7.4 - Ok I will just say what I believe folks need!!

Some folks want to give me a rough time about not just coming out and saying what types of guns I think you need to have. Well there is a reason for this. I want folks to increase their knowledge on the subject by researching things, trying things out and taking responsibility for their choices. Remember a big part of all these conversations if you taking responsibility for you! Ok, here we go......

Well here we are, what do you need for planning when talking about guns! Guess what? You need training! Yeah not what you thought I would write. Here is a link to NRA certified instructors. I happen to be one and think the program gives you a very good BASIC foundation of knowledge. Especially for someone with no or very limited experience with firearms. Of course like anything else, the quality of instruction varies by instructor. 

http://www.nrainstructors.org/Search.aspx 

Follow the link and you can find something in your area. They offer classes from basic pistol, to home defense and even reloading ammo. Again quality may very depending on the instructor. 

Let's cut to point of all this. When we are discussing planning for emergencies and the subject of guns comes up we are only thinking of one reason off the tops of our heads. Protecting the family. Now maybe some of us live in areas where this is not the first concern. Your nearest neighbor is down the road there, about three miles or so, as the crow flies. Groovy, for the rest of us we got people living a stones throw or closer who are the reason we lock our doors at night. Hence protection is the first reason we can think of for owning a firearm. Heck I got a dude across the street I thought I was going to have to shoot a few years back during a normal day. He is on the short list if everything goes to hell!! 

Let's be realistic here, the world is full of bad people, idiots and during some situations people will do things they might not have done during a regular day. We need to take this reality in to consideration when planning for emergencies. To not take this into consideration....... well if you choose not to that is your decision.......

So, what do you need? You need the right tool for the right task. We have already talked about that in other post. Just like in our post about fire starting or other subjects let's try to give ourselves the greatest amount of options with each choice we make when it comes to firearms. 

Before we go any further, I am not going to suggest anything I do not do myself. Unlike some folks I will not sit at the keyboard and suggest things, firearms or otherwise, I do not rely on myself for my own family. 

Revolvers

He is a good place to start. We all need something in the home we can get to if something is happening right now. Revolvers fit this need. They can be left loaded almost indefinitely, their a few moving parts on them and they are simple to use. 

You can easily conceal a revolver and they are easy to transport if you have to leave. In a really bad situation even the worst marksman just has to put the barrel against the bad guy and jerk the hell out of the trigger. A good thing about revolvers is they are not meant to have a bunch of fancy gadgets strapped to them and have no duehickys to confuse anyone in the house on how the operate. Every home should at least have one. Kept in a pistol box, somewhere the kids can't reach.

This would be my baseline for home defense, emergency situations, bugging in (staying home) and bugging out (leaving home). Yes we have one in our house. No I am not telling you where it is. Yes it is in a pistol box. Yes it is where the kids can't get to it. 

Side note on kids and guns. I have two grown children who were around guns all the time but had no idea. It wasn't until recently I told my 20 something son where I kept the guns when he was little. He admitted they knew I had guns but he and his sister had no idea where they were at. Sooooo do not give me an BS about guns are too dangerous to have in the home. The danger comes from having parents who do not know how to handle firearms....................

Pistols 

Next on the list of options are pistols, these are the most common to see. Most people do not own revolvers now days. Modern pistols allow you to carry much more ammunition then a revolver. Why would you want a pistol compared to a revolver? For the reason I just wrote. More is better if you are involved in a self defense situation with firearms! What? Having more rounds increases your chances of stopping the attacker and gaining control of the situation. Also, unlike hollywood shows people do not allows stop when they are shot once and believe this or not, you might miss!!! I know shocking!! 

As we talked about before I personal feel the M-9 or 92f is one of the best pistols for people with little experience or training. WHAT? WHY? Easy one to answer. You have to take the weapon off safe and the first round is double action. What this means is even in the fractions of a second these two things take you have time to decide not to fire a round. They also make it difficult for the firearm to fire when you do not want it to. 

I realize this can get expensive once you start investing in these tools. Every adult in your home should have a pistol. These are tools you keep in the safe for a really bad day. If you carry them otherwise make sure you have the appropriate licenses for your area. 

I wish I could hear they yells when people read this next part!!! My next choice would be a Glock. (oh how the moans and screams feed my soul) Something in 9mm. They are simple, lightweight and have been proven to work. My downside to them is they do not have a safety most people would understand and the whole having to pull the trigger to disassemble the pistol bugs the hell out me each time!! You can adjust the grips and other parts to fit the needs of the user and you can even put all kinds of extra stuff on them if you want. 

  

Try not to get caught up in all the hype of strapping on flashlights, laser beams and super cool sights to your pistols. Sure those things help if you train with them enough. Most of us will not train enough, because we have to work, go to soccer, etc etc, for all these cool add ons to really be of any use to us. 

Whatever you buy try to keep it simple and train with what you buy. It would take me a minute or two to figure out this pistol if I picked it up. Some pistols come with all kinds of levers and buttons I have a hard time figuring out what they are all for! If you have experience with a certain type of pistol stick with those. Remember during a bad day you only rise to the lowest level of your training. Do not set yourself up for failure!

Moving out a bit, increasing the range some, increasing the ability of the tool and giving the user more options we have to move to the shotgun.

If you have no idea about firearms, have a small budget and want a simple yet proven tool to add to your toolbox the Winchester 870 shotgun can not be beat. (if you are yelling about a different type, shhh) These shotguns have been around a long time. They have been used by the military, police, hunters, farmers and grandmothers everywhere. You can defend the family and put meat on the table with this tool. If you can not afford anything else, afford one of these. Every home should have at least one shotgun. Shotguns do not need to have a lot of fancy gadgets on them, they can be fired by anyone in the home, after some very basic training and the types of rounds they can fire are impressive.

Unlike other firearms shotguns have the ability to fire more than one projectile at a time. This means you get a bigger pattern coming out of the barrel and increase your odds of hitting something at the range the rounds are designed for. On the left of the above photo is bird shot, used exactly for what it is called. You can drop birds to put on the table. The rounds on the right can be used for hunting, I have never done it, and for defense. What is called double odd buck "00", will put a hurting on anyone hit within range. A slug round, far right, is only a single round coming out of the barrel but packs a devastating punch. Slugs can go through the door of your house, walls, cars and can really screw up a vehicle engine if they are fired into an engine. (don't ask how I know the last one) Loading a shotgun with buckshot and slugs is a standard loading for self defense.

You can even fire Less Then Lethal rounds just like law enforcement uses. Giving you an option you do not have with other firearms. With a shotgun you can also fire other 'exotic' rounds.

 
Flechette rounds are mostly used for anti personal uses.

"Dragon Breath" rounds fire well, fire out of the barrels. Before you get all excited about the exotic rounds you can fire CHECK THE LOCAL LAWS! In California almost all of the exotic rounds are illegal!

I can tell you first hand the exotic "salt rock" round works really good! Especially when deployed against dumbass kids trespassing. My leg and ass burned soooooo bad I stood crying in the yard while my buddies mom used a hose to get the rocks out. I think she could of got them out faster picking them out but I think she was teaching use a lesson or two.

Even if all you can afford is a single shot 12 gauge you would do good to purchase one. The shotgun is really a kind of all purpose emergency planning tool. Yes they kick. With a little training you can still get everyone in the family to use one. And just to be fair, my shoulder hurts also after a dozen or so rounds.

Long guns, rifles or carbines. Anything you can use to reach out over a hundred yards and hit a target.   They can be the humble bolt action rifle or a lever action as in the picture above. These are just another tool which gives the user a different set of abilities.

With one of these you can put food on the table and defend yourself if need be. The sight of a rifle now days has kind of taken over the place of shotgun for the intimidation factor. Not long ago a shotgun racking was enough to make people run, now days the sight of rifle will make people panic! This could be an asset or cause you more problems than you need.

These fellas were able to defend themselves and their property during a riot. Side Note: having seen these guys first hand I can tell you it was intimidating. They also caught flak during and after the riot because they had the rifles........ welcome to California. Take note those rifles are not the scary black ones but just as effective.

Most of us are never going to be in a situation where we have to kit up like this just to make a run to Starbucks. They need for most of us to purchase these rifles has more to do with training than need. I know lots of folks who were trained on the M-16 or AR-15 platform and are comfortable with the system. Remember stay with what you know if you can.

Of course some people like the "this is cool" effect of having a tool like the military or police have and there is nothing wrong with this. If the tool works for those groups of people why would you not want to use what they have proven to work?

Just do not get caught up thinking because you can carry the gear and dress like the military or police, you have the skill level they have with the tools. Ladies do not get mad, here is a "tacti-cool" fella for you.

It would suck to have to feed this fella during an emergency............... just saying.

Remember, Keep It Simple Stupid, KISS. You do not need to run out and buy the latest gear or the newest gun. You need the kit and tools for the problem you are dealing with or could have to deal with in reality.

The humble M-16A2 and it's grandchildren are all the rage in the news. Every gun fearing person sees them as an enemy of peace, love and happiness. They are just a tool and just like every other tool they have a purpose. Long guns are just that, guns which allow you to send rounds further. You can feed the family and defend yourself with one. They are not as easy to use in confine spaces, buildings, homes or cars. This is why you see shorter versions. You might not want this to be your first line of home defense for this reason. They are hard to use effectively inside of the house. These tools are for use at longer ranges and primarily for hunting. Deer and such do not like to let people walk right up to them and shoot them with a pistol or stab them with a knife. Every home should have at least one rifle. Be it a AR-15 type rifle or a bolt action hunting rifle each person old enough should have a rifle.

Do not think you are doing the "gun thing" wrong if you do not look like this guy. Honestly, he has too much crap on that rifle. You can plan, prepare and utilize firearms as tools without having to break the bank or scaring the family. As with everything we discuss here, tailor your planning to your needs not what someone else is doing. Each of us is unique and we have our own situations. To rap this up, it became longer then I thought it would, here is what you should consider having for emergency planning.

Revolver - home defense, easy to conceal, simple to use. At least one.
Pistol - home defense, primary side arm. At least one, preferable one per adult in home.
Shotgun - home defense, hunting. At least one.
Rifle - home defense, hunting. At least one, preferable one per adult in the home.

Something to think about...........

As Always,

Stay Safe! 

Planning #7.3 - Guns, hand guns, what to consider

Again we go down the hole to see what there is to see. This time we are going to get a little more detailed on what you should consider when looking to add firearms to your planning. 

As with our other planning we have to tailor the plan to our situation. The amount of money you have to put toward this, your particular situation and the amount of training you have are all factors which need to be considered. 

If you want to have something which is not very complicated, can be stored ready to use for long periods of time and will not break the bank, a revolver might fit the bill. Stored in a good pistol box, you can bolt down to somewhere, you do not have to really think about it. 

Maybe you want something small enough you can carry it on your person and have the ability to reload quickly if needed. A semi-automatic pistol might fit. Some of these can be picked up for only a few hundred dollars. These can also be stored inside of a secure box yet still accessed in a hurry if needed. 

Some pistols are not really good choices if you want to keep them loaded. The magazines have springs inside of them and if they are under pressure (loaded) for extended periods of time the springs go soft and the magazine might not work properly when you want it to. This is why a revolver is a better idea for long term storage. 

Revolvers and pistols are considered close range, 15 feet or less, tools. Some folks consider them only as backup tools. Yet in a confined space, such as your home, they might work better than some of the larger options. These tools are easier to manipulate when there is not much room. They are also easier to carry and of course they are easier to conceal if need be. 

As far as brands to buy and caliber to buy. This all depends on your experience and abilities. If you have little training or no experience a .38 revolver might be your best choice. Something to only be used during an emergency. The tool is easily concealed, range is not very good but if you are only using the tool as a last resort........ you just touch the bad guy with the barrel while you pull the trigger. Down side of this tool the round is not very large and unless you place the barrel in the right places the bad guy can keep fighting. 

  

For most people 9mm is the caliber you want to consider looking for. There are revolvers and pistols in this caliber. Of course revolvers and pistols both come in larger calibers. You can purchase what could be considered a 'hand cannon'. 

For most of us this is far more than we need or could handle. Believe it or not some people even hunt with pistols and revolvers! For most of us this is not a consideration when talking about firearms but nice to know you can utilize this tool for more than one use. Hunting bear with a .38 or anything smaller than a .357 is not such a bright idea!!!!

So let's take hunting with a pistol or revolver off the table for now. Let's focus on what most of us are considering these tools for, self defense and the defense of others. 

There are hundreds of companies which make these tools and I will not get into a 'discussion' about which one is the 'bestest'! Your personal price point will dictate what you purchase. Why wont you discuss the different brands? Because to some folks brands are like religion and no matter what they have a favorite. Remember we are looking for a tool which fits your needs. Let's focus on tools for self defense.

The Beretta M9 or 92f is a fine pistol. Thousands have been made and are in use. For the novice I think this is a good platform to start with. Most fellas out there can easily grip this tool, one drawback for the ladies is some might have trouble wrapping their hands around a full size version. They make smaller versions so this can be worked around. The pistol is reliable, easy to clean and I personally like the safety feature for those with limited experience. You literally can throw this pistol loaded, with the safety on and it will not discharge. (do not ever try this! do not ever ask me how I know this!)

You can purchase other brands and again it is a matter of what you can afford or have experience with. Look for something simple to use. Some pistols come with all sorts of extras, fancy triggers, fancy sights and all types of attachments. If you understand all of these good utilize them but keep in mind battery powered items might not work when you need them. A suggestion would be to keep your tools simple to cut down on the learning curve and chances of something not working. 

Again a revolver might be the best choice for some of us out there. You load the cylinder, close the cylinder and it is ready to go.  

TRAINING, TRAINING, TRAINING!  No matter what tool you add to your planning you absolutely need to be trained to use the tool! You can add a rocket to your tool box but if you do not know how to use it is useless. What kind of training?  

Here is another question were people like to get their feathers ruffled..... Whoever you go to for training their first priority needs to be safety! If they do not spend time ensuring you understand and manifest safety you need to walk away. If they tell you they can turn you into a Navy SEAL, skilled gunfighter in three easy lessons, walk away! Marksmanship should be the the focus after safety. 

You have to handle the tools safely and be able to hit what you are aiming at before you can do all the other 'high speed, low drag' stuff people want to learn how to do. What people forget is in order to do all the 'fun' stuff you have to have a solid foundation to work from.

If the person you go to does not offer some type of classes which increase your skill set over time just walk away. There really is not rules people have to follow when they decide to call themselves firearms instructors and as with other things some people might be able to do but have no idea how to teach.  

You have to have a solid foundation before you should even be shown a position like this one.

Most folks should never, never be put in this situation!!!!!!

 Most of us will never reach a level of training where this is appropriate!!! This level of confidence takes years to reach. If you find someone offering to show you how to do these types of things in a "Easy to learn, complete gunfighter system, you can master in just one weekend!" walk away!!! 

Ok, this one is getting long! Let's come back up for some air! Remember you need to tailor your planning to your situation. This carries over to what type of tools you add to your abilities. Take the time to research what fits your needs. Take the time to find a good instructor. Take the time to train! The time you spend now will be the difference if you ever need this skill set. 

As Always,

Stay Safe! 

     

Planning #7 - Yes finally, GUNS!!!!!!

Here we go DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE ......... This subject is the bases of so many websites and blogs. Why? Everyone has an opinion and opinions are like........ everyone has one. Most fellas who start thinking about planning ahead come at the subject from this mindset. Most ladies avoid this subject and infact might be turned away from planning because this subject comes up.

Neither is right or wrong....... Ok maybe they are? No one subject is the end all be all when discussing planning. If you have read through the other post on here and found them informative but dislike the idea of guns please keep reading! This is not going to be a 'gun porn' posting.

I do not care how many firearms you have stacked up, at some point you are going to get hungry........

This may seem cool when you and the buddies are sitting around BBQ'ing and having a beer or two BUT how many of those can you use at once? How many of these serve a purpose, a purpose other than to make you feel "super cool"? Most of us will never find ourselves in a situation where we are going to need this many firearms. Most of us do not even have enough friends who know how to use these tools correctly if we were in a situation where we needed to arm the neighborhood..........

When you think about a situation coming up in which you have to break out the 'tools' images of you walking the street like this might come to mind...... for most folks this is the reality.......

This guy is having his rifle taken from him............ Why because he brought out the wrong tool. The story stated the man getting his ass whooped was trying to stop looters. With a rifle....... an air rifle or otherwise known as a BB gun!!! He obviously did not understand the tool he was carrying. You do not use a hammer when you want to cut a piece of wood. You do not bring a BB gun into the street with you during a riot!!!

On the flip side of the coin you can not focus on every other subject concerning planning and not address firearms. You maybe able to work the kitchen like Martha............

 Your pantry might look like a grocery store but if you live in denial of what people are out there...

This person only wants what you have? Maybe you just give him some and he goes away? Maybe he doesn't? Maybe he comes back for more? Maybe he brings friends who are also in need?

It is a good if your daily life is a postcard of family, fun and enjoying life.

When we are planning we must remember other people do not live this way. Other people have different ideas about life. On a regular day, let's say just any Monday, some of these people are willing to kick your door open and take what you have.

Even on a normal day some of these people think they have a 'right' to steal from you for whatever reason they have come up with. Imagine what they will do if a bad day comes? Imagine your home full of food and water and light and heat and toilet paper! Whatever excuse they use on a normal day is just amplified during a crisis.............

Maybe you end up like this guy? Read the captain he is not somewhere you would normally think of when you picture a guy standing in front of his home ready to defend his family with bat. Even with the bat this father is at a disadvantage against the bad guys in the previous photos. Out numbered two to one and out gunned by another. YES, there is a chance he could stop the guy with the gun....... I rather not be in a gunfight with a bat......

Why have I avoided discussing guns in the previous posts to this point? Because the same way some folks want to fill their garage with guns, some folks want to fill their pantry with food and both want to ignore the other...... This is a mistake. I have purposely focused on the subjects other than guns to try and show the importance of other subjects. Now it is time to focus on firearms and show they have an important part to play in planning also. Let's take the scenario we started with for this planning session.

Something happened, your whole family made it home safe, you have decided staying home is the best idea to deal with the situation. Now you just sit there? NO! You have put food away, you have back up lighting, you have a deck of cards or board games to play, you have a radio to listen to the news, your doors lock and you know the neighbors will look out for you the same you will look out for them. All is well....... until it isn't

There is a reason these signs pop up when an emergency occurs. There is a reason why people suddenly find themselves having to defend themselves, loved ones and neighbors. To ignore or deny the need for guns in your planning is to set yourself up for failure. Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. Think of the dad with the bat........ He did not plan ahead and has set himself up for poor performance when the bad guys show up

What if the phones are out? What if you can not call 911? What if they can not come? What if you had to depend on yourself and your prior planning for for only five minutes? Five minutes is a long time when you are defending yourself. Defense is not like a boxing match, there are no rounds or rest periods. Most confrontations are decided in the first couple of seconds.

Suddenly finding yourself in a Mad Max environment or having to hunt for your daily food is not something most of us will be faced with. The majority of situations most of us will face are temporary and brief. So we must ask ourselves what do we need a firearm for? A firearm is a tool. Really is just that simple, yes it really is. Guns do not cause crime, guns do not stop crime, guns do not kill, guns do not stop killings, the person utilizing the gun decide what purpose the gun is used for.

The first step, we must decide what tool we need. We need a tool easy to use, requires little training and does not cost to much..............

Double barrel shotgun! There was a time when almost every household had one of these tools. The are simple, effective and do not cost to much. Good for putting meat on the table and defending the meat once on the table.

Revolver! Another excellent tool for defending the family during an emergency or just on Monday when the bad guys decide to kick in your door.

Both of these can be had in configurations almost everyone in the family can be trained to use. You do not have to be a big burly man to use these tools. In fact these tools even the playing field between the big burly man and the not big burly man when utilized properly. The key here is to purchase the right tool for the task and to train to use the tool.

Grandma with a shotgun has been a dangerous sight to bad guys for a couple of hundred years now!

 Even the young can be trained to use a revolver properly.

My how times have changed...... The key to utilizing this tool and incorporating them into your planning is training. Someone has to teach you how to us a wrench or a radio. Firearms are no different, they are a tool which you must learn to use.

I strongly suggest you find an instructor to teach you how to use a firearm! I do not mean your uncle with a bunch of guns, I do not even mean your well meaning other half! There are instructors out there and it is easier to learn from a stranger than a family member. In fact it is better! Doesn't cause an grief in the house!!!

Alright, this is getting long and appears will take more than one posting to do any justice to the subject............. Let's wrap this one up so you can get back to your life. To review.....

Gun good! You need gun! Learn to use gun! Gun not everything! Gun part of plan!

I hope that simplifies everything? Until the next trip down the rabbit hole.....

As Always,

Stay Safe!!

Corsair Trainers