It's really starting the "shove" in "push and shove".
Posted on 11/24/2012 9:15:29 AM PST by aimhigh
It's really starting the "shove" in "push and shove".
#4s are sort of transitional between “bird” and “buck” shot.
Sometimes called “Goose” or “Fox” shot, it is what Masadd Ayoob reccomends for home defense.
I highly recommend his excellent book “In the Gravest Extreme”.
Inside of home defense ranges, that column of shot isn’t going to spread much more than the size of a fist; that’s a tight, potent swarm of hot lead, and energy transfer is significant. Unless the perp is wearing a vest, penetration should be adequate without overpenetrating, as even 00 is apt to do. Go shoot some pumpkins with it at close range. Wear a raincoat.
It looks better in court too; “I only had duck shot in my shotgun in case a fox got after the chickens / cat etc., but it’s all I had when the guy kicked the door in...”
Of course you never intended to shoot anybody... never crossed your mind, right?
Even in a righteous shoot, lawyers will raise hob with you if you take an AK or AR to some poor misunderstood Trayvon who wandered through your door some night. The “hunting” or “fox” shotgun resorted to in an emergency always looks better to a jury.
When I was in the NH State Police we were issued the S&W Model 66 - one sweet revolver. I was one of the last Troopers to carry a wheel gun.
The .357 is about the killingest pistol round out there despite being about 80 years old. Practice with .38s and stoke it with 125 gr. hollow points for serious business.
If you have to fight for your life with it, you’ll never notice the kick.
A lot to be said for the old wheel gun for reliability.
You shouldn’t be getting into a fire fight inside your crib where you’ll need to swap out a magazine - 3 or 4 rounds should settle it unless the Chinese bloody Army is coming after you.
Statistically you probably won’t have to pop a cap at all; most gremlins when they encounter an armed victim hear their Mammy callin’ and seek employment elsewhere - in a hurry!
Main use for handgun in HD is concealability - can hide it in a bathrobe pocket etc. while answering the door, letting the dog in, getting the mail or checking out things that go bump in the night without freaking everybody out. It’s harder for a perp to take it away if he sneaks up or charges and closes on you, but you still need to learn weapons retention techniques. Gunfights do go hand to hand sometimes, and it gets ugly.
Oh, 16s are SWEET! I love ‘em, even though they are more popular in Europe than they are here.
Until I got a 12 bore Ithica pump I kept a double barreled German Heinel outside hammer “coach gun” leaning in the corner and didn’t feel at all underprotected.
You could probably handle a 12 all right, but a lot of the ladies are shy of ‘em and a 16 or 20 will get the job done just fine with less recoil.
George, You very succinctly expanded on my own advice to the lady without being preachy. You must have a great mind as it parallels mine, at least where firearms are concerned. I haave carried a handgun nearly every day of my adult life, 50 years more or less, and while my prefered serious business pistol is a 1911, I have a battery of revolvers that have their place. I have used a handgun for self defense twice and have yet to expend any ammo.
Too often people, gun experts in particular, loose sight of practicality for other people when making recommendations. Your points on self defense are spot on. When frightened and fighting for your life one does not need to be trying to relearn how to pull the slide to the rear or how to work the safety or change magazines. In over 50 years,
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