My boyfriend can be really difficult to shop for. He’s not really into technology or music. A restaurant gift card or bath and body products would be a total mismatch. The only thing he really enjoys as a hobby is hunting. I don’t have the kind of money to buy him really expensive gear, but I have found a few items under $50 that work well.
For instance, this year for his birthday I’m giving him a set of camouflage pants and matching lightweight jacket. I’m also going to buy him some Meyerco knives. If there is any money leftover, then I’ll see if I can get him a diamond sharpener, too.
Sharpening Kershaw Knives
Responsible outdoorsmen and women know the importance of keeping their knives sharpened and well-maintained. Personally, I carry Kershaw knives that I keep sharp with sharpening steel. With my left hand I grip the sharpening steel and secure it against a countertop. Then I take the blade in my right hand and slide it in a slight arc up and down the steel.
I turn the blade over and repeat the procedure. Six or seven repetitions is usually enough to get a clean, sharp edge. Then I move on to my other Kershaw knives and repeat the process.
Cleaning Rubber Gun Grips
Remove any rounds from the chamber and remove clips before cleaning the rubber grips of your weapon. Turn on the safety before continuing. Using a screwdriver, remove the rubber grips from your gun (some gun grips use clips, in which case a screwdriver is not necessary).
Mix mild soap and warm water in a small container. Dip a cloth in the mixture and wipe down the gun grips. Pay particular attention to getting rid of any sticky residue that could potentially interfere with your hold on the weapon. Rinse away the soap and grime, allow the grips to dry, and then reattach the gun grips to your weapon once they’re no longer wet.
Cleaning a Bolt-Action Rifle
A dirty gun is a dangerous gun. Every responsible firearm owner knows that proper cleaning and disassembly is important to proper gun maintenance. Cleaning a bolt-action rifle, for example, is a fairly simple process. The first step, regardless of what type of firearm you own, is to make sure the weapon is unloaded.
Next, push down on the trigger to release the action. Push down on the release lever, free the bolt, and then remove it. Take a stick pad from your gun cleaning kit, dip it in the kit’s solvent and attaché it to the cleaning rod and then clean out the barrel. Use a new cleaning pad and solvent to clean the camber and bolt. Use the kit’s oil to grease the internal working of the bolt. Once those steps are completed you can reassemble the rifle.
Practice Makes Permanent
Have you ever heard the phrase “practice makes perfect”? I’m willing to bet that you have. I had a music teacher who hated that phrase. He would constantly tell his students, “Practice doesn’t make perfect, practice makes permanent.”
He was absolutely right. If you practice something incorrectly over and over then it will become engrained in your mind, and thus very difficult to correct down the road. I kept this philosophy in mind when learning to shoot. Rather than trying to blast through rounds as quickly as possible, I focused on the shooting targets and improving my stance and aim with each shot. When I found the best angle, I practiced that move over and over.
Cozying Up Outdoors
Winters in Seattle are pretty mild. As a result, I don’t feel trapped indoors the whole winter – a fact I frequently rub in the face of my New England based relatives. They usually slog through the winter months under several feet of snow.
This past weekend it was so nice that I finally tackled setting up my outdoor fireplace. It wasn’t too difficult of a task and by dusk I had a nice glow going. I dusted off the chaise lounge, grabbed a good book and some hot cocoa and settled in for a relaxing evening. When it got too dark out to read anymore, I simply put out the flames and went back inside.
Why Use Snap Caps?
Personally, I’m a big fan of snap caps, but not everyone knows how or why they should be used. Snap caps are essentially dummy rounds that look and feel like live ammunition. During dry-fire exercises, snap caps protect the firing pin from deterioration. When properly used, some snap caps can last up to 3,000 dry fires.
Dry-fire exercises are important for marksmen, police officers, and even recreational shooters. During a dry-fire exercise the shooter can work on their targeting with less anxiety. This can help in quick draw scenarios. Utilizing snap caps can also help a person test a weapon’s action before making a purchase.
Shooting Glasses
I gave a new shooter yesterday a strong lecture about why sunglasses are not an appropriate substitute for shooting glasses. I thought it was pretty obvious that shooting glasses are specifically designed for gun firing scenarios whereas sunglasses are only equipped to shade against the sun. Apparently my faith was misguided.
I spelled out to the new shooter that the lenses of shooting glasses are made from bullet-resistant polycarbonate. In other words, if there is any blowback, your eyes will be protected. Sunglasses, on the other hand, are made from glass. If anything blows back in your face while wearing sunglasses, they will shatter and could do severe permanent damage to the eyes.
Adjusting a Bianchi Paddle Holster
Bianchi is a leading manufacturer of holsters, duty gear and accessories. Each paddle holster made by the company is uniquely fitted to a specific handgun. Adjusting Bianchi holsters is a relatively simple process.
Begin by threading a Bianchi belt through the paddle holster. Tighten or loosen the screws on the holster to get a comfortable draw of the handgun. Next, tighten or loosen the screws to get the height desired. Typically, carriers want the holster to rest on the waist or hip. Once the holster is in a comfortable setting, tighten the screws to keep everything in place.
Night Vision Combat in the Military
Though a rudimentary fact, when a person cannot see, they cannot fight back. In the twentieth century the United States pioneered an evolution in stealth combat with the invention of night vision goggles. First used in WWII, night vision goggles allowed for military operations to be conducted at night. Enemies who could not see in darkness were all but helpless to those who could. The invention of night vision allowed several complex and sensitive operations to be conducted in WWII, and carried on into Vietnam, when night vision goggles were standard issue to a soldier.
Night vision has evolved quite a bit since its conception, with spy devices and gun aimpoint scopes now available with night vision technology. In addition, the public can purchase night vision equipment for a variety of professional and recreational activities.
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