Well, here we are, knocking on the door of Christmas. I can tell, my Visa card is getting warm. One thing about the gunfighter or aspiring gunfighter in your life, they can be very hard to shop for. It’s a lot like having a kid that is into Dungeons & Dragons. If you don’t walk in that world, you probably have no idea what is cool and what is lame. Not to worry ladies and gents, Uncle Clay is here with a rock solid, all-American, never fail, all go, no quit, sure fire, John Wayne approved shopping list. Grab your checkbooks, it’s about to get gangster.
The Spartan CQB Tool delivers combat-proven capabilities in a highly refined package.
Spartan Blades CQB Tool
It doesn’t come much more gunfighter-approved than knives made by Green Berets, actually used in the Special Forces Combative Program, forged within spitting distance of Fort Bragg. The only way the Spartan Blades CQB Tool could get more approved is if your order was hand sharpened by virgins from your respective Operational Theater. I know Mark and Curtis at Spartan Blades, they are great guys, and they take this knife stuff very seriously.
This example is a fantastic choice, and it fits equally well in assault gear or shoved IWB for concealed carry (provided you live in a fixed blade-legal location). The concept of this tool is to gain someone’s attention long enough to get your gun out. Purpose-built, by people that know what a Close Quarters fight looks like. MSRP: $160.
The Hideaway Knife is an affordably priced, compact and portable self-defense tool.
Hideaway Knife
The Hideaway Knife design actually came out first, by blade designer Front Sight. In principle, it is employed the same way as the Spartan Blades CQB tool. It is a last ditch weapon, and very useful for taking a goblin’s attention off of your gun. It’s what I actually had on my combat kit before the CQB tool came out.
It does also offer one slight advantage in employment as well. With a pistol in your hands, this one doesn’t change your firing grip at all, and you are less likely to accidentally stab yourself should you need to reload. The blade points forward, not down. It is also less than half the price of the CQB tool. MSRP: $79.
Desbians AIWB #4 Hardcore Reverse Cant
The Desbians AIWB holster allows you to comfortably carry a powerful defensive pistol all day.
I am generally not an appendix carry guy, but the Desbians AIWB #4 Hardcore Reverse Cant is what I use when I do. I have tried every other appendix carry option available, and I like this one best. It first came to my attention when I was teaching a low visibility course to some guys that ran a protection detail full time. They had also been to South Narc for instruction, and he introduced this holster to them.
It is a fantastic piece of gear, and hard as a coffin nail. I am not a small boy, nor do I have abs like a Calvin Klein model, and this is the only holster I have found that lets me appendix carry comfortably. The leather is thick and extremely sturdy, which also gives me the confidence to carry a Glock pointed directly at my twigs and berries. I don’t think Mrs. Off The Reservation would let me try this with a cheap, imitation, knock off. MSRP: Pricing from $140.
The Springfield Armory XDs 3.3 9mm is a pint-sized powerhouse ready for self-defense carry.
Springfield XDs in 9mm
I love my XDs in .45 ACP, and it’s not often I buy the same gun in multiple calibers. But with the XDs 3.3 9mm I would make an exception. I am not going to get deep in the weeds of the caliber debate, as I like .45 and 9mm at different times (my actual favorite round is .40, but that is a story for another day).
My point is an XDs in 9mm would be to save money on training. The cost difference between .45 and 9mm is a lot, and you always get a longer training day out of 9mm. I also don’t ever feel under-gunned with “just 9mm,” it’s probably going to be fine for my trip to 7/11. If I knew I was going to get in a fight, I would have brought a rifle. The XDs is my all-time favorite carry gun, and you can’t go wrong with any of its chamberings. To purchase on GunsAmerica.com. click this link: https://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.aspx?T=XDS%203.3%209mm.
The Crimson Trace Laserguard for the Springfield XDs pistol packs a lot of performance into a very small package.
Crimson XDs Trace Laserguard
I finally got one of the Crimson Trace XDs Laserguards a few months ago, and I love it. I have no idea why it took me this long to buy one, but I always want one for my carry piece now. I worry less when my gun is in the hands of my baby mama; this laser makes shooting easy. I never got around to buying tritium sights for my XDs, so low light is also no longer an issue. I will be doing an entire article on laser sights sometime in the near future, but for now let’s just say I am a fan.
The Laserguard design is so small you don’t notice it on the gun, but it actives instinctively. And nothing says “You fucked with the wrong Marine” quite like a red laser dot 2 milliseconds before you send a .45 HST into a deserving recipient’s heart. Today’s armed robbery thwarting brought to you by Federal Ammunition, Crimson Trace, and the number forty-five. MSRP: $229. To purchase on GunsAmerica.com, click this link: https://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.aspx?T=crimson%20trace%20xds.