This has been a labor of love!

I get in trouble all the time with my wife because she can never get me to hang a picture on the wall but I will spend hours meticulously looking over my gear and researching new stuff. I have convinced myself that I rely on my gear in too many critical situations to let mundane household chores get in the way and that the time spent on my gear is WAY more important than the time it would take to make her happy and hang those dang pictures. That argument loses momentum when she sees me shopping for new camera lenses or re-fletching my arrows for the ump-teenth time. It would take five minutes to hang the picture. The difference?

Fine-tuning my gear is a labor of love.

My most recent project involved building up a new form of “bear spray”. The story started when Luke Johnson at Lone Wolf Distributors contacted me about being on Lone Wolf’s new Hunter Pro Staff team. I jumped at the opportunity. I never really thought about my woods defense protection as an opportunity to get into another industry, but when Luke called I couldn’t believe I hadn’t made the connection before. Elk hunting in bear country can be nasty business. I know guys that carry spray, but I have always been reluctant to trust that my “bacon” will be saved by an over-sized can of Cheez Whiz. Tim Burnett tells a great story about being caught in a tree with bears all around that, had it been caught on film, would be EPIC on a hunting show! For me, woods defense means defending against bears. And defending against bears means more than just “point, pull the trigger, bang”.

So began the labor of love.

Luke and I spent hours on the phone designing my new bear defense rig. I went with the basic Glock 20SF to start because it can handle the heavy artillery. It is Glock’s 10mm on a large frame. I chose the 10mm (Glock 20) for one reason—the Greenland Sled Patrol uses them to stop polar bears. Proof enough for me (and I told you I am an overly thorough buffoon when it comes to research).

The slide, lower and magazine.

Luke’s first task was to put together the slide and barrel. We chose a 6″ barrel and slide to provide better accuracy at longer distances. I am going to try and get good groups out to 100 yards. We will see! The stainless barrel is simple—bead blasted stainless steel with a little polish. The logos engraved were used for obvious reasons.

This looks SWEET!

Luke did this one without me knowing. So much for the resale value!

This looks old school. I love it!

He also upgraded some of the guts and external parts. Luke put a 20-lb. recoil spring in it, but I may go to 22-lbs. depending on how the recoil feels after the REAL break-in period. He also tweaked the trigger a touch, and it has a nice break to it after a little travel. External stuff was more cosmetic—magazine catch, upgraded sights (Ameriglo Hackathorn) and engraving on the magazines.

Ballistics? The 40SUPER meets or exceeds even the best high-powered wheel guns traditionally used in bear-rich environments. Plus, I have more rounds in the magazine than most revolvers carry.

Double Tap Ammo is the way to go!

Ammo? Call Rhett or George at Double Tap Ammo and tell them I sent you. These guys are direct dealers and they specialize in rounds that are functional, but not as mainstream. Their 135 gr. Nosler JHPs and 200 gr. FMJs are my preferred 40SUPER rounds for predator hunting and defense.

As for that picture, I hung it up last weekend. That was an early Valentine’s Day gift. And I know she is going to sleep better while I hunt elk in bear country knowing Luke and Lone Wolf put a smokewagon in my hand that packs more than enough punch to repel a charging bear.

Next post? The range!

Until then…

Go Hard. Go Solo!