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I dont know a thing about handguns but in picture #3 the top handgun looks like a replica from Clint Eastwood western flicks. Very nice
While it does look like an old west gun, it's actually new production. Manufactures still make "old west six shooter". They are used by Cowboy Action Shooters and collectors. One highly regarded manufacturer is "Cimarron Firearms", they make new production guns and make them look old. They do real nice work: Original Finish - Percussion That will be added to my collection shortly.
For "The Good, Bad, and the Ugly", "A Fistful of Dollars" and "For a few Dollars More", Clint used his own guns which he brought to the set. These guns were Colt 1851 Navy .36 caliber pistols which had been converted to cartridge from Cap and Ball. For "Outlaw Josey Wales", he used the same gun in a .45 caliber
Can someone post a good place to purchase a mossberg? I would love to pickup the tactical persuader mentioned. However, I have found that the nearby shops tend to be a bit more expensive than I would expect. Is it possible to pick one up for around $300? If not, what would be reasonable? I am in the steele creek area.
Can someone post a good place to purchase a mossberg? I would love to pickup the tactical persuader mentioned. However, I have found that the nearby shops tend to be a bit more expensive than I would expect. Is it possible to pick one up for around $300? If not, what would be reasonable? I am in the steele creek area.
Re all the shotgun fans...actually they're not that great for home defense at all. A handgun is far better. (I know, I know, all the shotgun fans are going to be up in arms but bear with me...I teach this stuff for a living).
1. The original poster wanted something his wife and he can use. I've seen big men flinch when firing shotguns and a lot who hate it so much they won't fire one. How many petite women are going to be comfortable firing a twelve guage? (yes, I know, you can all find a woman somewhere that you know who loves to fire hers...I'm talking highest probability here, not exceptions to the rule)
2. Moving through your house tactically with a shotgun is hard (SWAT team members have specialized techniques for moving round blind corners with a pump...I have yet to meet a civilian who's even aware of the technique) So a bad guy hides behind the corner and, as your shotgun barrel is the first thing coming past it provides him with the opportunity to grab it and then you're screwed.
3. Depending what you're using - and most of the pros use 00 - it has the penetration to go right through sheet rock. Have you figured out your arcs of fire or are you going to hit someone behind the bad guy when you pull the trigger? You have to be surgical in your shot placement when there is a risk of innocents around.
4. Now you've got your bad guy cornered and you've got to call law enforcement...good luck if your home alone holding a 12 guage in one hand and trying to dial the phone with the other
A hand gun is a far superior choice for home defense.
Buying only one for both of you is a bad tactical choice.
1. If there's a disparity in size between the both of you one gun will not fit all. Get one for you that you're comfortable shooting and get one for her.
2. So you grab "the" gun and go downstairs to engage the bad guy and he gets the drop on you. Now he's coming upstairs to get your wife...what's she going to use to defend herself with? You took the only gun downstairs and the bad guy now has it.
Back to the handgun...
Moving through the house tactically with a "short" is far easier than with a "long." Don't take my word for it...turn the lights out, grab a broom stick and try and sneak round without someone snatching it from you while hiding behind a wall. Now do the same thing with your cell phone in your hand held back indexed on your pectoral muscle and you'll have your question answered.
You can move with the pistol thus and use the other hand to hold a flashlight or phone...
Frangible rounds exist for pistols and are relatively cheap so penetration won't be an issue. As for hollow points not penetrating...in theory yes, in practice not so much. More often than not they can pick up clothing (leather and denim are the most common causes) which clog the hollow point turning it into hard ball which goes right through people (remember what I said about arcs of fire and surgical precision)
Pistols can be pointed at bad guys while you dial the phone with the other hand and are light enough to keep it pointed for the twenty minutes it will take for the cops to show up (actually in my neighborhood it was 46 min one evening after a drive by across the road!!!)
Renting the different guns before purchasing that one person said is a good idea, but practising at the range is only a small part of the necessary equation. Shooting at well lit pieces of paper that aren't shooting back is NOT training you to deal with people in your house in the dark trying to kill you. Once you're comfortable with the weapon now you have to purchase an airsoft equivalent and go to your house (the environment you'll be fighting in and learn the angles, what is cover and what is concealement, arcs of fire and then role play and try and engage your partner who should be playing the part of a bad guy and trying to "kill" you at the same time."
(nobody else in the world but people who think they know about guns think they're going to be able to engage in real world performance by practicing something as pathetic as shooting at paper targets at a firing range. Boxers spar real people trying to hit them back, SF (of which I was one) use simunitions and scenario training...so once again, range time has very little practical application once you've mastered the basics of the weapon.)
As for calibre (normally as intense a debate as religion and politics) whatever you do get, get the same for both of you. That way your ammo is interchangeable i.e. you can use the wife's and she can use yours. Cheaper to buy in bulk that way as well. Typically you'll want .45 or 9mm...both have been ensuring bad guys assume room temperature for years.
Continued thanks to everyone for their comments and suggestions.
I have some friends who are into guns and it seems that every one of them has a different theory on home protection.
I'm personally leaning toward getting toward getting one handgun for myself and another for my wife.
My only real concern with this is that I have two small children. So, keeping the weapons safe from them, and readily accessible in case they are needed seem to conflict. With small children in the house, I don't think I want to keep a loaded weapon laying around. Then again, If someone kicks down my door in the middle of the night, I don't want to have to fumble for keys, or try to remember a combination. Not sure what to do there.
I do like the idea of getting interchangable ammo though. I think a .45 might be a little too much for my small wife, so a 9mm might be the way to go.
Continued thanks to everyone for their comments and suggestions.
I have some friends who are into guns and it seems that every one of them has a different theory on home protection.
I'm personally leaning toward getting toward getting one handgun for myself and another for my wife.
My only real concern with this is that I have two small children. So, keeping the weapons safe from them, and readily accessible in case they are needed seem to conflict. With small children in the house, I don't think I want to keep a loaded weapon laying around. Then again, If someone kicks down my door in the middle of the night, I don't want to have to fumble for keys, or try to remember a combination. Not sure what to do there.
I do like the idea of getting interchangable ammo though. I think a .45 might be a little too much for my small wife, so a 9mm might be the way to go.
I would suggest a .40 caliber. The .45 can be a lot to handle and IMO a .40 hollow point will have less chance of pass through without being too much for an average woman to handle. Also, have you looked at the fingerprint safes? Still gives you the quick access without the liability of combos or keys. Of course, this makes them more expensive but IMO is every bit as important as the gun itself especially with kids.
Ninor,
I respect your opinions and what you said is very true. However I think for the most part most citizens if they heard someone in the home and they were in their bedroom for example, would not go clearing the house except if they had children in other rooms.
I have taught my wife to use my mossberg 590 with knoxx recoil reduction folding stock (makes a huge difference) and I told her if she hears someone downstairs, she hides in the bedroom and keeps it pointed at the door. If someone she doesn't know opens that door, pull the trigger. It should only take 1 shot. Don't go downstairs until you hear them leave.
Another big one for all people do discuss is how safe vs accessible they want to keep their firearms. In a safe? on the side table? Safety on? Safety off?
Works great...fits perfectly between the bed and night stand standing straight up for access.
Please, for the sake of not giving the anti-gunners more ammunition against those who'd like to have a few rights, lock your weapons up. Even if you don't have kids, there's always the possibility of someone else's kids being at your house (this is how I learned that I wasn't safe...no incident, but someone else's kids made their way to playing my master bedroom during a Christmas party...freaked me out). Forget about kids...think about theft. If you are burglarized while not at home, guess what one fo the first things they're going to take will be?
There are some great safes available (as others have mentioned)...talk to the local firearms dealer and tell him of your concerns. There's one model with a hand shaped print on top that's very easy to set up which can be bolted or chained to keep it safe and is easy to access/open without remembering combinations etc.
Re .40 cal ammo...some pros and cons...
Plus: It's the same ammo local law enforcement use which can save your butt in the legal aftermath...hard for the other side's attorney to claim you're some sort of blood thirsty maniac using some exotic ammo when all you have is what local LEO use.
Cons: The only ammo I'm aware of to cause problems with Glocks (my preferred choice for many reasons by the way) has been the .40. Gaston never designed that weapon for that calibre. Also, while a prolonged fire fight is highly unlikely in sleepy Charlotte it's never a bad idea to use the same ammo as the bad guys as you can also use theirs if necessary...and most of them here will be using 9mm. The SAS and others of their ilk have been dropping bad guys with 9mm for years and it's very easy recoil to handle for even small women. It's also available world wide (might not be a concern for you) unlike .40 which is virtually unique to US law enforcement.
Flexy - Regarding house clearing...I agree, even cops wait for SWAT teams nowadays to do that (unlike the old days) however there's so many scenarios that might cause someone to go investigate a noise (could be wild animals, pets, storms, kids up, etc) that they might want their weapon with them as a precaution. If it then turns bad, you haven't left the person upstairs unarmed. The wife in Mr Stevens situation, with a handgun, can still do what you suggest i.e. stay hunkered down and wait for the all clear.
If you do have kids I also suggest doing a drill sometime (schools do them and so does corporate America) as to what to do in the event of a fire or home invasion. Most people I run into never have. BIG mistake. Should the kids hide, run to the parents room, wait for parents to come to them etc? Depends a lot on the layout of the house but it's stuff that bears thinking about.
I've always been told by cops that the best home defense weapon is a shotgun. I think I would pee my pants if I were a crook looking down the barrel of a shotgun.
I've seen a lot of gunshot victims on the trauma service...unless you place that 9mm/.38 in exactly the right spot, you really are only gonna wing them. Forget the .22 or .25.
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