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]

We used both hands and hip fired an M60 off the fantail of our ship numerous times was no big deal keeping it on target.

The bolt recoil buffer almost completely counters the kick of firing, Sylvester Stallone could have fired that weapon just the way they showed it in the movie.

One arm firing would be limited by the strength of the individual as the gun weighs close to 25 lbs unloaded.

 

[Reynod]

Utter buillsh!t Ry ... find me a video of someone on the web firing two of them one handed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1DPCbAzal0

Here is one with 60 rounds and the guy has two hands.

Obviously your experience with them was on a ship ... mounted for pussies.

 

[4Ryan6]

Utter buillsh!t Ry ... find me a video of someone on the web firing two of them one handed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1DPCbAzal0

Here is one with 60 rounds and the guy has two hands.

Obviously your experience with them was on a ship ... mounted for pussies.

That was totally uncalled for!

I did not say a thing about firing 2 of them one handed!

Your video proves what I said by the way!

I know exactly what the M60 machine gun can do, there were only 2 of us out of gunnery school, stationed on my ship qualified on the M60 machine gun.

Our M60 was not deck mounted either, I have no reason what so ever to lie, I do not appreciate that response from you reynod, you are wrong in your response and attitude, especially representing the moderation team.

 

[4Ryan6]

For the record I took a screen shot of your response for evidence just in case it quickly disappears!

Also made a Word copy of the entire page, learned that as a moderator.

 

[Saga Lout]

I doubt your evidence is necessary, Ry - I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding. I read it twice without realising the two handed from firing from the hip is actually possible, although not for me with my current bout of severe sciatica. 😀 For my limited knowledge, I'd say even a mounted M60 would require two hands for any accuracy on a pitching and yawling ship but there's always someone with outstanding abilities who can do the seemingly unlikely.

 

[4Ryan6]

I doubt your evidence is necessary, Ry - I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding. I read it twice without realising the two handed from firing from the hip is actually possible, although not for me with my current bout of severe sciatica. 😀 For my limited knowledge, I'd say even a mounted M60 would require two hands for any accuracy on a pitching and yawling ship but there's always someone with outstanding abilities who can do the seemingly unlikely.

It's not like he hasn't caused problems in this thread from the beginning, I'll hang onto the evidence just the same.

Is it now OK for moderators to insult regular users like he insulted me, if a non moderator did that wouldn't a warning be appropriate for that kind of attitude, that's just not acceptable behavior!

If it's a misunderstanding he should apologize for that response, I didn't deserve that from him, that's the least he could do!

That said:

At one time we did have static deck mounts for the 50cal machine gun, but one of the refits removed the static mounts and the 50s were removed from our inventory as well.

I'm not really sure why we even had the M60s on our ship in the first place, we had more than adequate supply of M14s and 45cal pistols in our armory to repel boarders.

An approaching boat, plane, or sub, would be dealing with either the 5" guns, the torpedo launch tubes or the ASROC launcher.

The only thing we did with the M60s was fire them and clean them, and it was more for fun than anything else for us.

In an emergency situation the time needed to equip a sailor with an M14 ready to fire is much less than a 2 man team on the M60, which required at least a couple of ammo boxes and a spare barrel just to setup, the spare barrel was to swap out to keep the barrels from overheating and warping.

So the M60 is not really a user friendly weapon for a long term firefight in the first place.

That's why automated Gatling guns became so popular the multiple barrels allowed cooling between shots seriously extending the round output, before barrel failure.

 

[4Ryan6]

I can't believe they got rid of the .50s. That would seem the best weapon to sink those piss ant pirate ships off the Ivory coast. Don't you think? 😉

The 50s would flat tear something up especially with armor piercing rounds but 9 times out of 10 it was to save money so some upper echelon big shot could get a new toilet seat!

 

[No2rdame]

Can't we all just get along? Okay, sorry, I'll quit throwing fuel on the fire here. My wife is already mad at me so I certainly don't need anyone else pissed at me, too.

 

[Saga Lout]

Moderators are only human after all.

That's a sweeping generalisation, OMG. 😀

 

[4Ryan6]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VrFV5r8cs0

 

[4Ryan6]

@ OMG

The sad thing to me was the 50s were actually removed 2 refits before!

The problem plagued M60 machine guns replaced probably one of the best weapons ever invented, they replaced our ships BARs.

They removed the BARs but left the ammo, and all we had were armor piercing rounds for the BAR, and no gun that could fire them.

The first time I had ever seen a BAR was the TV series Combat, that weapon has stood the test of time for dependability, and reliability!

I was sad they had been removed from our ship I always wanted to fire one and have never had that privilege to this day.

 

[4Ryan6]

BAR shoots the .308 round right? That's a meaty round to be sending down range, for sure.

US military versions of the BAR fired a .30-06 round.

For those not familiar with the weapon the BAR stands for Browning Automatic Rifle, in my opinion one of the best designed and constructed weapons in our history of weapons.

 

[riser]

BAR shoots the .308 round right? That's a meaty round to be sending down range, for sure.

US military versions of the BAR fired a .30-06 round.

For those not familiar with the weapon the BAR stands for Browning Automatic Rifle, in my opinion one of the best designed and constructed weapons in our history of weapons.

My dad used one in Vietnam and he told me it stood for Big Ass Rifle.

If you watch the movie Expendables, all their close up shooting of guns, they're doing that with live ammo. They fire some big guns in multiple positions.

It's definitely do-able. I was watching a video of a guy shooting a .50 sniper rifle from a crouching position. I thought he was going to fall back because he wasn't a big guy.. surprised me when he barely moved when he shot the thing. I guess he was showing proper technique on how to do it.

 

[chunkymonster]

Anyone who has built an AR have an opinion on the polymer stripped lowers? Heck, even if you haven't built an AR, what are your thoughts on polymer AR lowers?

They are incredibly cheap, some places see Omni polymer stripped lowers for $65!!!! That's makes for a VERY affordable rifle.

 

[ssgmike]

I retired from the Army had my share of weapons of all kinds, left them behind no weapons in my home

 

[riser]

Anyone who has built an AR have an opinion on the polymer stripped lowers? Heck, even if you haven't built an AR, what are your thoughts on polymer AR lowers?

They are incredibly cheap, some places see Omni polymer stripped lowers for $65!!!! That's makes for a VERY affordable rifle.

Don't touch them. They bow out and become worthless. Sure, if you want a cheap rifle that you're not going to use much, it might make sense. I saw one, almost bought it until I talked to another guy at a show who was showing me what happened.

Much like Glock's magazines, eventually you have to replace them because the poly mags do expand. After all, it is plastic in the end.

 

[riser]

9. The good guy is in the fight of his or her life, has a pump shotgun and enters where the assailant is hiding, this will literally come down to, who sees who first, good guy is already in the building hunting for the assailant, hears a noise, then chambers a round?

What?

You entered the building without a round in the chamber, ready to fire?

Are you freaking nuts?

Under the same circumstances IMO you're past caution and safety for that matter, I would have chambered a round before entering the building and had the safety off, finger off the trigger but ready to fire in an instant.

This is a good post on the "do real cops keep a round in the chamber because on TV none of the fictional ones do" age old question.

Personally, I keep one in the chamber of my 1911 at all times. It isn't ideal, not for safety, but because anytime I have to clean it and clear the chamber, the round goes a little deeper into the casing. I have like 5 or 6 unfired rounds that have sunk halfway into the casing. They aren't designed to be put in and popped out without being fired constantly. But those precious few seconds that it would take to pull the slide back are not worth as much as few wasted rounds.

On a side note: I have a friend who has a Springfield XD 45 and every time someone comes over to his place he feels the need to pop every round out of his magazine and try to catch them in the air like it is some kind of sideshow or something. I just roll my eyes and shake my head. The same person also likes to take a pair of pliers, remove the round, put the casing that is still filled with powder back into the gun and fire it. Jokingly, he pointed it at me and I almost beat his a**. He said it was "safe" and I said I don't give a sh** even if it was unloaded. I told him that if you point it too close to someone, the shock wave produced by the blast could do internal damage. Some people should not be allowed to have a carry license.

Many police departments have that issue with rounds being sunk into the casing too much from constant loading/unloading.

I rotate my magazines, loaded/unloaded and inspect the rounds when I change the magazine. I don't keep one in the chamber in anything. Much debate there but I prefer the safest route. I handle firearms more often to clean than I will ever need one for protection. I error on that side.

I keep a handgun in one area without one chambered. I have a shotgun in my safe loaded but without one in the chamber. The handgun is present to get my to the shotgun depending on my location.

Actually, most trainers I talk with use the handgun as a deterrent to get to their real protection firearm.

 

[4Ryan6]

The handgun is present to get my to the shotgun depending on my location.

Actually, most trainers I talk with use the handgun as a deterrent to get to their real protection firearm.

I'm completely opposite of your most trainers thinking, my pistols are my main home protection weapons, my 45 is always within reach has a 10 round mag with one in the pipe, my 12ga pump shotgun will probably be the very last weapon I go for.

I started this post relating to the high crime area I live in, so we are never in super comfort zone where I live, the basic rule of thumb is grab the weapon closest to you and that becomes your primary weapon even if I ran to where the shotgun was located, it would be to grab another magazine for the pistol I was using.

Sorry but, I don't understand the mentality behind a handgun only being a deterrent, I don't have a cap gun or water pistol, I have the confidence of 45acp, or 9mm, or 38 hollow points and I will not miss!

So unless we are invaded in our home by a massive attack whoever comes through the door or window dies right there, period!

Maybe you live in a mansion with rooms as long as bowling lanes IDK, but distance wise inside the home a pistol is the perfect weapon, as long as you hit what you aim for.

So I totally disagree with the handgun as a deterrent, and to each his own, best to you in your thoughts on the subject.

 

[Reynod]

Anyone advocating that you should store a weapon in your home with a round chambered and the safety on (so that it can be fired easily) should in fact have their gun license revoked for sheer stupidity.

 

[4Ryan6]

Anyone advocating that you should store a weapon in your home with a round chambered and the safety on (so that it can be fired easily) should in fact have their gun license revoked for sheer stupidity.

You don't have to have a gun license to have a gun in your home, you have to have a license to carry a gun on your person, at least in the state I live in.

Whether a person keeps a gun with a round chambered is their business not mine, whether smart or stupid, would depend on whether there are children in the home or not.

So the attitudinal view comes from relating to the present environment the individual lives in, and also their comfort level of having a weapon in the home in the first place.

In a crisis situation if all your weapons are locked in a safe with trigger locks on them as well, they'll literally be useless when someone breaks into your home as mentioned regarding the family in the first post of this thread.

Moving to a different place to live and getting away from a high crime area could be an option if crime was not so rampant in our entire area, your views relate to your environment and kudos that you live in such a wonderful place.

That's just not the case for all of us.

 

[riser]

I would use the shotgun as a means to protect myself in a room. I wouldn't be going on the hunt in the house looking for the person. If I was alone at home, I probably would, but if others were in the house, I wouldn't. The idea being using the shotgun in a single room covering the points of entry. You know with a shotgun if you hit them, they're likely going down with a single shot no matter where it hits. Whereas with a handgun, you may need several shots and/or a headshot to actually stop someone.

There was the story about a year ago where the guy broke into a woman's house and she hid with her kids in a closet or entry into the crawl space. The guy opened the door and she shot him, point blank, 5 of 6 shots. She was close enough to be point blank, but nervous enough to miss. He was shot with a .38. She was out of ammo in her revolver; he left, drove down the road and ended up crashing his vehicle into the neighbor's tree or something. He lived.

Some people like 00 buckshot for home defense. I like... I'll have to look, but its #5 or something, 27 pellets over 9 pellets. I also have the home defense ammo that has less FPS but shoots a 1 ounce slug followed by 3 00 buckshot pellets. At about 15 feet the spread will still hit the entire body of your average sized man.

 

[4Ryan6]

A lock like that is a perfect alternative to a safe.

True but storing the gun with the slide locked back is keeping the slide spring in a constant state of compression and that's really not good for the gun for long term storage.

IMO a trigger lock would be a better alternative, and store the weapon in a closed slide position, taking the constant pressure off of the slide spring.

 

[4Ryan6]

I would use the shotgun as a means to protect myself in a room. I wouldn't be going on the hunt in the house looking for the person. If I was alone at home, I probably would, but if others were in the house, I wouldn't. The idea being using the shotgun in a single room covering the points of entry. You know with a shotgun if you hit them, they're likely going down with a single shot no matter where it hits. Whereas with a handgun, you may need several shots and/or a headshot to actually stop someone.

There was the story about a year ago where the guy broke into a woman's house and she hid with her kids in a closet or entry into the crawl space. The guy opened the door and she shot him, point blank, 5 of 6 shots. She was close enough to be point blank, but nervous enough to miss. He was shot with a .38. She was out of ammo in her revolver; he left, drove down the road and ended up crashing his vehicle into the neighbor's tree or something. He lived.

Some people like 00 buckshot for home defense. I like... I'll have to look, but its #5 or something, 27 pellets over 9 pellets. I also have the home defense ammo that has less FPS but shoots a 1 ounce slug followed by 3 00 buckshot pellets. At about 15 feet the spread will still hit the entire body of your average sized man.

My 12ga is a sabot style rifled slug gun it would be the close equivalent of being hit with a 50cal hollow point, it's main goal is from my home to the edge of my property.

It was bought solely as home defense outside the home, but more for a raging animal we've actually had coyotes go through our yard, human wise unless I'm being invaded it would probably not even be reached for, pistols are my inside the home defense.

Everyone has their own situation to deal with and defend, and you have to do what's best for you and your comfort level.

If a situation occurred and the shotgun was the closest weapon, well that's a different story altogether!

 

[riser]

I hit a paper plate at 100 yards using a benelli super nova (red dot sight), 24'' rifled barrel, with hornady ssd (I think that's the name) sabot rounds. That sabot coupled with the shotgun is amazing. That was my hunting setup in Ohio because you couldn't use rifles.

 

[4Ryan6]

The barrel rifling putting a spin on it makes it extremely accurate.