If you are talking about home defense, really what you are talking about is defense of yourself and those in your home, more specifically if you feel like your life is in danger or you feel as though someone in your home is in danger of losing their life or is the victim of a violent crime and/or an assault that is in progress or one that is immenent It is my understanding these are the only things that make the use of deadly force a lawful option. If something warrants the use of deadly force you want to shoot to kill, your shot will be most likely within 3 yards and at the center of mass (torso), this is not a precision shot. For my money I want a handgun that is not big and bulky, that I can put some lead through quickly, I want a round that will kill a motherfucker. You want round that disinegrates, use a hollow point. In my opinion if you have a gun for home protection you should practice with it and know how to shoot it, not just standing up, but laying down on your stomach on your back, one handed, from your knees, etc. If you shoot all these different ways and still think a shotgun is a better option for you then go shotgun, but you won't, you will want a pistol.
As far as what constitutes a legal justification for using deadly force, it varies depending on where you live. In many states, all it takes is for someone to have entered your house without your permission, and for you to perceive any kind of threat. If it's the middle of the night and I hear someone/something in my house, I'm grabbing whichever of my guns is handiest, and taking up a position that lets me defend the hallway that goes to all the bedrooms. They can take whatever the hell they want from the rest of the house, and I'm not gonna do anything but call and wait for the cops. But if I see someone enter the hallway and start toward any of the bedrooms, they're only hope is to get out of that hallway before they get too many new holes in them. Check the laws of your state, if it's a "Castle Doctrine" state, you have every legal right to shoot anyone that is in your home illegally. Your local gun range should offer not only the basic gun safety classes, but also classes in the self-defense laws in your area, and probably concealed carry classes if your area allows it. I can't recommend those enough.
I was talking to the owner of a gun shop about this same topic last week. I was concerned about over penetration in my place if I was using a shotgun as my primary weapon. He asked me why I was concerned about planning to miss my target. The furthest distance I'd have to shoot someone in my house is less than twenty feet. A pretty good point I have to concede. If I'm going to miss a person less than twenty feet away, I probably shouldn't be using a gun. There's always this option I guess. Along with any classes, I'd suggest talking to other people with guns, at the range or store, etc. A forum like this is a great tool but, that's all it is. Guns are very personal to some people. The people you tend to find in gun stores or the range have their opinions and they don't mind sharing.
Just as long as you also consider that, just like this place, a lot of those gun store commandos are full of shit. The bottom line is that the best defensive weapon you will ever buy is the one that you know how to use upside down, blindfolded, with one hand; it's the one you shoot the best under unusual circumstances; it's the one that's easiest for you to get to when needed, get on target, and keep on target. It doesn't matter how powerful a gun is, or how many rounds it holds, or what kind of super ammo you bought, if you can't get to it, or miss the guy with every shot. Some people end up with a shotgun, some with a semi-auto, some with a revolver, and some with a god-damn arsenal sitting under their bed, in their nightstand, and under their pillow. Figure out what works for YOU.
Knowing the laws of the state your in concerning shoot and don't shoot situations is very important. Very good call to bring that point up. In the concealed carry classes I take in Arizona they have a portion of it taught by an attorney and he discusses what he interprets the existing laws to mean and the legal ramifications of shooting someone if you are not justified, and even the possible ramifications if you are justified. Another thing we talked about is the physcological effects of killing someone, personally that is where I would struggle. I think no matter how bad ass you think you are, if you kill another human it does something to your brain, even if it was justified. That being said, when you practice with your gun, shoot silhouettes the look like people to train your brain to get used to the practice of shooting a person.
The concealed carry class in Texas is basically 8 hours of reviewing all of the TX statutes related to Use of Force, whether deadly or not. Like I said, the range that I took my class at also offers a lot of other classes, and I'm pretty sure I remember one of them being a class relating to home defense. They were covering the legal aspect, but also the other things we've been mentioning, like weapon selection, and strategies for different scenarios. TX is what is considered a limited Castle Doctrine state, because they protect you against criminal prosecution if you kill an intruder in your home, but they don't protect you from civil liability. Some states do; they will not only protect you from being prosecuted criminally for killing the person, but the law prohibits the families from suing you in civil court. Some states don't have either, and depending on the DA and prosecutors in your area, they could very well charge you with manslaughter or murder even for killing an armed burglar. Then it's up to you to pay to defend yourself, and go through all the stress of a trial, even if it's obvious that you were justified. If your local range/gun shop doesn't have someone that can go through all of these things with you, and make sure you're comfortable with everything, then you really should consider finding another one. Oh, and the trick isn't to get used to shooting at people, it's to get used to seeing threats to your life, and the lives of your family, for what they really are, non-humans. Someone that's going to kill me is no longer a person, they're just a threat that needs to be dealt with.
It is my understanding that the thought behind shooting at humans silhouettes is so when presented with a situation where a person is threatening your life you can make a kill shot on them. If you practice over and over shooting at a human form your reaction to a threat to yourself would be ingrained in your mind and muscle memory making a kill shot much easier. The threat to your life is a human and if in your mind you are desensitized to that fact you have to shoot another human it makes you more effective.
There's a lot of ways to go about that, believe me, the last thing I will ever say is that shooting at silhouette targets is a waste of time. Once you get comfortable shooting at the silhouette, and are getting good, consistent center-mass hits, it doesn't hurt to challenge yourself a little more. If you're lucky, you can find a range that does practical shooting setups, so you can practice firing from different positions (standing, sitting, crouching, etc), shoot with your "off" hand only, shoot from behind a barricade/cover, practice engaging multiple targets, you get the idea. My favorite thing to shoot at is still bowling pins, gives a good outline of what would be the "vital area" on the bad guy, but is much smaller than the silhouette, which adds to the mental challenge. You have to keep things exciting, standing at the line blasting a silhouette from 10 yards gets old.
Oh I agree, but it would appear that you shoot more than the average person and are more advanced in your techniques, your skill level is not common among gun owners. A majority of the people who have a gun for home protection shoot on average about once a year, I am talking about in the Phoenix area. So if your shooting time is very limited get the most effective practice you can. I like to shoot things that go boom when I hit them, propane bottles, spray paint cans, exploding targets, watermelon and I like to shoot them from a long ways away with a high powered rifle.
Don't get too carried away with the tannerite*... <a class="postlink" href="http://wcco.com/crime/prairie.island.explosion.2.631915.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://wcco.com/crime/prairie.island.ex ... 31915.html</a> (be sure to watch the video on the right) *or don't be stupid enough to detonate 100 pounds of it near a nuclear power plant
I bought a glock 26 for personal use (I got a 17 for work) I must say I'm very satisfied. If you want a great CC gun buy one.
This was an actual ad right here on TiB: Dear History Channel: By now, you should know that the entire goddamned shell does not fly through air when you fire a gun. I hope most people understand the difference too. I'd appreciate some opinions on the stocks I'm currently working on... I'm split on how I should shape the fore-end of a few. The goal is to end up with a hunting stock suitable for light varmint hunting (with some classy touches). What do you prefer... A round bottom with angled sides, like a flattened fingergroove stock? Or, a completely round fore-end, like an old school prone stock? Thanks.
I have to say I admire your work. Do you have any links or tutorials you can point someone wanting to start a project like this to?
Just finished EAG Tactical's 2-day Basic Carbine Course taught by Pat Rogers and his assistant instructor Mike this past weekend. These guys are some hard shooting motherfuckers, but they are willing to teach and work with you - you just have to be willing to learn and learn from your fuckups. Things I learned: HYDRATE!!!! I thought I knew what it was to hydrate. Yeah, I thought I did until I started going into the early stages of heat stroke near the end of T1 - couldn't cool down, shaky, stopped sweating, turning funny colors, the works. I gutted it out and finished the day, but I was hurtin' bad. T2, I brought a bigger cooler and went 1 for 1 on water and powerade and was fine. Lesson learned. Dirt/sand is going to end up in sensitive and funny places when you go to prone repeatedly. It's a fact of life. Deal with it. Push-pull. Also another immutable fact of life if you want your mag to stay in the gun. Slip2000 makes awesome oils and greases, but only oil goes into AR's. Leave the grease for handguns. Shooting gloves are a need be. Hell, any sort of glove would be nice. I've got a nice blister the size of a pinky nail on the 2nd digit of my shooting hand's social finger to testify to this from rubbing on the trigger guard area. Knee pads. Don't forget them. If your gun is starting to feel gritty when it cycles, add more oil. Problem solved. BCM Gunfighter charging handles are awesome when practicing unfucking your rifle. NEVER fuck with your gun, even if your just trying to turn on your sight on a condition 4 carbine. Why? Because Pat didn't tell you to fuck with it, that's why. Getting yelled at by someone you only read about and held in awe sucks. Pmags and Lancer L5's will still run after being dropped in the dirt repeatedly (speed reloads and learning how to unfuck your gun). GI mags with green followers will shit the bed when a little crud is introduced. Upgrade with a Magpul follower, smash 'em, or sell 'em to people you don't like. Marksmenship is one thing, but learning to engage targets as if they were actual hostiles is an entirely different ballgame, especially when shooting on the move on loose dirt/sand. Practice your failure drills. Alot. Nothing like getting yelled at for blankly staring at your rifle that didn't go bang. Adjustable 2 point slings are the way to go. After seeing a 3 point sling go tits up and my own experience with getting hit in the crank with a single point, I'm convinced that 2 pointer's are the way to go. After seeing an EoTech take a dump, well, I'll be upgrading my optic to an Aimpoint on a LaRue mount. Yeah, my EoTech has held up fine so far and will more than likely outlast my Daniel Defense barrel, but why take a chance? Hammer drills are fun. NSR's are even more fun. Learn your holds. That's all that I can think of off the top of my head for right now. If you want to actually begin to learn how to utilize a carbine to kill a motherfucker, you'd be hard-pressed to look for better training. I can't wait to either take this course again or go to a 3-day Carbine Operators course.
If people want, they can PM me for my email address and get more information than they want regarding stuff like this.
Now imagine doing all that training for 4 months, every year... not counting combat. With armor, casualty evacuations, triage under fire, and heavy weapons. I'm glad you had a good time and got to learn a little bit about your weapon system, but reading things like this... ...makes me laugh. Take a chance on what? No need to try and rationalize any Gucci gear fetishes here, man. I've got a clone of my work gun in the closet too, but outside of Red Dawn, its only use in life will be to impress my kids when they are old enough to care. Instead of an Aimpoint, buy more ammo so you can maintain your new level of proficiency. Remember: outside of military/LEO, the only offensive shooting you'll ever do is at an IPSC competition. And anyone who ever says "I wouldn't trust my life with widget X" probably owns stock in widget Y. Happy shooting.
In Texas if you're deemed justified to use the deadly force in your home, you are immune from civil liability. Not sure what you're talking about. <a class="postlink" href="http://www.rc123.com/texas_castle_doctrine.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.rc123.com/texas_castle_doctrine.html</a> "Sec. 83.001. CIVIL IMMUNITY [AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE]. A [It is an affirmative defense to a civil action for damages for personal injury or death that the] defendant who uses force or[, at the time the cause of action arose, was justified in using] deadly force that is justified under Chapter 9 [Section 9.32], Penal Code, is immune from civil liability for personal injury or death that results from the defendant’s [against a person who at the time of the] use of force or deadly force, as applicable [was committing an offense of unlawful entry in the habitation of the defendant]."
Taking a chance on this optic taking a dump and my not being able to sell it to someone else. I love shooting. Alot. I've plenty of ammo to practice all this new stuff I've learned. Seeing as how I've plenty of ammo to practice this new stuff I've learned, I might as well upgrade the optic to something that won't randomly turn off and on while shooting. I get a better optic, someone get's an optic they'll love and appreciate to put on their rifle that probably won't see it's barrel shot out.
Fair enough, although where I work Aimpoint is universally considered to be an inferior optic to EoTech. The only optics I see people running on M-4s are EoTechs, Elcan Specters, and the occasional ACOG. The only problem I've ever had with EoTech is that I generally have to solder their little battery springs into the case.