Posted on 06/16/2013 5:25:57 PM PDT by marktwain
Mike asks:
Now that I am turning 40 and I have a toddler in the house I
am rethinking my Home Defense strategies and tactics. One of my biggest thoughts (in terms of money and time investment) is filing the requisite paperwork and getting suppressors for my HD guns. What are your thoughts? Also, what happens to my suppressor in the case of a DGU? What else should I consider?
In my opinion, if you live in a silencer-friendly state and you don’t have a can on your home defense gun, that should be your next purchase. Like, your very next purchase, even over ammunition . . .
Think about the standard home defense scenario for a second. You’re in an enclosed space, facing an unknown number of a-holes, and all you have on your side is stealth and surprise. Firing a gun, ANY gun, in that situation immediately makes the situation worse for the defenders.
First, you’re now deaf. Not permanently, but enough that it’s painful and disorienting. Try firing your gun sometime when you are on an open outdoor range, and notice how long it takes for your hearing to come back. Now imagine that there are a bunch of very helpful walls to bounce that sound right back into your ears instead of it dissipating into the air. Yeah, no bueno.
So now you’re deaf. Where are the bad guys? Perhaps you shot one of them, and maybe he’s down. Maybe he’s not, and he’s running off somewhere, leaking. Are they regrouping? Are there more? You can’t hear a damned thing, so all you have to go on is your eyesight. And in the stereotypical home defense scenario that we think about (it was a cold, dark night…) your eyesight alone isn’t really going to cut the mustard. You need to hear if they are still moving, where they are, etc. Which you can’t do now that you’re deaf.
Finally, you’ve also given away your location. They know exactly where you are, what you have, and how many rounds you’ve fired. The element of surprise has evaporated. On the one hand, this could be good enough to send them scurrying into the night. Or they could regroup and try to take you down. It depends on what their plan is, but being deaf, you have no idea what’s going on.
So yeah, a silencer sounds like a brilliant idea. Which is why I’m using my 300 AAC Blackout SBR as my bedside gun, the ability to fire it without killing my hearing. For now, that is. I have a 9mm silencer sitting in the local gun shop on the last couple weeks of waiting for the transfer to be approved. And once that comes back, it is going straight on my Sig Sauer Mk. 25 and replacing the rifle.
And this isn’t just me spouting another of my harebrained theories — Chris Costa agrees. And so does his beard.
As for what happens when you use a silenced gun in a home defense situation, that’s going to depend on your local officials. I can tell you exactly what’s going to happen to my gun if I ever need to use it, namely that SAPD is going to confiscate it and throw it in the locker with everything else. And if I’m lucky, I’ll see it again — even if it was ruled a justifiable homicide and no charges are brought. I’m still taking that ride downtown for manslaughter until they figure out what happened.
Even if I never see the gun again, I’d still be perfectly happy buying a new gun and silencer. Because to me, my life is worth more than the price of a new gun.
I have no experience with them. I could see where someone might want one, though.
Yes. I will take that moment and twist those little yellow fellows into my ears before I deafen everyone in the friggin house.
I've actually mashed the bang button inside an enclosed space. I still remember something like being hit on the bridge of the nose with a baseball bat.
I can screw up once. My mouth will be open, and I will be exhaling.
Never twice.
/johnny
Home invasion robberies are a different story in that the robbers knew people were home. The vast majority of these type robberies happen to victims that are unable to report the crime to the law. The ones that get reported in the news are typically mistakes made by the robbers. The robbers either had the wrong address or incorrectly believed the occupants would not tell the police.
A silencer might make sense when two people are defending a dwelling. One has an unsilenced gun to draw attention while the other uses the silenced weapon to pick off the bad guys.
I suppose the intrepid home guardian could keep handy with his guns some sort of noise protector plugs or earmuffs (aren’t there some which allow near normal hearing yet filter out sharp bursts as from guns?). They take what, 5 seconds to pop in or slip on?
And/or, cover your ceiling and walls with noise absorbent material. If kids scream and holler, which most kids do from time to time, it’s nice to avoid propagating the noise through the house more than necessary.
If you can get the silencers more power to ya of course. But unfortunately our Caesars have sometimes made it more trouble than it’s worth.
Ranking right after disposing of the threat for me was the safety issues and problems raised by one or more frightened, screaming child running around half asleep in the dark...one who forgot to get under the bed as you had trained him. (We are talking about CA at the time.)
Good idea, but until you can get one without paying out the wazoo and not end up in the Fed’s database, no thanks.
Wow, I was just thinking about that earlier today. There was a Discovering Florida (or something like that) show on today and they were taking their wife skeet shooting for the first time. They panned to a table full of the right gear to have and there was ear protection. I though, wow, you don’t have (or necessarily want) ear protection for home defense (how else to hear the bad guys) so what to do? Go to the range and practice in a noisy environment or, d’oh!, as this thread advises, get a suppressor!
Auditory exclusion is most likely going to come into play during a home defense encounter. So as to the need for a suppressor, although not a bad idea, is really going to be moot for a home defense type of engagement. Additionally, in the highly unlikely event that you will have to defend yourself with your weapon/suppressor; do you really want to risk losing your Class 3 items during the subsequent investigation and court proceedings?
Plastic water bottle? Oven mitt for a small handgun?
If we had any actual representatives, they’d pass the hearing protection act of 2013 and make all suppressors legal immediately. It’d be to save medical costs down the road and be able to lay off some BATFE minions.
Those are some interesting points at least worth thinking about.
Firing rifles has often hurt my ears when done without protection.
However, I noticed that, while hunting quail with two other men, a quail burst from cover. Three 12 ga shotguns went off at the same instant less than three feet apart from each other.
I noticed I did not hear the shots, nor did my ears hurt. Perhaps my mind was on the quail. It was tore up real bad.
FWIW - I disagree. I suppose if you want a can have at it -they make for a nicer day on the range and are very useful for varmint hunting.
However, they do not silence completely so stealth is rather pointless in a building. In a home defense scenario the deafening noise on the business end in an enclosed space can be a major advantage. As loud as it is on your end it is shockingly loud in front of the muzzle.
Assuming multiple intruders you give away an advantage. It’s so loud it’s almost incapacitating and with your adrenaline dump you will not notice. In a live shoot house it’s still incredibly loud with double hearing protection.
Tactical shooting is like the car lot - everyone has their own opinion and your mileage might vary. I have been carrying for 20 years in law enforcement and have been an instructor for over 15 years with multiple certifications and lots of schools and experience. Still miss the MP5SD I had issued for several years - fun to shoot and the suppressor is among the best.
You are better off investing the 300-1000 bucks for a can on an alarm, CCTV system, gate/fence, dog, and/or other security. Just my .02.
However, as someone with a few cans if you are trying to convince the wife this is prudent I am all in and a can is absolutely warranted.
That sounds implausible. With the exception of some integral suppressors, which vent off gasses early to keep the bullet subsonic, a silencer attached to the end of the barrel would (if anything) extend the effective barrel length slightly and add to bullet velocity. If you used subsonic ammo, that would reduce velocity and reduce penetration, and someone looking for a very quiet shot might use both the silencer and the subsonic ammo. [Note: math/physics answer not from personal experience, but I'm pretty sure it is correct.]
Even if I never see the gun again, I’d still be perfectly happy buying a new gun and silencer. Because to me, my life is worth more than the price of a new gun.
One of the gun guys on YouTube that the NSA watches me watch goes by the handle of "The Yankee Marshal". He likes Glock handguns because they work well, are relatively inexpensive and can be easily replaced. I see his point; the thought of a ported Kimber 1911 compact sitting in an evidence locker is distressing, but a Glock - not so much.
As for suppressors... unless the police witness your shootout, why tell them you used one? I'm sure that avoiding the federal paperwork on a "lost" NFA item alone is worth taking ten seconds to unscrew that can and place it out of sight.
Pillow works well. Usually pretty close to where you are in repose.
Ya well if the guy isn’t all that good, saying .....l.
Couple of thoughts here. The big bang certainly has a stunning effect on everyone, especially when it is not anticipated. Did you know that you cannot get car sick if you are driving? Why? because your body anticipates the movement. Same for the blast. Your body will anticipate it. Oh you will experience some stun, but nothing like the disorientation of those not expecting it. Throw in the fact that they are likely not familiar with your place and you have absolute chaos in their brains. If you can hold it together, you will no doubt be in charge.
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