Buck Knives X-Tract

The second knife I ever had as a kid growing up was a Sabre scout knife... or camping knife as we called it back them. That was a time when a child having a knife didn't result in a school lock-down and SWAT showing up. There are updated versions of that ol' scout knife available today... and there are some variations that have evolved since then.

Last year for my daughter's graduation, I had given her several items to mark the occasion, including a couple of knives. The one knife was for every-day-carry in a collegiate environment where knives are weapons and weapons are not allowed or limited to knives with a blade less than three-inches in length. The one knife I gave her was a blue Buck Knives X-Tract... as blue is her favorite color.

The Buck X-Tract is an inexpensive knife-slash-multi-tool that functions fairly well as a locking, thumb-opening knife and has some decent quality tools built in too. For Christmas, I received a twenty-five dollar gift card to Bass Pro Shops... and since I didn't need anything in particular... and they had red Buck X-Tracts on sale for about that amount, I picked one up for myself. Red may not be as tacti-cool as black, but it sure is easy to see when you drop it in the gravel or dirt out by the barn or in the woods.

While most Buck Knives are made right here in the good ol' United States of America... this one is made in China to Buck's specifications. It appears to be well built, as does the one my daughter has, and the knife blade has kept it's edge so far with regular use over the last couple of months. The thumb stud lets it flip open easily without any play in the pivot and locks in place tightly.

The pliers slide out and lock in place. The spring loaded pliers makes using them really easy and the wire cutters are very effective in my experience so far. There is a quality, slotted screw-driver blade and also a Phillips head that slides out the opposite direction. The bottle/can opener also locks in place and has been handy to open a can of tuna or soup at work. There's a place to attach a lanyard too.

This knife/multi-tool is a bit thick to be carried in the average pocket and it doesn't have a clip... so Buck includes a black, molded nylon sheath that has a snap closure and has loops for both a belt and MOLLE attachment. I know clip-knives are all the rage these days, but this ol' country boy carried a Buck 110 Folding Hunter for a couple of decades in a leather belt sheath, so I still appreciate a well-made belt sheath.

Now I must admit my bias... I've owned and used Buck knives for over thirty-five years now and they've always been a quality product, but more importantly, they're made by quality folks. The Buck family are Christians who operate their business with integrity and beliefs that ultimately led them to leave California for greener grass in Idaho. Every knife comes with a statement of their beliefs and has the Gospel of Christ for anyone who needs Him. As a Christian, that is something I can support and they admit they are not beyond mistakes, but they will make it right for you if they do mess up.

So if you're looking for a knife with some tools or an updated replacement for that old scout or camper knife...and you don't need a cork screw... for about thirty-five bucks or less on sale... you can pick up a... Buck Knives X-Tract

Training, Practice, and Conditioning for those of us who don't operate...

"Bro, do you even operate?" says the bumper sticker of a local tactical wanna-be type... on the back of his jacked-up, never-seen-mud, black tactical Jeep Wrangler Rubicon with all the subtlety of an M1 Abrams tank in a McDonald's drive-thru during lunch hour. Fortunately, he carries his cocked and locked .45 almost out of sight in a Serpa holster tucked under his black 5.11 shoot-me-first vest.

Now I probably shouldn't pick on folks and their lifestyle choices too much, because most would not likely make the choices the gals and I make, but when it comes to guns, prepping, and self-defense... I'm guessing there are a lot more of us average, non-operator types out there. I worked in law-enforcement for a few years a couple of decades back, but the gals and I have day jobs as educators that have nothing to law-enforcement, SWAT teams, security contractors, or operating in any way, shape, or form.

The gals and I are not going to be buggin' out with hundred-pound ALICE packs on forty-mile hikes anytime soon, but that doesn't mean that we want to give up our God-given rights, liberties, or freedoms.  With that in mind, we do like to budget some training, practice, and conditioning into our daily lives to help with self-defense and family protection needs.

I don't have four hours a day to lift, run, dry-fire, shoot, prep, hike, prepare food, read, study, train, and pay for it all.  Rather than just give up without even trying, I do try to spend some time every day and throughout the year, budgeting time and funds to train, practice, and condition to keep my EDC skills, abilities, and mindset on a slow and steady, but continuous pace of improvement.

Training is important and to me, that involves learning from others.  You need instruction from others with better or different knowledge to help you improve or modify your knowledge and skills. We try to combine efforts when possible like last year when the gals and I spent a three-day weekend together at TDI's Handgun Levels I, II, and III course as a family activity and mini-vacation. We do try to get to training at least two or three times each year... definitely at least one firearms training course... sometimes more, but sometimes it involves medical training or prepping-related training.

Sometimes my training is active and other times it is passive. I spend thirty minutes a day, three times each week, working out on a Schwinn Airdyne and often use that time to watch training DVDs or other shows and DVDs that increase my knowledge and improve my mindset. You can accomplish two things at once to save time and be more efficient in our busy lives. I then try to review and incorporate what I learn in my practice routines. I've watched some of our training DVDs several times each over the years, but don't think a DVD can completely replace the training and feedback of a live instructor... balance is the key.

Practice involves applying your training and becoming proficient with what you've learned. It doesn't necessarily take hours. Every day when I take my EDC gun, knife, and flashlight off at the end of the day... I practice for at least a few minutes. I empty and clear my gun... cycling the action and checking it three times to make sure it is empty.  I practice drawing and dry-firing five to ten times from concealment with a practice reload on the last draw and dry-fire using empty magazines.  On Sundays, I do everything with my off-hand. When I'm done, I reload my gun with ammunition, top off the magazine (you do top off your magazine, don't you?), and get it ready for use.

Fortunately, we have our own shootin' range out back and so at least a couple of times each week I can walk out and put a few rounds through my guns. I don't necessarily shoot a lot, maybe a magazine worth, maybe two or three magazines with two to six rounds in each to practice shooting and reloading with both my strong-side and weak-side. Maybe an occasional transition from my handgun to carbine and vice-versa since we keep both our 9mm's and AR's handy for home-defense work.  I also usually practice drawing and opening my EDC knife a few times with one hand and then the other hand each day.

Conditioning involves getting your body and mind in shape for practice and training. I'm not in great condition when compared to athletes and real operators. I've managed some significant weight-loss in recent years and hope to lose more, but for now my conditioning consists of taking this half-century old body to the gym for weight-lifting three days each week and spending thirty minutes on the Schwinn Airdyne three days each week. I realize that's not at Navy SEAL levels, but it's what I have time to work into my life with all my other commitments and I'm able to maintain it.

Integrating conditioning into other everyday life activities is important too. I exercise my hands and grip during my hour-long commute to work. I try not to park in the closest space to the door and be random in my parking and routines. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator is standard for me these days while walking for short trips rather than taking the car or truck is now the norm for me. I also practice several basic, physical self-defense moves three times each week to make sure they are ready when needed.

Preparing and conditioning for the proper mindset is also important. To condition my mind... I enjoy reading, studying, and visualizing. I can visualize every step and part involved with taking apart every single firearm we own in detail. I visualize threats and self-defense scenarios I've read about, seen on TV or Youtube (yeah, admit it... you watch the videos and dashcam vids on youtube too), and encounter in my every day life.

I try to think through each scenario to evaluate my awareness, preparedness, opportunities, capabilities, potential actions, and possible outcomes. I also try to reduce my daily stress and achieve some inner peace by conditioning my mind with some daily Bible reading and devotions. Maybe mediation or some other mind-relaxing technique works for you, but don't underestimate the harm and fatigue mental stress can cause you. Conditioning your mind is as important as conditioning your body.

So when it comes to training, practice, and conditioning... what are you willing or able to do? Are you overestimating your capabilities... most of us do. There is a reason our Bug Out Bags are kept at thirty-five pounds or less... because as Dirty Harry said, "A good man knows his limitations." I think it's also important to include your family and partners in your training, practice, and conditioning... at least as much as you can or as much as they are willing and able. Let's face it, the fastest reload you'll ever see breaking into my house is my redhead reload... that's when my gal continues steady fire into your center-mass while I reload.

I think the key is to do something... and I recommend starting and increasing incrementally. Chances are if you start next week trying to spend three hours each day when you're doing nothing now... you will fail. You will likely be better off committing fifteen minutes a day and gradually increasing your time... staying consistent and dedicated to an attainable goal, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't push yourself occasionally.

So, with all that being said... WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND SUGGESTIONS about... Training, Practice, and Conditioning for those of us who don't operate...

Hothands Hand Warmers by HeatMax

We've had one of the colder winters this year that I can remember in recent years. After about two hours on the outdoor shooting range this past Saturday with some good folks taking my NRA Basic Pistol/Ohio CCW course with a high temperature in the twenties... everyone was ready to thaw out back in the classroom.

Gloves for those who don't have the right kind for shooting or aren't used to shooting with gloves on... can be a hassle... or even a safety hazard... so many just shot without gloves. To help my students out with the cold hands on cold steel and polymer guns, I provided some Hothands Hand Warmers.

You can pick these products up in various shapes and sizes for hands and feet, but the gals and I usually keep a pretty good stock of the Hand Warmer variant. You just tear open the foil packet exposing the inner packet to air... shake it around a bit to expose the packet's ingredients to the the oxygen in the air... and it heats up and keeps generating heat for up to ten hours.

We've used them for years and while I've had them keep generating heat for several hours... I timed it one time in the hunting blind waiting on a big buck that never came by and it ran out of heat after about six and a half hours. They do generate heat, so if you drop a pair in your boots, do it on the outside of your socks or you'll find your feet getting too hot... almost burning hot.

I've used battery-powered warmers in boots and gloves over the years, but the ease of use, low cost, and safe-to-use nature of these warmers make them convenient and reliable. If you need to keep your extremities warmed on a bitter-cold day or if you gal just needs to keep her hands warm... you might consider keeping some of these handy... Hothands Hand Warmers by HeatMax

Ruger LC9 with Crimson Trace Laserguard

Shooters in the world of concealed carry are much like Goldilocks... looking for that perfect handgun that isn't too hot or too cold... too big or too small. It's a hard combination to find... and the right solution for you doesn't necessarily fit everyone else.

The gals and I have had some significant time and over a thousand rounds now with our Ruger LC9 pistol with Crimson Trace Laserguard, so I figured it was about time share our experiences. First, it has been completely reliable with every 9mm ammunition brand and configuration we could run through it.

Unlike our Ruger LCP, this little gun has usable sights. The rear sight did come loose while my buddy Matt, from Jerking the Trigger, and I were putting some rounds through it last year... but a little Loctite on the set-screw and the problem was solved. The dove-tailed sights allow for easy replacement with aftermarket sights.

I'm a fan of shooting dots... and it's pretty easy with the Ruger LC9. The three shots you see were one-shot per dot at twenty-five feet, off-hand... so this gun is more than accurate enough for a typical, everyday carry self-defense gun.  It will work as your primary carry gun or your Back-Up Gun (BUG).

The Crimson Trace Laserguard is everything I've come to expect from Crimson Trace. It's ergonomic, intuitive operation make it easy to use and completely reliable in a stressful situation. It mounts seamlessly on the gun and our LC9 came straight from Ruger with the laser.

My daily carry gun is usually one of our Ruger SR9 or SR9c pistols, so it's natural to compare the LC9 to them... size-wise. Like the Ruger SR9 series, the LC9 has a "dehorned" feel to it right out of the box and is significantly slimmer. You can also add the included finger-extension base-plate for the magazine for larger hands... and Ruger also offers an extended 9-round magazine that gives you two more rounds than the standard 7-round magazine and works great for a reload too.

Our Glock 26 has a similar side-profile, but it's a lot "blockier" and is definitely wider and heavier... but it also gives you 10-rounds like the Ruger SR9c.

My gal loves the size, slenderness, and feel of the Ruger LC9. For me, it's a bit small for my larger hands which makes the finger-extension base-plate on the magazine a terrific accessory. Recoil is very manageable for both her and I compared with our Ruger LCP pistols, which can be a bit "snappy".

While a terrific and reliable little gun, the LC9 does have an Achilles heal.  The trigger pull weight is about right for a concealed carry gun, but WOW... it is a long, long trigger pull to get to the clean break and distinct reset. It feels like a longer trigger-pull than some double-action revolvers we have. There are some companies out there, like Galloway Precision, already offering fixes, but I haven't tried one yet.

This is a great little gun, reliably eatin' any ammo we could feed it. Accurate and controllable, all works well except the long, long trigger-pull. Well wait a minute, you shot very accurately with it at twenty-five feet... yes, but it still throws me off once in a while when running against the clock. For everyday carry though, or a BUG, this works better size-wise for me than the Ruger LCP, is a real 9mm, and has usable sights... plus a Crimson Trace Laserguard.

We have a Smith and Wesson Shield on order, so it will be interesting to compare the two guns down the road... and the new Glock 42... well, if I'm carrying a .380ACP... the Ruger LCP is the choice for me.  For now, our Goldilocks gun is a little small for me, but just right for my gal... who really likes the... Ruger LC9 with Crimson Trace Laserguard...

My gals hate pink...

When I first met my wife back in the 80s... the days of shoulder pads... and not just for football players... stirrup pants, leg warmers, and big hair... like Barbara Mandrell... my gal was country when country wasn't cool. She's always worn a little make-up, but not much... and she's always had a natural beauty to her and a mind of her own... so she never really worried much about styles and trends.

She's as comfortable in jeans and camo as she is dressing up for a nice dinner out and about. She does enjoy the outdoors, shooting, and riding motorcycles, but still likes to kick back, throw on a movie... and paint her nails. A fiery redhead with sass, one thing I learned early on... pink is not this gal's color... it's purple.

Then came my lil' gal who's now off to college... and like her momma... she's her own woman too... in blue. Truthfully, I think either one would hate their favorite color if it was the norm... just because they don't like to be pegged in societal norms.  They both like to go their own way... intelligent, beautiful, independent gals with their own minds and their own ideas.

Anytime we're in a gun store or at one of the local dealers and one of the gun gurus on the other side of the counter is pushing a pink gun on some gal... or worse, some guy buying it for his gal... my wife is always about half ready to slap someone upside the head. Gals, I guess it's OK if you like pink, but my gals will have none of it.

Yeah guys, I know... a blue gun or a purple knife really doesn't blend in well while huntin'... but my gals remind me that animals are color-blind and that ninety-nine percent of the time we're not trying to evade the zombie apocalypse... but, honey... someday we might need to evade zombies and that purple... SMACK! She tells me that we'll camo it with Krylon when we have to... that's my gal!

Truthfully... black, camo, and molle gear doesn't really blend in with most environments that the majority of us encounter every day anyway. So... gun companies and others... a bright blue AR or a purple Ka-Bar TDI knife... not lavender or violet... but a real purple one (my wife's wish list)... would go well 'round here.

What can I say... My gals hate pink...

Touching-up minor blemishes on firearms...

Over the years, I've often repeated the simple wisdom that, "Scars are just visible memories." I've managed to collect my fair share of scars over the years... top of my head from a brick... both knees from surgeries for old ACL injuries and meniscus tears... left elbow from the horn of an angry black angus... right hand from a steel band on a pallet... below my right eye from a hockey puck... abdominal scars from hernia repairs... right foot from dropping some farm equipment on it with tractor... and many more.

It seems our firearms collect a lot of scars and blemishes over time through use and age too. Some folks prefer the look of a beaten-up, well-worn gun while others keep their mechanical friends as pristine as the day they left the factory. While I have undertaken several extensive firearm restoration projects over the years... sometimes we just want to touch-up a small blemish, scratch or mark.

There are a lot of great products and home-grown techniques to help keep our guns looking good, so I thought this might be a good conversation starter. Sometimes we get a small scratch or wear-spot on our blued firearm barrels, receivers, and frames and one quick way to touch-up a small area is with the Birchwood-Casey Presto Gun Blue Touch-Up Pen.

This Gun Blue Touch-Up Pen is not a black Sharpie... but a true, penetrating, chemical bluing in a pen. I've had good success with cold-bluing small areas with this product. From my experience, the touched-up area seems to hold it's bluing well... even with repeated cleanings and oiling.

The Birchwood-Casey Super Black Touch-Up Pens come in both glossy and flat black.  They work great for touching up items that are painted like scopes. On a side note, the Birchwood-Casey Super Bright Touch-Up Pens are great for adding a bright color to your front sights if you're tired of using Testors model paint or fingernail polish.

For those of us with good ol' wood stocks and furniture on our guns, sometimes those scratches and dings are memories that were unavoidable through regular use and we just want to give the guy a little bit of respect with a quick touch-up. The gals and I have had good luck with the Guardsman Furniture Markers.

You can choose a color that matches the wood finish, but I've found it best to start with a slightly lighter color and work my way through progressively darker colors until it matches. A little gun stock wax or stock-finishing oil and you're looking like new again.

While there are some very specific products available for those black aluminum and polymer items that need a quick fix... sometimes it's hard to beat the ubiquitous black Sharpie marker. Sharpies have endless uses and you'll almost never find me without one... they're in vehicles, range bags, BOBs, GHBs, the gun room and the kitchen drawers.

So, what are your tips for... Touching-up minor blemishes on firearms...

Getting into concealed carry, quick answers...

As a long-time gun enthusiast and firearms instructor, I have a lot of folks seek me out for advice. Some of the common questions I get about concealed carry include: "What gun should I carry?", "I want to get a gun and my CCW, what should I get or do?", "How much does a good concealed carry gun cost?", "What ammo should I get?", "How much does a CCW license cost?", "Do I need any training?"

As a firearms instructor, I work very hard to keep up on guns, gear, training, learning, trends, laws, products, pending legislation, skills... and so forth... which is why I usually take the approach when asked for advice of, "I educate, you decide."  That may be a good philosophy or approach for many, but learning can be expensive as you work your way through various guns, holsters, ammunition, training, and developing your skills and mindset.

With that in mind, I often still get folks trying to pin me down to tell them exactly what they need and how much it will cost. So here are my thoughts for one-size fits a lot of folks at the beginning of owning a hand gun and wanting to carry concealed that fits a lot of the time.

We should start with why you want to carry a concealed gun and what your current mindset is, but instead we'll start with the question that most folks want answered first... What gun should I get? All things being equal (which they are not), I typically recommend a 9mm semi-auto from a major, reputable manufacturer and you should plan to spend $400 to $600 with tax, etc.

I'm not going to debate caliber here. New shooters are still developing skills and the lower cost of 9mm ammunition for practice, the lower recoil than comparably sized guns in .40S&W and .45ACP, and the higher capacity for a similar sized gun make the 9mm a great choice for a first gun that someone has decided to carry, develop skills, and bet their life on.  Leave the snubby .38s to the gun-counter guru's tryin' to impress gals with bad advice.

Three guns I personally like are the S&W M&P9 Compact, the Glock 19, and the Ruger SR9c.  These three guns are in the price range I mentioned, are smaller than their full-size counter-parts, have good capacity, can use an extended magazine to provide a full-size grip for new shooters... and while smaller, they have enough size, heft, and sight radius (the distance between the front and rear sights) to make for effective grip, recoil control, training, and skill development while still being very concealable for a lot of folks. I also recommend that you have at least three magazines for your gun... while I personally have a minimum of six magazines for any gun the gals or I own.

You should ideally carry the gun holstered on you, so you will need a holster and that can be quite a journey in itself if you ever get a chance to see my multiple holster boxes.  Let's make this simple... get a quality, inside the waistband (IWB) holster to carry on your strong-side hip. Kydex, leather, or a hybrid Kydex-leather holster specific to your gun from a reputable manufacturer will run you about $100 with tax or shipping thrown in. I think outside the waistband (OWB) holsters are harder to conceal and you should have some experience built up before going to appendix carry... ankle hosters are not a good primary carry location... and leave the shoulder holsters for cop-show re-runs from the 70s and 80s.

My personal preference is a hybrid IWB holster with good quality leather against me from manufactures like Comp-Tac, Galco, Cross-Breed, or Blade-Tech. The Kydex half of the holster will keep it's shape, allow you to adjust tension/retention, and hold it's opening for re-holstering. They usually have two good clips, like my Comp-Tac MTAC, instead of one to hold the holster in place on your belt/waist when drawing or re-holstering your gun.  You can probably throw in $25 to $50 for an spare magazine carrier and another $50 to $75 for a quality belt or belt designed specifically for concealed carry.

When it comes to ammunition, stick with major-brand bulk boxes of 9mm, 115 grain FMJ for practice and then select a major-brand defensive round like Winchester PDX, Federal Hydra-Shok, Speer Gold-Dot, Hornady Critical Defense, or other similar cartridge. Again, I'm not going to debate specifics right now because this advice is for folks who don't want an education, just an answer. How much will it cost... see my thoughts on Handgun Break-In for Self-Defense, which is as much about breaking in the gun as it is about breaking in the shooter.

OK, so now you've got your gun, holster, and ammo... lets go over what you should have taken care of first... mindset, legalities, and training. Do you have the proper mindset? Are you ready to take on the responsibility and cost... both emotional and financial, of carrying a firearm for your defense. Are you ready to take the life of another in the process of stopping their immediate aggression or threat or serious harm or death against your life? Your family's lives? Your friends' lives? Strangers lives?  Where do you draw the line? Family but not friends? Friends but not strangers?

What about the law, legalities, and liability of carrying a concealed gun in your state or area? Do you need a CCW license in your state? Do you know how much it costs? Do you know where you can and where you can't carry? Do you know the law? Is training required? Are familiar with the legalities of self-defense and the use of deadly force? Can accept the liability for your actions with a concealed gun for self-defense? My personal answer to all of these is yes... but what about you? 

Finally, let's end with the beginning... training. As a firearms instructor for many years and a professional educator... I believe that learning and training is essential to every endeavor in life... especially for the safe use and carrying of a concealed handgun. Before you even by the gun, the holster, the ammo... start with training! Seek out quality instruction in your area. If you are just beginning, an NRA Basic Pistol Course is a terrific place to start. 

If you know the basics, then get quality training from a local, regional, or national trainer or program with a solid reputation of training folks AT YOUR LEVEL! Tactical-operator-door-kicker training is probably not the place to get your first training under your belt as a new gun owner or concealed carry licensee. 

Good training isn't cheap so plan to spend $100 to $200 (including ammo) for an NRA Basic Course or $300 to $700 between the ammo and cost of the instruction for a higher skill-level course that addresses techniques, tactics, and mindset. Look around, there's probably good instruction locally or regionally you can take advantage of to begin your journey.

So, you can do this on the cheap... or you can do it right... but you better budget $1,000 to $1,500 for your first year as a new gun-owner and CCW licensee. If you have any thoughts, feel free to add your two-cents worth... about... Getting into concealed carry, quick answers......