[harpseal]

If I might add my humble $.02 worth. Clearing a house or a room is probably one of the most difficult tasks that a lone individual can face. If you show a light you have identified yourself and your position. If one is talking about the defense of one's own home one is talking about a place where one knows where everything is without the benefit of light. An intruder does not know where the furniture is placed and is more likely to bump into something and divulge his position with that sound.

If one absolutely must go looking for the source of that bump in the night is worth the money for some good night vision googles or monoccular. As a boater I have found them a great boon for navigating narrow channels on moonless overcast nights where there is almost no ambient light. They are also priceless for seeing what has awoken my hound in the middle of the night. I can quickly tell if it is racoon or the porch or a coyote in the yard, or a potential intruder.

As for .30 carbine a .38spl revolver is a very good means of self defense that will very likely serve you very well. Unless one is willing to devote the time to throughly master a semi-auto pistol so that working the safety is absolutely a conditioned response, and one is willing to do the necessary maintainence faithfully there is very little advantage in the quick reload for the opdinary citizen. A whole lot of the people on this website have shot for 20 or 30 years so we talk about our tastes and preferences as though they were gospel they are not. The only absolute truth about handguns for self defense is a .22cal short that hits the target exactly is a whole lot better at stopping than a .50cal hand cannon that misses the target. I also note that more than one shooter has had their night vision limited severly by their own muzzle flash in the dark, Thus a .38 spl that does not have as big a muzzle flash as a .357 magnum may be a better choice for hime defense in the middle of the night. Just my humble opinion.

Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown

[Travis McGee]

I just thought of a "light exception" which would be to set your house up with a master switch and very bright lights. From your bedroom you could throw one switch and pump 200 lumens into each corner of the house, while your eyes are firmly shut and covered! Then you flip them off and move, trusting that the bad guy will be night blind for several minutes.

Just an idea...

[Squantos]

Good post Harpseal.......dang good thing my three rotts can't operate a flashlight. I use one pretty much to just follow the blood trails :o)

Merry New Year !!....Stay Safe !

[archy]

Clearing a house or a room is probably one of the most difficult tasks that a lone individual can face.

Depends on how many grenades you have and how many rooms need clearing.

If I have to handle that little task in my own home, one of my first stops will be the photo darkroom where I keep the Sodium Thiosulphate and a few other chemicals, with which I'll fumigate the place before going room-to-room; I'm not in a hurry.

Those without photo supplies aroiund could make do nicely with a couple of gallons of ammonia, a six-gallon bucket and a couple more gallons of household chlorine bleach. A dozen or so housewives manage to accidentally kill themselves with that combination every year, no reason a couple of housebreakers or waiting burglers can't be added to those statistics.

-archy-/-