BAER BAER - Jeffersonian

APPLEGATE
Continued from page 67
on a 2-tone black-and-tan finish. For
the frame I chose a coyote tan Cerakote
ceramic finish. For the cylinder and
trigger group, I opted for a black Teflon
coating ofering both durable protection
and enhanced lubricity of the moving
parts. I left the gun — as well as a companion
Spyderco Sage 2 folding knife
— in Oliver’s capable hands and turned
my attention to the other requirements of
the project.
Get A Grip
Col. Applegate’s greatest contribution
to the field of close combat was his work
on handgun point shooting. The core
elements of his method were based on
an in-depth understanding of the physiological
effects of life-threatening stress,
most notably the loss of near-vision
acuity and the tendency to naturally
focus on the threat trying to kill you.
Although the Colonel was very traditional
in many ways, he also was amazingly
progressive when it came to useful
advances in gun technology — like laser
sights. Since lasers put the sight picture
on the target, where you will naturally
be focused under stress, they are an outstanding
tool for combative shooting.
Crimson Trace were very intrigued with
my project and were kind enough to
provide samples of all three styles of
J-frame LaserGrips they produce.
The Holster Platform
Next I turned my attention to the
carry platform for the Applegateinspired
Centennial, which proved to
be much more of a DIY project than the
gun itself. I remembered Col. Applegate
had mentioned “wearing out” several
of the original carry rigs because the
humid climate in Mexico quickly took
a toll on the leather. With that in mind, I
started with a BLACKHAWK! J-frame
SERPA holster. This popular injectionmolded
holster features the SERPA
retention system, which automatically
provides positive retention when the
gun is inserted.
Since no commercial platforms for
the Colonel’s style of carry are available,
I decided to “roll my own” by
heat-forming a panel of tan Kydex
around a rolled carpet. With a little
experimentation, I got the contour just
right so it would tuck tightly against
my pelvis when inserted under a belt.
To simplify the design and make donning
and doffing of the platform easier,
I skipped the traditional belt loops and
installed two “frogs” made from Chicago
screws and rubber washers. And,
while the Colonel’s original platform
carried extra ammo in classic cartridge
loops, I took a quantum leap forward
and molded a Kydex double speedloader
Leather holsters & belts
specializing in versatile,
comfortable field & concealment
holsters. We build holsters for
non-standard barrel lengths.
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928-227-0432
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72 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011