Protection - Gun Alternatives?

if you are going to use a shotgun in a house think of the ornaments/sentimental items, as you can plaster a wall but you'll need alot of skill to fix a broken cup that you was given when you was born etc

A good hard baseball bat is an option, A taser works good too

reply to post by Maxatoria


depends on the load; Use low-base #4 birdshot, enough knock-down power to stop someone, at least at a close range like indoors, but it wont go through a body. assuming you hit your target you would not damage any of your stuff or more importantly it would not go through a wall & hit someone unintended.
Air marshalls have a load in thier pistols; it is a hollow point with snake shot filled in the hollow point area. I am not exactly certain of the physics but they do not exit a body either.

reply to post by thinkingthing


You need a katana and a machete....and a small aluminum baseball bat

reply to post by LafingWithTears


My partner was killed by a single load of #7 shot from a 20 ga at 26 ft.....at close ranges,"stopping power" isnt an issue for any sort of shotgun load....he went down like a rock...never twitched....and he was an armed man in a kneeling shooting position taking aim at the shooter who had just shot another officer....if he was able to return fire,he would have......if some one chooses a shotgun,they have full range to select the guage/load based on home factors/bystanders/family members without worrying of it will "stop" someone..I prefer one of the buckshot loads,OOO,OO,O etc...the FBI swears by,and has always used,#4 buck for whats that worth...

reply to post by gandamack2


I think #4 buck was what was used in WW2 by our GIs in the pacific. I am a paramedic but have not been to very many GSW calls, for some reason in the area I live when people get violent they tend to stab each other. With shotguns its effectiveness probably has a lot to do with range; a friend of mine went to a scene where one person was shot by a 12 ga. and it barely went through the patients clothes, I do not know the details but I would guess it was a light low base bird shot load at a fair range. I do know that this took place outside as the person that was shot with the shotgun retrieved a 9mm from his truck and shot & killed the person armed with the shotgun. A shotguns choke also affects the spread (being LE you porbably already know all this stuff)
I was suggesting a load that would not damage items (if you hit what you were aiming at) and had less of a possibility of hurting the unintended also it seems the OP may be a novice and the recoil from a low base load would be more manageable.
In any case my sincere condolences on the loss of your partner, that has to be extremely tough.

reply to post by thinkingthing


If you have a half of million to spare get yourself one of the SUV's in this article so you can bug out like bat man when they storm your house. If you don't have the loot to boot get yourself a pair of the blast proof panties!
www.i-nfoblog.info...

reply to post by RaeyTracy


yeah or you can get your existing ride armoured for around 80,000
www.wired.com...
I bet you could get it done even cheaper south of the border but I suppose that would be kinda dangerous.

Katana's baseball bat and machetes are not going to help you defend your self against a person with a gun. Neither will birdshot, that will just piss them off. The best alternative to a gun right now would be a crossbow. However, a crossbow can actually be more dangerous than a gun in untrained hands.
What a lot of people don't understand, is that a gun, be it a rifle, a shotgun, a handgun or even a black powder musket is not a godless killing machine. A firearm is a tool. Just like your chainsaw that you used to help grandpa Joe next door dispense of that fallen down tree that was blocking his driveway, Tools can be used the wrong way and the right way. It would be very easy to take your gas powered huski to the mall and go on a killing spree. It would also be very easy to take you ar-15 to said mall. Or a hammer. Or just drive your car through it. Or walk around with a screw driver stabbing people.
Now, if you haven't gotten my point, I will try and explain. Yes, guns can kill people. Yes, some guns are even designed for that very purpose. So can ALOT of other things. SO, get the idea of owning a gun means your rambo hip firing at a bunch of dudes out of your head.
I grew up shooting guns, in particular, rifles and shotguns. My brother and I both started shooting at around 6 years old, obviously under adult supervision. I promise you, you will never meet anyone who has more respect and who is more safety conscious when it comes to firearms than my brother and I. That being said, you will meet alot of people with the same mindset. You will also meet some dumb people who are, well just dumb.
As, I said before, a firearm is a tool, that is meant to do a certain task. Just like any tool, safety should be the major concern. Would you leave your circular saw in the middle of the living room, plugged in, for your six year old to grab. I would hope not.
Do not be afraid of firearms. RESPECT firearms. If you have never fired a firearm before, go to your gun range, spend 30 bucks and have somebody teach you the proper way to handle a firearm, because, when it comes down to it, if the bad guy has a gun and you don't, well, you better be pretty lucky.

There is NOTHING that replaces a gun.
Tasers, ballbats, etc are all bull#.
If you've never used a gun, then choose a gun that is EASY to learn with.

A .22lr rifle is extremely easy to use, a Ruger 10/22 or Savage Mark II are GREAT choices.

If you and yours are not afraid of recoil, a shotgun is a good choice, but the ammo is not cheap, however, in a SHTF situation, you will be able to find it everywhere.
Any semi-auto shotgun with a 5+1 carry will work. Use #4 buck or #00 and you'll have NO problems infront of you after a pull of the trigger.

If you choose a handgun, a 9mm is a good one to go with for a first timer.
Ammo is decently priced, VERY popular so you'll find it everywhere in a SHTF situation.
However, choose a gun you can count on, not just what's cheap.
Glock 19 or Springfield XD9 are FANTASTIC.

If a rifle (non .22lr) is what you're looking at, an SKS is a hell of a bang for your buck gun.
It shoots a 7.62x39 (same as an AK-47) and can be had as cheap as $200.
They're accurate, you can get magazines with 30rds, and they're tough.

reply to post by ImAwareSC


Everything is situational....do you have your gun ready and drawn 24x7 or do you sometimes leave it out of reach and even when you take a dump do you sit there with a gun at the door just incase?

and this thread was originally about other ways of protecting yourself should you be caught short aka not packing a m60 on each arm going rambo

reply to post by thinkingthing


To be honest, if you're going to get a gun I would recommend you take a class in firearm safety first. Everyone knows the basics to firing a gun (point and squeeze) but it is important to learn how to handle one safely and with proper technique. It could save your life one day.

Learning firearm safety is easily the most important part of gun ownership. I am not going to pretend that guns are toys.. They are fun, but definitely not toys.

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Now on topic. To be honest in SHTF scenarios a firearm would be useful, right up until you run out of ammo. I would probably take my compound bow over a gun simply for that reason.. You can retrieve an arrow even though it is possible to ruin an arrow or broad head when you fire them. Same goes for a crossbow.