Give me back my bullet!!

“Cops just knocked on my door again . Told me there was a home invasion in the apartment upstairs
Thats the second home invasion in that same apartment in less than a year!! Ive got a 12 ga but I think its time to invest in a handgun!! You antigun nuts can whine all you want but if you lived around here for awhile youd be singing a diferent toon!!! Cops said the two incedents wernt related but I think thats bull! Dumbasses keep showing all their buddies where they hide their drug money ,they got what they deserved if you ask me!! A 12ga enema might make em go the straight an narrow!”

“Screw the handgun, go for a 30-06 and shoot intruders through the door before they enter the house.”

“Don't let them rip that gun off.Learn how to use it.Good luck.”

“Shotguns while a good choice are big and thus kinda harder to hide. Heaven forbid if some crooks found it first hanging behind a door.

I would recommend get a pistola and one of those 'coded' lock boxes that you can firmly and securely mount someplace that is accessable and hidden.”

“nothin scares a sould more than the sound of a 12 ga chambering a round in the silence of the night.”

“Yeah I have a Remington 870 express pump one of those 3 inch mags will change their minds about entering apt uninvited!! I was thinking about just putting a pistol grip and a short barrel on it but I think Im just gonna go ahead and get a S&W 357mag like my dad has. It wont be the first time I shot a handgun but I b a bit rusty so practice is in order! A 30 aught 6 is powerful as heel but in a tight squeeze acuracy would leave something to be desired!”

“Ah, the 357--good choice, powerful enough to put a shot through an engine block yet small enough to handle at close range.”

“you could move


that being said, a shotgun is ur number one choice for home defence. With buckshoot, you don't have to be all that accurate

At the same time, a 357 or a 45 is small and effective. They make those coded lockboxes that will practicaly launch the gun into your hand. Keep that on your nite stand.

Also, they say, a revolver is a better gun to keep cocked and loaded, in contrast to a semi.”

“you could always move to a better neighborhood”

“and why is it that ppl always refer to someone raising an objection as "whining"? you should stop to think that maybe the other person has a valid point, not everyone who disagrees with you isnt out to take away all your god and constitution given rights”

“

That should give them the message.”

“I own a handgun and believe in common-sense gun control laws.”

“A shotgun really is the best home defense weapon, especially in your case. At least if you miss the intruder with a shotgun, you'd be less likely to kill somebody on the other side of the wall.”

“What does this have to do with backpacking?”

“What do YOU have to do with backpacking???”

“It's a Red Letter Day on TrailTalk. Tea's first thought was absolutely correct. Quit posing and blowing off testosterone, and Move before you get shot by one of your lowlife neighbors or their friends.”

“You can't keep a revolver cocked and locked. An auto can be, but it' not necessary in a home defense situation. I would still prefer an auto, 9mm to a revolver. I dopn't think a magnum is necessary - harder to controkl in a tight situation.

That being said, a 12 gha shotgun is still the best choice for ghome defence. Use buckshot that will be most effective at short range but will not kill an innocent person on the other side of a wall - which a 30-06 would do too.

Whatever you do, don't post a 'Insured by Smith and Wesson' style poster. They o nly inform people that there is a gun to steal inside.

That also being said, yiou are probably not at much risk of a home invasion. As you saidm, uit's the drug dealers, etc. that get raided.

Good luck.”

“What does this have to do with backpacking?

Gear security, of course!”

“What ever you do don't leave the gun loaded. That's just asking for trouble.”

“Load the clip and keep it close dude. Another good argument for the semi.”

“You might consider 9mm. Ammo is cheaper, so you get in more range time, making you a better shot. Placement over caliber!”

“Paranoia seems to run deep around these parts. Keep a weapon of some sort to blow away the sorry MF that tries to come into your house, but to keep a weapon under your pillow "hoping" someone will come around is definitely wacked.”

“I’d stick with the scatter gun. And use regular 7 ½ loads. Most shootings in the home occur within 12’ and this load is more than enough at that range. Plus you won’t end up shooting the neighbor’s kids due to over penetration. It also looks good in court when you use a hunting gun and hunting load to defend yourself. I know it sounds phucked up but if you use a more non hunting style of gun they can try to use this against you.”

“And if the scatter gun is too unwieldy in close confines, then what?”

“I own and believed in 9 mm until I saw a cop on some TV show saying he had used a 9 mm in a shooting incident, hit the suspect and the suspect didn't even feel it. So he stepped up to a .45 semi-auto. The only benefit of a 9 mm is concealability if small or using a larger mag that you load on Sunday and shoot all week, if you can still find one.

I will move up to at least a .40 cal. in the not too distant future.

Best advice for Streamweaver though is to move the hell out of that environment. Avoidance of conflict is far superior to getting involved in a gunfight, and the odds are infinitely better. Gunfight would be the absolute last resort.”

“"And if the scatter gun is too unwieldy in close confines, then what?"

Well, there is that. If you live in a refrigerator box go with the nine.”

“I practiced with both a 12 guage and a 9 mm semi auto at home. If I had time to react and get up out of bed (assuming a night-time break-in), obviously the 12 guage would be the weapon of choice. However, if I'm surprised in bed then I found that drawing the 9 and acquiring the target was much quicker than doing the same with the shotgun. So, I keep both by my bed.”

“They are hideously expensive, but for apartment living where the chance of penetration into someone else's living space is high, you might want to consider Glaser safety slugs. Not a perfect solution, but it would allow you to use a weapon better suited for tight spaces than a shotgun.

Be aware that Glasers have been known to not penetrate articles of clothing like thick leather jackets. They still transfer energy though, so just shoot the intruder a couple of times.

Or you can try for a head shot.”

“This might sound a little odd, but if I had to, I would get a 12 gauge and saw it off it legal. There's no beating the street sweeper. Now, I would load te first two shots outta the pipe with real light stuff. This way, you could stun the perp, no over penitration probs and you're still ready to take care of business if he keeps coming. I'd really hate to clean up a big mess and I firgure that if you can knock'em down a little, you give jail Bubba a new piece of ass.

I would be against going with the 9mm. Not enough knock down power all the way through the clip.”

“"nothin scares a sould more than the sound of a 12 ga chambering a round in the silence of the night."
Roam Around
11:42:48 PM
01/20/04

No #&%!$.

Problem with a .357 is that a miss is most likely to travel through the wall of the house/apt into the next one and kill the neighbor.

Although I like the stopping power of a 10mm/ .40/ .45 / .357, I think a better home defense choice is (A) shotgun (B) .38 revolver [a revolver is much easier to point and shoot under stress] or finally a 9mm [what you lack in stopping power, you make up in volume].

Thus, while you don't have the massive stopping power of a bigger bore, the chance of putting a round through your neighbors head is lessened considerably.

All, of course, IMHO.”

“I sleep with bear spray under my pillow. Only one accident so far. Since then, I sleep with at least boxers on.”

“At best, dealing with a home intruder at night is tricky business no matter how good a shot you are.

First, you are the one who is surprised, so reaction time is critical. Second, the intruder is wide awake while you are coming out of sleep, which puts you at a disadvantage.

And if you live with somebody (like a family or some other silly group of people), you need to make sure you're not shooting a spouse, significant other, or the kids, which cuts reaction time even more.

There is also the stress that comes in a gunfight. Believe or not, there is (or was) a book on firing weapons under stress of a gunfight.

Mutt hit one nail on the head about acquiring the target (military training?).

If anybody plans to use a firearm for home defense, you need to sit down beforehand and think it through from all the angles so you are prepared to act quickly, accurately, and forcefully. Once you have a loaded weapon in your hand, it's a huge responsibility. It is also stressful for those who have not been in that kind of situation before.

A training course in self defense would not be wasted time or money.

As for loaded vs. unloaded, if you have kids in the house, loaded is a disaster waiting for the time when a kid finds it. Unloaded cuts down reaction time if you need it. I'm not sure what the trade-off is. I live alone and mine is in a dresser drawer, so would not be available if there was a break-in. I don't expect a break-in where I live, so I feel comfortable with that. And if somebody did come busting through the door, I doubt there would be time to react if it was under my pillow, which would not be a place I would ever keep a firearm.

But if I felt there was a threat, it would be closer at hand and accessible.

Also, Mutt's comment about placing shots is to the point. Bad guys traditionally are not good shots. They aim in the general direction and shoot like hell, but without aiming. A head or chest shot would take them out in short order. But I'm moving up to a larger caliber than 9 mm.”

“Lots of interesting advice.

Ice Tea & Tilt, not everyone can afford to move every time there is some threat, but that is by far the best advice if the option is available. Of course if every other place within reach of where you work is just as bad moving is somewhat pointless.

Revolver vs auto, auto is easier to shoot when it is 'cocked and locked' but if you keep unloaded as other have suggested an auto is a poor choice.
Trying to work the slide under pressure as someone is breaking down the door you will have a high probability of a stovepipe jam and getting shot by the intruder who sees you with a gun in your hand and who has far less compunction about putting a bullet in you.

Under a load and fire scenario I would choose a revolver every time, but a fully loaded auto in a quick opening safe is a better option.

9mm is a poor choice of ammo, jacketed and pointed to feed well it will go through the intruder and the wall and your neighbor leaving the intruder bleeding but standing and able to shoot back, might as well use a .22 with low recoil and multiple shots for all the impact on the intruder.
357, 10mm, .45, or best yet 12ga which you already have to stop someone.

Home invasion is where an intruder come in when you are already home. How are you going to deal with walking in and finding the intruder already in residence and waiting for you (wrong address, thinks you have the drugs). Anything in the house is already in their hands, do you have or can you get a permit to carry ?

Lastly, and this is the first question you have to ask yourself, when do I make the descision to shoot and kill that person in front of me ? Police who get lots of training mess up on that one all the time, too late and you are the one shot, too soon and you just shot an innocent (well innocent for this incident) and now have to deal with the legal consequences which brings us full circle that it may be cheaper to move.”

“What about getting an attack feret? There low to the ground and I'll bet ya the perp wouldn't even expect it!”

“So far I have found one single bit of advice that you should take above all others…

“A training course in self defense would not be wasted time or money.”

When it comes to life and death shlt like this, go to a pro. If you end up killing someone by mistake the accuse, “My friends on the internet told me to do it this way.”, will help you very little.”

“WTF nigal. I think that might work better than the famous "twinkie defense".

;-)”

“Accord to most stats, B and E's happen when you ain't home, I think.

Invest in some better locks, re-enforce the door jams if need be, and get renter's insurance if you don't have it.”

“9mm is a poor choice of ammo, jacketed and pointed

Are you thinking of ball ammo? I'd get some quality hollow points. I hadn't heard they'd shoot through a person and two walls, so that's news to me, and something I'll have to re-consider.

One thing, though, is that if you're not a decent shot, don't rely on ANY handgun. Stopping power from a handgun round is largely a myth. With any caliber handgun, you need to hit vital organs.”

“I like that. or better yet - attack rats. Think of the terror at seeing aggressive albino rats with their pink eyes!”

““…the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

I know all you gun nuts like to ignore the preamble to this clause and read the second amendment as an individual right, but can you point to any clause in the Bill of Rights that guarantees a right to bear bullets?”

“I have a question. And please, do not read into this anything but for what the question asks for. I am not offering any opinions on the matter and therefore, you should not assume my position on it either. So, please be fair and stick to the point. How many of you have been in a situation where you either have needed a gun to get out of a mess, wished you had a gun to get out of the mess or used a gun to quell the situation? And this is for private citizens, not police officers, military personnel or anyone who has had to engage in this kind of exchange for law enforcment reasons or anything of that nature. Just curious.”

“"How many of you have been in a situation where you either have needed a gun to get out of a mess, wished you had a gun to get out of the mess or used a gun to quell the situation?"

Every time I click on one of Violin's retarded threads...”

“I have.”

“can you point to any clause in the Bill of Rights that guarantees a right to bear bullets?

It doesn't guarantee our right to bear knives, but that doesn't stop me from eating steak.

The constitution doesn't grant rights, it only recognizes them.”

“Opinions vary on the best round.

But in making a decision, understand the ballistics .”

“Treebeard, I can think of two times that I wished I had had a gun. Make that three. Fortunately, I've never had to use one in self-defense.”

“I was mugged at gun point. I only wish he didn't have a gun and that he wouldn't count the money before leaving.”

“And hey, if you go to all the trouble of keeping an attack ferret go the extra distance and train them to go for the genitals!

”

“Was held hostage in my house by a couple of Doberman attack dogs once. Would have been nice to have had a shotgun so I could have shot them and left the corpses on the owner's doorstep.”

“Hollow points do not feed well in a 9mm because it has a sharp ramp.

You will have to make that first shot count because you will have to clear the jam before you take the 2nd.

Not true about handgun stopping power, anything over 300 ft/lb/sec will take the average person completely off their feet.
9mm and .38 are a little under 200 ft/lbs. A person lying on the ground wonderering what the h3ll happened is unlikely to shoot back.”