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Not the gun I want.

10K views 54 replies 37 participants last post by  walks with gun 
#1 ·
Tonight it's storming out and I was laying on the heating pad in the living room, I was tired of laying in the bedroom for two days after popping my back out again. I left my Commander on the bed and have been carrying my little Beretta 950 in 25 around in my sleep pants pocket because it makes me feel better and any other weight takes my breath away and pulls my pants down. Anyway, I could have sworn someone ran up on the porch and both my dogs were staring at the door, first I thought it might be my daughter or ex coming over to check on me but no one said anything or tried the door. I picked up my .25 and did the slowest, saddest roll ever done and flipped on the outside light. No-one was there and my brave dogs showed no interest going out in the rain to investigate. long story short When I heard something on the porch I decided my little Beretta although handy was not really the gun I wanted right then. So .45 in bedroom, 5906 in the couch cushion and a shotgun in the bathroom. I hate this being as weak as a little girl. Beretta's still riding in my pocket with my cell in the other. Be prepared.
 
#30 ·
Too much to read I am trying to visualize something you said earlier and need a photo
Try the 1911 in the Jammie bottoms again lol!
 
#31 ·
A .25 won't do much against a methed-up or cracked-up intruder, unless it's a head or heart shot. HOWEVER, a .25 beats the hell out of an empty hand.

My bad back is not as bad as yours...yet. But, I deal with arthritis and tendinitis as well. I can easily understand your dilemma. My Colt 70 Series Stainless is big, heavy and can get uncomfortable to carry. It is still my constant companion, though. It's laying on my desk next to my hand, as I type this. It was just on the counter, in the kitchen, with me. It will now go to the nightstand as we head for bed. It's not always in a holster on me but, it's always "right here".

Stashed weapons might be a better answer for you. Please, just make sure an intruder won't be able to find it and use it. (My compliments on the 5906, too.)
 
#35 ·
we have been advise d by many in the know that the perps these days scour the internet to know what to look for in the way of guns being stashed in "secret" places...like hollow books purchased on the net for that purpose. I will stick with my trusty gun case and a small Glock
 
#32 ·
I recently read a lethality study the statistics of the .45 result in a significantly higher lethal percentage than the 40, 9mm, and down the line when weighted by individual rounds fired. So the proof is typically what one would assume when one guestimates stopping power by the size of the cartridge. This is of course real information from many brands and projectile types with many real world variables... Each smaller cartrige was typically a tier percentage lower than the larger cartridge, with less lethality variation in similar sized cartridges.

Despite the common sense behind this real world data, anyone with hunting experience knows a well placed shot with a miniscule cartridge can take down a large animal. I read once that a famous African hunter frequently killed waterbuck with a .22 magnum as a young lad growing up in Africa. Despite the material damage tests that often involved sending new cartridges through several layers of fabric into ballistic gelatin, we know stopping an animal depends on many factors often not aligned with such a test. The Human animal is not an animal of flight, and real reports and data shows stopping a determined and often hyped up individual can be a serious challenge even with large caliber cartridges.

Heroin seems to be a huge and growing issue in the states, and theft and home invasion is on the rise. Your best bet would be to see if the authorities patrol your area, and request that they do if possible. Secondly work on your physical security. Install some decent solar lights around your propertly. It would also be a good idea to mark your driveway with a sign saying private property, keep out. Monitored by a cameras etc. make sure the sign looks professional, and install it on a tree at eye level where its easy to see. You may need soenone to help you install it, like your daughter. You may also want to install a solar light above it so it stays illuminated at night. Make sure your doors are solid and windows. Do a security assessment on your property and takes notes. If your windows are low enough to walk through or easily climb consider reinforcing them. There are many cheap ways to beef up physical security.

I agree that you should avoid exposing yourself, even if you were 6'8" and 350lbs if you open the door and a bad guy shoots you with a shotgun, its all over. Have a plan, train with the physical limitations you have, and fall back on that plan and training if The SHTF.

I wouldn't worry about the .380, it is capable enough. If you get a band of heroin addicts raiding your place, you'll want a carbine with lots of loaded magazines. Your pistol will be a last resort. An M4 type would be best due to low weight, low recoil, and high ammunition capacity. A shotgun would be my first recommendation but you would likely be battered by the weight and recoil of a shotgun, not to mention the weight and demanding physical requirements to feed a hungry hungry shotgun, while battling for your life. You can find a M4 carbine for 500-600 these days. You want to keep it light so opt for the M4A3 with top rail lose the carry handle and pickup a cheap red dot like an ATI for around 100. Buy some fifeteen dollar pmags and load with 62 grain lap rounds, and keep one mag in the gun and four loaded stuffed in a satchel you can don in a hurry. Make yourself and webbing sling and adjust it properly.

You'll be ready for the zombie apocalypse and hopefully you'll never have to use it! I don't believe a small caliber pistol is a bad thing but if you have a 1911 in .45 and know how to use it, you will statistically kill them faster and thats a good thing. Don't forget to have several additional loaded mags in everything you plan on utilizing.

I'm former military and I have been in soem nasty places around the globe. I've worked with top tier operators from many nations and the big thing I gathered from my experiences is that you should always have as much firepower as you can handle and know how to handle it very well.

Wish you the best!
 
#34 ·
very good post. However in my home, I have no room to move with a rifle or shotgun(narrow doorways and halls--I even have to shoot lefty to avoid excess exposure while defending myself. Plus with a bad back a rifle or shotgun is very hard to handle. Sadly I have sold off some rifles for that reason alone. My back and my home situation dictates us e of handguns. I have to go with what works

stay safe

rob
 
#33 ·
sorry you are a fellow back issue guy. really sucks looking healthy but moving like you are crippled. This issue is beyond most young shooters--they roll their eyes when we discuss limited movement if startled in the night. I am sure the adrenaline rush will make thing a bit easier but the limitations are clearly there.

I use a hard gun case. I have a Glock 19 in there with 2 magazines(only 10 rounds in Co-Nazi_cut) and some JHP extras available. It is with me at all times. My pants tend to stay on that way--LOL

not to bad weight wise. If you skip the extra ammo it is lighter of course

Seek some cold laser therapy locally. Use an ice massage ,then use heat(if you must ) fo r your pain It can be of great help. If you are told you need surgery, get a second opinion at a laser spinal surgery clinic. Traditional back surgery rarely improves your life

best of luck

Rob
 
#38 ·
I have never liked the 25s as I was shot with one once when unarmed and all it did was get the shooter a sever beating. I have however seen that an accurate 32 can be a manstopper when used right. I actually prefer a 32 to a 380, better penetration. I also know what its like to be down with a bad back and have found that for me a shoulder holster is more comfortable on ,y lower back than a gun on my hip, I don't know why it just is. I will say this when there is a need it is hard to beat a 40 S&W or 45 ACP in a gun fight! I have been in a few of those and fortunately came out alive and undamaged.
GRIZZ
 
#39 ·
oldtimer4440

We live in a rural area with the nearest law enforcement presence at least thirty five to forty five minutes away. We also have problems with feral dogs that dummies have dumped that have formed packs, along with coyotes, both animal and human in the area. My wife nor I ever go even into the yard without a weapon. I prefer a 1911 in .45, and she carries a 9mm. Our house has been remodeled to give us a line of sight from a protected window to the door. It is never opened without a check, and even UPS and FedEx delivery men are met with a gun in hand. Meth labs are springing up everywhere. The release of drug users and dealers an non violent offenders is in my opinion one of the most stupid ideas any politician ever made. And then the same people want to take guns away from law abiding citizens. Folks, the crazies are running the asylum.
 
#40 ·
I've tried several shoulder holsters and find they all seem to give me a neck and or back ache, maybe if I kept one on long enough I'd get used to it. I walk a lot with a cane and more and more on crutches, when I got hit by the car it crushed everything from toes to upper thigh and now after 28 years the surgeon tells me my legs and back are full of arthritis, I usually carry my handguns in pancake holsters to keep them close and high up and also reversible so on real bad days I can wear them cross draw when on crutches. Every once in awhile I think about maybe getting rid of one of my all steel guns and going with something lighter, maybe in poly, but it's kinda hard when your old school. Thinking along the lines of a S&W SDV or whatever there called, the S&W's Glock.
 
#41 ·
About 5 years ago my wife ,my daughter and myself were sitting in the living room watching tv around midnight . My daughter had just let her fiancé out and had come back and sat down we heard the door open and foot steps. We thought He had come back for something , I leaned to look into the dining room and saw a stranger slowly walking towards us. My daughter saw him about the same time. We were all terrified he had his right hand behind him and we all thought he had a gun. My nearest gun was a long gun in a cabinet 12 ft away and unloaded. I put my hand on my knife and went towards him ,as my daughter went to the gun cabinet. I got to him and found a man drunk out of his mind ,not intending to harm us and didn't know where he was. I sent him to the tank but it was an eye-opening experience for all of us. Now I always have a handgun nearby whether in my recliner , the bed or at Church. I won't be caught empty handed again. Be Prepared!
 
#42 ·
Recently started carrying a 1911 9mm just cause it is a little easier to control. Still really like my 45.
By the way if you are having back problems there is a contraption called a teter hang up. It is an inversion contraption. You might want to some medical advise before messing messing around it with it.
Good luck with the back
 
#43 · (Edited)
I love all of my 1911's, they and my Colt SAA's are among my favorite pistols, but for the situation you are talking about around the house, I carry a S&W 360PD .357 magnum with Crimson Trace grips in my pocket. It weighs less than most .380 autos I have owned. Yes, they are pricy, but how much is your family's safety worth?

By the way, I'm 73 and have most of the physical problems mentioned by others.....too old to put up with punks. :)
 
#44 ·
And like me, too old to take an ass whoopin! I've been lucky. Having been a "townie" for most of my 65 years, I heard horror stories from aunts and uncles over the years that were chilling to the bone. I've only been accosted a couple of times - both within a 100 yards of one another in downtown San Antonio. Both occurred before concealed carry became law but I also have carried most of my life.

Both times, my handgun prevented knife wielding scum from slicing and dicing at their leisure. That was a long time ago and I hope things have changed but I don't go downtown much anyway until Fiesta. And Fiesta is safe!
 
#46 ·
Cut a 1/2 in hole in the concrete where you are going to put your safe. Set the safe in the hole, open safe to mark where to drill the holes in the concrete. Remove safe and drill 3/4 inch holes for tap in anchors. Drop and tap in the anchors. Reset safe in hole. Bolt safe to floor. No way to get to the bolts to cut them. You must open the safe to get to the bolts to remove them. The one thing a thief does not have is time. if you can slow them down, they will either move on or get caught.
 
#47 ·
My normal carry gun is a S&W 65, 3"RB. It carries pretty good, and I keep a speed loader with magnums handy. When I go out to walk my property, I usually carry my .45 in one of the old WWII single loop shoulder holsters, and it carries well, as well as when riding an ATV. My sympathies on the back trouble, I have knee and ankle issues!

slik
 
#48 ·
My back pops out all the time. You have to find the correct stretch to pot it back in. When mine goes out. I lie on the floor and do the 3 stretches I know for it until I feel it slip back in place. Been doing it for almost 20 years. If I don't do it right away, I have to dose up on anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxers to release the knot so I can pop it back in. Have you tried yoga? A lot of my old surfer and motocross rider friends swear by it.
 
#49 · (Edited)
I have one of those Body Power inversion chairs (my lower back took a hell of a whump from an IED which slightly displaced 3 vertebrae) so I just hook my feet into it and roll over backwards to stretch everything out. 5 minutes hanging in that thing and I can vault a 6-ft fence again :)
 
#50 ·
Man that was an awesome post. You made me laugh my butt off. My back went out again Saturday AM while working out. Took me 3 days to get back to work and i'm still trying to get back to normal. 40 years of this for me, racing motorcycles and martial arts didnt help much. Sure had a lot of fun though.

Get better soon!
 
#51 ·
If you want something small and light that still has some punch to it, you might like the Sig 938. It is not much bigger than a 380, but it is a 9MM. It is fairly light, small and still shoots great. Mine also has night sights for those things that go bump in the night.
 
#52 ·
OggieO I just looked at one of those the other day, very nice gun, I'm going to have to watch my pennies now, trips to the Doc don't come cheap. I've got plenty of guns to use, most are full size and heavy but when you have too much time on your hands a guy thinks one more gun and it will be perfect, I'll not need another. I've been doing that for about 40 years now. I still keep going back to a 1911 in .45.
 
#53 ·
Goodness I feel your pain all the way to Greenville SC! Sounds like a lot of as we get, kinda cheesy but I'm gonna say better, will be 61 in Nov and sometimes the golden years ain't golden, I've had enuff heart attacks you have to use a second hand to count them, 5 bypasses, 8 stints, 2 elbow surgeries and one shoulder surgery, all this from 07 to present, 30 years as an asphalt contractor and heart disease in the family tree and their u have it sports fans. But nothin and I mean nothin compares to the ole back messin with u. L4 and L5 don't even look like disc anymore. Tried 3 of those blocks where u lay there with your head in that hole while the doc repeatedly inject in your back while u r fully awake tryin to block the pain, now I know what crocodile tears are just layin there watching em hit the floor. Sorry, not tryin to tell me yours I'll tell u mine swapping pain stories just a lot of use really feel your pain and I'm so glad u didn't have to get in a shoot out for sure!! I have 2 dogs as well that are great alarms, but sadly that's where their usefulness stops for defense, 2 weiner dogs, one 13 and one 16. Youngest is totally blind with about 7 teeth left and the queen bee has no teeth and blind in one eye. If somebody broke in and saw that pair starin at them and I use the term staring loosely, one eye between them, they would probably rush out and buy me two pit bull puppies, and leave a note sayin "damm dude, sorry bout your dogs". But hey, I love em more than life itself ands gonna be a bad day, week, month, years when they move on to the perverbial rainbow bridge.

I'm sure you felt better when u got a more potent option rigged to the crutch. I had thought about mayby when my back gets really bad and I'm charging thru the house behind a walker one of those Mossberg shotguns with a pistol grip layin across the top would be a good option but after thinkin about it can see headlines next day,"old guy thwarts home invasion but pinned under a 3 lb walker when recoil from shotgun knocked him on his arsh!

Don't know if you can tell but after 4 am and can't sleep(backs hurtin)so I thought I would not go the tactical suggestion post, plenty of those good suggestions above, thought throw in a little humor to make u feel better. Yea I know, probably ain't helpin but it did me, I'm finally sleepy, guess I've rocked myself almost to sleep babbling on. Oh yea, while I'm here wastin space that intelligent post could go, that "help, I can't get up!" Commercial played. Hmmmm, is that some kind of sign?

Anyway, u get to feelin better dude and take care of them pups!!

_______
Glock 34
Kimber Custom 2
 
#55 ·
Two trips to the chiropractor, I got dressed like a big boy, though putting on socks can sure take the wind out of you, moving around the house without crutches. If I could sleep all night I'd be a happy camper. Otherwise Bored, Bored, and more bored, can't sit down very long so I am glad I'm a very avid reader. Seem's like there are a lot of us in the same boat, but at least it usually last a few days to a couple weeks. There are so many out there that fight the pain everyday, makes me feel like a wimp. Also thinking of doing some gun trading and picking up a mid size pistol, too much time on my hands can lead to dumb stuff. Hope the rest of you guy's are doing well, Thanks.
 
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