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Assault rifles offer a bit too much for home defense
Indy Star ^

Posted on 02/16/2003 8:38:11 PM PST by conservativefromGa

John Strauss

Assault rifles offer a bit too much for home defense

February 14, 2003

As store shelves throughout the city are emptied of duct tape and plastic sheeting by people concerned about terrorist attacks, other folks think the best defense is a good offense.

Don Davis said gun sales at his Westside store have doubled since the latest terrorism alert. He said the $599 AK-47 is a top seller.

Davis became locally famous a few years ago with endlessly repeated TV commercials in which he cocked a finger at the camera and cackled, "Folks, I don't want to make money -- I just love to sell guns."

It turns out that terrorism sells.

"For me, when times are bad, business is good," Davis said Thursday.

He was at a trade show in Florida this week, shopping for gas masks for customers suddenly nervous about chemical or biological attacks.

At his Don's Guns, manager Ben Chance let me test-fire the AK-47 and a $999 Bushmaster, similar to the military M-16, in the store's indoor range.

The Bushmaster delivers a high-velocity round very accurately with little kick. The AK-47 will give you a jolt, but with that kick you get a larger round capable, they say, of going through a car's engine block.

Just what you need to stop terrorists invading your subdivision.

Of course, some people might end up with guns simply for home protection. And if that's the case, Chance says, an old-fashioned shotgun might do the trick.

"A 12-gauge is a nice gun to have in the house. You don't have to aim the gun. You just point it in the general vicinity, and you're actually going to hit what you're pointing toward, because (the shot) scatters."

Business also was up at 500 Guns on the Westside and at Pop Guns Trading Post on the Eastside. But managers at those stores said that had more to do with the arrival of income tax refund checks than Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein.

"There have been a few people come in and express concern," said Mike Hilton, the manager at Pop Guns. "But overall, people tend to be pretty complacent about it, to be honest."

Hilton said he recommends that someone who wants a gun take a training course. Then, once he has an idea of their skill level, he'll suggest a firearm -- often a small revolver.

He's not big on the AK-47 in this case. If used for self-defense, it's likely to "overpenetrate" -- go right through the attacker, through the wall of your home, through the wall of the next house and into somebody there.

Guy Montgomery, manager of 500 Guns, also recommends a revolver -- not a battlefield rifle -- for home defense.

Still, there's a magnetism about the assault weapons. Firing one of these guns is the shooting equivalent of twisting the throttle on a squat Harley -- lots of noise and simple, raw power.

They're fun, but they may not be real practical.

So if you're convinced al-Qaida is down the street and you want to establish a defensive perimeter in the front hallway, do the neighbors a favor.

Just borrow dad's old shotgun.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: assaultrifles; banglist; guns
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To: harpseal
No apologies...I got the humor. I was sending a little humor back your way. :-)
221 posted on 02/17/2003 4:04:43 PM PST by way-right-of-center (it's easy to hide when no one is looking)
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To: NineMillimeter
The Mossberg (all models) pump is a good buy and a decent gun but I don't think it is as good as the Remington.

I taught skeet shooting at a university for two years. Most of the students did not supply their own guns and we had three 870 pumps for those. When I got there the 870's were about 20 years old. I did some rough figuring and they all had to have had over 100,000 rounds through them. In fact I think it was probably closer to 400,000.

The department chair told me none had ever been repaired. One had developed a slight problem in that it would sometimes let a shell slip out of the mag past the shell stop. The other two worked perfectly.

I have owned probaly half a dozen Mossbergs. I like them, especially where the safety is placed but they don't have the solid feel of the Remington. Also most of them have had the safety break. The problem is so common that most larger gun shops keep a supply of spares on hand. I suspect Mossberg has by now fixed the problem but it should have been fixed to start with.

222 posted on 02/17/2003 4:06:18 PM PST by yarddog
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To: Long Cut
In that case I will opt for a .50 Barret with the advanced muzzle break. A .460 weatherby or .458 win magnum or even a .45-70 might be enough to do the job with an accurate heart shot but in this encounter might will not cut it. Other options would be a .700 nitro express or a 2 bore rifle. Clearly one would need a 2nd or 3rd shot available.
223 posted on 02/17/2003 4:16:10 PM PST by harpseal (Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown)
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To: conservativefromGa
Chance says, an old-fashioned shotgun might do the trick.

"A 12-gauge is a nice gun to have in the house. You don't have to aim the gun. You just point it in the general vicinity, and you're actually going to hit what you're pointing toward, because (the shot) scatters."


Actually Chance, you still will miss if your eyes are closed.

Boy $600 for an AK, and I can get one for $300, is someone
making a killing?
224 posted on 02/17/2003 4:18:41 PM PST by tet68 (Jeremiah 51:24 ..."..Before your eyes I will repay Babylon for all the wrong they have done in Zion")
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To: harpseal
I'm inclined to favor a good penetrator for this work, myself. Big bores are better! I DO think that your gun would need to be portable, in case you had to "grab it and run", if charged by the game. However, a sane, non-suicidal hunter would probably wish to keep the ranges to OVER 300 yards.

I'd also keep a good, big-bore revolver handy for those pesky velociraptors. A .44 should do for them, with 240-grain JHP's.

225 posted on 02/17/2003 4:21:45 PM PST by Long Cut
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To: Blood of Tyrants
Thanks anyway...
226 posted on 02/17/2003 4:24:11 PM PST by Constitutional Patriot
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To: Charles Martel
Thanks for the info. I'll print this and keep it handy.

-CP
227 posted on 02/17/2003 4:25:05 PM PST by Constitutional Patriot
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To: PUGACHEV
Ref your comment: <<"I'm curious why people always tout pump shotguns. I have a Remmington semi-auto 12 ga. which works just fine. I'll admit that the sound of a shell being racked into the chamber is pretty intimidating, but there must be more to it than that.">>

I have my my Remington 11-87 Semi-Auto 12-ga. also, but when it comes to home defense, I like the Shorter Barrel Pump Mossburg or my Winchester 1300 "Defender" Pump 12 ga. No need for choke tubes or other fancy add ons for the purpose. Plus the shortest legal barrel makes it better for maneuvering around in hallways, etc.

The sound that says "I love you" to your spouse, as you load it and rack it, says something else to any intruder, as their next move determines if it is the second last sound they will ever hear!

Cheers! ([: ^ )

RamS

228 posted on 02/17/2003 4:42:08 PM PST by RamingtonStall (Ride Hard and far! ..... and with GPS, Know where you are!)
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To: c-b 1
Ref your commets: <<"I prefer # 6 or # 7 1/2 shot for home defense, it will probably penetrate my exterior wall, but not both mine, and my neighbor's.">>

I believe that Tom Clancy recommended #4 Shot rather than 00 Buck Shot as having the best stopping power with a good scatter pattern. I suspect that your #6 or # 7-1/2 would get anybody's attention and make them wish that they were somewhere else also.

RamS

229 posted on 02/17/2003 4:54:02 PM PST by RamingtonStall (Ride Hard and far! ..... and with GPS, Know where you are!)
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To: conservativefromGa
The AK-47 will give you a jolt, but with that kick you get a larger round capable, they say, of going through a car's engine block

we are talking about the 7.62x39 - please lets try to maintain some credibility - maybe - just maybe on a MGB block

230 posted on 02/17/2003 4:59:56 PM PST by Revelation 911
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To: Long Cut
I'd also keep a good, big-bore revolver handy for those pesky velociraptors. A .44 should do for them, with 240-grain JHP

Given the large number of velicoraptors operating together I would like a couple of large bore revolvers .44magnum or better.

231 posted on 02/17/2003 5:34:08 PM PST by harpseal (Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown)
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To: Long Cut; Travis McGee; glock rocks; harpseal; SLB
Ronnie Barretts new 25x59B Payload rifle is the tewl you seek LC !

Same ballistics as a .50 caliber with a HEDP round at the end of said trajectory.

The shorter of the two is the better and badder beast.......(My old EOD toy takes a back seat to this new payload rifle :o) Stay Safe !

232 posted on 02/17/2003 10:54:00 PM PST by Squantos (RKBA the original version of Homeland Security .....the one proven method that works !)
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To: sneakypete
I don't know why you would want to do this, but just in case you wanted to harden little pointed cylinders of T-15 steel, T-15 has to be heated to extremely high heat 2300F (white heat) and then plunged into water or oil. This is a lot hotter than is usual for O-1 and W-1 type tool steels. Hardened T-15 an extremely hard metal, MUCH harder than gun barrels, so they should not come in direct contact with barrels at any time.
233 posted on 02/18/2003 4:50:24 AM PST by from occupied ga (Your government is your enemy, and Bush is no conservative)
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To: Long Cut; sneakypete; harpseal; Squantos; Travis McGee; Shooter 2.5
I would hazard to guess that any of these http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/120.htm would dispatch just about anything you wanted to hunt that came on two or four legs.
234 posted on 02/18/2003 4:51:09 AM PST by SLB
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To: vt_crosscut
Hey- That's a real nice little rushin'. I like those straight stocks, and it sounds like you got a real good deal.

You can get hi-caps into it with a little fiddling around; There's lots of good info on the web. Here's a typical gun board thread: http://kalashnikov.guns.ru/wwwboard/messages/11351.html

Just for the record, I think 'home defense' is one of the highest and best uses for the AK types, and you'll probably never need to shoot ANY major engine components! ;^/

235 posted on 02/18/2003 6:02:06 AM PST by Crowcreek
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To: Long Cut
"Opinions? I KNOW it's pure speculation, but hell, it's fun."

Heck, it's not speculation -- You'll need something that will reliably break any bones involved AND penetrate to the far side. Ideally, it should still have enough energy to leave an exit hole, but many slugs stop under the far-side hide after smashing a shoulder ball-joint.

I can't think of any rifle other than the .50 BMG that would perform on a reptile that size.

236 posted on 02/18/2003 6:16:08 AM PST by Crowcreek
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To: Squantos
Now yer talking dinasore! That rifle sure doesn't look like it's got a 1" bore . . .

D'ya think Wal-Mart will sell the HE ammo?

237 posted on 02/18/2003 6:21:56 AM PST by Crowcreek
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To: Crowcreek
Naw...I have an older (1989) M82 Barrett in .50BMG but they won't sell me the raufaus HEI ammo I used in my old EOD job. Now Black Hills .50 match and my own reloads gets the attention of coyotes at 1200 meters pretty well. My other recoil toys are a ruger number 1 rechambered to .460 Weatherby magnum and a .500 Linebaugh Ruger Bisley.

Over the years I have developed loads for the .460 that are equal to a hot 45-70 load that works very well for Mulies and Elk in the lower 48. Thus I do get some use out of it.

As to the .500,.... I fly fish a lot and get to go to Alaska every other year and got tired of lugging a 12 gauge pump gun with me for a last ditch anti-bear tool. That is only if Mr/Ms Bear won't just take my catch offered freely and let me walk away........

Stay Safe !

238 posted on 02/18/2003 7:21:03 AM PST by Squantos (RKBA the original version of Homeland Security .....the one proven method that works !)
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To: Squantos
I've been able to shoot the M82 Barrett, and I think I could do it all day. Accurate. Fun. A 'high nine' on a scale of ten.

I'm not recoil 'sensitive', but I remember reading Layne Simpson's test of the .460 Weatherby -- How he had to drape a bag of shot over the top of the rifle and use another shot bag for a shoulder-pad, and that was a heavy bolt rifle.

You couldn't get me close to a lightweight single-shot in .460 WM. It would be perfect for Alaska though; One shot's all you'd get, probably. Put a red dot on it. It might make fly casting tough, slung on your back, but I've seen those big Alaskan flies -- You could cast them like a bass plug!

239 posted on 02/18/2003 7:55:36 AM PST by Crowcreek
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To: Squantos
The ultimate man portable AMR is Steyr's AMR pictures AMR pictures here (loads slowly). 4900+ fps 5.5 mm 36 gm fsds tungsten dart fired from 14.5mm smoothbore. Rifle weighs abt 45 lb. penetrates 40mm rolled homogenous plate at 800 m.
240 posted on 02/18/2003 8:01:03 AM PST by from occupied ga (Your government is your enemy, and Bush is no conservative)
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