Where did the artichoke buy a drink? The salad bar!

I like things made with artichoke (the hearts on a veggie pizza, dips for chips and crackers, etc.), but I really like to just eat them simply roasted as the main feature.
Probably the simplest complex veggie to cook. Here's how I do it and it's perfect every time;

First, you gotta pick out that one best gorgeous artichoke. The thicker the stem, the bigger the "heart" inside the base, just above the stem. Wash it. Admire the purple. :D

Next, you're gonna need a sharp knife. A VERY sharp knife. Because these little suckers are hard to cut.
You're going to cut off the stem, just below the base, and cut off the top third because that part is inedible anyway.

See those little spikey tips of the petals? They're not necessary and kind of bothersome...go ahead and snip them off if you like. I do.

Get out your tin foil and rip off two pieces to make a double thick foil wrap.
Mix a little garlic and a pinch of crushed basil in your favorite olive oil and drizzle that all over, making sure it gets down inside the petal layers.

Wrap that 'choke up fairly tight and pop it in an oven preheated to about 425°F.

Set your timer for an hour and fifteen minutes (add another 20 minutes or so if your veggie is ginormous, or shave off 15 or so if it's really small).

When it's done, and cool enough to handle... unwrap it and plate it. gently pull the petals open and salt/pepper it if you like. This time, I didn't. The garlic was enough.

The petals practically fall away. The edible part is the pearly light color near the base.
You want to put the petal in your mouth and sort of suck that part off...using your teeth to scrape it. Your teeth and tongue will tell your were the tender part is.

Discard the "husk" of the petal. You can't eat that.

You might think, "oh my, that's a lot of work for just the ends of the petals." Well, not really. And there's a zillion of them. But here's the payoff... now it's getting good...
See that round pod that's sort of acorn-y in appearance with the purple-ish/pink-ish curled petal tips on top? THIS is the goal at the finish line.

Use a fork or spoon and lift that "cap" off. you'll see something that resembles cornsilk underneath.

You're gonna remove that stringy looking "silk". It's really easy. Everything is super soft.

Once you have it off, you've just uncovered the Mecca of Artichoke. The Pièce de résistance. The Indian Red of the Crayola box. THIS part is what's in those expensive little jars at the store, marinating in who-knows-what (preservatives and all). THIS is the artichoke heart. Congratulations.
Scoop that up and bon appétit.

New Spin on Bushing Wrench...LITERALLY.

Finally!! I have been waiting so long to share this nifty tool, it's been killing me! I'm a field tester for 1911UltraTool.com and the latest gadget is a helpful bushing wrench that is extremely handy for folks with limited finger strength or mobility. And it's just darn slick! They can be had at www.1911UltraTool.com! Enjoy the video!

Mag Test

Mags should freely fall when the mag release is depressed.
If you handle a firearm in the gun store and the mag release does not allow the magazine to fall clear, there is something wrong. If the store clerk tells you that's they way they work and you're supposed to grab the mag and yank it out yourself...they are lying.

Refresher on hammer positions

Why the quarter-cock notch in newer 1911s from some companies?
Who knows? I've still never found out.

Spring Compressor

Hey, kids! If you're like me, and you don't have the finger strength of a gorilla to squeeze those guide rod springs in order to clean or change them...try one of these!! Twenty bucks at 1911UltraTool.com and works exactly as the video shows! Give it a try! You won't be sorry...
Watch the video!

Tools (and other magic things)

What I learned from Tim (88E30M50 on the INGO board)...
EVERY Kimber Ultra should come with one of these gadgets.
Yes, indeedy.

 

 

Don Hume Mag Holder

Picked a used one up off the net, and didn't care for saddle brown (as usual)...

Grabbed my tools of destruction and proceeded to change it to black.
(In my opinion, a glimpse of saddle brown screams "holster/gun" where people see black and think nothing more than "cell phone/PDA/wallet/etc.)

When it arrived: 

Here's what  I used;

 

Took off the waxy topcoat and several layers of brown dye;

Dyed it with the Kiwi black leather dye and polished it with black polish;

D.I.Y. because I'm creative, but cheap.

I don't want to plunk $$ down on sights for the ATI, but I wanted something other than black on black. It just has that front blade (it's flat, no little recessed divot-like area).

I bought some glow-in-the-dark paint... It's made for fishing lures, so I know it will withstand elements... I bet that makes it hardy to stand up to cleanings, too.

Since the front sight I put paint on does not have that cut-out, I just put a bead of paint on the flat blade;

 This is what it looks like with the lights off;

 This is what I used;

The Grip Method I Use

I made a little video about the grip method I use that gets the best results on the target. If you don't use this method, and you're not happy with the results of your targets...give it a try! You never know. :)

Designer Targets!

Plus a mag full of Zombie Max (Hornady) through the Sig Sauer;

Ahhh....the "Zen" of Reloading

Ohhhmmmmm. Ohhhhmmmmm. Ohhhmmmmmmm.

It was a good morning.

A Matched Set

Remember a few years ago when I dyed a brown holster black?
(Click here for the entry)
Well... I found a Tagua dual mag holster in brown, and I wanted it in black, too (to match my holster).
So I did it again. :)

Mistaken Identity

Just so happens, I'm not the only one of my shootin' peeps who happens to own MidwayUSA's "Shooter Competition Bag".
It looks like this:

I decided I was gonna solve the potential problem of "mix ups", at least from my end.
None of the guys will get confused and pick up MY bag now.
First pink primers...now this;

Now, I know you're probably saying "Well, maybe the bags won't get mixed up... but what about the brass bag?"
Got that covered, too.

Creative MiniMe

Give her a pottery wheel and a kiln...
She'll make cool stuff.

1911 Extractors

The function of the extractor is to extract the case from the chamber, then provide a pivot point for the ejector to toss the case out of the ejection port.
There are external extractors and internal ones, too.
Here's how to tell the difference by a glance at the gun...
With a gun design incorporating an external extractor, such as my Kimber Ultra Carry II, you'll see the extractor immediately behind the ejection port;


With an internal extractor, the appearance of the slide is smooth from the ejection port all the way back, such as the Rock Island Armory:


The damage to brass is sometimes done by extractors. To ensure they do their job efficiently, you have to take care to not misuse them. It's possible to over stress them, causing them to lose tension and possibly breaking the hook in the process. One way that happens is when people manually drop a round in the chamber and then let the slide slam full battery (shut) on that round. This forces the extractor to pop over the case rim instead of the way it was designed to function. The intention is for the case rim to slide up under the extractor's hook, which would not force the extractor to bend awkwardly backward.
Always let the firearm perform the intended function...stripping off the round from the magazine and feeding it into the chamber. Forcing the extractor to *pop* over the case rim is hard on the mechanism...and your 1911 will thank you not to do it.
Shoot safely!

Firing Pin Block

What is the purpose of a firing pin block?
It's to prevent the firing pin from striking the primer if the firearm was ever dropped.
Employing a firing pin block means that even if your gun is loaded and all the safeties are OFF, dropping the firearm will not cause an accidental discharge.

What are the kinds of blocks?
Colt's original design is just called a firing pin block. It is disengaged from pulling the trigger as shown:

In a clone, such as Kimber, Sig, etc., the firing pin's block is called the "Schwartz Safety" and is affected by engaging the grip safety as shown here in a Series II illustration:

"Series 80" and "Series II" mean the same thing; firing pin block.
"Series 70" and "Pre-series II" mean the same thing; NO firing pin block.
How can you tell the difference if that isn't stamped on the gun?

If the name doesn't denote that it's a series 80 (Kimber's II) or a series 70 (Kimber's pre-series II), you can tell by locking the slide back and looking up underneath.
Here's my Kimber Ultra Carry II... Note that in the grooves on the RIGHT side, there's a round plunger. This is indicative of the firing pin block.

Here's my Rock Island Armory, a copy of Colt's series 70...note the lack of that circular plunger in the right side groove - No firing pin block.

Proper Handgun Fit

One of the best ways to ensure good hits on your target is to have a gun that fits your hand properly.
Improper fit leads to a poor grip form and style and that's one sure way to miss what you're aiming at a majority of the time.

Here is how to "try on" guns when you go shopping.

Before you pick up a gun, determine where the center of the web of your hand is...
That's the fleshy part between your index finger and thumb.
The point where it recesses the most when pushed, is the center of the web.

When forming your hand into the shape as if you were holding the gun, imagine a line drawn from that point down your palm..
that is going to be exactly where you want the backstrap to fit.


With the gun in your hand and WITHOUT scootching, wiggling, or otherwise adjusting your grip, you want to be able to reach the thumb safety (if there is one)...

And the magazine release...


Hitting the mag release with your firing hand is important for a couple of different reasons.
First, it's a good idea to have the magazine dropping out of the way while your support hand is on the way up to insert a loaded mag.
Also, if you have to change your grip at all, you will not have a proper grip and your aim/hit will suffer.
Wiggling your shooting hand around to the left (even a millimeter) will cause your follow up shots to pull to the right (as your hand twists to compensate for the new direction your index finger will pull). No matter how slight you think the difference is with gun in hand, the results will show widely on your target.
This happens if the gun is too large/wide for the shooter's hand.

This is one of the many reasons why the best way to purchase a gun for another person is to take them with you so they can "try it on".

There are ways that you can alter the grip to help the gun fit you better.
Some stocks (like Springfield's XDM, for example) have three different sized backstraps to change out.
On other guns (like the 1911 pictured above), you can change the grips to slimmer styles and also install an extended mag release.

Shoot safely.

Magazine Bumpers

I picked up a pack of five (Pachmayr) and came home eager to screw the bumpers onto some of my 1911 mags.
Then I realized, the mag floors weren't pre-drilled. BumperBummer.

Instead of possibly screwing it up (pun intended), I think I'll take some of Jay's sage advice and try some double-sided automotive tape first.

Happiness is...

~
A Bucketful of Brass...