Posted on 06/06/2011 1:08:04 PM PDT by Scythian
I finally broke down and purchased my first gun for home protection.
It's the Mossberg 500 12 gauge. It has a short barrel and is great for in the home use. It even comes with a pistol grip but I wont attach that unless it everything goes all "beyond thunderdome" on us.
Going to take my wife out and make sure she knows how to handle it. I felt a shotgun was better and safer for an in home protection mechanism in our case. Heck, just the pump-action noise is enough to send someone packing.
Anyway, in for a penny in for a pound. I set aside money for 3 purchases of different firearms. I feel safer knowing we have it, just hope to never do anything with it.
One wet and windy night out here in the swamp I was having problems with my long wire shortwave antenna. I used a spotlight, looked out the door and saw a tree limb hitting the wire.
I pulled out the Mossberg with the pistol grip, opened the door and cut loose on the branch. My wet left hand slipped off the wet forend and that 20" barrel came up and back and nailed me right on the forehead, hard!
Good choice!
Mossbergs and 870 rems. are very reliable firearms,as duck hunters will attest.
Find a nra instructor for shotguns and take a short course.
I got the same shotgun - I am 5’3 and weigh 120 lbs and it is not too much gun for me.
In fact, I had to “dispatch” a couple of aggressive roosters and it worked just fine.
Find a course in home defense shotgun.
I’ve used pistol grip shotguns, they are of very limited use. Very hard to aim. If you need to place a round (or load of shot) precicely, fire from the shoulder, using the sights. You can get aftermarket ghost ring sights, I think. If the bad guy is three feet from a loved one, you don’t want to fire from the hip.
Many people’s first shot with a shorty pistol grip shotgun is that the thing recoils into their belly, knocking the wind out of them. Movies make it look easy, but that’s fake!
After about 5 shots with the Mossberg 500 w/ pistol grip, you will not want to shoot stockless anymore. Shoulder-less recoil is pretty nasty.
I would highly recommend that you consider purchasing a Knox recoil reducing Special Ops stock for about $100. It will make your Mossberg 500 a lot more practical for home defense and game shooting (and a lot more fun for your wife to shoot!). Only one allen screw to swap out.
Sorry, but I pictured that barrel cracking you in the head and had to laugh, sorry ;(
I think the pistol grip frankly would be too much, would probably break my wife’s hand, but great for testosterone ...
And guys, thanks fot the tips on youtube videos on the Mossberg 500 and to get the low recoil cartridges for my wife to get used to it, I hate for her to shoot it once and be terrified of it.
I grew up around my fathers Model 97. The slide action on that thing was so tight, I figured it never had that many rounds fired through. The racking noise was so loud you could hear every action, ejection port opening, loading bail, hammer cocking. Once your familiar with the sound of a 97 rack--it stays with you, unless it's worn, I've seen actions on 97's "fall open".
Shoot it many times - everyone in the family who might ever pick it up should have fired enough to be comfortable and not cringe in anticipation of that kick. The NRA Basic Shotgun course is good, if you can afford it. If not, any nearby trap/skeet/shotgun club is a good place to get help and pointers. Also, think about how to load it, and there are as many answers to that as there are regulars on FR. I like the idea of something that won’t go through too many layers of drywall or at least won’t have much energy left if it does (no, I’m not worried about the house, just about family members on the other side of a wall), and my opinion is that other than slugs it doesn’t matter what your load is within five yards, and I don’t expect to use my shotgun farther away than that. I like anything from 00 buckshot to #7 birdshot, and I don’t think it matters indoors, except that the smaller shot won’t do nearly as much damage after the second layer of drywall. Also, some people recommend a mixed load. I disagree unless you have a whole lot of training. You should know what’s coming out, and you’ll lose track if you really need to shoot more than once.
I have all the guns I need, but all the guns I want.
That way you can blast em up close, then further out and a couple of rounds that will go thru the car they are driving.
I had a Remington 1022, those things are practically indestructible. Hundreds of rounds through that if not thousands. I’d go out with a couple boxes of 50 rounds shot each time out and destroyed my recycled Coke cans the fun way.
I have a Remington 870 magnum marine which I’ve owned for 15+ years and will never part with it.
My Beretta 92D I sold when I lived in Virginia due to them not having a reciprocal concealed carry deal with Pennsylvania. I didn’t want to go through their licensing procedure and frankly should have bought a handgun that was single/double action instead of double only.
I agree with the opinions given. Shotgun, handgun, rifle. Those are the trinity of personal survivability. Notice I didn’t say self-defense. The crap hits the fan you don’t want to wish you had spent $1,000 to protect you, your home, your family and possibly country. Remember New Orleans after Katrina, remember the LA riots, remember that in the case of blizzards, tornados, hurricanes etc. you’re on your own.
This isn’t a gun nut saying this, I’m anything but. My family thinks I’m crazy for believing these things but hey, they have insurance and I do too. I can’t be reimbursed for my life.
It was just as you described. I learned to shoot straight the first shot, my brother learned to walk rounds over.
And when my 10 year old shot the 22 for the first time last month, when she learned she could shoot a lot of shots quickly, she asked for the 30 round magazine.
But I went for the semi-auto anyways, mostly because I wanted the semi-auto and I found the Ruger 10/22 cheaper than the bolt-actions that seemed comparable.
Now I just need to teach my girls a little self-control...
I’m considering buying the pieces and assembling a Saiga 12 gauge. I want to do this before it’s outright illegal, thanks to the BATFE. Any suggestions in that regard?
And if anyone HAS one for sale, or parts for sale, and is willing to work with someone on a tight budget, let me know. If you’re in my area I’ll even do odd jobs to help supplement the cash payment to make it a worthwhile arrangement. That is one of the two weapons I REALLY want, just because I want them.
No clue on this one. I’d suggest a gun show if there are any in your area. You can usually find anything, or at least find solid leads, at these events.
If you discharge that Mossberg inside your home, you will sustain hearing damage. This is why I opted for the Beretta 92fs pistol for that purpose. To each his own I suppose.
One other suggestion...(as if you'd asked)...spend some dough on a home security system if you don't have one. Best to have a tactical advantage as soon as the bad guy enters your house at night rather than being surprised when he is standing in your bedroom doorway.
Outstanding. Congratulations.
I'm sure you will get more advice than you can use on this thread. $:-)
There is a video on youtube of army testing of different calibers.
They tested the ability of calibers to penetrate standard home construction. The smaller calibers, 9mm and 5.56, all penetrated the home through brick and several layers of sheetrock.
Everything from .308 on up went completely through the building including furniture.
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