Back to home defense. After reviewing the last post on the subject I wanted to add some additional information. There are defensive training resources out there that one can sign up for. The NRA has developed two courses that address personal protection. One is the Basic Personal Protection in the Home Course and the other is Personal Protection Outside the Home Course. Each are one day courses which cost anywhere from $150-180 and may satisfy some safety requirements you may be trying to fulfill. I recommend them to anyone that wants to become comfortable with using a gun for self defense. They are taught by NRA certified instructors providing professional instruction and materials. One of the courses will have you at the gun range shooting the same day. Instructors will even provide you a semi automatic gun to complete the course.

One more try, back to home defense. We covered the shotgun as a means to defend oneself. Now, lets talk about the handguns. There are two types, revolvers like those seen in the old west and civil war movies and semi-automatic pistols which we see in many of todays movie and TV shows. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

The revolver is the simpler of the two to use. Its design makes it intuitive to operate and easy to determine if it is loaded or not. A malfunctioning round doesn’t require special intervention to clear, just pull the trigger for the next round. They are easier to take care of with fewer moving parts and mechanisms to clean or oil.

Semi-automatics carry more bullets, from 8 to 33 rounds and faster to reload. They are slimmer in design making them easier handle and conceal for defense. Actual shooting of a semi-auto is easier as less strength is needed for pulling the trigger. Picatinny rails are common to semi-autos which are used to attach accessories to. Things like a laser light, flash light, or a combination unit of both. A telescopic sight or scope can also be attached. All of these are used to assist in identifying and aiming the weapon at the target.

As you can see each type has their advantages. A conservative belt and suspenders guy might decide a revolver is the way to go. That is because of its simplicity and least likely to malfunction. Then there are the throw as many bullets at’em as you can kinda guys. They are comfortable and familiar with their gun, capable of maintaining it and clearing a dud round if needed. Perhaps they’ve even added an accessory such as a flashlight to it. I’ll continue with what I chose in the next post. In the meantime a little entertainment.

Every now and then as I learn information I’d like to share it with everyone. Some of it interesting, funny or just plain cool. As I come across it, when I think I have enough, I’ll post it with links if I can. Recently when at a gun show I ran across some very cool looking guns made by Volquartsen. Without a better way to describe them, these are pretty “Sick”. They produce custom firearms in very specific calibers. I’m particularly interested in the centerfire .223 caliber rifles. They are produced with custom stocks and custom machined barrels. Mix and match to your liking. Follow the link to their site and take a look.

This interest of mine is expensive. It helps to be thrifty, there are a number of sites that I peruse when I look for additions or accessories. Here’s a list to start with:

AR15.com – a great site for AR15 information, lots of links to manufacturers and information about the AR.

Cheaperthandirt.com – they carry a plethora (he said plethora, yes I said plethora, enough about plethora) of parts, accessories, ammunition, tools, knives, holsters, all kinds of gear.

MidwayUSA.com –for the more serious shooter, they have everything for shooting, reloading of ammunition, gunsmithing and hunting.

Gandermountain.com – Initially, I considered them the Wal-Mart of sporting goods, lately their pricing hasn’t been as competitive as it used to be. They are more in line with Bass Pro Shops or Cabelas. They carry a large line of hunting, fishing and camping goods. They also offer a good selection of new and used guns. I visit so often my father-in-law says I should have stock in the place. It’s still a good place to look and touch a product and then see if you can find cheaper online.

Ammoengine.com – this is my most recent discovery and helps me maintain a level of thriftiness. The website collects data on ammunition prices found all over the internet. There is information on handgun, rifle and rimfire cartridges. Its broken down to the lowest common denominator price per single round or bullet. For instance, I can select a rifle round in the .223 caliber. I find that the website CheaperThanDirt has some for as low as $0.24 a round. Very helpful when it comes to restocking your supplies.

Those are my gems for now. I’ll post more I as I come across them.

What are the reasons for owning a gun? People will give different reasons, they’ll say for hunting, for protection, or home defense, maybe to exercise the 2^nd amendment rights, others cite Zombie defense. Yes, I did say Zombie defense. We can cover that in another post, as well as 2^nd amendment rights. That leaves hunting and home or personal defense. Lets look at home defense.

What is it? Just like it suggests. Possessing a weapon that can be used in defense of oneself and family in the home. That place you should always feel safe, your bastion from the world. Owning a gun can help one attain a greater level of certainty in the outcome should they find themselves in situation. I will leave the philosophical arguments for others to argue the merits of having a gun in the house for defense. My position is clear as everyone has learned from my previous post, I own a semi-automatic pistol. Instead, I’d like to discuss which type of gun for home defense.

Only two come to mind for me, shotgun or pistol. We’ll talk shotgun first. Length is important, not too long or it will be hard to maneuver. Most shotguns run in length from 36 to 44 inches. Imagine trying to run around the house carefully with a broom or dust mop handle positioned on your shoulder. Not an easy thing, bound to run into something. A lamp, a wall, perhaps you catch it on a open door. In this case shorter is better, more maneuverable. A Mossberg 500 Tactical Cruiser would be my choice. It’s a 12 gauge pump shotgun that is just under 29 inches in length. It has pistol grip instead of the normal stock and a hand strap attached to the pump fore end action. The strap is intended to prevent the gun from being wrestled from your hands. The gun is meant to be shot from out front of the body or at the waist. It’s my opinion that positive identification is critical in an encounter, so an additional accessory must be ordered, that is a light for night encounters. I would recommend a TACSTAR Light 121. It’s meant to be mounted to the magazine tube and comes with a remote switch to activate the light. Last is the ammunition. Need something that will knock down an intruder, but I must consider others household members and neighbors. In my case I live in a townhouse, I don’t want penetrate the drywall and hurt someone next door or in another room. There’s a good article which supports the use of number 4 buckshot. I agree with authors reasoning. In addition to loading the shotgun with that; I would also load my last shell as #4 birdshot. Remember, last one in first one out. The #4 birdshout would be my warning shot. It could be fatal, but I’d like to think I gave an intruder a chance to leave.

We’ll that’s my idea of a good home defense shotgun. But to be effective one must practice and not only yourself but anyone in the household that is likely to use the weapon. Take it to the local range and shoot several rounds. Get used to the feel of gun. How it kicks, how it aims. Use the same ammunition you plan to use at home. Practice at home. First, ensure the weapon is unloaded. Then, practice carrying the weapon at ready position around the house. See how it feels and handles, do this during the day. The rehearsal or practice will give you an idea what it might be like to clear your home. Then, do it again at night, with the gun unloaded. Turn off the house lights, turn on the flash light mounted at the end of the gun. Walk the house. See the difference between clearing the house during the day versus at night with a flashlight. Practice makes perfect, it’ll also make the neighbors talk, keep your blinds closed when you practice at night, a flash light going from room to room may generate a call by neighbors to law enforcement thinking there is a burglar in the house.

Hopefully this information will give you an idea of how to arm yourself in defense of you, your family and home. This is far from an authoritative source but I hope you find it thought provoking and assist with generating some interest and ideas for home defense. Next post we’ll cover the pistol as a home defense weapon.

Blogs are for ranting, right, right... so here I go. I return from vacation and I set to return the house to normal. I start by plugging in the electronics I’ve unplugged to save electricity. Lighting the pilot light of the hot water heater and turning up its thermostat. Go to the sliding glass doors and unlock the door stop or pull the broom stick. Set clocks, turn up the heat. Open the window blinds, bring around the trash. Take inventory, making sure everything is as it should be. Everything is in order. I haul the suitcases upstairs to the bedroom, crack one open and begin putting away the contents or tossing things into the dirty clothes pile. Amazing how big that pile is.

I continue putting things away and stub my toe on the metal box under the bed. Ahah! Forgot that. I reach down and drag out the box far enough to enter the unlock code with the five keys on top of the box. Nothing. No light, no beep, nothing. Hmm, I pull the box all the way out from the bed and set it on top. It’s never done this before. Not a good thing when the gun safe under the bed won’t unlock. Well no problem. It has a backup battery system and I’ll get a nine volt battery and get it open. This was one of the features that sold me on the safe. I head to the basement in search of the battery. Find one and return upstairs. Holding the battery against the external posts that will power the lock, I enter the combination. Nothing. Not a beep, no light. The wife is alerted to my frustration and attempts to help. We download the instructions for the safe and review the troubleshooting steps. I follow the suggestions with no luck. Still can’t open the safe which holds my Smith & Wesson M&P .40 semi automatic pistol equipped with a Streamlight TLR2 mounted light with laser. Granted this isn’t an emergency, but then again I don’t have access to my hand gun. Well, there is a third feature to this metal box, the keylock. Easily recognizable, it’s one of those fancy round, candy vending machine ones. Now where did I put it? Like I said its unique. But, I don’t recall seeing it since I purchased the box several years ago.

A small panic sets in. Where to find it? I begin to search all the locations that a responsible planning adult would store such a key. Such as the fire safe box, the downstairs gun cabinet, tool boxes, file cabinets, the spare keys ring in the kitchen drawer, many desk and dresser drawers. No luck. An hour wasted. I try the backup battery method, still no luck. The wife sensing my frustration suggests she might know where it is and disappears, returning with a round key. Sure enough, it unlocks the gun safe. She informs me I overlooked the jewelry box on my dresser. I restrain my inner voice from escaping, thinking how she could have saved me all that time. That’s payback for something. Just not sure what.

I pull out the gun, and spare magazine. I check the status of the gun. First, releasing the magazine, then pulling the action back and locking it in place, verifying the barrel is empty and gun unloaded. I set it aside and pull out the battery pack which powers the lock and change the batteries. No luck. I install another set and still no luck. I Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for troubleshooting and still nothing. I decide enough is enough and bring the box upstairs and return it to its location. I insert the magazine into the gun and place it into the safe. It will remain that way till I can email the manufacturer. With just the two of us in the house there is less of a need to keep the box locked. I still think it should be closed but, only if I can get the keypad operational. Locking it with a key and leaving the key in the lock doesn’t make any sense. Removing the key doesn’t work because I cannot get into the box without fumbling with the key and lock. Open and ready is how I’ll leave it, if I can’t get any help from the maker then I’ll ask Santa for a present. In retrospect that wasn’t much of a rant. Sorry, I’ll work on it.

Safety continued… There are several ways to acquire training. At the national level, the National Rifle Association or NRA authors many courses used by NRA trained and certified instructors to teach principles of firearm safety. The courses offered are by type of gun, level of experience and desired qualification. Several courses satisfy state Firearms Safety Course requirements needed before purchasing a gun. Others will qualify participants for concealed carry weapons (CCW) permit. Cost of the course range from $80 to $100. To find courses in your area follow the link.

There are local resources as well. Consider Guns and Ammo Warehouse in Manassas. Not too difficult to figure out their main business. In addition they conduct Home Firearm Safety courses and a basic Cartridge reloading course. The reloading course is another facet of gun ownership that can reduce the costs of your new found hobby. I’ll cover that in future blogs. Gander Mountain is a national retail chain of outdoor recreation stores. There is one in Stafford and another in Richmond. They offer a full spectrum of outdoor goods, clothing, equipment, archery equipment and guns. In an effort act as more than just the Walmart of sporting goods, Gander stores are community minded. They have a bulletin board for posting announcements for fishing and hunting events, an online bragging board and a Lodge or classroom that can used for conducting classes in the store. Checking the events in the Richmond store, one finds a listing for ten different events ranging from Basic Handgun Safety to Concealed Weapons Classes.

Last but not least, the wonderful state of Virginia offers Hunter Education safety courses. Sponsored by Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries the course is mandatory for first time hunters and hunters 12 to 15 years of age are required to complete the course before buying a hunting license and to present the certificate when a hunting license is purchased. While focused on the certain age group, they encourage refresher courses to brush up on safety, principles of conservation, and sportsmanship.

Enough on safety, these are just some of the great resources available to those interested in educating and qualifying themselves for the next step, gun ownership.

Safety, Safety, Safety… We have a theme. Can someone guess what it is? First things first, when one handles a gun, always treat it as if it’s loaded and keep it pointed in a safe direction. This applies regardless of the size, big guns like a rifle or shotgun or a small gun like a handgun. I like to think that in the end of the gun there is a laser pointer and that I don’t want to “paint” anyone or anything with that light. Many of us are taught to keep scissors pointed down or in a safe direction, the same goes for a gun.

When you go to handle a gun, always ensure that it is empty, that it is clear it of any ammunition. Do this by opening the guns chamber and visually check with your own eyes that the gun is empty. If you want to handle someone else’s gun, go for it. But, first allow the person handing you the gun to clear it for themselves, confirming they have handed you an unloaded gun. Then, when it’s in your hands clear it again for yourself always keeping it pointed in a safe direction. If you don’t know how to operate it – in order to clear it, ask the person handing it to you how to clear it. Follow their instructions to check it yourself. But why take my word, the NRA, now don’t go thinking this is all political, will tell you the same thing.

Looking back at what I’ve written perhaps I’ve gotten ahead of myself. Like I pointed out earlier, I had gun safety training as a teen and again in the Air Force. I advocate that as a first step towards gun ownership. However, should you find yourself handling a gun then the rules above will prepare you for that encounter and ensure a safe outcome. Should an interest develop, then I recommend a formal training course.

Why create something new when you can copy and enhance someone else’s work? Well no worries. I think I have an instructor that would take exception to that statement, especially since this is for a grade.

Earlier I promised a little background about myself. I’m retired Air Force so while I was in the military, my time wasn’t spent focusing on weapons and their use. I did deploy to Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Shield and later Desert Storm. That was the most I ever carried a weapon. Additional training or experience would be the annual qualification training at an Air Force range, where I managed to qualify for the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon several times. Also, a Hunters Safety Course taken as a teen in Minnesota. That would be extent of any weapons formal training and based on that not the reason for this blog.

Earlier I said something about copying someone else’s work; literally speaking that would be wrong and I don’t support that. I should clarify, learning from other people’s endeavors, issues, mistakes, etc… and leveraging that information, those experiences is what I advocate. As I proceed forward in this endeavor, it’s my experiences and information I’ve learned that I would like to share with those interested for their education and quite possibly entertainment.

In my next post I’ll go over safety. The subject speaks for itself but I’ll try to find and discuss some interesting points of my own.