u/sploader

Great deal on a fantastic knife. I've had a Piet for years. Not just a good budget blade but a great knife in its own right. Still a regular in my carry rotation.

https://www.sportsmans.com/knives-tools/knives/crkt-piet-269-inch-folding-knife-black/p/1886781

I've spent a lot of time lately reorganizing my storage for my entire firearms hobby. Ammo, magazines, accessories, cleaning supplies, and the guns themselves. My 2027 resolution is to get a bigger safe for more long gun storage. This little 11-gun safe has been 5S'd to its max capacity while still housing spare mags...

I finally bought a Springfield Echelon. I've wanted one since they came out. Since they were on sale at Sportsman's Warehouse in May for $400, I felt like I had to jump on the deal. This one is a full-size 4.5" model. Since I rarely carry a compact or larger out in public, I've come to prefer the full-size versions. It's a little easier to be more accurate with a full-size. They just look right and feel great. The Echelon is no exception to this. It's a collection of weird shapes that serve an ergonomic and visual interest and look so much better in the larger form. It excites my tism and serves great in the role that I'd use it in. It looks great being carried in the backyard. It would be good in home defense if I ever needed to use it. It has been a pleasure to shoot at the range. The Echelon has been every bit as good as everyone says it is.

Today is going to be a wall to wall celebration of America, so I'm going to start it off right. Currently carrying one of my favorite American guns. The Smith & Wesson CSX. An absolute jewel of a tiny 2011. A celebration in and of itself of how far, great American, John Browning's design has come in the 129 years since he developed the Colt 1900. Thought about starting off with the Springfield Emissary, but I felt like something pocketable, for now.

Pairing that up with a, made in the USA, Cold Steel Republic. Thought about going with a Buck 119. Thought about going with a Ka-bar. A Gerber Strongarm? Maybe the Benchmade Bushcrafter would have been a better match for the CSX. Went with the Republic. Hopefully Lynn Thompson, another great American would be proud.

The rest of the day is going to be a tour de force of American celebration. Going for a sunny drive in the CJ-7. Watching the Greatest American Champion Joey Chestnut add to his legacy by annihilating an unfathomable amount of Nathan's hotdogs and buns. Hosting a BBQ. Watching the World Cup, hosted in America. Lighting a bunch of money on fire, at the request of my kids, in the form of fireworks. Taking my wife on a trip to pound town.

I'll switch up my carry setup as I go out and about on this great American holiday. Probably a Shield Plus or a Bodyguard 2.0 and a Hogue Mysto or a Buck 110. Haven't decided yet but it will be American made, whatever I go with.

A great day to be alive. Put our differences aside. Celebrate how lucky we are to be where we are and at the time we're living in!

I got this Hogue X5 yesterday. I had heard how good Hogues were but I never had any in my collection until recently. Based on how much I liked the Mysto and the Deka, I decided that I needed to have this tan X5. I knew it would be big since this is the 4" version, but this thing is way bigger in person than I thought it would be. I love how it looks with a continuous swoop from the tail of the handle to the tip of the blade. The stonewashed blade and Satin hardware contrast nice against the tan aluminum handle. It's a joy to flip and it's one of only a couple button lock knives in my collection. People complain about the finger contours on the handle but it fits my size hand fine. Just a well built, great looking, large knife.

I've been hesitant to post this, but I bought a Sig P320 Full Size. Yes, I'm aware that they may or may not fire on their own. No, I'm not worried about that happening. For that reason, I've been waiting for the P320 to finally come down in price. I've accumulated a few full size P320 mags over the years. When I bought my Compact years ago for $400, I didn't think I would ever see one that cheap again. This was on sale for $408, plus tax, plus a background check fee that was split with the 22TUC, making it $458 OTD.

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As for the gun itself, it's optics ready with tritium night sights. My Compact came with night sights but isn't cut for an optic. A definite upgrade if I feel like adding one later. Especially since I don't carry any of my Glock 19 and larger size guns as a CCW. I'm just not big enough of a human to hide a full-size against my body. I also don't buy loose enough fitting clothes to cover a full size. Another reason I don't care whether the P320 has a dangerous design flaw or not.

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The full-length rail is what sets this model apart. It makes it look like a total space gun. It's proportioned like a Colt 1900. The compact P320 looks stubby and fat, but the full-size looks right with its extra inch of length. I've always found the P320 to be strikingly ugly either way. Not ugly in the way that budget-friendly guns can be, but ugly in the sense that it draws you in. It's like Drew Barrymore, or the Hyundai Santa Fe, or Spyderco knives. It forces your brain to pick it apart until you subconsciously develop an attraction to it. Sig Sauer has always been great at ergonomics. I realize that is the reason why their handguns have always been objectively ugly.

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Hoping to get out to the range with this one today or tomorrow to see how it feels vs the compact. Then it will be entombed in the safe. Along with the other non-EDC guns that aren't also intended for home defense.

I got this Benchmade Seven Ten earlier this year. My job let us pick something off Amazon for up to $500 and I used my choice on a knife I'd never buy for myself. This is such a satisfying knife. I love the contrast of the tan blade and clip against the bright anodized aluminum handle scales. It's a relatively big knife that looks classier than its size or moe tactical recurve blade would suggest. It's long S90V blade is an absolute joy to flick open and closed. Since the classic Seven Ten was always one of my bucket list knives, I'm reluctant to cut much with it. It does get a lot of carry time and fidget time though.

I bought a Taurus 22 TUC because I lack impulse control. This gun scratches all the itches I get to just light money on fire. First off, it's weird. It's a Beretta Bobcat-based design that takes a lot of the things that make the Bobcat/Tomcat special and just throws them away. Polymer instead of a metal frame. DAO instead of a DA/SA action. Futuristic instead of classic looks. I don't care that it has a Taurus-level fit and finish. Or, Taurus' legendary lack of reliability. The 22 TUC is just flat-out cool. I doubt I'll carry it since it's a .22, but I'll put some rounds through it and maybe I'll feel different about putting it in my pocket regularly. I do love tiny guns and have accumulated quite a few at this point, so it will be difficult for the little Taurus to work its way into the rotation. The slide is tough to rack but that doesn't matter since the tip-up barrel is easy to load. It pops up so forcefully that it launched the snap cap i loaded into it clear across my garage. The grip is surprisingly full and ergonomic too. On sale for $200 at a local farm store, I got it for a great price. Even if it doesn't turn out to be a great gun.

I bought this Buck 893 Ground Combat recently. I had never seen these before and I think they might be discontinued by Buck. It is such an interesting looking fixed blade. It is an oddly shaped tanto with relief cuts on the back of the spine. Its made from 5160, so the contours on the spine may be there to aid in flexibility or improve rigidity. I don't know, but they look great. The micarta handle scales are layered in the a strange 2-dimensional pattern that look like contour lines on a map. The description says they're OD Green but they look tan in real life. The scales are surprisingly comfortable for how rough they look. It's also in the 5.5" blade length that I gravitate towards in fixed blade knives. The Ground Combat is such a bad ass knife.

What I'm not the biggest fan of is the sheath. It accomplishes the theme of military/combat use in that it looks like a bulky piece of surplus gear. It has a kydex body that is velcro strapped to a nylon chassis. The sheath is versatile in its mounting positions but good God is it huge. The Kydex area is also shaped for the drop point version of the Ground Combat, rather than the tanto, but has great retention. Part of what makes the 5-5.5" knives such a goldilocks size is how easy they are to carry. This knife would be near perfection with a slim Kydex or leather sheath. With its current setup, it might as well be a 7"+ sized fixed blade.

Where do you guys store your larger fixed blades? I have an antique desk with massively deep drawers in my garage that I keep fixed blade knives and some huge folders in. My wife was going to refinish the desk, once upon a time. It since had a computer placed on it and slowly became the "tactical toolbox." The drawers now hold gun cleaning supplies, holsters, ammo, and this drawer of knives.

I've been on a bit of an assisted opening knife kick lately. I recently picked up this Benchmade Barrage in blue richlite. Like a lot of the knives I've bought recently, this version of the Barrage was on sale at MidwayUSA. Benchmades are notoriously overpriced so I only buy one if its marked down to a "reasonable" price. At $180 plus tax, I felt pretty good about getting this one before the on sale stock sold through.

With its richlite scales that almost look like denim, tan accents, and stonewashed blade, this is a great looking knife. This version is more classy or formal than the more tactical looking versions of the Barrage. Staring at knives is a huge part of what I actually end up doing with the knives in my collection anyway.

It's a good size and comfortable to hold. Although I find assisted opening knives to be less fidgety, the Barrage fires open when the thumb stud is engaged, or when its flicked with the lock-bar pulled back. The safety is also in a good spot and easy to manipulate. Not loud, or flashy, or for some specific use case, but an overall fantastic knife. I love it.

I just got this Cold Steel SRK Compact and I absolutely love it. I think the 5-5.5" fixed blades have become one of my favorite types of knives. There's something about the way the knives that size handle and carry that make them feel just right. This SRK-C completes the set of Cold Steel knives in my collection that use the SRK handle. I have a Recon Tanto, an SRK, this SRK-C, and a Master Hunter. All the others are in classic Cold Steel Black handles with bright satin, San-Mai blades. I went with OD Green for the SRK-C since this knife is in 3V steel. I wanted the color to differentiate it from the others in the set. I thought the green would be like my Lynn Thompson Signature Kobun but it's a different shade of green. The handle of the SRK-C is also a little thinner than the normal SRK handle. Still very contoured and comfortable but definitely not like the others. I'm so happy to add another beautiful Cold Steel fixed blade to my collection.