...the hot muzzle of a pistol pressed against my starboard posterior.
It's a generations old family tradition to celebrate Independence Day by burning up several hundred rounds of various ammo types, from 22 LR to 45-70 and everything in between. This year's event wasn't as big as past years as I went alone. My father passed away some years ago, Uncle Sam has my sons off in other parts world and my wife had to work. I took along a couple of ARs, the Marlin 1895 in 45-70 and, of course, my recently acquired Sig P365.
No pistol has stirred up as much controversy as the P365 since the introduction of the first Glock. With the teething problems the diminutive Sig has had, it's no small wonder. It's the only pistol I took with me to the range as I wanted to give it a good workout to see how it holds up. So far, the little Sig has been trouble free during the 700 or so rounds I've put through it. I got an IWB kydex holster for it and was practicing drawing and firing it at a 10 inch steel plate at 25 yards (revealing that I need a lot of work on my trigger control). I ran several mags through the Sig, then re-holstered it.
Before we go any further, let me tell you about the holster. I ordered this particular IWB holster on the recommendation of a veteran police officer I've known all my life. It's well made, lightweight, holds the handguns securely and releases it cleanly. The one small detail I didn't like about it is that it's open at the muzzle. I prefer holsters that fold over the muzzle to help protect the muzzle from crapola. Being open bothered me without quite put a finger on why, but I figured I'd put it to use and give it a chance.
I slid the now quite warm Sig into the open ended holster worn at the 4 o'clock postion and- you guessed it- the hot muzzle branded my tender tucas. Painfully.
I jumped, yelped and got caught between mental gears where I had let go of the pistol upon reholstering and the need to draw it again to end the pain, complicated by my hopping and yelping while reciting the Four Rules of Safety over and over. The guys at the range found the whole affair highly entertaining, if not strange. My wife found the cheeky red brand cute.
Lessons Learned-
-You won't know how a piece of gear actually works until you get out and use it
-No more open muzzle holsters for me!
-Above all, I'm grateful I didn't learn these lessons while carrying appendix inside the waistband