It'S Not A Tough System...

[Baby Brian]

I feel jealous reading you post DailyDi. I'm getting a Taurus Judge .45/.410 for my birthday in October. I can't wait!!!

[Diapered Jason]

IF my life or a loved one's life were in danger, I would shoot to stop the attack. I would never shoot to disarm as that is a fool's bet. End the threat as quickly as possible.

According to the FBI, crime rates are down in all categories but burglary. I attribute part of this to strong right to carry laws in almost all states and it has been on a downward trend for several decades now.

http://www.fbi.gov/n...e/crimes_061112

The right of stand your ground should be a common sense law. You have the right to be somewhere, then you have the right to be there. Period.

That is your right and your choice. Also, I am not all that critical of weapon carry laws. The problem I have with these laws is justice. If these laws impair the ability to prosecute in a court of law, then I think there is something wrong. Self-defense should be challengeable in most situations.

[Darkfinn]

Also - you really do need to aim shotguns...

If someone breaks into your house it is generally going to be through a door or window, you don't need to take precise aim to catch someone as they come through a door... even at ten feet you'll get enough spread to hit a person if you point the weapon at them.

As far as double ought buck for home defense... no way. Buck shot goes straight through walls and can kill an innocent family member who might be asleep or hiding on the other side. First shell in mine is bird shot, if they're still coming after that the next one is turkey load... bigger than bird but not as large as buck.

[Bettypooh]

Darkfinn, have you patterned your shotgun to verify that? I think you'll be surprised when you do. I've shot a lot of guns and seen a lot more in my time. Only one shotgun* had more than about a coffee-cup sized pattern at that range though some had a few 'flyers'. You still have to aim carefully with that size pattern. Sadly the "you can't miss with a shotgun" myth is still propagated when it's been long disproven- another urban legend that needs to be dispelled!

You are right on about the overpenetration angle We are always responsible for what happens when we pull the trigger, even if we didn't want it to happen. You simply must think ahead and know what is going to happen before you can be justified in even loading any gun. You must allow for things going wrong so there is enough safety margin so that nobody gets hurt unintentionally. There is no leeway here at all Buckshot might be an option for those in remote areas but not in an urban environment. I have no qualms about killing someone who breaks into my home, but if I harmed my neighbor I would be devastated Gun ownership is a huge responsibility to take on and the actual use of one about ten times more. Let's be responsible!

*the exception I shot was amazing. From 20 feet it had a 20 ft pattern, even spread with with no holes, but only with the one specific #6 load it was tuned for. Any other load and the pattern had holes that would miss a human target even in the center. That one was where I learned the tricks to gain spread and how to tune for that- tapered choking, 'jugging' (also tapered), striating, and polishing in the right places. I've used lesser degrees of those techniques on several shotguns to tune them. My example here must have had about 100 hours or more work on it in the last 4" of the barrel alone. That one was also shorter than it should have been and belonged to someone else who sold it to someone unknown shortly thereafter. That was a long time ago ago I have no clue what happened to it or the people involved and I ain't saying more about that.

Bettypooh

[Baby Brian]

Bettypooh, you do work on shotguns? You get more interesting with each post. What's next?

[square_duck]

I feel jealous reading you post DailyDi. I'm getting a Taurus Judge .45/.410 for my birthday in October. I can't wait!!!

I have a model 1911 colt .45 that I got out of my dads collection/ horde and have yet to play with, though I have about 500 rounds of ammo to play with I was thinking about one of these things the other day and wondering if they were even still being made! Evidently they are, so I don't have to think or worry about that, just need to pop down sometime and pick one up.....after the required 10 or what ever waiting period...erf/..

[Bettypooh]

Baby Brian, let's just say I am very good at a lot of things and I've made a bit of money gunsmithing though I usually just do work for friends when I feel like doing it, charging them nothing I am known for being able to get a lot from a little. Give me something to work with and I will surprise you with the results I don't do much of this anymore as I'm not as deeply onto this a I once was but I still practice enough to know what I can and can't do, and I still do whatever I want to when I want to do it- remnants of a past life that still remain

Bettypooh

[Diapered Jason]

That Winchester Model 1887 lever-action shotgun is a pretty cool gun, but if you are not use to lever action, then it may not sound too cool to you. Still, there is less scatter when compared to pump action. Not sure of the reliability of lever action shotguns though. I believe there are some companies that make modern versions of the gun.