Sorry...I sat this dance out myself, but if you need feedback on instructors, etc. in the area, my significant other might have some guidance in that direction.
BTW--remind me to avoid you out on 191....

Sherry, we're probably going to take the class from Freddy Haltom. He's a friend and very good instructor (and you probably know him).

You need to be avoiding me on 191 anyway, whether I'm armed or not! ;-)

Hey...guess what I'm working on AT THIS VERY MOMENT!? Bet you thought I'd forgotten...

Sounds like you're on the same decision tree as Jen and Beau.

I heard the other day that blind people are allowed to hunt in Texas. Is this true?

I heard the other day that blind people are allowed to hunt in Texas. Is this true?

Yes, but only blind animals. <rimshot>

OTOH, a lot of people in Texas hunt from blinds, so perhaps that's what you're referring to. another <rimshot>, albeit a bit more muted

I have no idea, actually. However, I do recall reading about a website that's connected to an interactive camera and rifle that allows people with impaired vision to control the rifle via their keyboard, shoot at a target and get feedback about their accuracy.

By the way, thanks for asking that question. One of my goals this year was to improve my Google ranking for "blind people hunting in Texas."

Bet you thought I'd forgotten...

“Hoped” is more like it.

It's all about your Google ranking, afterall.

Hmm, I wonder how blind people find whatever they shoot? ;-)

Uh-oh ... we may have an arms race under way ... if cyclists are going to start packing pistols, we pickup truck drivers of the obnoxious variety better leave our handguns at home and start packing rifles ...

As for hunting in Texas, blinds are the least of considerations in one's arsenal when nimrodding across the Lone Star State ... I swear, I thought I was a serious hunter when I used to hunt with my Dad (several years back, just after we'd made the switch from stone to iron projectile points) ... back in Pennsylvania, Virginia, etc.

Now, in Texas, I'm watching hunters drive by with more gear than your average Army division ...

My dad got me a little .22 Walther pistol; it's small and fits my small hands. Unfortunately, it has a tendency to jam if I use those pretty little copper bullets that look so nice going in.

"Um, hold on a minute Mr. Felon Robber. I have to carefully removed this wedged bullet where the soft copper tip caught -- see that right there? -- from the gun and then I'll try again to shoot you."

I was a little disappointed, and so was dad, that it does this, considering the price of it. However, it's nice and small. I could probably throw it at someone. That's something.

The Glock is a fine choice. And IMHO, there's no finer instructor than Freddy. And, ask him about Practical Pistol matches... you gotta practice if you're going to carry and if you gotta practice, why not have fun doing it? (Although you might have to add a 9mm to your collection because 9mm ammo is cheap.)

And by-the-way... there's no limit to the number of rounds you can legally carry in the gun in Texas. Texas, one and indivisible.

Be Safe!

Jeff, the hunters are better armed in Texas because we have Manly Deer, not those little yankee bambis you guys shot at. ;-) (Spoken as someone who's never fired a shot at a deer in his life.) If you only wing one of them bad boys, they'll track you down, kill you AND the horse you rode in on.

Julie, I've never before owned a pistol...just wheelguns. And I've got a little Colt .38 Special that's so inaccurate I'd be much better off throwing than shooting it!

Les, thanks for the affirmation...and the information. Is this a great state or what? ;-) I guess I'll have to check into joining the MSA. I guess it's the least I could do, considering that I maintain their website.

You're not buying American? Hmph. To make up for this, I'll be forced to go buy that Kahr P45 I've had my eye on the second my next commission check hits the bank account.

Besides, aren't you sitting down on that bike? I think a Winchester lever-action 30-30 carbine in a hand-tooled, frame-mounted saddle scabbard would be more...appropriate.

Scott, that Kahr is a good looking pistol; it also costs 50% more than the Glock, a not inconsequential factor in my case.

I like that saddle scabbard idea. A little hard to conceal, but we'd definitely get better bananas at the sag stops on the organized rides. ;-)

Wow! This has become a gun forum? Cool.
Kahr = sweet for carry. Notsomuch for shootin'
My PM9 is an excellent example of Newtonian physics (3rd law). P45? Yowzers! But, I'm a wimp.
Seriously though... the Kahrs are fine pieces.

I've also heard good things about the Springfield XD .40 cal. My FBI friend said that the Bureau's SWAT team carries modified Springfields (presumably as back-up weapons).

The OD model with mini-light is an amazing looking little firearm.

[But I'm not going to buy one because I hate websites that resize my browser window! Springfield, are you listening!?]

The XDs seem to be more popular than Glocks among pistol shooters at the MSA by 3 or 4 times. Some say the XD points more "naturally" than the Glock. But Freddie can offer better advice than I can. Get him to let you shoot both to see which feels better to you. (Just realize that Freddie's guns are much more accurate than most.)

Just get what I used to carry sometimes....in the dim past in foreign countries. What we used to call a Car-15. M-16 carbine, short stock, short barrel.

Sling it over your back on bike rides...right out in the open. It will discourage trouble. By the way, I have an old army friend who just retired from the FBI. He told me the same thing years ago about the .40 Cal.

Les, I've already decided on the Glock; I don't want to be confused by something like "actual experience" or "facts"! ;-)

As far as the accuracy of Freddy's guns, I've never owned a gun that wasn't far more accurate than I could shoot it (except for that stinkin' little Colt Trooper I alluded to in an earlier comment).

It will discourage trouble.

Heck, if I'm going to that trouble, I might as well find me a black-market gatling gun and mount it where it can be deployed while pedalling.

A little hard to conceal

Well, the way I look at that is that it stops trouble before it starts, much like Wallace. I also think it would look supremely cool, in a very New Millenium Mod-Tex fashion.

NB: That Springfield XD-45 is planned for the commission check after the next commission check. The Kahr is intended as a pure carry piece for my extra-legal p0kering. If they'd let me pack openly in those joints, I'd not bother with either (well, that's probably not true -- they're both real purty pistolas.)

Neat little gun, Eric!

If you haven't already, next time a gun show happens (presumably a near-daily occurence in Texas), visit a Glock dealer and compare the Glock 27 side by side with the slightly larger, though still very concealable Glock 23.

There isn't that much of a size difference between the two smaller pistols. Here's a hi-res shot of all three different pistol sizes, though in 9mm.

The main savings in size is due to the 27's short grip and that means there's less to hold on to when firing a cartridge that kicks harder than a 9mm. As Les mentioned earlier, see if you can "try before you buy".

Mr. Freen, your observations appear to be spot on. I just had a conversation with the concealed carry instructor and he had the same advice: the 27's grip is just too short for good control of a .40 caliber round. You can tack on a grip extension, but then it's the same size as the 23, but more trouble. I'll probably end up going with the 23 after all. Thanks.

Interesting. I like the Glock 26/27 because it fits my smaller hand. The recoil is my concern and I think it's why I prefer the Glock 26 (9mm). We've decided not to buy a new gun for me until I've shot the G27 again. If I like that then we'll share. For a while.

Jen, I'm thinking at some point we'll probably end up with a second pistol for my wife, and it will likely be a 9mm...for the same reasons you describe.

Am I like the only reader who hasn't shot/owned a gun lol?

Rachel, that's one of the things we aim (ha!) to fix when you're here in September. ;-)

Hey, Eric, tell Rachel we'll take you all sporting clay shooting when she gets here!

Glock is American. Manufactured in Georgia, and, like the Tick, nigh invulnerable. On the other hand, you could get a Smith and Wesson, which is... British. (Actually, I think they were bought out an AZ outfit recently, but I'm not sure.)