The Waiting is the Hardest Part....

Ever since I first obtained my concealed carry permit a couple of years ago, my daily carry situation has evolved.

In the begining, I carried this Beretta 84fs:



Wonderful gun. I took my CHL range practical with it and shot the bejesus out of the qualifying test. The only problem is, apparently I have the hands of a twelve year old girl. Even as a "small" pistol, the double stack magazine makes the grip just a little too wide for me. When my hands sweat, the gun wants to jump around and I had to continually readjust.

So... my carry piece evolved to this:



This is a Spanish made Star BM, in 9mm. Its a surplus gun that I picked up for about $200. I duracoated it, made a set of nicer grips for it, and proceeded to love every minute of shooting/carrying it. The single stack mag made for a comfortable grip, and the overall size (about 2/3 the size of a standard 1911) made it a decent concealed gun.
The problem? Bitch started shearing the barrel link on me. Replaced it twice, and the problem continued. Can't have that in a self defense piece, obviously, and the "inexpensive" nature of the gun made it unpalatable to seek out a real gunsmith to ferret out the problem and fix it.

So... My carry piece became this:



This is the Beretta 85fs, which is the single stack version of the 84fs I started with. Perfect compromise between size, capacity, concealability, and I shoot it ridiculously well (for me).

Downside?

I live in Texas. It gets mother f-ing hot here in the summer. So far, I've gotten by in the heat of summer with the Beretta in an inside the waistband holster, underneath a t-shirt with a short sleeved button up shirt worn open over all. Works great in the spring and fall - but criminy it's hot in the summer.

I got to looking around for a "pocket pistol", and considered several models. I looked at everything from two shot derringers to the Ruger LCP. My final choice (is there ever really a final selection when it comes to guns?):

Polish Makarov P64 in 9x18 (9mm Makarov). Here's a pic I found online, since my gun is still on its way from J&G Sales:

I've read about the awful trigger pull and the equally punishing recoil issues - and I have replacement wolfe spring kits that will arrive with the gun to solve those issues. Overall, the gun should fit nicely in a pocket holster and make daily carry less of a torturous affair this summer. I can't wait to shoot the little beast, and it seems like its taking FOREVER to get here, since J&G are backlogged a couple of weeks just like most internet gun shops.

I've been putting off going to the range, 'cuz I'm uncomfortably low on ammo for all my usual companions at the range. Everyone that freaked out over Obama getting elected by buying up all the ammo to horde it, is having more of an effect on my ability to exercise my 2nd amendment rights than Obama is.

That's ironic, ain't it?

9x18 is still pretty plentiful, and pretty cheap too. I ordered several boxes from AIM the other day, so I would be ready to go when the Mak gets here. In fact, the UPS driver handed me a box today, while I was out mowing the yard:

They mock me, sitting there.... all those little bullets.

And no f-ing gun to shoot them out of.

Grrrrrr.........