God Bless America!
Posted on 09/15/2008 10:58:51 AM PDT by Kevmo
The Washington Post article is already being commented upon here in Free Republic.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/12/AR2008091202414
The purpose of this thread is to help Freepers and lurkers decide upon what the best mode of self defense would be in the case of the breakdown in social order such as happened with the Rodney King riots.
Joe Brower owns one of the RKBA (Right to Keep and Bear Arms) ping lists. I tried to convince him to open this vanity because he and his friends are more knowledgeable about guns. He says, "there have already been threads on the subject you mention right here on FR, although I can't locate them now. Tell you what -- you start the thread and then ping me, and I'll then flag my RKBA list for comments. I'm sure some folks in that group would be able to provide links, as well as plenty of timely advice. "
This scenario is called the SHTF scenario, where the acronym stands for $#|+ Hits The Fan. So this will be the SHTF gun thread for November 2008... Of course, gun ownership isn't for everyone. But it is the most accessible safety measure under our constitution, which is as our founding fathers intended. Recall where the police were when the Rodney King riots started: they left the scene for their own safety. If that were to happen in your neighborhood, what is your plan?
Then how important is “stopping power” in the SHTF scenario? Just having a gun makes the scumbags move along to the next target, for the most part, right? If “stopping power” isn’t that important on the list of real issues, then economics is even more important. For the price of the “stopping power” weapon I can get 2 smaller rifles and more ammo. It’s something to consider. Thanks for your post.
Kevmo noted that he has two young kids. In his case, the wife would have the full time job of getting the kids under cover and keeping them there.
Two SKS, two thousand rounds of ammo and a Mossberg 500. Should put you back around a grand.
We’re in 94089.
Your are the first one in this string to get the total package right. A 12 gauge shotgun, preferably a pump, is the obvious choice for home defense. I have both the Mossberg 500 and a couple of Remington 870’s and either a good. The only tidbit I would offer on pumps would be to buy an older used model if possible because one can hold the trigger and work the action for rapid firing without releasing the trigger. With, the newer pumps one must release the trigger after each shot. Gets a little klutzy sometime. On the pistol, the 38 special is a great handgun. I would suggest a revolver because of simplicity when firing and reliability. If there should be inexperienced folks within the perimeter being protected, this is critical as semi's are complex pieces of machinery and will malfunction unless all the variables are just right. Lastly, availability of ammo could possibly become and issue; thus the choices of the 12 gauge and 38 special is good because these two very common. The only adder I would suggest if purchasing a new revolver would be to purchase a 375 magnum as also fire 38 special rounds.
God Bless America!
1. Situational awareness. You know your neighborhood better than anyone on these boards.
2. Take a gun safety class if you are going to get a firearm. Know how to use and not use a firearms.
3. Trigger locks are bad. Guns are always loaded (period), and you have to mess with the trigger to put on a trigger lock. I recommend a gun cabinent with a locked door before a trigger lock, along with solid teaching for your kids.
4. Stopping power. If you shoot me with a .22 while I have an adrenalin rush, I'm going to be mad more than anything else. If you shoot me with a 12 gage shotgun, you will stop me.
5. Get what is best for you. The best way to find out is to shoot firearms until you find the right one for you. That's different for each person.
Hey! What about my post #29??
;^)
“Watts still hasn’t been rebuilt.”
*snicker*
A gun is not a magic wand. Just having it is not going to make the bad guy move on. To be effective, the bad guy must look at you and have total certainty that you WILL blow him away if he doesn't run away quickly. Mental attitude is key.
If price is an issue, an SKS rifle is fairly cheap (I saw them for under $200 at a gun show three months ago), 7.62x39 ammo is fairly cheap ($127 for a 500 round case), and is a demonstrated man-stopper.
I have considered self defense before. I just never bothered posting about it.
I qualified for open-carry more than 25 years ago with a beautiful Colt Python. But my wife is nervous about guns. There are likely to be thousands of others in a similar position. My wife makes a reasonably good point when she suggests that our kids are more likely to die from a gun accident than a home invasion. (I have pointed out that more kids die from pool accidents than gun accidents, but it gets trumped by the “we don’t have a pool” thing, hah hah).
At any rate, the discussion opens up with a fear-vs-fear dynamic when the SHTF scenario comes up, and this is likely to be the case in many households. So, right now, there are thousands of households having a similar discussion. They might even come to this thread to get some wisdom.
Thanks. I’ll check it out.
From what I read for the Mini-14 the best non-Ruger items are made by Promag.
I just don’t get a warm, fuzzy feeling from a five round clip. I have multiple 30 rounders for my carbines.
Is there such a thing as snakeshot loads for a rifle? Would it ruin the rifling?
Befriend your local Korean grocer. :-)
Dude, get a 12 ga pump shotgun and about 50 OO buckshot shells. You can get one at a pawn shop for next to nothing.
If you don’t have to use it for self defense, buy some #8 shot and go dove hunting.
A 22 is fun to shoot but a terrible gun for urban area (high velocity rounds go a long way) and for self defense (no stopping power). A 12 ga is safe, effective and easy to shoot. Plus, it scares the crap out of any would be bad guy.
Ooops and I meant Mini-14 not m14.
I know a guy who has about 2000 rounds of .308 - but they’re belted!
He has a hellacious HK-91. Funny thing about that gun is it’s heaviest towards the front of the barrel, not in the backside. Probably made that way to keep it from rising up on ya. Sniper style.
I agree guns are always loaded, and children raised around loaded guns don't have any problems. A good butt-busting will teach them, or let them kill a bird to learn.
And if you don't like semi-automatic shotguns ... then an old 12 gauge double-barrel side-by-side that you can pull both triggers at the same time .... is always fun.
I think there may be riots when the Obamamessiah loses, but it will be contained to the ghettos in which some of his more ardent supporters live. I don’t see the riots spilling out to my neck of the woods, thats for sure. If they come into my neighborhood, they better be packing heavy. That’s all I can say.
As for your choice of a .22 rifle for plinking. That’s a good idea. .22 ammo is very cheap to buy even today with rising ammo prices. If you want a recommendation of a good .22 to get for target practice and plinking may I suggest a Ruger 10/22. These are excellent rifles and can be gotten for under $200.
If you are really concerned about possible riots in your neck of the woods, you’ll need something with a little more power than a .22. However, you will be going up the expense ladder dramatically. I personally would not recommend an AK-47. I’m not impressed with them even though it would probably be the cheapest semi auto high powered rifle you could buy. Go for an M-16 knockoff. There’s a bunch out there and most of them are pretty good. Gene Stoner was a brilliant man.
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