Guns

[littlejohn]

Please mind - the purpose of your gun is to kill.  It has no identity,it is a thing.  Presumably you have it in order to kill something, the something varies with tome place, and individual.  I learned to kill quail and doves with a shotgun, squirrels with a .22, all of which were prepared and eaten.  Don't like venison, skip   deer and bear shooting.  If someone scared me enough - coming into the house at night unannounced is a good way - I'll figure you mean me harm and I'll kiil you if I hit where I aim.  Or if I believe you mean me harm directly or in some cases indirectly.   I have considered the shot beforehand, you should as well.  It's like flying an airplane - have your plan and plan b in mind ahead of time.  Every instance will be different to a great degree, but the basica you should know.  And you should be reasonably accurate with whatever you're shooting.




 




 

[Ramseys]

1 hour ago, littlejohn said:




Please mind - the purpose of your gun is to kill.  <snip>- I'll figure you mean me harm and I'll kiil you if I hit where I aim.  Or if I believe you mean me harm directly or in some cases indirectly.  <snip>

I hope you never have to go to court. And you sure as hell don't want that said as a quote by you,  in court either.




"Yea I was planning on killing the guy"".




When I said, "Remember you are not trying to kill anyone." I didn't mean to shoot, 'just to wound'. But after 2 or 3 shots to 'center mass', (the chest) and he's still alive lying on the floor, you can't go up and 'finish him off'. If he has stopped being a threat... Stop shooting!




Save some ammo in case he's got a friend coming in behind him.

[HeartBeatOfTheBeast]

9 hours ago, heavyhorse said:




Option 2:  




Get a big well-muscled dog.

What about Option 3:




Have a NRA sticker on your front and side door even if you are not a member.




And in a interview with a professional thief he said that sometimes the smaller dogs are the more nosiest. The ones I call "yappers"

[heavyhorse]

We call them "Ankle biters".  Boots are a good defense.  




You don't have to build a fortress (fortresses can be breached anyway).  Unless you've somehow made a personal enemy who wants to hurt you specifically, most criminals are Stupid (stupid enough to lose body parts stealing copper from an electrical substation, and do it again a couple of weeks later) and LAZY.  It's too much work to actually work; they mostly just want their next high or another bottle.  Don't look like "low hanging fruit",  Anything you do to make it more risky or difficult at your place than the next place down the road will send them packing.  Locked gates and outbuildings.  Barking dogs. Security company signs.  Passive IR sensor lights, even crappy ones that turn on randomly from birds or wind.  Empty dog houses if you don't want a dog.  




Guns are a much-sought-after target for theft.  Lots of cars are broken into to steal guns, even police cars.  I personally wouldn't announce mine with a sticker.  No need to actually, in the U.S. these days it's pretty much understood that anyone, anywhere, may be armed; the response to a barking dog may be gunfire.  Light turns on, gunfire.  Even wearing or not wearing a mask...... 




 

[DingoJay]

 NRA stickers on your doors are an invitation to get broken into.  You are basically advertising that "Hey, there are guns here!"  The wanna-be thieves will watch your house and learn when there is nobody there.




 If you do decide you want to get a handgun, first take a class to learn how to safely handle and shoot firearms.  They are readily available in most places.  And for a first handgun, I always recommend a revolver over an auto-pistol.  There are a few less things to screw up for a beginner.  For example, there's an all-too-common tale of the gun newbie who made his auto pistol "safe" by merely removing the magazine.  Then a friend, kid, roommate, whatever or the gun owner him/herself picks up the gun and squeezes the trigger while messing with it.  Or drops it. BANG!  Oops... forgot there was a round in the chamber.  With a revolver, you empty the cylinder, it's empty.  Even so, always assume any gun is loaded and handle it accordingly.




 I got my first gun because my work occasionally took me to nasty parts of town, at night, by myself.  I'm not big and bad and now I'm too old to run fast, so I carry an extra tool in my kit.  Haven't yet had to pull it in 40-odd years and Lord help me never need to.  But it's there if things go sideways.




 Thing was, I found that target practice to be REALLY, REALLY FUN.  Add to that the fact that I'm a techno-geek who is fascinated by mechanical gadgets.  I somehow seem to have accumulated a large number of firearms of every description.  New and old.  I especially like the ones with unusual designs or features.  Anyone know of a Dardick Model 1500 pistol at a reasonable price? [img]<fileStore.core_Emoticons>/emoticons/biggrin.png[/img]/emoticons/[email protected] 2x" title=":D" width="20" />



 Oh, yeah.  All but one of the "small states" here in the Northeast US require some sort of permit to buy ammo, as do other states which are controlled by a Socialist regime.

[heavyhorse]

Good advice.  Although I personally don't favor revolvers esp for the first-timer.  Hold it wrong you can lose a finger.  Drop it it's likely enough to go off that the old-timers used to keep the hammer on an empty chamber.  All else being equal you get lower velocity with the same round.




There are some reasonably priced ($250 new) compact semi-autos that have a "dropped magazine safety"; they won't fire without the magazine in place, chambered  round or not.  Some have a red tab that pops up, others a window so you can clearly see the chambered round. 




And there's cheap crap.  Potmetal dixie-cup specials.  And oddly, they cost about the same $ as a decent one with safety features from a manufacturer with good reviews.  That's right-- reviews.  Google any make and model, new or used, and read other owners experiences.  4 1/2 out of 5 is a good place to start.  And be patient; most models are in short supply just now.  Get on a waiting list with email alerts.  Don't compromise because you're in a rush.




And of course, none of us can say it often enough: The most important safety feature is between your ears.  Don't be a moron.  Don't be passing it around showing it off.  Lock it up if you aren't a hermit (other people around).  Guns aren't toys.  Play with shop tools, play with yourself, play with your phone.  Or the dog..... 




But oh yeah, not while driving, please.  Autopilot or no..... 




 

[Ramseys]

[silverwolf1]

There's my baby...




sw

[HeartBeatOfTheBeast]

On 7/26/2020 at 9:53 AM, DingoJay said:




 NRA stickers on your doors are an invitation to get broken into

What about "We Call Police" stickers or "police society" decals?

[Ramseys]

The only signs I put up say, "50yds. 75yds, 100yds, 2ooyds."