Thinking Man's Corner

Article by: William G.

I meant to get to this in November, but time got away from me. Nothing new, I am on my own time that doesn’t seem to match up with anyone else’s schedule…….

Personal weapons and accoutrements are, and should be, a very personal preference. One man’s treasure is another man’s ordinary, and back around the other way. This article is simply a view into some of my favorite things, that I like for many reasons.

The picture at the beginning of the article sums up my most base preference. A custom 1911, a fine handmade cigar, and a reliable watch (missing is the Porsche, which is the sole fault of “DTM”). Astute readers will probably notice there is more than meets the eye with these particular items. The 1911 belonged to Col. Jeff Cooper, has provenance with it, his signature inlayed in silver, and besides that has a few more things associated with it that makes it even rarer. I use to carry it on duty every 4^th of July, until I came to my senses. Still shoot it though. The Colonel didn’t own any weapons that couldn’t be shot, and this particular gun is the purest form and crowned jewel of what he wanted in a fighting pistol. The cigar is a rare, maduro, limited release Padron. Replace it with a Fuente or Davidoff, and I’m in my happy place. The watch is an Omega. The same model Seamaster that Pierce Bronson wore in Golden Eye, and changed the Bond franchise forever. (Roger Moore was the best Bond ever, though. Fight me about it.) The lighter is a Xikar, and I just like it because it is a soft flame and looks art deco, so there is that.

The middle gun started life as a Colt Commander, and was worked over by Armand Swenson. It has a very colorful past, and required some surgery to bring it back from the brink of death. It was sent to the late, great Joe Bonar (who at the time was head of the 45 shop at the world-renowned Novak’s). The last gun is a very limited release collaboration between Robar Custom and Cylinder and Slide, it has a very low serial number, and was called “The Serious Pistol.” It incorporates feature prescribed by Jeff Cooper in a 1987 article by the same name. The stocks are skip checkered Ahernds that Leo H. had sitting around, because he is cool like that.

This next beauty is the original 1911, Jeff Cooper taught me to shoot with. It is the one that I went through the academy with, and have carried and trained with the most. I have worn off three finishes, shot out three barrels, and replaced the internals multiple times. The frame has cracked, and been welded. The slide rails have been beat down to take the slop out. It still works, really well. You will note the handmade, original Gunsite Low Mount Thumb Safety. Yes, I am a walking museum. An Easter egg is the paper behind it, which describes why the Colonel chose the raven as his symbol for the American Pistol Institute.

Up next is a side picture of the Colonel’s “45” in the last Milt Sparks Yaqui slide made for him. There is also another Yaqui slide in the picture that Leo H. just happened to have collecting dust. Did I mention how wonderful Leo is, and how lucky I am to have him as my friend? The paper is a copy of one that is on the shelf next to the Colonel’s breakfast nook. I cannot recall who wrote it for him, but I commented on it, and Janelle went to the office, had a copy made for me, and there you have it. The word’s written on it, cannot be any truer. The gun, the way it is set up, and the holster may seem ancient to some, but it is just as state of the art now as it was way back in the 60’s, and with the right operator it will still hold its own, and bring the others back.

Moving into the “modern era” we have Glocks, which are now over 40 years old…. With the Austrian jackhammer, my sweet spot is the G19. I will tolerate the 26, sometimes, which is why it made the picture. The G26 is in a Milt Sparks Criterion, and the G19 is in a Mission First Tactical kydex, that uses a magnet for retention. Really concealable, well made OWB kydex. At first, I turned my nose up at it, but once I tried it, I am getting them for every gun I have that they make a version for. (https://missionfirsttactical.com/H14-GL1-7) The book is written by “Jim Grover,” whose real name is Kelley McCann. You may recall me writing about him before. If not, google his name. He is a hidden gem of an instructor, a tactical mastermind, and one of the most dangerous men out there. A lot of the stuff we do with guns, technique, and tactics came from people like Kelley, and most have no clue who he is – fix that. The book is a collection of articles from over 30 years ago, it is still highly valuable and well worth your time. My Glocks are set up very similar to the way the Asymmetrical Warfare Group set up theirs back in the day, with a few twists. I may get around to writing an article up about the setup at some point.

On the modern “Glock” theme, now we see the Shadow Systems, a much-improved Glock like gun. It is wearing an original RMR, which Kelley consulted on the design of, and the best WML on the market – the Surefire X300U. The only thing missing is the DG switch. I just have not got around to modifying the trigger guard to take the DG switch yet. The gun is set up similar to one that my character carried in a Marcus Wynne novel (google him for a lot of info on neural based training, and some really good fiction that is non-fiction, sometimes). Marcus was a friend, and mentor, and was kind enough to use me as the basis for a character in one of his novels. I am told he killed me off in a subsequent one though. Marcus had a nasty habit of doing that, lol. The books are great though.

The in-gun mag has a +2 Glock extension with a Wolff 10% extra power spring. The spare mag has one of Bill Roger’s latest creations, a +5 extension and an extra power spring. (https://rogersshootingschool.com/products/grip-force-epb) It resides in a Tango Down copy of the old Milt Sparks mag pouch, which is my favorite mag pouch of all time. Unfortunately, Milt only made them for 1911 mags, and they are long out of production. I am buying up as many old ones as I can, so hit me up if you have any. The Tango Down ones are only for Glocks, or else I would have about 100 copies for every other auto loader I own. (https://tangodown.com/vickers-tactical-glock-9mm-40-double-stack-magazine-pouch/)

My most frequently used gun these days is a Sig 365 Fuse with a RomeoX optic. The gun works really well, and I shoot it pretty good. It conceals beautifully under an untucked shirt in the Palmetto Leather Works holster. (https://www.palmettoleather.com/) I will do a full article on their holsters soon, but this one is of my design, and their holsters are slowly replacing my Milt Sparks obsession. The workmanship is great, they are durable, reasonably priced, and comfortable enough for me to wear them 18 hours a day. The glasses are from Smith, and saved my life. A ricochet off glass from a 9mm, came directly back at me. It hit my glasses hard enough to bruise my face. Had I not been wearing them, I would be blind or dead. This marks the third time there would have been catastrophic results to my person from guns blowing up, or shrapnel coming at me, if I didn’t wear safety glasses.  Wear your eye pro, always. (https://www.smithoptics.com/)

There is a new company called WarBird Pro. They make really cool and functional glasses and electric ear pro. The ear pro has Bluetooth, and is USB rechargeable. The glasses can be worn under the ear pro all day without causing discomfort. Look good doing it, even if you don’t know what you are doing – it seems to work for me. (https://warbirdpro.com/)

Finally, Revolvers. Smith & Wesson, end of story. K and L for hunting armed and dangerous felon’s hell bent on murder and mayhem. (The picture of the 19 and 686 has no cool history behind either, they are just cool. The singular purpose of including them is to annoy Leo H., nothing else.) The book is by my old friend Ed Lovette, who passed away a few months ago. Next to Claude Werner (https://thetacticalprofessor.net/), Ed knew more about real world carry, application, and use of the snub-nosed revolver than anyone since Col. Rex Applegate. I was fortunate to learn many lessons from Ed on deep concealment, counter surveillance, raids, tradecraft, and mindset.

My favorite memory was sitting on the front porch, smoking Fuente’s, drinking rare bourbon, and talking about the good old days. Book is still sporadically available, so get yours any way you can. Wealth of information in that book, a true treasure – just like old “Eduardo” or “Charlie Phillips,”  depending on where he was, and which of the many names he was known by. As an aside; Jeff Cooper, Kelley McCann, Ed Lovette, and I are all l linked in as much as Jeff Cooper trained all of us, and Kelley and Ed worked together in a different world many years ago, then I had the great fortune of learning from them as well. Funny how things interconnect sometimes. Then there is the Marcus Wynne – Ed Lovette connection, but we are getting way of into the woods at this point. Great history though, even if it is a little spooky. Oh, those J frames always enduring, hidden until the last second, hopefully giving you a happy ending.

You may be able to get yourself, or someone special some of my favorite things in time for Christmas if you hurry. If not, I still hope you found this informative, or at least entertaining. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night. God bless us, everyone.