That came in handy...

Tucked into my tote bag is my handy ProStorm travel umbrella, which was robust enough to use yesterday, despite the heavy winds.

However the rain was almost horizontal at times, which made me glad for another piece of snivel gear I keep in there.

Not technically a rain poncho, it's windproof and wicks like nobody's business. Just don't go pedestrianing around in it after dark.

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Lever-age

At the range last week I helped Michael Grasso dial in his .44 levergun with some .44 Special loads, just because having a gun in the house with an unsighted optic is anathema to all right-thinking people.

That mount for the Aimpoint Acro was pretty groovy. I hadn't gotten a good look at one before. I also dug the Magpul ELG furniture, although I'd expected to. I remember being skeptical of their shotgun stock before it came out and winding up having to eat crow, so...

Some people are skeptical, but I think a levergun has its uses, although it's possible to get carried away with one. 

I remember back at TacCon '19, Lee Weems made a pretty good case for why he used a .30-30 as a patrol rifle...

Quest for Drier

As a frequent pedestrian in my neighborhood, an umbrella is a thing I like to keep in the canvas Harry Herpson High School tote bag in which I carry my iPad and a couple foam koozies.

I rarely have to walk far. It's only a few blocks to the store or a restaurant, so unless it's absolutely raining buckets, I don't need some giant mobile domed tent of a brolly.

I had to buy a new one earlier this year and, not knowing anything about which umbrella brands were good or not, I ran into the enshittified search engine on Amazon and got stumped. A little bit of research around the web saw me picking up a collapsible unit from Prostorm.

After six months of use, I gotta say that it was a good call. Reasonably priced, the auto-extend and auto-collapse features are handy. It's like the Microtech out-the-front mechanism, but for umbrellas. It has nine ribs rather than eight in order to add to its sturdiness in windy conditions, and that plus the venting in the deep bowl of the umbrella itself has kept it from getting inverted even in gusty conditions.

Collapsed down, it's only about a foot long and easily fits in the bottom of the tote. This one gets two (dry) thumbs up from me.

Dots Don't Go Everywhere...Yet

I'm on record as mentioning I'm not a huge fan of the 3" J-frame, and that steel J-frames in general don't have a ton of applicability in my world.

Small revolvers fall into one of two categories in my world. Either they're a pocket/ankle gun, or they're a belt gun. For me, a 3" J-frame is too long for a pocket, and a steel-framed one is too heavy for a pocket. I've pocket-carried a S&W 432 (and a 442 before it) for almost 25 years now, but a steel gun would make my winter coat hang funny.

"But you could carry a 3" J-frame in a belt holster!" you say. Well, sure. But I could also carry a Detective Special, a Taurus 856/327, or a 3" Smith & Wesson K-frame in a belt holster with no more real difficulty and get a 20% ammunition capacity boost. In fact I have been carrying an 856 TORO for a year now.

This is what makes the new R.O.C. J-frame red dot mount from Shield Arms a real head-scratcher for me. It mounts to a Smith J-frame using the sideplate screws, but all the photos show it on a Model 442. That effectively makes the gun too big for a pocket and anyone who's actually carried an ankle gun should get a good belly laugh out of the idea of sticking an MRDS in the most dirt-and-lint collecting spot where it's possible to tote a blaster. (Even IWB, the 507k on my TORO needs blowing clean every few days.)

I guess you could use it to mount a dot on a belt-carried 3" 640 or something, but all the J-frame revolvers in Smith & Wesson's current catalog lineup that could really benefit from a small red dot... think the 3" Model 60, Model 63, or Model 317 ...all have adjustable rear sights, which means that they're already compatible with an Allchin-type scope mount.

I mean, I get that red dots are awesome, but we're a ways off from a functional MRDS solution for pocket guns.

(H/T to Gorillafritz.)

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My mind has been changed... mostly.

At the TacCon presenter's dinner this year, Andy Stanford passed out SureFire Stilettos to attendees as door prizes.

When the Stiletto was introduced, it was very much the flavor of the month and all the cool kids used them for a bit before moving on to whatever the next awesome light was. I am very much an uncool kid and I stuck with my trusty EDCL2-T, which I'd been using since they were introduced back in '17.

I stuck with that 2-cell light until a few months back when I downsized to its single-cell EDCL1-T cousin as part of a general pocket clutter shrinkage project: Sabre Red Mk.6 to a POM dispenser, Spyderco Delica to a Spyderco Dragonfly, et cetera. Since doing so, I haven't found myself feeling limited by the single cell light's 500-lumen output. It's still plenty if your job doesn't include nighttime traffic stops and clearing structures.

The Stiletto is roughly the same size as the single-cell EDCL, but nice and flat and more comfortable in the pocket.

When I popped the packaging open I immediately felt stupid. See, the reason I didn't jump on it like everyone else back then is... um... I didn't realize it had a "tail cap" button that served as a momentary switch for the full 650 lumens.

For some reason I had thought the only buttons were the ones on the side (one a light control and the other used for programming the sequence of toggling between 650, 250, and 5 lumen settings) like the setup on the Guardian or Sidekick. 

That side button is fine for normie flashlight use but sucks for "tactical" applications. Further, you don't want to have to toggle through brightness settings to get to the full output in a "tactical" light, but having it immediately pop on with 650 lumens and then toggle down to 5 reduces its utility as a normal task light. That was the genius of the EDCL series, where a light press of the tailcap got you a task light, but a full press summoned up the face-melting output.

So I've been carrying and using the Stiletto for something over a week at this point and here's my rundown:

PROS:

• It really is comfortable in a pocket. It's slim and light and my fears of it turning on in a pocket seem to have been overblown.
• The dual button configuration makes it handy for both normal and "tactical" use. You can program the side button so the bright light comes on first, but why would you? Use the tailcap button for that.
• It doesn't look "tactical". Some security people have started getting squirrely about knurled metal "tactical" flashlights, even ones without scary fanged bezels. You're less likely to be told you need to leave it in the car than the EDCL1-T.
• You don't generate a steady stream of dead CR123 lithium batteries that need to be disposed of.

CONS:

• Supposedly it's plenty tough and rugged and waterproof, but I just don't get the same reassuring vibe from plastic, no matter how "high-impact" it is, that I do from knurled metal.
• When the internal batteries go flat, you have to plug it in to recharge it and that takes time. You can't just toss a fresh cell in there and be up and running immediately. Also, SureFire... Micro-USB? Really? The rest of the world is basically standardizing on USB-C. Why not step boldly into The Current Year?

On balance, though, the Stiletto is an improvement over the EDCL1-T, I think, so I reckon I'll stick with it for a while, unless some flaw I haven't noticed pops up.

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Gratuitous Gun Pr0n #253...

Hotel room nightstand shot from TacCon: Taurus 856 T.O.R.O. with a Holosun 507k in a PHLster City Special, six rounds of Hornady Critical Defense 110gr +P in an eight round Tuff Strip, my trusty POM spicy treats dispenser, 500 lumen Surefire EDCL1-T, and a waved Spyderco Dragonfly.

Click the links to steal this look!

(Do I think the Hornady 110gr +P Critical Defense is the bestest load for the .38? Probably not, but it's easy to get the dot sighted in with, and reloads are speedy with those pointy bullets. Its performance is certainly adequate, especially if you're not particularly worried about needing to defeat vehicular barriers.)

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Stopping Gun Grabbers

How to stop gun grabbers? (The literal kind, I mean.)

Did you ever wonder what was meant by "Level I" and "Level III" and other ratings for security holsters? There's a good article series underway (Part One and Part Two are already up on the web) explaining the history of the term and how it's applied by Safariland, the successor firm to the Rogers Holster company who originated it, as well as other holster makers who have latched onto it as a marketing device.

If you're gonna walk around advertising you have a blaster, you might want to be able to hang on to it.

Gen3 Glock 37 in a Safariland ALS Level I retention holster.

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I have been kilt onna streets yet again.

 

A couple of common taters objected to my post about speed strips, because there are several speedloaders which are much faster.

I replied:

"In general, with a revolver carried for personal defense (as with any handgun carried for personal defense) you're going to solve the problem with the ammunition in the weapon or you aren't going to solve the problem.

Reloads, whether for a Glock 34 or a J-frame, are mostly woobies, as well as a way to save you the embarrassment of having to hand a half-empty gun to responding officers.

If you're playing some game where you're reloading revolvers on the clock, a speedloader is definitely the way to go. But the fastest ones, like the SL, are useless for CCW because of the ease with which they will disgorge their contents. The only speedloader that holds its rounds sturdily enough that I'd recommend it for carry is the old HKS, which is only marginally faster than strips.

Plus speedloaders are bulky AF to carry, and most people won't bother.

But you do you."

(True Story: I had an HKS CA-44 loaded with five .44 Spl 200gr Silvertips rolling around loose in the bottom of a purse for close to a decade without dropping a round.)

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Let There Be Light

I'd dissed the Streamlight Microstream in the past. Lots of friends liked them for their small size and readily-available AAA batteries, but I didn't think that their 28-lumen output was worth putting another pocket wart in my mom jeans.

I'm fine with the EDCL1-T, but even a single-cell CR123 light is kind of a chonk for some folks. It's less noticeable in a pocket than the bigger two-cell lights, but you still know it's there.

500 lumen EDCL1-T vs. original gangsta 28 lumen Microstream

Apparently the latest iteration of the Microstream is just as small as the old one, still powered by the single AAA cell, and now outputs 45 lumens, which may not be a "tactical" output but is more than bright enough for almost any normie flashlight chore. Plus the new pocket clip has a double curve to it so you can also slip it on a hat brim for a task light. And like the good stuff from Surefire and Streamlight, it has the solid, waterproof construction that so many... other ...flashlight companies haven't quite mastered.

Best of all, BezosMart is running an early Black Friday sale, sixty percent off. For $12.54, these things would make hella good stocking stuffers.

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Meanwhile...

At the other, other blog, I give some thumbnail impressions of the Nikon Coolpix S6500.

M's dead, baby.

We've known it was coming for a while, but now it's official. Canon's discontinued the EF-M line, their first stab at a mirrorless system camera.

This has been the most protracted death scene since our elementary school theater production of Romeo & Juliet.

RIP Canon M: 2012-2023

Once the full-frame RF mount cameras debuted in 2019 the writing was on the wall. Canon hasn't introduced a really new EF-M camera in years...the M50 Mark II of 2020 was just a feature update of the earlier camera, so the M has been de facto discontinued for years, you just don't want to make that announcement until you've moved all the product you have in inventory lest you scare off buyers. (The M200 and M50 II boxed sets on the shelves at Mart-mart are likely already a couple years old.)

I sold my M bodies and lenses off a year or so ago, but if you wanted to get into the stuff and don't mind using an unsupported system, now might be a good time to go shopping...

So if you are still using the EOS-M system, I suggest looking around and buying that lens or two that you had your eye on. Because we all know, it's not as if your existing camera is going to stop working once Canon discontinues it. Good deals can be had for both new and used cameras. Just be aware that you are buying into a system with no future. Used lens prices on popular reselling sites should also be fairly cheap as people will be selling off their kits and moving to, well, somewhere.

BezosMart has refurb M50 II's for not crazy money, and lenses are inexpensive. Get an adaptor and you can use the whole library of Canon EF and EF-S DSLR lenses with native functionality.

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Click Click Boom

Having finally scored a working copy of the nearly unobtainium 1 Nikkor 32mm f/1.2 portrait lens for the Nikon 1 system, I did something a little silly.

Roberts, my local camera store, had a black Nikon 1 V1 and a matching Speedlight SB-N5 in their used department and the pair was only a little over a hundred bucks. I already had the more modern Nikon 1 V2, but it was white, so it didn't match the black lens barrel of the 32mm. Gotta match, right?

Fitted with a Peak Design Leash it's a compact little package and people seem to find it non-threatening.

Alas, Huck got impatient before dinner one day a week or two ago when I was lounging on the futon and the little Nikon rig was sitting on the TV tray next to me. A loud *clunk* announced that the camera had crashed to the hardwood floor in the living room as Huck engaged in some attention-seeking behavior hoping to hurry mealtime along.

The flash and lens still work, as does the camera, but some internal connection got jarred and the rear screen on the camera no longer does. The internal electronic viewfinder still works fine, although it's a little awkward to try and scroll through various menus while squinting into the eyepiece.

Ah, well... Life goes on.

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Pocket Popper

Although there are definitely more pocketable options these days...

Everything in the photo is a smaller, lighter, more pocketable alternative to something bigger. 

Obviously there's the Beretta 3032 Tomcat, the subject of an upcoming review in RECOIL: Concealment.(The photo is an outtake from the shots I did for the article.)

Then there's the Surefire Sidekick, my little rechargeable 300-lumen key fob. There's also the always-handy POM pepper spray, with probably ninety percent of the capability of my trusty Sabre Mk.6 at a fraction of the size.

Finally is the svelte little Spyderco Roadie. It's got good-looking Italian style and was designed specifically to comply with the proposed (but, alas, withdrawn) TSA rules that would have allowed small penknives on planes again. It has a 2" non-locking slipjoint type blade that also features a finger choil forward of the pivot to prevent accidental closure should you have to put it to non-penknife type uses. Between the short blade and the lack of a mechanical lock, it should be legal in most any jurisdiction that allows any kind of knives at all.

(The watch is a Bertucci field watch, if you're into that sort of thing. I'm not really watch people but it's lightweight and looks cool.)

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Retro Kydex

I mentioned that this past weekend I was using a Raven Concealment Systems Phantom holster set up for IWB use with my Glock 37.

The Phantom is made by old-fashioned kydex bending and has long been replaced in the RCS catalog by the more mass-production-friendly injection molded Eidolon and Perun holsters.

They're doing a batch of old-school Phantoms by pre-order only this summer, though, and for a first, you'll be able to get a Phantom for the Colt Python or Smith & Wesson L-frame. I don't think that's been possible since the old days where the RCS guys would set up at the Indy 1500 and bend kydex to order.

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Gratuitous Gun Pr0n #246...

FN's full-size autocannon in Best Millimeter, sporting a Holosun 508T to help you aim better and a Surefire X300U to help you see better (and to let you stuff it in a PHLster Floodlight, in case smuggling cannons is your jam).

The full-length review should be available on better newsstands near you in issue number 33 of CONCEALMENT.

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Seven reasons you shouldn't buy a PHLster Enigma

Frank, informative, and classy.

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Classic Carry

Thank you so much to the friend who hooked me up with a classic Milt Sparks Summer Special for my Smith & Wesson 3913's.

A classic pistol in a classic holster. Makes me want to put on some Wayfarers and maybe shop for an ankle rig for my Model 37.

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Hey, look!

The big difference between the regular Defender 856 and the T.O.R.O. variant is the two large, threaded holes milled in the sight channel on the topstrap, and the contents of a little plastic bag included in the cardboard box from Taurus.

The contents of the bag include an optics mounting plate, a pair of screws to secure it to the topstrap of the revolver and replacement screws to attach a Holosun 507k optic to the plate, since the Holosun factory screws are an incorrect length for the plate.

The entirety of the review is at the link.

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Concealing a Cannon

Carrying a jumbo-size blaster like a Glock 21 or the new FN 510 discreetly can be a chore, especially since concealment-oriented holsters for large autos are sometimes difficult to find.

One solution has been to use light-bearing holsters that index on the light and thus accommodate a wide variety of pistols.

The FN 510 is actually too big for the Bawidamann Gotham, which will swallow a P220 or Brigadier-slide Spaghetta with ease.

It works in the original PHLster Floodlight with the shock cord set at its loosest. We're fixin' to give it a whirl in the Floodlight 2.

FN 510 Tactical with Holosun 508 & Surefire X300U

About tree-fitty...

Yesterday morning I ducked into Indy Arms Co for a minute with the FN Reflex. I was in a hurry, so I basically put fifty rounds downrange at a seven yard target in four quick mag dumps before heading out the door.

I'm still having a hard time shooting little guns fast. On the upside, this makes three hundred and fifty completely malfunction-free rounds through the little Tactical Dirt Color pistol.

I was in a hurry because I had to get home to meet Dave Merrill from RECOIL and get some photography done at Marion County Fish & Game.

We were taking photos for the magazine with his badass Nikon D850, but I'd brought my little camera bag that holds all my Nikon 1 gear and got a few shots with the Nikon 1 V2 & 1 Nikkor 18.5mm f/1.8 just for kicks.

FN Reflex with Swampfox Sentinel and Surefire XSC, ringin' steel at 20 yards.

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