I just recently started sleeping with a loaded handgun within arm's reach, and Emperor Misha and Kim du Toit address an issue I'd been tossing around in my head: will I have the nerve to use it if I have to? As Mr. du Toit writes,
Civilized people, quite correctly, shrink from causing harm or death to another human being. This is perfectly normal, and is indeed laudable. (Sociopaths, of course, have no such compunction, which is why they themselves should be killed.)That it is. The best of his advice comes down to his naming violent criminals "goblins", and pointing out that they've already sacrificed their humanity by becoming predators.And quite apart from any legal issues, the moral issue of taking a life is a weighty and terrible one.
Richard Pryor once remarked that after making the movie Stir Crazy on location at Arizona State Prison, he was really, really glad that prisons exist. He illustrated that by quoting an actual interview with a convicted murderer:I don't have any kids, but my gut understands his point perfectly. It's not a pleasant possibility to consider, but I want to be ready if I ever face it.
-- "Why did you kill all the people in that family?"
-- "Cuz they was at home."
Think about the uncaring sociopathy in that statement. Now think of that same scumbag playing his ghastly little games of death with your kids.
Good reason to hit the range this evening.
You'll be surprised how quickly you get used to it, and then don't like it when you don't have one out.
I used to keep the loaded shotgun under the bed, but then I scewed it up when I tried to add a buttstock/pistol grip combination stock and ended up torquing the bolt that holds the stock on.
While I look for a reasonably close gunsmith to fix it, all I have is the .45 loaded with hollowpoints on the nightstand.
Let me tell you, you start to feel naked after a while.
I definitely need a shotgun, but I don't know what kind to get. Any advice?
Remington 870. Get the one with the rifle sights.
Sorry for the double post. Here's a link.
Nice shotgun. Good choice. Nothing scares the crap out of an intruder like the sound of a shotgun being cocked. It's a sound like no other.
Here's my burglar getter.
Any pump action is good, well most anyway. Nothing too fancy, just a 'work-horse'. Get the one which feels the most comfortable, has the loudest 'rack' and shortest legal barrel length. It's for home defense, not elephant hunting and will likely be kept with the rest of the dust bunnies under the bed. Forget the sights and practice point shooting from the hip.
I have a Mossberg 500 clone. (Westerfield, which was the old Montgomery Ward brand. It is an inheritance.) It is a big hunting rig with a 30" full choke barrel and a full stock on it. My next firearm investment is going to be to get a folding stock and a 20" cylinder choke for it to make it more suited to home protection.
Mossberg doesn't make anything but shotguns, and they are good at it. The other plus is that there are just as many aftermarket Mossberg addons as Remington 870 accessories. Don't worry about the sights -- for home protection, you are going to be eyeball to eyeball. Look for short barrels and the open choke.
Short-barrel and open choke was really what I needed to know. Those factors seem to be the most important when selecting a shotgun, if I understand them correctly. Thanks.
Don't believe those that are telling you to forget the sights Michael.
Mossberg 590 with Ghost-ring sights. Why that instead of the nearly-identical 500? For starters, it has a bayonet lug, and I like to load up on features that would upset DiFi.
Whatever you get, the ground rules are: 12 gauge that can take 3" (or better yet, if your shoulder can take it, 3 1/2") shotshells.
Load that sucker up with 00 buckshot shotshells. The 3" ones are the equivalent of emptying two .38 revolvers simultaneously at the target.
Also, which range do you go to? I go to LAX Firing Range on Manchester. We could do a BFL gun party. We could possibly even convince Xrlq to come up.
Hell, yeah. I used to shoot their regularly.
I go to the LAX Firing Range too! I emailed you two, and anyone else who wants to get together is also welcome.
For home protection a Mossberg 500 or Rem. 870 are the best choices. They are both very inexpensive to modify and are great guns. DO NOT try shooting at someone from a hip position with a pistol grip. You do this and you'll have some BIG holes to patch up in your wall and probably wont hit the intruder not to mention the injury to your wrist if held wrong. Ghost ring sights a a great investmant along with a full stock pistol grip. These along with a short barrel will give you a very manuverable and accurate scattergun. Add a tight choke and you can take out a target from quite a few yards away. Not only are these guns great for home protection but are a blast to take skeet shooting.