Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Deterrent

I still hear that old saw, "when the bad guy hears my 12 gauge pump racking, they wet their pants."

Yes, except when they don't.  The home invader might be crazy, have nothing to lose, or are deaf from the adrenalin or just deaf.

"The rack of the 12 gauge is God's whisper.  The hit from a .45 is His voice."

Of course a hit from a 12 gauge is quite emphatic, I must admit.  I'm just saying... don't count on the bad guys listening to what God has to say, one way or another.

I wonder how many homeowners come to grief when they rack an empty 12 gauge and nothing happens?  Or when they are unwilling to do the follow through after they rack it?

Don't count on the deterrent working.  The bad guy wasn't deterred by the door of an inhabited house, they might not be deterred by other things, too.


Plus:  Shotguns suck for zombies.  Never select a shotgun as your primary anti-zombie firearm. It's great for onesy twosey, but zombies travel in hordes. The reload time is onerous, and the ammo, while effective, is heavy and bulky and short ranged.

I'd rather have .45s for bipedal home invaders.  .308 to keep kids with evil intentions offa my lawn.

9 comments:

Broken Andy said...

There's a reason why I have an alarm system. If the bad guy insists on advancing through all that noise, there is no doubt about his intentions. At that point, the only other noise that is important is the one accompanied by a trigger pull.

Bubblehead Les. said...

On the Other Hand, when I HAD to live through a FOUR DAY Power Outage a few years ago (no Power for Alarms, just like in Tornado/Hurricane/Wildfire Disaster Areas), and some Wannabe Teen Age Looters thought they had an Easy Target with the House Next Door, my old Mossberg 500 being Racked DID make them "Get Off the Lawn."

But it was also "Not Empty," unless you think my #4 Buck Load was a little light?

And yes, I have "Pulled the Trigger" in the past, and will do so again, if the need arises.

But Shotguns do Suck for Zeds, you got that right.

Jay G said...

Racking the slide means that the gun I had in Condition Three is now in Condition Zero.

If it scares off the home invader, all the better - 00 buckshot = lots of dry cleaning.

If it doesn't, well, there's a carpet cleaner in my future...

Guffaw in AZ said...

No matter the caliber or gauge, a weapon is not a talisman!
You have to use it!

Mike W. said...

Time spent racking is time better spent either shooting or running away.

Old NFO said...

Use it or lose it... But that slide rack WILL get their attention!

JB Miller said...

That sound gives away your position in the darkness...

Jay G said...

A) I'm in my house. There's nowhere to run away TO.

B) You know what else is going to give away my position? 9 .38 caliber pellets coming out of my shotgun.

Look, if there's someone in your house that's actually paying attention to things like your position, you're truly well and honestly f**ked, because they probably brought friends with them.

Frank W. James said...

I've always thought if that sound was all that EFFECTIVE, you could just carry a tape player around or better yet have it as the ring-tone on your cell phone and call yourself whenever they illegally entered your abode.

Don't think so? Yeah, neither do I...

All The Best,
Frank W. James