Posted on 01/06/2013 9:42:01 PM PST by ru4liberty
This question pertains to a diminutive woman in her mid-60s. She has a .38 handgun but has been told by a few people (shooting range owner, RTC instructor's cousin, co-worker, etc.) that the best thing to have is a shotgun. They pretty much said that sometimes the only thing a perp needs is to hear the cocking of the shotgun and he'll flee the scene.
I wanted to tap into the expertise of those FReepers who are knowledgeable of such things so I can pass along the info. Also, her funds are limited (fixed income), so any recommendations that would keep her from having to spend too much and where would be the best place to buy it would be helpful.
LOL! You should have been with me this last week talking with a guy that makes AR-15’s for a living. Oh My!
I meant a rifle at that point. 16in
Agreed. Maybe add a set of Crimson Trace grips to that wheelgun and teach her to use the laser dot to aim. Very effective at indoor, home-defense distances.
As opposed to a maximum of 1/2 inch diameter bullet from a handgun. I like the odds of the shotgun pattern.
That's a good start. Adding another .38, or adding a shotgun should depend on her ability to handle it (whichever), and her preference.
Racking a shotgun just tells the bad guys where you are. It's a crock of BS that they would "take off running". If they are armed, they are more likely to start shooting in the direction of the sound.
A pump may intimidating and all when heard, but chambering a live round may not be nearly as smooth as cycling an empty action, especially under stress.
Not kidding. I am not small or weak, but was startled the first time I took my 870 pump out and failed to chamber the first round from not being forceful enough.
By no means a shotgun expert, but my humble suggestion for a lady not very familiar with handling one under stress might be a semiauto with only a simple bolt handle to cycle and then go for it.
To hell with warning sounds.............
I know. I have to educate people as to this all the time.
Inside home room-sized distances, most modern shotgun rounds haven’t even left the shot cup/buffer yet.
Most people here on FR clearly don’t actually shoot shotguns much. I do. I work on shotguns.
For someone who trains with them, shotguns are very fearsome weapons. For someone who doesn’t have the money to train with the weapon, a revolver is about as close as we can get to a firearm with a low-training-requirement for operation.
The advocates of semi-autos forget that some women (of ALL ages) lack the upper chest strength to rack the slides on some semi-autos. Oh, yes, and women? Don’t try chewing my buttocks on this issue. I’m relating my experience in helping lots of women choose a gun. I’ve seen women from 25 to 75 who can and can’t rack the slide on a semi-auto. I’ve seen some women who can handle a 1911 like it’s a toy. I’ve seen some women who have trouble pulling the DA trigger on a Smith revolver. I don’t try to force a gun onto a human. I find guns that work for the human requirements at hand.
What’s nice about a revolver? The user interface is simple. Pick it up, pull the trigger. Want another shot? Release the trigger and pull it again.
No external (or internal) safeties. five to seven rounds at hand in a simple, straightforward package that just sits there, waiting to be used.
Shotguns are fine if they’re semi-auto. This nonsense about “scaring people with the sound of a racking pump” is just stupid. Want to scare an intruder? Get a big dog. A German Shepard is the low end of the size I’d entertain. Our Kuvasz had a bark that would shake the house to it’s foundation. No one screwed around with that dog. I never had to do anything but hold him back.
But for older women on fixed income, a dog is a big expense. They have vet bills, food bills, they require walking in all types of weather, etc. They’re great companionship, but they’re expensive and they never quit being expensive.
A S&W Model 10 in .38 Special can be found from $250 on up, with holster wear and worn blueing - which won’t phase a homeowner in need of a quality, inexpensive home defense gun. Unlike new handguns in the $250 to $400 range, a S&W Model 10 is a quality piece, which can be repaired for basically forever. They work, they work well, and with minimal maintenance they will work forever.
Just leave it chambered. Point and shoot
Illustrative, and the truth is if you hit someone out side of 25’ you’re gonna be splainin yerself to the judge.
You can easily set-up a double fire but it is illegal. One pull two shots.
Is da bat named “Bella Louielagossi”?
Fine, but it’s a huge mistake to think you will “spray”, and that “aiming isn’t needed” and that “there’s no aiming so there’s no need to practice”.
You are correct.
And truth be told, if you fire 7 shots in the dark across our living room with a pistol, you’ll have that same 3 to 4 inch pattern of a shotgun. (if you are good at that moment)
So really, a shotgun across the room gives you the same basic accuracy potential someone with a pistol can achieve anyway.
I think that the small rimfire .22 mosquito is a good gun for those that want accuracy. It is easy to shoot and the sights are without question at 20ft. It is a Sig after all.
I have a Turkish shotgun like that LOL
Holy Cow!c It will let both barrels loose if the selector is not properly positioned.
Holy Cow!
Because, unlike the cerebral onanism of gun fetishists, not everyone goes around their house packing a long gun in one hand and going through life with only the open hand to do something.
A gun you have ALL THE TIME is worth a lot more than a gun you don’t. And no one other than someone wearing a sling is going to have a shotgun on them all the time.
Home invasions don’t happen at times convenient to the occupants of a house. People like the subject of the OP aren’t going to “live the tactical lifestyle.” She’s old(er) and she’s not about to start pie-ing the corners in her home, she’s not about to start waving a long arm around inside her dwelling. She’s an older lady. She wants something that is going to inconvenience her the least. If it’s inconvenient, it WILL be left in the bedroom. That’s the fact with the person in question.
This absurd idea that a shotgun is the “one size fits all” solution to home defense is some of the most specious nonsense in the gun community. Especially the idea that “you don’t have to aim.” The next is that the pump shotgun is the best. I have all manner of shotguns - and my choice if I’m using a shotgun for home defense would be a semi-auto. The semi-auto action soaks up a bunch of recoil and “it just works.” You don’t have to remember anything. Just take off the safety and start pulling the trigger.
The bastard is relentless at 30yds with practice. It is only practicable with hi-mag rounds.
Not going to read all the replies but give you my thoughts.
That, “Oooh, they’ll run when you rack the slide of a shotgun”, is a crock. What you’ve just done is tell the, likely armed, bad guy where you are.
Long guns are cumbersome and unwieldy in a house. A pistol grip 20 gauge is an idea but she still may not be able to shoot it.
To be effective at stopping a bad guy your shotgun needs to be loaded with buckshot. At normal household distances the pattern of any buckshot is probably going to be under 3”. Pointing a shotgun in the general direction of the bad guy and pulling the trigger is likely just going to make a lot of noise. You STILL need to aim, even with a shot gun.
My advice to you, and her, is to get training on the gun she’s got and practice a lot with it.
Clearing a house or building is a dangerous and technical task. If you don’t know how to do it, and I don’t, then don’t try. Someone breaks into your house get in a defensive position and call 911. If the bad guy comes up on your position you have to shoot him. If you’re not sure you can do that then get rid of the gun.
I am just glad that I discovered that with 7 1/2 bird shot LoL! Good O/U shotgun. it patterns great, same point of aim.
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