How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It - James Wesley Rawles [92]
I do not advocate thigh-level pistol holsters. These seem to have proliferated in recent years mostly because they look snazzy in SWAT television shows and movies. They are actually quite impractical for just about all situations except rappelling. At thigh-level, a holstered pistol is quite tiring to wear when hiking. It is also slow to access. My advice is instead to buy a sturdy belt holster and leave those thigh-level holsters for the mall-ninja crowd.
For holsters, I recommend Blade-Tech brand Kydex holsters and mag pouches (blade-tech.com). The Blade-Tech holsters are inexpensive enough that I put one holster and pistol magazine pouch on each of my sets of long-gun web gear. And when carrying just a pistol by itself, we use modestly priced Uncle Mike’s brand black nylon/Velcro belts. They are plain-Jane but sturdy and functional. We do have a couple of leather Summer Special concealment holsters, made by Milt Sparks Holsters (miltsparks .com). Their belts and holsters are highly recommended. I’ve been doing business with this company for more than twenty years. They don’t skimp on quality.
Shoulder holsters are undesirable in most situations. They do make sense, however, when you are in a car for more than an hour.
For rifle slings, I recommend a traditional two-loop military sling design. They really help steady a rifle for accurate long-range shooting. Attending a weekend Western Rifle Shooters Association (snipurl.com/hn8xj) or Appleseed rifle-shooting clinic (appleseedinfo.org) is highly recommended and will show you how to properly adjust a two-loop sling for various shooting positions. Once you’ve identified your “summer” sling-adjustment notches (when wearing just a shirt) for prone and sitting positions, I recommend using a black Magic Marker to circle the holes and mark them with underlined “P” and “Sit,” for quick reference. Draw another line or preferably a “W”—for winter—at each adjustment, and again circle the notch holes, to indicate the longer adjustment needed when wearing a winter coat, a target-shooting jacket, or a field jacket. I don’t advocate using standing unsupported positions for either hunting or most defensive shooting situations. It takes just a moment to sit down, and just a bit longer to get prone.
For shotgun slings, in my experience a padded nylon extra-long sling (such as an M60 sling) works well.
Locking quick-detachable (QD) sling swivels are a must, because there are many tactical situations in which you won’t want a sling at all. You need to be able to attach and detach a sling quickly.
For horse or quad (ATV) scabbards, I like the brown Cordura nylon scabbards that are now on the market. Leather is more traditional, but it takes a painfully long time to dry out, which can induce rust on a gun in short order. Brown nylon won’t win any beauty contests but it works.
Dull (non-glossy) olive-drab (OD) duct tape is your friend. Buy a couple of big rolls of it. It has umpteen uses out in the field. I wrap each of my Y-harness snaps with duct tape to keep them from rattling or coming loose. It is also useful for toning down any reflective objects. The best field gear is very quiet, very secure, and very unobtrusive. Applying OD duct tape helps with all three.
Canes, Walking Sticks, and Umbrellas for Street Self-defense
Striking weapons have some utility for street self-defense. I highly recommend training to use a cane, a walking stick, or a traditional full-length umbrella. This is particularly important for readers who live in gun-unfriendly nations or in states like California, New York, and New Jersey, where it is very difficult to get a carrying concealed weapon (CCW) permit. And even if you are