Home security

[Wiseacre]

We've had 3 burglaries in our neighborhood recently, and the wife wants to get a couple of weapons for protection. We do have security lights on the outside and an alarm system should someone break in, but if worst comes to worst then I'm gonna do what I gotta do.

Neither of us is as strong or as young as we used to be, so I'm thinking a shotgun or a .45 is probably too much kick for me. Likely the noise will scare the crap out of any intruders, but if not I gotta be able to get off multiple rounds with some degree of accuracy in a relatively short amount of time. Likewise thinking against a revolver, what do I do after my 6 shots are gone? Maybe I should mention I got no experience with guns, and neither does the wife. So I need something easy, point and fire.

So, I'm thinking .22LR hollow point for her, something small and lightweight. She's had rheumatoid arthitis for most of her adult life, doubt if she could handle anything much bigger. She's one handed too, had a couple of strokes a few years back and as a consequence her right hand/arm are almost useless. No telling where that 2nd bullet might go if you get my concern.

For me I'm thinking maybe a .380 or a .40 caliber pistol with around a 10 round clip. With an extra clip should I need it. Chances are it'll all be over one way or another without reloading with both me and her blasting away, unless maybe the intruders and doped up to the gills or bat shit crazy.

Questions: Is the kick from a .380 or .40 that much less than a .45? I really think if I have to start shooting then I need to be able to quickly continue firing.

Any consensus about buying a gun at a gun show vs sporting goods store?

How often should a weapon be cleaned?

How often do clips wear out? Does the spring need to be replaced every so often?

Just draw a chalk outline of a body outside your front door.....

Would that it was that easy.

 

[Spoonman]

Are you guys talking about taking the spent shells and refilling them with gunpowder and a new bullet? That may be cost effective, but I'm thinking I'd rather get a couple boxes of new rounds from the store. LOL, I'd be afraid to pull the trigger on a shell I reloaded.

yea, it's a lot easier then it looks. and if you shoot a lot, it's almost a must

 

[Spoonman]

We've had 3 burglaries in our neighborhood recently, and the wife wants to get a couple of weapons for protection. We do have security lights on the outside and an alarm system should someone break in, but if worst comes to worst then I'm gonna do what I gotta do.

Neither of us is as strong or as young as we used to be, so I'm thinking a shotgun or a .45 is probably too much kick for me. Likely the noise will scare the crap out of any intruders, but if not I gotta be able to get off multiple rounds with some degree of accuracy in a relatively short amount of time. Likewise thinking against a revolver, what do I do after my 6 shots are gone? Maybe I should mention I got no experience with guns, and neither does the wife. So I need something easy, point and fire.

So, I'm thinking .22LR hollow point for her, something small and lightweight. She's had rheumatoid arthitis for most of her adult life, doubt if she could handle anything much bigger. She's one handed too, had a couple of strokes a few years back and as a consequence her right hand/arm are almost useless. No telling where that 2nd bullet might go if you get my concern.

For me I'm thinking maybe a .380 or a .40 caliber pistol with around a 10 round clip. With an extra clip should I need it. Chances are it'll all be over one way or another without reloading with both me and her blasting away, unless maybe the intruders and doped up to the gills or bat shit crazy.

Questions: Is the kick from a .380 or .40 that much less than a .45? I really think if I have to start shooting then I need to be able to quickly continue firing.

Any consensus about buying a gun at a gun show vs sporting goods store?

How often should a weapon be cleaned?

How often do clips wear out? Does the spring need to be replaced every so often?

Just draw a chalk outline of a body outside your front door.....

lol, and just put a few rounds through the door for another visual

 

[Ernie S.]

We've had 3 burglaries in our neighborhood recently, and the wife wants to get a couple of weapons for protection. We do have security lights on the outside and an alarm system should someone break in, but if worst comes to worst then I'm gonna do what I gotta do.

Neither of us is as strong or as young as we used to be, so I'm thinking a shotgun or a .45 is probably too much kick for me. Likely the noise will scare the crap out of any intruders, but if not I gotta be able to get off multiple rounds with some degree of accuracy in a relatively short amount of time. Likewise thinking against a revolver, what do I do after my 6 shots are gone? Maybe I should mention I got no experience with guns, and neither does the wife. So I need something easy, point and fire.

So, I'm thinking .22LR hollow point for her, something small and lightweight. She's had rheumatoid arthitis for most of her adult life, doubt if she could handle anything much bigger. She's one handed too, had a couple of strokes a few years back and as a consequence her right hand/arm are almost useless. No telling where that 2nd bullet might go if you get my concern.

For me I'm thinking maybe a .380 or a .40 caliber pistol with around a 10 round clip. With an extra clip should I need it. Chances are it'll all be over one way or another without reloading with both me and her blasting away, unless maybe the intruders and doped up to the gills or bat shit crazy.

Questions: Is the kick from a .380 or .40 that much less than a .45? I really think if I have to start shooting then I need to be able to quickly continue firing.

Any consensus about buying a gun at a gun show vs sporting goods store?

How often should a weapon be cleaned?

How often do clips wear out? Does the spring need to be replaced every so often?

If you don't have experience with a semi automatic pistol I would suggest a revolver 357 mag would do the task needed too do. You can shoot 357 mag and 38 special with the same gun.

Good advice. Go to the range with it and fire .38 specials. Come home and load it with .357's. In my experience, you only notice recoil at the range. In a must act situation you won't feel it, at least until it's all over.

 

[Wiseacre]

We've had 3 burglaries in our neighborhood recently, and the wife wants to get a couple of weapons for protection. We do have security lights on the outside and an alarm system should someone break in, but if worst comes to worst then I'm gonna do what I gotta do.

Neither of us is as strong or as young as we used to be, so I'm thinking a shotgun or a .45 is probably too much kick for me. Likely the noise will scare the crap out of any intruders, but if not I gotta be able to get off multiple rounds with some degree of accuracy in a relatively short amount of time. Likewise thinking against a revolver, what do I do after my 6 shots are gone? Maybe I should mention I got no experience with guns, and neither does the wife. So I need something easy, point and fire.

So, I'm thinking .22LR hollow point for her, something small and lightweight. She's had rheumatoid arthitis for most of her adult life, doubt if she could handle anything much bigger. She's one handed too, had a couple of strokes a few years back and as a consequence her right hand/arm are almost useless. No telling where that 2nd bullet might go if you get my concern.

For me I'm thinking maybe a .380 or a .40 caliber pistol with around a 10 round clip. With an extra clip should I need it. Chances are it'll all be over one way or another without reloading with both me and her blasting away, unless maybe the intruders and doped up to the gills or bat shit crazy.

Questions: Is the kick from a .380 or .40 that much less than a .45? I really think if I have to start shooting then I need to be able to quickly continue firing.

Any consensus about buying a gun at a gun show vs sporting goods store?

How often should a weapon be cleaned?

How often do clips wear out? Does the spring need to be replaced every so often?

If you don't have experience with a semi automatic pistol I would suggest a revolver 357 mag would do the task needed too do. You can shoot 357 mag and 38 special with the same gun.

Good advice. Go to the range with it and fire .38 specials. Come home and load it with .357's. In my experience, you only notice recoil at the range. In a must act situation you won't feel it, at least until it's all over.

The Sports Academy where I bought my guns didn't have any .357 mag revolvers. So I got the Taurus Ultralite M85 .38 special instead. As you might imagine, their stock of pistols and revolvers is somewhat low these days so I got what I could get. My range of fire is only about 20 feet, due to the configuration of my bedroom. So I'm thinking the .38 will do well enough, considering it won't take me very long to aim and fire again compared to a mag. I'm going to go back and get a pistol with more bullets in it next time, maybe a 9mm with 10 or 12 round clip. Not planning on a war, but I'd hate to have to take the time to load 5 more bullets. Better to pick up another weapon and keep firing.

 

[Spoonman]

If you don't have experience with a semi automatic pistol I would suggest a revolver 357 mag would do the task needed too do. You can shoot 357 mag and 38 special with the same gun.

Good advice. Go to the range with it and fire .38 specials. Come home and load it with .357's. In my experience, you only notice recoil at the range. In a must act situation you won't feel it, at least until it's all over.

The Sports Academy where I bought my guns didn't have any .357 mag revolvers. So I got the Taurus Ultralite M85 .38 special instead. As you might imagine, their stock of pistols and revolvers is somewhat low these days so I got what I could get. My range of fire is only about 20 feet, due to the configuration of my bedroom. So I'm thinking the .38 will do well enough, considering it won't take me very long to aim and fire again compared to a mag. I'm going to go back and get a pistol with more bullets in it next time, maybe a 9mm with 10 or 12 round clip. Not planning on a war, but I'd hate to have to take the time to load 5 more bullets. Better to pick up another weapon and keep firing.

you will be more than fine with the .38 special. the nice part about a magazine is it really is a quick easy change if you need to. you can always by a spare cylinder for your revolver, practice changing it in and out. if you aren't comfortable with that you can get what is called a speed reloader. rather than reloading the shells one by one you can reload the whole cyllinder at once.

 

[Wiseacre]

Good advice. Go to the range with it and fire .38 specials. Come home and load it with .357's. In my experience, you only notice recoil at the range. In a must act situation you won't feel it, at least until it's all over.

The Sports Academy where I bought my guns didn't have any .357 mag revolvers. So I got the Taurus Ultralite M85 .38 special instead. As you might imagine, their stock of pistols and revolvers is somewhat low these days so I got what I could get. My range of fire is only about 20 feet, due to the configuration of my bedroom. So I'm thinking the .38 will do well enough, considering it won't take me very long to aim and fire again compared to a mag. I'm going to go back and get a pistol with more bullets in it next time, maybe a 9mm with 10 or 12 round clip. Not planning on a war, but I'd hate to have to take the time to load 5 more bullets. Better to pick up another weapon and keep firing.

you will be more than fine with the .38 special. the nice part about a magazine is it really is a quick easy change if you need to. you can always by a spare cylinder for your revolver, practice changing it in and out. if you aren't comfortable with that you can get what is called a speed reloader. rather than reloading the shells one by one you can reload the whole cyllinder at once.

LOL, no thanks. If bullets are flyin' and the wife is screamin' bloody murder, I need to just pick up another weapon and go to shootin'. I highly doubt any burglar(s) is going to hang around when I start firing my .38 and the wife fires her .22 mag, but I'd feel a lot more comfortable with an extra gun that I can just pick up and use.

 

[Spoonman]

The Sports Academy where I bought my guns didn't have any .357 mag revolvers. So I got the Taurus Ultralite M85 .38 special instead. As you might imagine, their stock of pistols and revolvers is somewhat low these days so I got what I could get. My range of fire is only about 20 feet, due to the configuration of my bedroom. So I'm thinking the .38 will do well enough, considering it won't take me very long to aim and fire again compared to a mag. I'm going to go back and get a pistol with more bullets in it next time, maybe a 9mm with 10 or 12 round clip. Not planning on a war, but I'd hate to have to take the time to load 5 more bullets. Better to pick up another weapon and keep firing.

you will be more than fine with the .38 special. the nice part about a magazine is it really is a quick easy change if you need to. you can always by a spare cylinder for your revolver, practice changing it in and out. if you aren't comfortable with that you can get what is called a speed reloader. rather than reloading the shells one by one you can reload the whole cyllinder at once.

LOL, no thanks. If bullets are flyin' and the wife is screamin' bloody murder, I need to just pick up another weapon and go to shootin'. I highly doubt any burglar(s) is going to hang around when I start firing my .38 and the wife fires her .22 mag, but I'd feel a lot more comfortable with an extra gun that I can just pick up and use.

variety is the spice of life lol besides, you can never have too many. who knows, you may find you really enjoy shooting and take it up as a hobby. my son and i get out at least every other weekend. we're lucky. we have a cornfield to shoot in so we don't have the range costs. but we shoot a lot of high powered rifles too so we need the space. If your are just shooting pistols all you need is a spot of land with sort of a natural berm or hill to shoot against.

 

[Wiseacre]

you will be more than fine with the .38 special. the nice part about a magazine is it really is a quick easy change if you need to. you can always by a spare cylinder for your revolver, practice changing it in and out. if you aren't comfortable with that you can get what is called a speed reloader. rather than reloading the shells one by one you can reload the whole cyllinder at once.

LOL, no thanks. If bullets are flyin' and the wife is screamin' bloody murder, I need to just pick up another weapon and go to shootin'. I highly doubt any burglar(s) is going to hang around when I start firing my .38 and the wife fires her .22 mag, but I'd feel a lot more comfortable with an extra gun that I can just pick up and use.

variety is the spice of life lol besides, you can never have too many. who knows, you may find you really enjoy shooting and take it up as a hobby. my son and i get out at least every other weekend. we're lucky. we have a cornfield to shoot in so we don't have the range costs. but we shoot a lot of high powered rifles too so we need the space. If your are just shooting pistols all you need is a spot of land with sort of a natural berm or hill to shoot against.

Well, I am kind of getting interested. I know you can't shoot within city limits, but here in south Texas there's gotta be empty places and spaces where you can pull off the road and fire at rocks or something. Right now I'm looking at getting a 9mm or a .380 semi with a clip for 10 - 12 rounds for backup. Not sure if a larger clip than can hold 15 rounds or more has an increased chance of jamming.

 

[Spoonman]

LOL, no thanks. If bullets are flyin' and the wife is screamin' bloody murder, I need to just pick up another weapon and go to shootin'. I highly doubt any burglar(s) is going to hang around when I start firing my .38 and the wife fires her .22 mag, but I'd feel a lot more comfortable with an extra gun that I can just pick up and use.

variety is the spice of life lol besides, you can never have too many. who knows, you may find you really enjoy shooting and take it up as a hobby. my son and i get out at least every other weekend. we're lucky. we have a cornfield to shoot in so we don't have the range costs. but we shoot a lot of high powered rifles too so we need the space. If your are just shooting pistols all you need is a spot of land with sort of a natural berm or hill to shoot against.

Well, I am kind of getting interested. I know you can't shoot within city limits, but here in south Texas there's gotta be empty places and spaces where you can pull off the road and fire at rocks or something. Right now I'm looking at getting a 9mm or a .380 semi with a clip for 10 - 12 rounds for backup. Not sure if a larger clip than can hold 15 rounds or more has an increased chance of jamming.

you are in texas? you are golden. you'll find a ton of open places. plus your laws are very favorable to gun owners. i would highly recommend a baretta M-9 if you are looking at a 9mm. I love that gun. great to shoot, smooth as hell. and very safe. whne you put the safety on the firing pin actually disengages. it turns up. no way that gun is going off. very safe to keep a bullet chambered and ready to fire while you are carrying it in your holster. I use 15 round magazines in that gun. illegal here, but whatever. never had a jam. i've easilly put 10,000 rounds through that gun. i have a .380 walther ppk. that is a real nice carry gun too. small and light. that has an 8 round magazine

 

[Wiseacre]

The Beretta M9 has been the primary sidearm for the US military for the past 25 years or so, I think. Not sure if it still is, but that's not a bad recommendation for a gun. 15 rounds, that's a lot of firepower.

 

[Spoonman]

View attachment 24780


The Beretta M9 has been the primary sidearm for the US military for the past 25 years or so, I think. Not sure if it still is, but that's not a bad recommendation for a gun. 15 rounds, that's a lot of firepower.

yes, it still is. it replaced the colt 45, which is another nice gun. the M9 comes with a 10 round magazine standard, but you can get 15 round. like i said, it is a great shooting gun. it also has one of the better sighting set ups IMO

 

[Jos]

If you just want to scare someone off a revolver with the first two rounds blank ammo, the rest live rounds

 

[tjvh]

We've had 3 burglaries in our neighborhood recently, and the wife wants to get a couple of weapons for protection. We do have security lights on the outside and an alarm system should someone break in, but if worst comes to worst then I'm gonna do what I gotta do.

Neither of us is as strong or as young as we used to be, so I'm thinking a shotgun or a .45 is probably too much kick for me. Likely the noise will scare the crap out of any intruders, but if not I gotta be able to get off multiple rounds with some degree of accuracy in a relatively short amount of time. Likewise thinking against a revolver, what do I do after my 6 shots are gone? Maybe I should mention I got no experience with guns, and neither does the wife. So I need something easy, point and fire.

So, I'm thinking .22LR hollow point for her, something small and lightweight. She's had rheumatoid arthitis for most of her adult life, doubt if she could handle anything much bigger. She's one handed too, had a couple of strokes a few years back and as a consequence her right hand/arm are almost useless. No telling where that 2nd bullet might go if you get my concern.

For me I'm thinking maybe a .380 or a .40 caliber pistol with around a 10 round clip. With an extra clip should I need it. Chances are it'll all be over one way or another without reloading with both me and her blasting away, unless maybe the intruders and doped up to the gills or bat shit crazy.

Questions: Is the kick from a .380 or .40 that much less than a .45? I really think if I have to start shooting then I need to be able to quickly continue firing.

Any consensus about buying a gun at a gun show vs sporting goods store?

How often should a weapon be cleaned?

How often do clips wear out? Does the spring need to be replaced every so often?

Nice to see someone is taking the initiative not to be a victim, and choosing rational thinking over political correctness.

 

[tjvh]

If you just want to scare someone off a revolver with the first two rounds blank ammo, the rest live rounds

If you're going to arm yourself, don't do it with blanks. Blanks lead to the possibility that you will end up being shot dead, and your gun will will be added to the ever expanding list of criminals with unregistered firearms. There is no such thing as a warning shot, if the people coming at you are also armed.

 

[Wiseacre]

If you just want to scare someone off a revolver with the first two rounds blank ammo, the rest live rounds

I could get a starters pistol I guess, no projectile there. I'm not really looking forward to shooting anybody, I'd just as soon they take off runnin'. And a shot fired is both a warning that somebody is home AND they are armed. But my .38 only has 5 bullets in it, and I'm not going to waste 2 of 'em that I might need.

To get into my house they have to break glass, and the noise will set off the alarm. So I'm gonna have some time, and I've already worked out what I'm going to do. I'm gonna tell 'em in no uncertain terms that the cops are coming and they're less than a mile away and I've got guns and will shoot. If they come into the house anyway, then what happens next is on them. I like the idea of a starter's pistol though, might avoid any trouble right off the bat.

 

[Spoonman]

If you just want to scare someone off a revolver with the first two rounds blank ammo, the rest live rounds

I could get a starters pistol I guess, no projectile there. I'm not really looking forward to shooting anybody, I'd just as soon they take off runnin'. And a shot fired is both a warning that somebody is home AND they are armed. But my .38 only has 5 bullets in it, and I'm not going to waste 2 of 'em that I might need.

To get into my house they have to break glass, and the noise will set off the alarm. So I'm gonna have some time, and I've already worked out what I'm going to do. I'm gonna tell 'em in no uncertain terms that the cops are coming and they're less than a mile away and I've got guns and will shoot. If they come into the house anyway, then what happens next is on them. I like the idea of a starter's pistol though, might avoid any trouble right off the bat.

no one wants to shoot anyone, let alone kill anyone. on the other hand, no one wants to die either. if it did come down to dying or shooting, i'll shoot