Category Archives: Miscellaneous

And here is the “catch all” category for stuff that doesn’t have its own.

Galco Miami Classic Shoulder Rig

by Woodsbum

Over the last few weeks I have been spending some of my free time guarding the US Armed Forces Recruiters. There is a core group of about 3 guys that are there most days, but I do try and stop by and help whenever I can. Considering how many threats they get and how crazy our world has become, these unarmed and completely vulnerable members of the Armed Forces are sitting ducks for psychos with an axe to grind.

The other guys wear belt rigs, but I don’t like the way that belt rigs fit. They are uncomfortable and really pull my britches down more often then not. If something happened, I would be shooting with one hand and holding my pants with the other. The idea of tooling around a parking lot with my thigh rig also did not seem like a good choice. It is awkward enough for people not used to firearms to see people wearing them. Walking past several guys open carrying pistols to go sign your life away to the government just seemed counter intuitive as well. Probably not the best sales presentation for the military. To fit within the constraints of being comfortable, quick availability, easy carry of extra magazines, and allowing concealed carry I knew I had to do some searching.

When I went down to our local sporting goods shop to search for some sort of system my choices were very slim. There were mostly belt carry or universal fit type systems. When I looked at shoulder rigs my choices were even worse. Originally, I wanted something for my M&P Shield 9 mm since it is a small form and easy to conceal. That really wasn’t an option if I wanted something that was not a universal fit. After looking at what was available, I ended up with a Galco Miami Classic Shoulder Rig for my 1911.

The rig looks like this:

Galco Miami Classic

Here is what I have figured out about his rig:

To get it to fit nicely and comfortably you have to keep it really loose. If you get it too tight, the pistol and the mags are too tucked into your armpit and it makes quick access to either very difficult.
The only way to keep the pistol from sagging is to wear a shirt with a collar. The cross piece for the straps will fit off to the pistol side a little bit, but the collar will keep it from getting too one sided. If you don’t have the collar, the mag side rides up your neck and gets uncomfortable.
Practice drawing so that you get things adjusted properly. I have had to redo the adjustments and how my 1911 rides multiple times to get it all set up properly.
The shoulder rig is much easier to draw from more positions than a belt rig. Sitting in a car, wearing certain clothes or coats, etc., can make a shoulder rig the only viable option for concealed carry. At least that is how it works for me. If you can carry a full sized Glock down your pants and still draw it while driving your car then go for it. It WON’T work for me. Maybe other people the size of a small black bear will benefit from my experiences.

The quality of the Galco products is truly amazing. They do a great form and fit to the pistol that keeps it nice and snug. You will not get this same fit with a universal type rig and I am not that partial to Velcro closures. The fit of the leather and snaps make me very happy in comparison to the multiple universal fit holsters I have used in the past.

Just be aware that these rigs are not cheap. You will pay a premium for them. Mine cost me around $165 at a brick and mortar location. They can be found for around $150, but I needed mine quickly so I was not carrying a pistol around in my pocket to protect recruiters.

Again, I have found that this allows me to easily carry while driving that waist carry options did not afford me. Crazy as it sounds, my carry gun of late has been a full sized ParaOrdinance 1911. It is even quite concealed with baggy clothing. I have also taken to wearing it around the house because it just dangles and moves right there with me.

For anyone thinking about a shoulder rig, I really recommend Galco’s line. You would have a hard time finding anything better made or designed at even twice the price.

Fireplace Inserts

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by Woodsbum

I lucked out the other day and ended up getting a fireplace insert for $50. Of course it was used, but the fan worked and the overall structure seemed to be without any visible flaws. Yesterday I stopped by the local wood stove shop and picked up the insulation I needed to install the insert and get it ready for use this winter.

We have regularly used our fireplace, but have found that it doesn’t work as well as we really would have liked. There always seems to be more of a draft and less heat produced than what we need to truly heat the house. My father has fireplace inserts in his home, both upstairs and downstairs, and they heat his entire house quite efficiently. Getting this insert should really help us out, especially on those cold nights where anything but wood heat just seems to leave you chilled to the bone.

Here is a picture of the monster we picked up.

Fireplace Insert

I know that I have some work to do with regard to the surface rust. At this point I have not decided if I want to use Rustoleum type grill paint on it or if I should treat it like a cast iron skillet and just season it. Either way I know that the house is going to get a bit stinky and the wife will have to be elsewhere when I do the work. I also know that I will need to get a fire resistant carpet in front of the doors to ensure I don’t burn my carpet. If that were to happen my wife’s dog, which is the butt you see in the picture, would not be happy. That spot she is sleeping in is really her “spot.”

For those that don’t have the money or desire to mess around with wood burning stoves, I highly suggest fireplace inserts. They are easy to work with and do the same job without all the installation hassles. The insert also keeps all the cold air and drafts from fighting with your electric heat if you have that. Either way it is definitely a win/win situation if you can get one at a reasonable price.

Helping the Family

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by Woodsbum

Normally, I try to post about 3 times a week. Unfortunately, I was unable to post much this last week because I was out of town helping my father. He uses wood as a primary source of heat in his home. Due to health conditions, he had lost almost two months this summer and was unable to finish cutting/splitting/stacking the log truck of wood he had delivered in spring. Between three of us we processed almost 4 1/2 cords of wood and helped him get several other household projects completed. There is still about a cord left to split and stack, but my son is going to keep picking at it until it is finished.

The way that we completed this monumental task was quite dependent upon machinery. The logs were picked up by his excavator so that we could cut them to length. We then used a hydraulic splitter to split it up and then we moved it over to his shed with the bucket of his front end loader. Even though there could definitely have been some time savings by just strong arming much of it this method allowed us to keep working without physical strain or exhaustion.

Even though I have used log splitters in the past, I am amazed at how much time and effort they save. Large, knotty sections were no match for the splitter and it saved so much wear and tear on my back. Eventually, I am going to have to get myself one just for the sake of having a way to to split up wood if and when I need it. Depending upon a maul really is a horrible way to go when you are talking about filling an entire woodshed. My hat is off to those do it that way. I surely don’t want to.

What I do love about working outside on projects like this is ability to test my gear. Although I didn’t take too many pictures while I was working, I will take a few to assist me in telling you how it all worked out in the posts to come.

AOD Wilderness Hoodie

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by Woodsbum

Great news!!! We have made a couple prototypes and now have a solid design for our AOD Wilderness Hoodies and AOD Wilderness Shirts.

To help us get a good perspective on functionality and fit we made several for testing. This guy got one as a prize at a bushcraft outing this last weekend.

Wilderness Hoodie

He earned it after getting embers from all 7 different wood combination primitive fire kits that people had made and brought with them to the gathering. The hoodie is 80/20 wool blend and this particular one is unlined. This kangaroo pocket has a large zipper pocket inside to hold keys, firesteel, etc. Future AOD Wilderness Hoodies will have a little different pocket design made of lined canvas. The canvas pockets will have flap pockets on the outside with D-rings to attached lanyards to.

The flap of fabric you can see at the neck is designed to either fold down completely, attach 1/2 way up the hood to cover the neck, or can attach all the way up to turn into a face mask/hood combination.

All seams are flat sewn for comfort and each edge is bar tacked for strength. There are slits of the side to keep movement from being restricted while active.

As far as warmth and comfort, wool blend was chosen for both the Wilderness Hoodie and Wilderness Shirt. I wore mine to sleep in with only a summer overquilt in temperatures down to the mid 40’s and was perfectly comfortable. My shirt is flannel lined where as this particular hoodie is not lined at all. Lined or unlined will be an option as these beauties are made.

Final run of both hoodies and shirts will have the canvas pockets and an Age of Decadence patch sewn on the front to give it some style!

I will take some pictures of my AOD Wilderness Shirt this week to show you how the long, lined version looks and give a report.

Blown Engine

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by Woodsbum

The end of life for my truck’s engine came at not only the wrong time, but right when I need a truck more than most other times. I was hoping that I either needed new injectors or coil packs for a couple cylinders that were misfiring. Unfortunately, this was not the case…..

Last Tuesday I was on my way to an appointment. I had to pull into the bank and grab some cash, but when I came back from the ATM my truck would barely run. After poking and prodding things a bit I ended up nursing it home and called to let the office know I was not going to be in due to vehicle issues. I also called in to my main job to let them know I needed at least Wednesday off.

After several hundred dollars in replacement parts, I thought I had everything figured out as being bad fuel so I added some octane boost, fuel treatment and high octane gasoline to try and dilute the impurities in my fuel tank. While driving it on the highway to blow out the bad fuel I started hearing the sounds associated with bearings going out.

To shorten this story I will just cut out all the wait for the tow truck, the calls to get a car loan from my bank, car shopping and all the paperwork associated with the vehicle purchase. I will jump to the part where I now have a new to me Subaru Outback.

I apologize for no post on Monday. It was a hectic day due to the vehicle, babysitting family, and recovery from taking a bowhunting education master instructor class this last weekend. On Friday I will cover the class.