seams which I praised for their durability have a negative side-effect: when I sit down and my thighs spread horizontally as they tend to do, the seams dig into my legs. It wasn’t a painful feeling, but it did feel quite unpleasant. The feeling became less severe as the day of wearing them wore on; I don’t know if I became used to the sensation or if the pants loosened throughout the day. Fashion and function both on these pants are stellar and I’m not sure that a little bit of pain outweighs the gain, but I still felt uncomfortable enough while seated to be sure to include that bit of information here.
Summary: The pants are very well made. I couldn’t find an activity to do in them that wearing these pants instead of jeans or slacks made the activity harder to do or uncomfortable. They are made of a stiff fabric, but the elastic in the waistband helps to overcome that. These pants HELP me to not leave my gun at home rather than encourage me to leave it behind as some of the other pants in my wardrobe do.
After a long trial period, I am ready to release my review of the asthetics side of the tactical pants I received from Tactical Pants.com. I still have a couple of crazy things I want to try out in these pants to complete the performance side (like rock climbing), but I am nearly ready to release that portion of the review as well. Here goes the “looks”…
Look good: Overall, I think this pair of pants flattered me very well. The highlights of these pants include a low-rise waist that isn’t up under my armpits, but doesn’t flash my panties when I bend and move; thigh
These pants provide a good fit all over. From a hemmed-for-me length to a stretchable, waistband with a good rise.
pockets I can fill up without worrying about adding inches to my hips and thighs because the pockets are so deep, any pocket-junk created lumps are far away from this area on my body; and a cut through the rear that gives me a well-rounded and full caboose. The waistband on this pant included two small areas of elastic built into an overlapping waist band, this gave the pants an ease of movement in bending although the fabric of the pant is super-stiff. That ease of movement did not come as a killer of fashion because the elastic was concealed from view by design of the waistband. Reinforced seams did not show any signs of wear after extensive washing and wearing. This is important to me because my thighs rub together and thigh seams not well constructed will be frictioned right out of existense. I was glad to see these pants hold up to the family thunder thighs. Another reason I feel this pants look good is that they shipped unhemmed. As a short person, all pants are too long and most of the time I just make do with that by bunching them up around my shoes, walking the bottoms off, etc. And that just doesn’t look good. These hemmed pants, custom fit for my little legs, look good.
Feel good: I felt okay in these pants. Although they had a good rise to them, flattering pockets and a nice fit through the rear, one area of fit on these pants made me feel a bit self-conscious in these pants: the crotch area. If I pulled the waistband on the pants up as high as the rise allowed, I had a funny camel toe and my belly felt like my pants were sitting funny across it. However, if I put the waistband where it felt like it should sit on my belly, then the rise wasn’t fully stretched out, leaving a bunched up bit of fabric sitting in front of my nether-regions, pointing to the world like a tiny pecker. In these pants, I chose to leave the waistband sitting where it should be and dealt with the tiny pecker by hiding it from view with a longer top. Those purchasing these pants for workplace situations which may require tucked in tops might not be able to employ this solution if they find they’re bodies fit these pants like mine does.
Blend in anywhere: I wore these pants to tons of different places while on my Bridezilla rampage. I explored several thrift stores looking for gray-stripped Navy suit pants to match a suit top wearing these pants.
Pair a feminine top with the tactical pants to soften their appearance. This look dissipates the scream of "shoot me first, I'm armed" that tactical pants make.
I also went to Walmart, Costco and many other shops in them. Additionally, I wore them to work one day. No one mentioned or stared questionably at my pants. Even though in my quiet office environment, these pants swished, no one mentioned the swishing or the odd assortment of pockets I was sporting by wearing tactical pants to work instead of slacks. I found these pants blended in anywhere I wore them and I was super-surprised by this. To get away with wearing them to work like I did, the key is pairing them with the right top and shoes. Go with a form-flattering, feminine shirt. Pairing it with a looser top or a polo will give you a more adrogenous look than might complement your figure and face well. I chose to go with a purple lace top with a v-neckline and flutter sleeves. I paired the outfit with a pair of Danskos. These shoes could handle the tough lines of a tactical pant but they were dressy and feminine enough to soften the pant as well.
SHOT Show is awesome. Unfortunately it is closed to many of the people interested in the things presented at the show. If you are unable to get credentials to get in, or if you’re like me and can get in but are just too poor to go, then you should check out the information in this press release I found in my email box courtesy of Allen Forkner over at Swanson Russell. I’ve underlined the juicy parts.
Coming Soon: SHOT SHOW Open to All Exclusively on GunBroker.com
Closed to consumers for more than 30 years, the Shooting and Hunting Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in 2011 will for the first time reveal many of its new and traditional products to the public immediately on GunBroker.com®, the world’s largest online auction of firearms and related accessories.
Through special arrangement with SHOT Show organizers and select exhibitors, the nation’s hunters and shooters will be able to get an exclusive look at new firearms, ammunition and other exciting innovations on GunBroker.com (www.GunBroker.com) at the same time they are announced to the trade. Starting on the show’s opening date of January 18, visitors to GunBroker.com will be able to learn about these products months before others may have a chance to see them.
“GunBroker.com has enjoyed a productive business relationship with the SHOT Show and with the National Shooting Sports Foundation for years, and we are extremely excited about this major expansion of our partnership,” commented Steve Urvan, GunBroker.com founder and CEO. “Also, we appreciate the tremendous support of our 1.6 million GunBroker.com users and three million monthly unique visitors in making our growth and success possible. We are pleased that we can bring this special service to our loyal supporters and new users in 2011.”
GunBroker.com’s special “2011 SHOT Show Product Center” will be open online from January 18 to March 1. Sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the SHOT Show has long been the largest display of firearms and other hunting and shooting equipment in the world. Because the SHOT Show is a professional trade show closed to the public, the actual exhibits can be viewed only by professional retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers and members of the media. The 2011 SHOT Show will be held in Las Vegas.
GunBroker.com is an informative, detailed, secure and safe way to buy and sell firearms and hunting/shooting accessories. GunBroker.com promotes responsible gun ownership. Aside from merchandise bearing its logo, GunBroker.com sells none of the items listed on its website. Third-party sellers list items on the site and Federal and state laws govern the sale of firearms and other restricted items. Ownership policies and regulations are followed using licensed firearms dealers as transfer agents. For more information, visitwww.Gunbroker.com.
I have always been cautious about the location of my purse. I learned that lesson early on. I left my first purse in a bathroom stall at a restaurant as a small child and it had $40 in birthday money cleverly tucked inside a flap on my glasses case inside of it. I didn’t have a wallet, phone or anything else awesome in there; just kid stuff. But I’ll never forget leaving behind my purse and my $40. Ever since then, I’ve taken carrying a purse seriously. Knowing I’m a forgetful person and that I’ll set it down and leave it if I’m not careful, I’ve since selected purses that are harder to lose. Backpack purses, purses with straps long enough to be worn like messenger bags are worn; I’ve even skipped a purse and have carried a wallet instead as it stays in my pants where it belongs when I am shopping and can’t be set down to pick up something sparkly at a store. The concern I’ve had about my purse, weather guarding it from thieves or from my forgetful self has escalated recently though.
Ever since I trained for, applied for and received my concealed carry weapons permit, I’ve been even more mindful of my purse. This is because my concealed carry weapons permit is inside of it. If I lose my purse or if it is stolen from me, not only am I out money, as I was out $40 as a child, I am also out of my permit. A replacement concealed carry permit isn’t very much money, but the gun-naked downtime of not being able to carry a firearm concealed on my person as I await the arrival of my new permit is just too much to bear.
Additionally, my mind has been processing panic situations. What if my purse is stolen from me or lost and I am concealed carrying at the time? Do I take off my gun, knowing that concealed carry without my permit no es muy bueno? Or do I continue to conceal carry until I can get home and change? Being in Nevada, open carry is legal, but what if the outfit or holster I am wearing that day doesn’t work with open carry? Or what if I am in a situation where I don’t feel comfortable open carrying? How would I switch from concealed to open carry without causing those around me to be uncomfortable? Even changing in my car could get me “(wo)man with a gunned.”
GB and I talked about it and he suggested that I conceal carry straight home and if a cop pulls me over, I can explain to him my stolen purse as the reason why I not only don’t have my driver’s license but also my concealed carry license. That sounds a little scary to me. I decided I can switch from concealed carry to open carry in a nearby restroom or dressing room without causing a ruckus. From there, I can continue my outing or head on home depending on the open carry friendliness levels of my prospective destinations.
Concealed carrying causes lots of thoughts to run through my head… my outfits, my destinations, the people around me and now my purse. Carrying a gun has changed nearly every aspect of my life.
I just noticed that TacticalPants.com is offering FREE SHIPPING to the Continental U.S. I love it when I get free shipping while shopping. Also, check out their shop by price feature, if you’re like me (aka broke), the under $30 filter is the way to go!
So, as you all know, TacticalPants.com sent me a pair of their tactical pants to try out and review. I wore these pants everywhere… work, church, school, holiday shopping (it’s a jungle out there), wedding shopping (tactical pants make Bridezilla even more formidable, the range, while concealed carrying, while open carrying, around the house and more. I wanted to make sure these pants could do anything and go anywhere and that they wouldn’t wear harshly or fade when washed a lot. The try out is done and I’m formulating my thoughts.
I’ve been thinking of ways to evaluate tactical pants. I’m new to writing reviews and so whenever I review a product I haven’t done one of its type before, I have to come up with a new template to review the product completely and keep me on track. How does one evaluate tactical pants? Well, that depends on how does one expect to use the tactical pants? Where do we want to wear them? What do we want to do in them? I came up with this list:
You finished in the top 25 GunUp.com Expert Point Earners through December 15th, 2010 during our “Win Free Ammo for a Year” Contest. Thank you so much for your participation and support of GunUp as we finish up just our second month since our launch on October 15th. As a top 25 point earner, you win a GunUp belt buckle and T-shirt! Please let us know a good mailing address (we will not keep this on record) and t-shirt size (we have adult sizes XS – 2XL, the t-shirts are unisex). We will ship these out starting next week once we get a good mailing address and you should get them after the holidays.
And if you haven’t had a chance, check out our new “My GunLocker” feature that allows our users to favorite guns they like. The total worth of the guns you favorite will be calculated using our real time gun pricing tool, GUestimate, to give our users a sense of what their collection is worth. We are also excited to announce the launch of our GunUp Pro Staff through our sponsorship of Steel Challenge shooter, Mike Gallion (bio). Besides promoting GunUp at competitive Shooting events, our Pro Staff will be contributing to the GunUp.com Question and Answer section on our website which will launch on December 20th. Thanks for making GunUp a success and as always feel free to send us any feedback or questions you might have.
GunUp!
Dan Hall
The good news is that I won something! The bad news is that I already have a couple of GunUp T-shirts. Do any of ya’ll want my GunUp T-shirt? First one to email me gets it!! My email address is: gg.girlsloveguns (at) gmail (dot) com. Replace the (words) with their corresponding symbols, of course.
Yesterday GB got to chatting with one of his clients who told an interesting story. His father opened one of the first movie theaters in the state that they lived in at the time. The favorite movies to show: old westerns. But many of the theater patrons didn’t understand how movie projectors worked. One day, while helping his dad out at the theater, he was asked the most awesome question: “Who reloads all of those guns they shoot on the screen?”
As for me, I have to reload my guns when I shoot them. No one reloads for me. I even made a movie out of it.
The high-tech way is to buy a magazine loader. Maybe Santa will bring me one for Christmas!
Also, check out
I even made a movie out of it.
