Posted on 01/21/2012 7:12:01 PM PST by SwinneySwitch
STARR COUNTY - Valley ranchers say they are arming themselves with high-powered rifles to protect their property.
Ranchers say handguns aren't enough anymore. They need more firepower. An AK-47 semiautomatic assault rifle holds 30 rounds. It protects this ranch in Starr County, hundreds of acres.
"It does have fire power and it's reliable," says the rancher.
Barbed wire fencing doesn't keep illegal immigrants off the property anymore. This rancher doesn't care about the illegals. He worries about the smugglers protecting their loads.
"I don't think they would have any conscience of taking someone's life," the rancher says.
He saw that will to kill firsthand. A smuggler shot at him on his own land.
"One round was fired at me, and it missed my head by about two feet," says the rancher.
He says there's only way to react.
"Fire all the rounds you have, reload, and do it again," says the rancher.
That's why he carries an assault rifle. He's not the only one.
Erick Kruger owns the armory gun store in McAllen. He says AK-47 and AR15 assault rifles are always popular weapons. He says spillover violence in the Valley is propelling assault rifle business.
"Countless people have come in here and said, ‘Man, they broke into my house' or ‘we've had a home invasion. We want to get a gun,'" says Kruger.
"It gives you a better sense of security," says the rancher.
The rancher says that security only goes so far.
"No matter how well armed you are, these cartels, Zetas, whoever, they're going to have you outgunned anyway," says the rancher.
He says all he can do is load his gun and hope he never needs to fire it again. That rancher says smuggling activity on his land slowed during hunting season. He says that happens every year. He expects it to pick back up in the next couple of weeks.
You sure did not read what you responded to.
A few years back the venerable SMLE was available in an Ishapore model chambered in 7.62 NATO. I bought two of them. They're amazing rifles. Wish I'd bought 6 of them.
High powered weapons ? What they decide to use .458 Win.Mag rifles,or maybe .375H&H those are high powered rifles, what these folks are using are sport/utility rifles.
The problem is that the politicians are scared silly at the thought of the average citizen having serious military style weapons because they realize just how unpopular they truly are as a class of people.
Want to give a Congresscritter a case of the vapours! Ask them to legalize the private ownership of functioning anti armor weapons.
The first thing that will run thru their minds is what the armored limo they ride around in will look like after it gets nailed by an RPG-7.8*)
Me I’m willing to settle for a Panzerfaust. 8*>
I think a plain old M1 garand with armor piercing rounds will defeat their limos.
Hey, I’m not responding to start a caliber war, I’m just saying that the 5.7 round was developed as a replacement for the 9 mm. It was not intended to replace the 5.56 and as designed it fulfills a certain roll well. It is just not something that I’m interested in. If you like it and it fills the roll you want it for, more power to you. A person is better with a .22 LR that they can shoot quarters with at a 100 yds than a 50 BMG they can’t hit the side of a barn with.
If you want to use the suppressor as a flash hider and to suppress muzzle blast only then that’s your choice, nothing wrong with it. I definitely wouldn’t feel unarmed with that setup.
You might want to check on availability of AP rounds for the 5.7, they were restricted to LE and MIL unlike the .223 penetrators.
I don’t care if you are starting a caliber war. I’m just responding to your incorrect statements. 5.7 is in no way similar to a 9mm. 5.7 was intended to be ARMOR PIERCING in a small package.
And btw, I am not in favor of the 5.7 as long as I can’t get one in full auto with armor piercing rounds. You really need to read what you are responding to before you post replies.
Huh?
Good point but he chased his ass back to old Mexico and I don’t recall much problem thereafter...
I have made no incorrect statements. According to FN the 5.7 x 28 was designed to fulfill a request from NATO to replace 9mm pistols and subguns. Was one of the parameters to defeat soft body armor? Yes, never said it wasn’t.
I’ve been shooting and reloading for over 40 yrs but apparently I have learned squat.
In the future I won’t respond to any of your posts to try and initiate a friendly discussion. I’ll just sit in awe and marvel at your brilliance of all things that go bang. (do I need the /sarc tag?)
I hope you reciprocate by not responding to my posts.
Wish I could say the conversation was educational and pleasant but I can’t. Goodnight.
.
The problem isn’t with the choice of weapons. The Texas Rangers kept order in the Vally for a century with .30 Winchesters and lots of folks still use them for hunting.
I think the Ranger motto was something like “Nothing can stop a man who is in the Right and keeps on coming.”
Governments are organized to protect life and property. If they can’t or won’t do their job, then the traditional American way to solve the problem is to organize civilian mitlitias as an arm of the government. The term ‘militia’ has developed some bad connotations, but consider this:
Suppose the ranchers and local citizens along the Border were to petition the Governor of the State to orgainize, train and arm them as part of a sanctioned militia designed to keep the peace in the wild country. The results might be surprising.
And the fun part would be the acquisition of arms that typically might be regulated to police or the regular armed forces. Who wouldn’t like the opportunity to have the new H&K SP7-A1? See the H&K promo from http://www.heckler-koch.com/en/products.html
MP7A1 | Compact, lightweight and 4.6 times more effective
The MP7 represents a new generation of enhanced-performance submachine guns that bridge the gap between assault rifles and conventional submachine guns. Developed as a genuine personal defense weapon, it far exceeds the NATO requirements profile.
The MP7 is extremely compact, lightweight, can be used in very confined spaces, and is practically recoil-free. It can be carried continuously, making it the ideal personal weapon for the soldier of today. Those who carry it will be suitably armed for the broadest range of operations.
Comparing the calibres, the penetration and terminal effects of the 4.6 mm x 30 cartridge are several times those of the standardised 9 mm x 19 cartridge. By way of illustration: The new high-performance calibre penetrates the NATO CRISAT TARGET (1.6 mm titanium and 20 layers of kevlar) even at 200 m. One fundamental requirement: At the same time, the risk of overpenetration is reduced to a minimum.
Stay safe out there.
These guys need to get State sponsorship as an organized and sanctioned militia in order to get funding and recognition that will enable them to expand.
I truly believe Perry might be willing to do something as he is familiar with the problem.
Perception is everything.
I guess I was a yankee fool.
A friend of mine just sent me an email with pictures of the new 900 hp armored patrol boats the Dept. of Public Safety is putting on the border lakes and river.
This may be worth its own post. I googled it and there are several sources for the info. I hadn’t seen anything on this locally.
Has six machine guns and grenade launchers to take care of smugglers who have lots of firepower.
Thank God Napolitano has made the border safer than it has ever been.
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