A Few Of My Favorite Gunny Things

A Few Of My Favorite Gunny Things
By Maggie

Custom Bullet Charm Necklace By Julia Teeples Of The Smoking Bullet
Custom Bullet Charm Necklace By Julia Teeples Of The Smoking Bullet
AmmoLand Gun News
AmmoLand Gun News

Manasquan, NJ –-(Ammoland.com)- Summer is over and it’s back to school time again, and I am taking a page from the famous Staples commercial that is set to the tune “It’s the most wonderful time of the year”.

Even though these lists of favorite things usually come out before the holiday season to offer gift ideas for those hard to buy for people, or really cool stuff you want for yourself, I get set for the year ahead as school gets started in September, and I can’t start my year without my favorite things.

After I built my first AR 15, I wanted to spend as much time as I could at the range. However life is full of responsibilities and I have limited time to spend shooting, so I wear my beautiful custom bullet charm necklace by Julia Teeples of the Smoking Bullet to help me dream about my next range visit. My charm was created using the bottom of a .223 casing fired from my new rifle, it’s small and great for every day wear. In addition to custom work, Julia has some wonderful pieces suitable for men and women on her website created from a variety of bullet casings. I love my necklace and when I am stuck commuting in traffic or at home doing chores it is a special reminder of another one of my favorite things (which didn’t make this particular list). TheSmokingBullet.com has pieces starting at $25.

If I had to pick one item to top my favorite things list it would definitely be my next item – the Spyderco Delica 4 knife – mine is purple. It’s become like my Blackberry, I cannot leave the house without it. It is very sturdy and lightweight, I can barely feel that I have it clipped in my front pocket. The blade is 2 7/8 inches long and easily opens one handed using the 13mm hole and then locks back for use. I use mine for anything from opening the boxes UPS has left on my porch from my various internet shopping adventures to pulling out cartridges stuck in the ejection port of my gun. My husband initially balked at me carrying the knife, but now he is constantly asking me if I have it on me. As I have small children at home, I leave it on the top of my dresser at night but I find myself patting down my pockets before I leave the house each day to make sure I have it with me. Available at knifecenter.com for $57.95.

Honestly, I wasn’t really sure about my next favorite thing when I first bought it but the lipstick case pepper spray turned out to be a great little tool to have in my pocket or purse. I was carrying a typical black key chain size OC pepper spray. It certainly was capable of getting the job done but it was clunky and unsightly for someone like me who takes care with my accessories. Enter the lipstick pepper spray. It’s small and inconspicuous, even for someone who rarely wears lipstick, because the bad guys don’t know that. The spray has a range of ten feet and some brands will leave a marker on the suspect as well for identification. If you feel like you are being followed, just pull it out for a quick “touch up” and catch your attacker by surprise. It can be purchased at amazon.com for $4.48. (If carrying lipstick isn’t your thing, you can buy one that looks like a pen as well.)

When carrying a knife or pepper spray just won’t do (or even if it will but I want yet another option), I take along my Smith and Wesson Tactical pen. What’s great about a tactical pen is that it is inconspicuous, is actually useful as a writing implement, and it fits easily in a pocket. Because it doesn’t stand out as a self defense item in the way a knife can, I can bring it along when carrying my knife is not socially acceptable (or is banned by the TSA). While not as sharp as a knife blade, the tapered end will hurt when used with force against an assailant. A properly placed jab will cause pain and perhaps give you a chance to retreat. If you want to learn more about using a tactical pen, take a class where you can learn how even a regular ball point pen can be a very useful weapon when you have the skills to know where on the body to hit your attacker. The Smith and Wesson Police and Military Tactical pen is a cost effective choice at $20.51 on Amazon.com.

I don’t know why it took me so long to purchase my Hogue Handall Pistol Grip for my Glock but I am very glad I did. After taking a tactical pistol class, I found my hand was torn up from the constant holstering of my gun, so I decided to try a Hogue grip. It’s soft and cushioned which allows a closer, sturdier grip on the gun for me, especially helpful because I have small hands. It also makes shooting one handed more comfortable. It went on with some effort – please be sure to double check that the gun is unloaded before attempting to install the grip – but it hasn’t come off since. I am all about comfort so this grip fits right in with my lifestyle. Find it on amazon.com for $9.99 in three colors.

Ask anyone and you will find I am a huge Under Armour (UA) fan. In fact, I am not too embarrassed to say I could probably fund the budget of a small country with what I have spent on my UA wardrobe. They have some great products in their women’s line and my absolute favorite item is the RBI Women’s UA hat in black which I bought for shooting. I like it because it made from a light weight material and has a scaled down brim. This makes it perfect for blocking the shower of cartridges coming from the port to my left at the range but it doesn’t block my view of my own targets with a heavy shadow from the brim. I found myself reaching for it even when I wasn’t going shooting so I bought a few more to rotate. Available at sportsunlimitedinc.com or cabelas.com starting at $13.88.

I have to end this list with a very inexpensive item that I made myself – my paracord bracelet. Paracord was originally used in suspension lines of military parachutes in World War II but paratroopers found it useful for many other tasks in the field. It is often woven into a bracelet worn with special significance to military service members and is available in a host of colors. It has become somewhat of a fashion statement outside the military as well. The usefulness of carrying around up to ten feet of paracord is not diminished however by the proliferation of people wearing them. For anyone who likes to carry as much gear as they can to always be prepared, a paracord bracelet should be standard attire. I can’t even list the many uses of paracord here but a simple internet search will tell you how strong and useful this little bracelet can be. It could truly save a life when combined with the knowledge of an educated and savvy person wearing it. Buy one at survivalstraps.com or fashion one yourself using instructions from instructables.com.

Summer is coming to an end. Remember to be safe and keep your mp3 player loaded up with 365 gun songs (www.shootingdivas.com/the-ultimate-list-of-gun-shooting-and-bullet-songs#) for the traffic filled roads ahead!