An international language.
When I take my friends shooting for the first time, they invariably find out that movies and TV are full of lies. Pistols aren’t magically accurate, and most firearms are very, very loud. Accuracy takes practice. Magazines run out quickly.
But if there’s one thing the media gets right, it’s that lovely sound of a pump shotgun being cycled. Delicious.
(This is not to say that I believe you should buy a shotgun for “the intimidation factor” of that sound. That’s a load of crap. I keep my Mossberg with one in the pipe – any home intruder will, if he’s really attentive, hear only the click of the safety release. If they hear that pumping sound, they’ve already heard something much louder immediately beforehand.)
Seems fall is in the air in North Texas right now. If only it could be like this all summer. There are about 9 weeks out of the year, in spring and fall, when living here is a paradise. The rest of the year… ehn, we suffer through the heat with cold beer and a swimming pool.
Here’s a damned fine article on Glocks. Check it out.
This comic touches on one of the reasons I prefer the Mossberg line of pump shotguns: ergonomics. The debate has been raging forever on which shotgun is the best for defense, and will likely continue as long as these firearms exist. Start the conversation, and some people froth over the Remington 870, some say Benelli’s Supernova cures cancer and makes bad guys drop dead in fright, there’s a growing number of people willing to rage if you say anything bad about the H&R Pardner, Winchester will always have a big following for the Defender or 1200/1300 models, etc.
Here’s the thing: I’ve fired all of these. I’ve owned some of them. And guess what? In a pinch, all of them will do the job as long as you’re familiar with the weapon. A 12 pump is pretty much the same all the way across the board – most will chamber 5+1 shells of 00 buck, there’s a pump slide release button, and a safety. Most of them are under $350 brand new, for the basic models, and you can pick any of these up at a gun show or pawn shop in good condition for less than $200.
The ONLY reasons I prefer the Mossbergs (even the Mav 88) are:
– On the Moss 500, the safety is located in a place where you don’t have to use your trigger finger to pop it.
– On either the Maverick 88 or the 500, I can (just barely) reach the slide release with my finger without stretching too terribly far from ready position.
That’s it. Unless you’re in a tactical situation, neither of these things really matter. So find the shotgun you like, and get it.
On that note, I liked this vid.
International Language indeed. One of my father’s favorite Army stories involve his time in Panama. He was an M.P. down there, and on watch/patrol/whatever-the-fuck-you-call-it some little purse snatcher ran by, ignoring the shouts of stop. My father pumped his shotgun and yelled “Halt, Motherfucker!”, and he did.
Okay, this is now officially my favorite webcomix. Not only does it have a hot redhead, it intelligently talks about Mossy pumps and their superior ergonomics. My 590 8+1 has been around for so long, it’s practically family. With a TriRail and a Streamlight, it’s more Homeland Security than DHS could ever be.
I think it’s the sight of whatever gun, being clearly aimed at one, that intimidates/frightens off a rude person, rather than the clicky pre-firing sounds it might make.
Just my opinion.
Not necessarily. I’ve used the “oh fuck I’m gonna DIE painfully and messily” pump sound when I heard someone walking very carefully and slowly on the gravel outside my bedroom window. The footsteps stopped… then rapidly retreated. He never saw me or my M500.
I forget the study but it’s been reported that the sound of a shotgun slide while doing something illegal is one of the most demoralizing and panic inducing sounds anyone can ever hear, it even edged out large dog growl. From first hand experience I can tell you it will make a 320 lb, 6’4 male drop to his knees, drop his knife, beg forgiveness and swear to give up his drug addiction that caused him to break into the home in the first place.
That’s all subjective. Here’s the problem I have with this:
Most defense/tac shotguns carry 5 or 6 plus one. If I load my Mossberg, but don’t leave one in the pipe, sure! I can make that awesome noise and hope the other guy will shit himself, depriving me of the +1 factor.
Or I can leave one in the pipe, and the first thing the bad guy hears is not that noise – it’s a big fucking boom. THEN he hears the pump action cycling, provided he still has ears, or a head, or a pulse.
Don’t trip in the dark, or drop your shotty with one in the pipe. That’s all I’ve gotta say.
Safety discipline is a must, yo.
Just because I don’t leave one chambered doesn’t mean I’m purposefully looking to make that noise. My home defense shotgun actually is a Winchester Trench gun, heat shield and bayonet lug (I have the bayonet too but makes it too long for practical home maneuvering… not that I’ve tried or anything) external hammer means I’m worried about it being knocked and accidentally going off. I should get something more modern, but, as my name suggests I’m more of a collector then anything else.
I hear a noise I don’t go walking around my house, waiting to see someone then all of a sudden “there he is, rack it to instill the fear of god into him”. I hear a noise, I rack it and then go searching. The two times I’ve had to use the shotgun in a home defense scenario, one was the scenario above, when I grabbed it I racked it, came out and he was already down on his knees with his hands up. 1st time was a burglary, guy down on his luck looking for his next fix.
2nd time, home invasion of two guys who’d been breaking in and tying victims up and becoming increasingly violent as time progressed. Racking it didn’t even halt their step if they even heard it. Didn’t stop to think much as they were crashing through the front door. 00 buckshot did but that’s another story lol.
As far as the loss of the plus 1… Don’t know what to say to that really. I’d be more worried if I couldn’t stop the threat with 5 or 6 shots then worrying about that last extra one to be honest.
i can see you’ve never encountered someone high on something particularly potent in need of another fix. they tend to be somewhat undeterred by firearms being pointed at them.
It must be my Southern blood (or maybe the relative scarcity of the round), but I prefer buck&ball shells in my Maverick. If I have to break out the shottie, I’m not gonna be “nice” or “humane” intent on only wounding them so they can explain to the cops why they’ve got an ass-full of birdshot, I fully intend to make sure they stop whatever malicious mischief they’re up to. Like they taught us in CHL class, you shoot to stop the threat, not maim or wound or disarm, and as I tell folks, anybody knocking at (or kicking in) my door at 0-dark-30 isn’t selling Girl Scout cookies!
About the only other cliche you need is the “This… is my BOOMSTICK!” line. 😀
half the shot in the HD shotgun is shot, and the other half is slug. god help the first intruder getting hit with a slug.
My first two rounds are birdshot, because I live in a shitty apartment and overpen really is an issue. A face full of birdshot will deter just about anyone from doing just about anything, IMO.
I agree. We live in a brick walled house, so I have no problem with my first two being slug, then buck and ball. And my go-to that sleeps with me is my .357 with JHP mag rounds, because fuck you if you break into my house.