Tag Archives: Seemed like a good idea at the time

ZT

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15

I mentioned back in December that I commissioned Zombie Tools to do a couple knives for me. As with anything that is custom, there’s a bit of a wait. It was rewarded today. One of the things that added to the wait time was that I wanted (and paid for) different grips and finish than what they usually offer.

Years ago, when I was a teen, I used to stay up late and watch the rather bad “War Of The Worlds” television series. A mostly forgettable show but something that stood out for me was one of the characters (played by future ‘Predator’ trophy Richard Chaves) had a very distinctive knife that I thought was very cool.

Once Al Gore invented the internet,  I was able to research it and see it was a Crain-designed knife that was called the “Battle Baton”. Licensed copies were made and they’re out there for sale.

Battle Baton by Crain for “War Of The Worlds”

Not sure what I liked about it. Probably its Roman legionnaire vibe it gave off. I never thought about really getting one, bit I liked the look of it. And then Zombie Tools, a local business, came out with their Centurion dagger:

Zombie Tools Centurion dagger

You can see the similarities, yes? Because I am an evil yuppie survivalist (Translation: someone who has a real job and doesn’t live in a van down by the river desert), I could ask for, and pay for, a few personal touches. Not a fan of the acid washed look, so satin finish please. Not caring for the aluminum-n-leather grip, so some green laminate please. And, while we’re spending money, perhaps a little personal touch of engraving. Mkay, thx.

Thus, we get this:

Glock 17 for scaleI am pleased. I don’t mind paying a lot of money if I get exactly what I want. This pretty much is exactly what I wanted. Practicality? Well, when the stores stop selling 9mm, or the zombies finally arrive, then this thing might prove its worth. But, for now, it’s like my BBQ gun…its something I have for no other reason except that I wanted it.

And..uhm…I may have put in an order while I was there for it’s big brother.

I have to hand it to the ZT guys… I know that custom stuff can be a pain to do. That’s why I expect to pay more. But they did a lovely job and I like my rather two-of-a-kind purchase. (The other one is a gift to someone I know.)

I expect the next order to be ready around May. We shall see. (And I really want them to make me a mek’leth.)

 

 

P95DC Redux^4

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Even though I’ve become rather taken with the Palmetto Daggers for their ability to operate in the Glock environment, I still have a problem resisting when I see a P95DC for less than $200.

It has gotten to the point that I now store them in 5-gun pistol cases. And there are several of those cases. As soon as I get Commander Zero’s Post Nuclear Bunker Of Love And Lingerie Proving Ground built, several of these will be quietly hidden under the floorboards.

Ok, sure, why not….

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Minding my own business, I walk into the shop and ask my buddy how he’s doing. “Just the guy I wanted to see”, he says as he plops two cardboard boxes on the counter. “I just got these over the counter. Three hundred bucks. If you don’t want it, it goes out on the shelf for more than that.”

Ok, so I look through it….full boxes, factory ammo, of 9mm, .45 ACP, .30-06, .22, and one lonely box of .444 Marlin. Did some math in my head annnnnd….

“Okay.”

Funny thing is, I don’t even have a .30-06. And I own exactly one pistol in .45 AARP and i never shoot it. But…for the price it seemd like a reasonable deal, And I can always sell it off for about twice what I paid.

The .22 ammo will go on my ‘range ammo’ shelf, and I’ll probably squirrel away the 9mm ammo somewhere. I suppose I should get a .30-06 at some point for the same reason everyone should have a .22 rifle – the ammo is pretty much everywhere.

So…thats what $300 gets you in todays market.

Speaking of BBQ guns

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A couple people were curious what I wanted in a barbecue gun. Well, my plan was one of the following:

In a nice extra fancy floral engraved Tom Threepersons holster from El Paso Saddlery.

And, of course, a nice set of showy grips.

Now, I know an engraver here in the valley who does good work ( Mike Gouse ), but I rather prefer factory engraving even if it’s just machine done.

So, there you have it. Attend some big social function and if you see some goober with a gussied up GP-100, well, say hi ’cause its probably me.

Wouldn’t you?

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Minding my own business, I swing by the shop to visit my buddy. I notice a styrofoam clamshell box on his desk. Hmmm.

  • Me: Whats in the box?
  • Him: Thompson Contender
  • Me: What caliber?
  • Him: .45 Colt / .410
  • Me: Ugh. Whaddya want for it?
  • Him: $150
  • Me: Uh..Ill be back in a few minutes. I gotta swing by an ATM.

And thats how that happened.

I actually already have two Contenders and a handful of barrels. My favorite is a 21″ .30-30 carbine sitting in a Choate stock. With open sights it weighs just under five pounds. A wonderful lightweight carbine for running through the timber.

And for a hundred and fifty bucks….why not? I think the .45/.410 barrel is useless, so I’ll dump it on eBay and get $150 for it which will make the frame and furniture a freebie.

I like the Contender as a test platform for my reloads. As a break open single shot it eliminates a lot of variables and makes an excellent test platform. Does it have any survivalist-centric special uses? I suppose someone will think that the interchangeable nature of the barrels gives some sort of advantage but….no. Why wouldnt you just have a .22 rifle, a .30 bolt gun, maybe a .223 of some kind, in full-size repeating guns? About the only advantage I can see is that if you live in some environ that limits the number of firearms you can own, it might be useful. But, really, its just a fun gun to play with various calibers.

Sure, I’ll slap the 14″ .44 barrel on it and go knock down Bambi. But in a world where knocking down an animal means the difference between full bellies and starvation? I’ll use the gun that gives me the most advantage and thats probably gonna be a .308 of some kind.

But for a hundred and fifty bucks….why not add a little range toy to the collection? Especially if I can get it to pay for itself by unloading that .45/.410 barrel.