Gun Owners, Why Do You Own Guns?

[4Ryan6]

My reasons for gun ownership are totally home defense, I live out in the country in a high crime area, most of the crimes are drug related ending in killing the victims, in some worst cases over less than 20 dollars.

What has this world come to, when someone would be killed for less than 20 dollars!

That's a Travesty!

Worse was that couple were older and really couldn't defend themselves, why kill them?

If the robbers had wore a mask why would they need to be killed, just pure evil mean behind those actions!

To make things worse we have 2 gangs in the closest county and 3 gangs in the neighboring county, some of the gang members commit crimes as part of their gang initiations.

So to me owning guns for home defense is a No Brainer!

That's why I have them and why they were purchased, what about you?

 

[4Ryan6]

Check this out. A crossbow upper for the AR-15 platform. It literally snaps right on in. Too cool!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chscJyx2GKU

Looks cool but why would anyone want to do that, looks sniper use only, too bulky to carry around?

If you have an AR15 why the crossbow that removes the barrel of the AR15 and converts it to crossbow only, crossbows take too long to load.

Bear archery got it's name from actual Bear kills, but not with a crossbow, there's zero possibilities of me going Bear hunting with a crossbow, I'd much rather have the AR15 as it is!

Of course I wouldn't go bear hunting anyway without a 44 magnum pistol on my side for it's penetration kill power, I'm just saying how limited the crossbow actually is, in my opinion.

If you were going to depend on that crossbow, it better be a kill shot and not just wound the bear, the sound of a rifle firing even with a missed kill shot intimidates, a near silent crossbow does not and if he sees you and he is wounded?

You could always yell at him to give you time to swap out the upper to the firing barrel!

This is bear dramatics, but you get my point right, if you missed the kill shot with a bow by the time the arrow hits him, you're already pulling the next arrow into firing position.

Just a dramatization, I wouldn't go bear hunting with any smaller caliber rifle than a 30.06 anyway.

 

[chunkymonster]

I own firearms because because I can and it's a Constitutionally guaranteed right; plus the fact that I have a natural ability for the shooting sports.

I'm an NRA certified pistol and rifle instructor.

Shooting is like any other acquired skill. It takes hours of practice to become proficient and even longer to master.

I used to hunt, but now I mostly participate in the many shoots offered by my gun club; small bore, silhouette, lever action, CMP service rifle, Garand, and the Winchester/NRA Qualification.

The majority of firearms owners are shadowed by the nescient minority who abuse the responsibility of owning firearms. For most, a gun is for only one purpose, to kill people, but that is an ignorant and fearful view of an extremely useful tool. A gun for hunting is the primary tool in the kit. A gun for self defense is just one of many tools. But, the best tool that everyone has is their brain!

Check this out. A crossbow upper for the AR-15 platform. It literally snaps right on in. Too cool!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chscJyx2GKU

Yeah, I saw that recently and was all about getting one until I realized it cost as much, if not more, than a brand new AR itself.

 

[4Ryan6]

Please do not close this thread since a best answer has been selected and allow the discussions to continue, Thank You Mod Team! Ry

 

[Saga Lout]

Now would we do a thing like that? 😀 This is a civilised conversation but also one which could degenerate into a contentious debate so we will keep watch but contrary to popular belief, we are a reasonable bunch of [strike]moro[/strike] people.

 

[4Ryan6]

Now would we do a thing like that? 😀 This is a civilised conversation but also one which could degenerate into a contentious debate so we will keep watch but contrary to popular belief, we are a reasonable bunch of [strike]moro[/strike] people.

Thanks!

 

[chunkymonster]

Wow! Ry picked me for best answer. I feel honored!

 

[Reynod]

Wow! Ry picked me for best answer. I feel honored!

Well oldmangamer73 was never going to get a best answer for responsible firearm use was he ?

 

[4Ryan6]

Just had a weird incident, since I built our screen porch I've had the feeling I should run hardware cloth over the lower section of screen wire but the wife wasn't for it as it would be partially blocking the view.

Two days ago the reality of that thought came to life as two rogue dogs were intent on getting through the screen to my cats that were out on the porch.

The commotion going on was hair raising on the back of the neck stuff and I grabbed my pistol and headed for the porch the dogs were outside and saw me but didn't back off, so I unlocked the porch door and stepped out.

They increased their aggressive growling and barking attitude, I fired about 10' away in an attempt to scare them off, one bolted the other stood his ground and even took a step towards me and got more aggressive.

He showed no fear of the gun firing at all and when he took the step towards me, in my mind I thought, Really?

I fired again at the ground off to the right of him between he and I so he could see the dirt kicked up from the bullet hitting the ground.

That did it he ran off!

That night my wife and I went to the hardware store and bought enough hardware cloth to do the lower screen of the porch.

I now know why I had that premonition, it would have been much easier before the lattice strips were installed to have run it.

Hardware cloth, for those that don't know, is a heavy gauge wire to keep animals out, as screen wire can only do so much.

Living in the country has it's benefits and bad sides as well, you never know what can come out of the woods.

 

[4Ryan6]

I own firearms because because I can and it's a Constitutionally guaranteed right; plus the fact that I have a natural ability for the shooting sports.

I'm an NRA certified pistol and rifle instructor.

Shooting is like any other acquired skill. It takes hours of practice to become proficient and even longer to master.

I used to hunt, but now I mostly participate in the many shoots offered by my gun club; small bore, silhouette, lever action, CMP service rifle, Garand, and the Winchester/NRA Qualification.

The majority of firearms owners are shadowed by the nescient minority who abuse the responsibility of owning firearms. For most, a gun is for only one purpose, to kill people, but that is an ignorant and fearful view of an extremely useful tool. A gun for hunting is the primary tool in the kit. A gun for self defense is just one of many tools. But, the best tool that everyone has is their brain!

Check this out. A crossbow upper for the AR-15 platform. It literally snaps right on in. Too cool!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chscJyx2GKU

Yeah, I saw that recently and was all about getting one until I realized it cost as much, if not more, than a brand new AR itself.

Wow! Ry picked me for best answer. I feel honored!

Because there are so many misconceptions and prejudices towards guns as only being killing elements not considering the mind behind the gun controls the finger pulling the trigger.

Being educated in gun handling, and how to use it is critical, cleaning and servicing the weapon is as important as the guns dependability and safety.

Many courses train how to use the weapon but never cover maintenance, that may be the most critical element in what happens when the trigger is pulled.

Handling the weapon has killed more people accidentally than many are even aware of, we had more people killed changing an armed watch using the M1911 service pistol.

Which through the years added so many safety features to the gun if it is not properly maintained you may get nothing when you pull the trigger in a most dire life or death situation.

We also had to go to extreme training to stress the care and set procedure for changing the watch and transferring the weapon from one watch stander to another, the death toll of passing a supposedly unloaded gun is tremendous.

That very same pistol was notorious for wearing down the sear pin and under constant use had to be inspected after every firing for wear.

I was servicing weapons in the gun shack and our 45 pistol instructor came in and put the weapon had just demonstrated on my desk, "Find out what's wrong with that gun, I pulled the trigger and it emptied the entire magazine, gun training is over for today, I'm going to take a shower, I just messed my pants!"

It was a worn sear pin, our pistols were used regularly we had a 270 man crew and they all had to be checked out and tested using a weapon, in case we had to repel boarders, but not everyone could be trusted with a weapon, we had to test each person to see their reaction to firing a weapon.

Some are afraid of guns! And literally go to pieces when firing one, we would generally only load one bullet in the magazine to watch their reaction when the gun fired.

We had weapons training in boot camp but you could completely fail weapons training and still get stationed on a ship, the only thing that could keep you off being assigned sea duty was if you could not swim.

So we had some seriously weapon denied individuals that were never allowed access to any of the ships weapons.

Training is everything, it's the mind behind the trigger, that's why I selected your response as best answer!

 

[Reynod]

I had a rogue dog attack my dog once in our yard.

A 1500 length 75 X 35 sorted him out quick smart.

Lucky I was building the games room / studio at the time and putting spreaders in the skillion roof ceiling frame to make sure the plasterboard had plenty of points for the adhesive - and ringshank nails (oldskool hand powered hammer).

I therefore had offcuts handy.

Bit of a carpentry story to make you feel all mushy Ry.



P.S I would have resorted to a Katana if there had been two dogs ... I have a few handy.

Daz 1 ... dog 0

 

[4Ryan6]

P.S I would have resorted to a Katana if there had been two dogs ... I have a few handy.

I do not own one of those yet, but, a real Katana, not a display replica, is on my want list as well!

 

[4Ryan6]

Get the Apokatana!!

I'm surprised Riser hasn't started a zombie killing thread yet.

OMG, I was more impressed with the Reaper at that website, that is one nasty looking weapon!, if I get a Katana it will be from here.

I'm just not sure about getting it shipped into the US sharpened?

We have some weird custom rules here.

Presently it's a want on the back burner as the one I want is expensive and there are presently so many needs above my wants.

 

[Reynod]

Not sure about mine but one of the mid sized ones I have would take your head off with one swipe easy ... I think its 440 stainless or such.

Not that I would do somethign like that ... I'm a lover not a fighter.

Plus we haz no bad people round here ... or guns.

The odd swooping magpie is the most imminent danger.

 

[4Ryan6]

Nice! Are those real Katanas with full tang, good steel, etc.? $500 seems cheap for a real one.

They are supposed to be reproductions using the original creation process, look the site over and let me know what you think?

I know someone that's bought from them and he is ecstatic at the quality, but he lives in the UK, my main concern is getting one made and shipped into the US.

I absolutely want it sharpened by them, I'm not trusting an outside source to do it.

I've had too much past experience with trusting multiple sources to complete a job, for example building a gorgeous set of kitchen cabinets, and some idiot screws up the finishing, and ruins my work!

That's actually happened, and literally made me sick to my stomach, so much work ruined by someones incompetence!

 

[4Ryan6]

Finally a company has designed a dependable 22 auto mag pistol, for the longest time a successful 22 magnum pistol was a failure after a failure, and 22 magnum ammo success resided in a revolver style pistol, check it out.

http://www.alloutdoor.com/2013/09/18/kel-tec-pmr-30-22-magnum-pistol-review/

The link below is a 2010 link when the pistol was first released.

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2010/06/30/kel-tec-pmr-30-22-magnum-video-and-review/

It has stood the test of time so far, but does have drawbacks regarding the rim fire cartridges, which are not the best cartridges for reliability for a semi auto loading or magazine filling a center fire cartridge would be much more reliable.

With the 22 casing being as small a diameter as it is rim fire is pretty much it in the 22 magnum round.

The jam free sheer speed this pistol can fire accurately is amazing IMO, that's a lot of lead thrown down range!

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2013/08/daniel-zimmerman/gun-review-kel-tec-pmr-30/

Supply and demand however is something Kel-Tec has struggled with since it's market release.

What are your opinions?

 

[riser]

Katanas are hard to find. Many places stamp the steel which is crap for a katana. You want the folder Japanese steel. The mirror polish alone takes weeks, if not months to create, along with the natural wave you see the in steel. This is from the hand made process.

You should be able to pick up an unpolished, unsharpened real katana for $500-$800. If it is polished with the wave in it, they most likely used a chemical wash to create it.

Worst case, find a true shop that really does it, or ship it off in the US to have it sharpened. It'll cost you money but you're looking for a real katana and not a reproduction.

Though, you might not want a sharpened katana. If you actually plan on using it for practice, or cutting something, etc. You will want an unsharpened edge. A sharpened edge when used by someone untrained, can seriously damage the blade. In the training circles they'll start off with their bokken (Wooden sword) then move to an unsharpened katana. After mastering those, they will begin to use a sharpened sword. It wasn't uncommon that the Katana was used in battle unsharpened. It would still devastating and wouldn't get damaged as quickly. Often, people use the edge to block into the blade, resulting in breaks, chips, and seriously damage.

If you want the look, you'll want an edge on it because that's what produces the actual wave along with the polished look. No doubt very impressive.

 

[No2rdame]

Training is everything, it's the mind behind the trigger.

Best quote of the whole thread! Training is absolutely critical with handguns and often times poorly trained gun owners are own worst enemy. It happens all too frequently where some idiot shoots himself cleaning a gun or playing around with it. Just last night I saw a story on the local news about how crime is skyrocketing in the suburbs and several people are purchasing guns for the first time. While I'm glad to hear this I'm also concerned that many of these people are not properly trained and are an absolute danger to themselves and to others. On top of it, the news reporter ended the story by having the cameraman take a shot of her firing downrange, then turning WITH THE GUN in hand toward the camera. I about had a heart attack! While she didn't aim the gun directly at the camera she still did a barrel sweep of the entire range and the cameraman. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Oh, and slightly off-topic but related to this story, Thursday night the motel desk directly next to my wife's office was robbed at gunpoint. Not only were some of her out of town colleagues staying there but my wife frequently works very late hours (she didn't leave until 10:30 last night). She is trained in firearms but refuses to carry at work for fear of losing her job. I'm heavily conflicted because while I agree with her position on this I'm also frustrated because her building is somewhat "hidden" from the main road, cops never check back there, and there is absolutely no security on staff. She frequently walks alone to her car and knowing that the area she works in is quickly becoming a hotbed of armed robberies makes me nervous beyond belief.

 

[4Ryan6]

Here's a video of one of the makers of the Apokatana going through 24 PBR cans with it. After drinking them of course!! 😉

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8UrvkPnY8s&context=C3a2b487ADOEgsToPDskJLBc37tH5KhxxfvLpEzkN6

As far as sharpening, get a Lanksy kit and do it yourself my friend. Watch the youtube vids on it for the best technique on large knives and blades, they do work. I have it and use it on all my blades, even my Cutco kitchen knives. It makes a durable, utility edge all the way to a razor sharp edge if you want.

I'm sorry about your cabinets, that sucks. If you go through the trouble of building it in the first place, go ahead and finish it yourself. It will be worth it, I promise. Just a suggestion from a fellow worker of wood.

I'll have to give that sword some serious consideration OMG!

That was seriously impressive that it could do that!!!

The cabinet issue only happened to me once and I had 4 solid weeks of work invested in those cabinets, there was not one 90 degree corner all 45 degree work and the 45 degree angle had a 4" face, they were literally a work of art.

I was working with a remodeling company at the time as the job foreman and the only one skilled in cabinetry, the fridge was enclosed, the doors were grain matched upper and lower all the way through.

I had to go to the next job and the finishing idiot went to work and from that point I finished all my work myself, which my boss wasn't happy about, so I started my own company, which lasted until the economy went down the toilet.

Almost every small business folded in my line of work and some of the larger along with a couple of lumber companies, and my geographic area still has not recovered, but that's another topic which I don't want to get into!

 

[4Ryan6]

Oh, and slightly off-topic but related to this story, Thursday night the motel desk directly next to my wife's office was robbed at gunpoint. Not only were some of her out of town colleagues staying there but my wife frequently works very late hours (she didn't leave until 10:30 last night). She is trained in firearms but refuses to carry at work for fear of losing her job. I'm heavily conflicted because while I agree with her position on this I'm also frustrated because her building is somewhat "hidden" from the main road, cops never check back there, and there is absolutely no security on staff. She frequently walks alone to her car and knowing that the area she works in is quickly becoming a hotbed of armed robberies makes me nervous beyond belief.

I fully understand your frustration, I bought 2 pistols for my wife, trained her on both so I am 100% confident in her ability to shoot a target, but she will not even carry in the car she leaves her choices at home?

She is a nurse and probably wouldn't shoot an assailant in the first place, so the guns are seemingly a waste of money in her case IMO, if someone breaks into our home, it's up to me, I don't know what she would actually do?

She has seen the after effects of a lot of horrible things, so to what extent she would actually protect herself, I just don't know?

The only benefit to her refusal to even carry a gun in the car is we now have the option of a weapon hidden in every room of our home, which I know sounds paranoid, but what good is a gun, if you cannot get to it.

 

[Reynod]

All our swords (5 good ones) are up on the wall ... sounds silly but I don't want little kids getting near them ... a couple of them are razor sharp.

I have one in the wardrobe though ... I customised the handle on it to fit my hands ... technically a Wakizashi ... as it is too short (less than 2 shaku) to be considered a Katana.

Very good in a confined space though ...

The good swords are all katanas though one is an Odachi ... an old field sword from WWII ... though clearly the officer's work weapon as it had no fancy binding on the grip / handle.

I sprayed all of mine with Ardrox with hardened as a yellow coating on the blades ... to make them last.

 

[Reynod]

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/travel/holiday-ideas/bigfoot-hunt-goes-horribly-horribly-wrong/story-fnjpjah0-1226753773901

Ok ... Did you guys go hunting bigfoot on the weekend?

 

[riser]

All our swords (5 good ones) are up on the wall ... sounds silly but I don't want little kids getting near them ... a couple of them are razor sharp.

I have one in the wardrobe though ... I customised the handle on it to fit my hands ... technically a Wakizashi ... as it is too short (less than 2 shaku) to be considered a Katana.

Very good in a confined space though ...

The good swords are all katanas though one is an Odachi ... an old field sword from WWII ... though clearly the officer's work weapon as it had no fancy binding on the grip / handle.

I sprayed all of mine with Ardrox with hardened as a yellow coating on the blades ... to make them last.

Umm.. Ardrox? Maybe a light oil on the blade periodically would preserve it properly without changing the color. Same process used on firearms - a light coating of oil to prevent any rust or other issues from creeping up.

 

[chunkymonster]

P.S I would have resorted to a Katana if there had been two dogs ... I have a few handy.

I do not own one of those yet, but, a real Katana, not a display replica, is on my want list as well!

Japanese made Katanas, whether new or pre world war 2 can cost some big money. New production (tamahgane steel) swords from Japan are in the tens of thousands, any pre-WW2 sword tied to an important family or well known master will cost thousands. I have no experience or info about the duralumin bladed katanas made in Japan.

Check out Chenessinc.com for well made mid-level functional katanas. Sure, they are made in Chinese forges, as many katanas outside of Japan are today, but they are solid, well made, and truly functional. They have choice of steel (1060, 1045, & 9260) both deferentially and mono tempered steels depending on your purpose and preference. I picked up the mono-tempered 9260 steel Tenchi Ko-Katana no bo-hi and it makes short work of melons, cardboard tubes, and bamboo.

Also check out Sword Buyers Guide (google SBG Sword Store) for reasonably priced mid-level functional katanas. They sell pre-made but also have a "build your own custom" feature. They mostly use 1060 mono-tempered for the pre-made swords but the build your own uses a deferentially tempered T1 tool steel. Again, Chinese forges but also well made, solid, and truly functional.

There's also coldsteel.com. A company that just makes incredible knives on the whole, but they also offer katanas made from a mono-tempered 1055 steel. Everything they make lives up to the hype, I own several Cold Steel knives and machetes an have yet to kill any of them. While their katanas are currently out of my prices range (wife, kids, mortgage) I would not hesitate to get one of their katanas and put it through its paces.

Lastly, there's museumreplicas.com which offers a mix of wall hangers and fully functional swords. Just be careful that you read the specs. Regardless of the maker, if the description reads "high carbon steel" it is most likely pot steel and will not take any serious use.

Heck, we could fill a thread just on sword steel and swords in general!

 

[chunkymonster]

Training is everything, it's the mind behind the trigger.

Best quote of the whole thread! Training is absolutely critical with handguns and often times poorly trained gun owners are own worst enemy. It happens all too frequently where some idiot shoots himself cleaning a gun or playing around with it.

One of my favorites is always the loud mouth with the .500 S&W revolver, or the .50 Desert Eagle, or a .454 Casull with the 8" bbl. I just smile and nod my head a they go on about stopping power, how the recoil isn't that bad, blah, blah, ad-nausea. How they brag about their tight groups with a target set at 7 yards and there is still a flyer or two outside the black. One such braggart told me they don't like the 1911 because the recoil is too jolting and the gun is inaccurate.

 

[riser]

Well, the 1911 is an obsolete firearm by today's standard. I could rail on about how it isn't practical compared to modern firearms. I read the literature of a special skills military trainer too much. The trainer I read often says the 1911 recoil is bad compared to modern firearms but he also owns a couple because they are cool.

Steve Reichert if you're curious who I follow and wait for his training courses to come close. He came close a few months back and I didn't even know it until a month later.

I remember being at the gun store and this ghetto dude and his friend are in there. The guy behind the counter, I forget his full name, but he's won several world handgun shooting championships blah blah. Anyhow, this guy buys 2 Taurus handguns, one a 9mm, one a 45. The total was just under $1000 out the door after tax. The guy behind the counter asks if he wants to buy any ammo.. and the ghetto dude says he doesn't have enough money and that he doesn't have a job. His friend starts laughing, says to only buy 1 guy and get some ammo instead. Nope, he wanted his two flashy handguns and that's what he got. Tax return well spent I guess.