Firearms

[Guest guest]

Dear All,

 

I received enough private comms on the subject of firearms from an

earlier post to the List, that I thought it a good idea to publish my

considerations on the matter, once and for all, rather than

answering up on each email one at a time. Again, the following are my

considerations and others may very well have different ideas of their

own. I

can only point out that I have a fair amount of experience with this,

and

though the following may not be perfect, it IS GOOD DATA. You can use

this information.

 

Shotguns: If I were only allowed one kind

of firearm, it would be a shotgun. The reason for this is that it has

the most versatility of any firearm. It can be used for hunting just

about every kind of animal, AND

it can be used for self defense. For a man of my approximate weight

and size (190lbs & 6'1") the ideal would be a 12 Gauge Shotgun that

was

either a semi-automatic or a pump action (the pump has the greater

range). The single shot is very

limited in round capacity but it is lighter and more accurate than any

other kind of shotgun. The Double Barrel is the

most limited (only carries two rounds) and is heavy = good for the

movies, good for show, and for some hunting scenarios. For extra power

and

distance, you can get either a semi or a pump that will take a Magnum

load. Magnum simply means more powder = more velocity and power. Both

the Pump and the Semi will carry up to five rounds if the plug is

removed from the magazine chamber. Some States require that hunters

load no more than 3 rounds in the magazine when they are actually

hunting, and therefore almost every shot gun manufacture will ship the

firearm with a removable plug already installed. These plugs are easy

to uninstall. The 12 Gauge Shotguns can give quite a "kick",

especially with a magnum load, so they come in lighter gauges for men

who have a slighter build or for most women. I do know a very few

women who like the 12 Gauge, but most prefer the smaller bores. The

next size down from the 12 Gauge is a 16 Gauge followed by a 20 Gauge

and finally the smallest being a 410 Gauge. As you get smaller in

size, the kick gets less and less. All of the above sizes also have

"magnum" varieties, so even these have different levels of "power".

The biggest standard size out there is a 10 Gauge, but these are

"rare", hard to

find, and are usually "special order" or military. I think there was a

Schwartzenegger movie that mentioned an 8 gauge, but I'm as interested

in these as I am in Doctor's bills.

;-) They kick like

a mother and the ammo is expensive. For the purpose of example, I'll

be describing the 12 Gauge (the most common size) for the rest of this

article so please realize that what follows pertains to the 12 Gauge in

particular and that measurements may vary for the smaller gauges. The

"normal" size of shell for a standard load is a 2 and 3/4 inch shell.

You can also get a magnum load in this size, but most magnum loads are

in a 3" or 3 and 1/4 inch shell size, and the gun must be manufactured

specifically to handle these. Most Gun Stores carry them. A magnum

firearm that handles a 3" or a 3 and a 1/4" will also handle the

smaller sizes, but not the other way around. The shells contain

pellets or shot, and these also come in different sizes. These range

from a solid, one shot plug or slug, often called "a slugger", and can

be a very heavy round weighing as much as 450 Grains. Many hunters

custom make their own with heavier and / or lighter slug weights.

These will bring down any large size game including a Deer, Elk, Moose,

Bear or even an Elephant depending on whether or not one is using a

magnum or extra heavy custom load. The next three smaller sizes are

(0) Single Aught, (00) Double Aught, and (000) Triple Aught in that

order from larger to smaller. All of these are considered "Buck Shot"

and can be used for small deer or larger four footed animals such as

coyotes, wolves and cougars. These are also the most common sizes used

in riot control where deadly force is used against humans or against

intruders. The next size smaller than these is a #2 Shot (they may

make a #1, but I've never seen one = probably a custom order), and

these #2's are predominantly used for Turkey and Goose = Any Large

Birds. Next up is a #4 Shot which is used almost exclusively for Duck

Hunting though I've also heard of this being used for Goose and Turkey

under certain conditions. The most common "bird" size of shot is a #6

which is considered a "Duck / Pheasant" load, and can also be used

for birds a little smaller such as Guinea Hens. #7's can also be used

for Guinea Hens, and for Grouse. #8's are used for Quail and the

smallest of game birds. #9's the smallest of pellets are also

sometimes called a skeet load, and are used for target practice and

skeet / trap shooting. As you can see, the Shotgun has tremendous

versatility, and as long as you have the correct ammo, you're set for

just about anything. The ONLY drawback to any Shotgun is

DISTANCE!!! Shotguns are accurate for up to a couple of hundred yards

(180 meters) ONLY!!! They are not tremendously effective for longer

distances without special equipment!

The longer the barrel, the greater distance and more

accuracy you'll experience. You can get shotguns that have short

barrels and pistol grips that are designed for home self defense only.

The most common of these are Mossbergs. I'm not crazy about these and

sold the last one I had. You can get a really high quality Benelli

that has

a pistol grip, longer barrel length, and can be used as home / self

defense but that also has a skeleton stock that folds out for hunting

purposes. These are good but pricey. My favorite all around Shotgun

is the 12 Gauge Pump Remington Wingmaster 3" Magnum. It has the

longest barrel for longer distances and accuracy, and can be used for

home defense as well. It also has an easier price tag than a Benelli,

a Browning, or a Winchester of comparable quality. Shop around though,

as there are deals to be had. The above is by no means ALL the data

having to do with shotguns, but the main gist is there.

 

Rifles: The second firearm one needs to

have is a Rifle. These are for hunting game at longer distances. They

come in different calibers for different sized game and situations.

I'd recommend

that your rifle have a scope on it. This will ensure accuracy in

ranges from 100 to 600 yards / meters and more depending on the

caliber, and power of the bullet used. The following is my choice of

calibers from the highest priority to the lowest. This section of the

article

is bound to generate the most controversy, as the number of different

opinions out there is as many as the number of different hunters.

Everyone has their favorite rifle.

:-) If I

could only have one rifle, it would be a .22LR cal. Long

Rifle (either

bolt, pump or lever action - semi's loose too much power), with an

adjustable power scope. I

can hear the big game boys howling now.

:-P LOL Most people don't realize that a high powered

..22 LR (Long Rifle) round is deadly up to a mile and a half. We're

talking 2,000+ yards or up to 2 Kilometers here. Albeit, a solid

point .22 target round is only going to "piss

off" a larger animal or a drug crazed human, but I'd also

like

you to know that a high powered .22 hollow point mushroom

round will take down a deer or any human if hit in a

vital area. One of these .22's hitting an arm in the right place can

take it

off. This is a very fast traveling round, and can do a

tremendous amount of damage. Statistics will tell you that more deer

have been killed by a .22 than

any other round. More importantly, the .22 has very little, to hardly

any "kick" whatsoever, and so shooting one doesn't contribute to

developing a "flinch" when firing it, making it the easiest for women,

teenagers, and lighter framed people to handle. My wife who hates guns

is scared

to dickens of my 12 Gauge, but can at least tolerate and not flinch

when shooting any of my .22's The .22 can also be used for hunting

larger birds if you're a good shot and have the ability to hit a small

area like the head so as not to destroy the meat. The last big factor

in favor of the .22 is cost. You can buy literally thousands of rounds

for a hundred dollars, and most .22 rifles themselves are very

inexpensive compared to Shotguns or Handguns. My favorite is my $300

dollar .22 Henry Lever Action followed by the $250 dollar Rossi .22

Pump modeled after the old Winchester 92. The next caliber up that I'd

choose in a rifle would be a .223 which is similar in size to the .22

(longer & heavier), but is much higher powered and is deadly up to

2 to 3 miles (I don't know about you, but I can't even see that far LOL

). These do have a good kick and can develop "flinch" in those

who are a little timid about these things. It is excellent for deer,

elk, and

varmints of all kinds. A little known datum about these and .22's is:

The .22 and the .223's will penetrate a Kevlar

Bullet Proof Vest and there is a round developed and commonly available

for the .223 that was specifically designed to penetrate armor. Most

of your more common assault weapons are of this caliber and at this

time, they're also easy to get though they can be pricey. Next up

would

be a .3030 or a .303. These have a good solid kick, and can be very

accurate, and are excellent for deer and elk. For Moose and larger

game such as Grizzlies, best

would be a .306 or a .308. There are bigger calibers and other

varieties such as black powder but these are a little more

specialized. I am very fond of my .54 cal Hawken Black Powder Muzzle

Loader, but it is heavy, and only has one shot. These are quite

esoteric and are usually collected by purists or those who are into

historical memorabilia. Don't get me wrong on this. These are just as

deadly as any of the above, and my Hawken is accurate up to 800+ yards,

would take down an elephant with a big enough charge, and even though

it wouldn't penetrate a Kevlar vest, the 435 Grain Bullet is so heavy,

there's a good chance it would not only knock out a potential attacker,

but would also break a few bones for good measure. They're heavy, take

a lot of time to load, and only fire one shot at a time, soooooooo

unless you're into these go with the .22 for an all around Rifle.

 

Handguns: These are the biggest worry of

Dictators and Warlords because they can be easily hidden on a person's

body or concealed in an old shoe box or totally sealed up in a 4" PVC

pipe for under the earth waterproof storage. They can be smuggled into

most areas of the World with little problem and a little ingenuity.

They don't take up much room at all and make an ideal home defense

weapon. But like Rifles, you're going to get a zillion different

opinions on which of these to buy. 9 times out of 10, most Gun Store

Salesmen are going to try to sell you a .45 Cal Semi-Automatic for $600

to a $1,200 since it'll stop just about anything. And it WILL do

exactly that. No matter what or who you hit with a .45, as long as you

hit them somewhere, they're going to go down. My father in 1925 was

paddling a canoe in the far northern reaches of Canada while

prospecting for Gold, when a humongous Bull Moose decided to charge him

(Moose don't need a reason) and by the time this leviathan got up to

him, it was deep enough for him to be swimming and he'd slowed down

considerably, my father simply and calmly pulled out his Colt .45 Auto

and drilled him between the eyes. The creature sank like a stone and

never came up. The main problem with a .45 besides having a kick from

hell, is that it's only good and accurate up to about 40 yards / meters

tops. A .9mm or .40 cal is better and might be good for up to 50

yards, but they still have quite a kick. For a man my size, my

preference for this particular kind of semi, would be a .9mm Beretta.

Still not my favorite though. Much better from a versatility viewpoint

would be a .357 Magnum. It not only has the take down power of the

..45, but it has a much higher velocity bullet and is deadly accurate up

to 100 yards / meters which means it could be used for hunting as

well. A person can get very accurate with one of these. But it too

has one helluva kick to it and unless you do a lot of shooting and get

used to it, is one of the best ways to develop a "flinch" when handling

guns. Stay away from the .44 Mags, the .460 Mags, and .50 cal Super

Mags unless you're a masochist or a big caliber aficionado :-) . These canons look

good in Dirty Harry type Movies, but are truly not very practical.

Besides, they cost and arm and a leg, and you'll have to mortgage your

house to buy the ammo. On the other hand.38 revolvers are not bad for

short range (35 ft or less) and can be an excellent home defense gun

with a lot less kick. .32's & .25's have even less kick, but are

not really that effective with poor ammo choices, and I just don't know

of a really good one on the market. More work needs to be done on

these. At the risk of inspiring gun store salesmen derision, I'm again

going to have to go with the .22LR semi auto handgun as my handgun of

choice. As far as I've been able to determine, the absolute best

without question is the German Walther P22. It uses the same high

velocity ammo as the .22LR Long Rifle mentioned above, has all of the

benefits of that ammo (very cheap, very penetrating and effective), and

as long as you use the Hollow Point Mushroom that has a copper or

bronze jacket, you'll have plenty of "stopping" power. These are very

smooth and easy to operate. Women and teenagers find it a piece of

cake to use. There's only a small kick and they are not intimidating

whatsoever when you fire one. They only cost around $300. and you can

get spare parts and accessories such as laser sights very easily for

it. They're accurate up to 50 yards (without much effort), and if you

practice some and become good, you can hit what you want up to 100

yards quite easily.

 

Whichever you choose in any of the above categories, I strongly

recommend you get into communication with this valuable tool, and

become fully proficient with it. Join a sports club / shooting range

and begin practicing.

 

Whether a firearm is used for sport, food acquisition or for self

defense, the life of your loved ones may depend on the skill in which

you can use this device. Due to the social veneer in this world

getting thinner with each passing day, it is a skill well worth

developing if only to give you self confidence in your own abilities to

survive.

 

What's more, you can have a lot of fun with this activity. Target

shooting is a great sport.

 

Hope this helps,

 

In Knowledge, Health and Freedom,

 

Doc