Home Defense Rig

[SniperStraz]

Hello everyone!
I'm curious to know what if any type of home defense rig other members have ready in their homes.
I currently have an old patrolman's duty belt with some gear that I keep by my bedside at night. That way I can just throw it on no matter what I'm wearing and get down to business.
I'm thinking about getting a chest rig. Something like a plate carrier with adjustable molle gear.
Anyone have any other ideas? If you have a rig what kind of gear do you keep on it?
Thanks!

 

[Fred Fuller]

Make it harder for unwanted visitors to get in, and you have to worry a lot less about chasing them out.

I sleep in a bed, not a foxhole. There's a shotgun with a weapon light handy in the bedroom though, just in case anything gets past the fences, gates, motion activated lights and sensors, locks and dogs.

 

[MtnCreek]

No mote? (OK, moat; I ca'nt spel) Since you’re talking equip, what kind of light do you use on your shotgun?
Thanks!

 

[Fred Fuller]

No mote?

Nope, don't need a moat. This is Robeson County, NC, it's flat and wet here, and there are drainage ditches that establish the outside property lines. No one is driving in here except on the access road.

Light? An Insight SSL-1 LED, that seems to have evolved into their current WX150 (http://www.insightlights.com/products-wx150.htm). It's mounted on a Streamlight 69906 rail mount.

 

[Loosedhorse]

Something like a plate carrier with adjustable molle gear.

If you're getting a plate-carrier, get a plate. I noticed that armor was not in your toolkit. Being in your own home when your are attacked may give you certain legal immunities, but it gives you no immunity from incoming fire.

Everyone will have a "this is ridicuous" point in their bedroom "roll-out" kit (determined by expense, or space, or embarrassment!). Is a gun-mounted light-and-laser too much? Armor? Helmet? First aid kit? Ham radio (with license)? Decide what yours is, knowing that you can't know beforehand what your fight will look like.

US PALM Defender:

And as Lee says, don't neglect prevention. There's the real bang-for-your-buck.

 

[Unistat]

I have a cheap duty belt with a flashlight and holster on it. That way I have someplace to put my gun if it's not needed but I have to do something like shoo a raccoon away. My wife would just shoot the raccoon.

 

[sidheshooter]

Good flashlight. Spare. Cell phone. Spare. Revolver. Spare. Dog, locks, decent part of town. No spares...
;-)

 

[9mmepiphany]

Prevention...or at least making your residence a less desirable target are always first. I don't have a moat, but the drainage ditch (they like to call it a culvert) across the front of the lot serves a similar purpose.

Something often overlooked as accessories is electronic ear/hearing protectors. If you'd ever fired your gun inside a structure you'd understand why you might want them, but more importantly, you can turn the volume up to better detect noises/movement. This might be more important for us older folks with fading audio acuity

 

[Armored farmer]

firearm, flashlite, and a level head.

 

[loper]

kbbailey got it in one.

 

[Bobson]

I was thinkin about a gun-mounted flashlight yesterday. Seems to me it would serve as an excellent way to announce your location, while you're sweeping the darkness looking for an intruder.

I mean, pretend you're a burglar for a moment. You're in a house you may or may not be familiar with. You enter the living room and you're doing your thing, and notice a beam of light coming toward your location from a hallway. You just gained a massive tactical advantage over the homeowner, if you do indeed choose to stand your ground and fight.

By the way, for those of you who do choose to use a flashlight for this, I strongly encourage you to acquire a red lens cap for your light. Normal "white" light massacres any "night vision" your eyes may have gained as they adjusted to darkness. Red tinted light won't do that at all. My brother's a Marine, and he learned that when studying nighttime land navigation.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Seems to me it would serve as an excellent way to announce your location, while you're sweeping the darkness looking for an intruder.

Training, training, training.

In this case, low light training.

WEAPON lights are not used for searching. HANDHELD lights are used for searching/navigation, and even then on/off/move, on/off/move. Weapon lights (despite what they do with them on teevee and in the movies) are used for target verification in the instant before the weapon upon which the light is mounted is fired- or not fired, depending on target ID.

 

[Bobson]

Oh, gotcha Lee. Didn't realize that

Do they make weapon lights that have on/off buttons designed more like the on/off for CT grips (meaning the switch is placed in a spot that doesn't force the user to move his hands from the grips, like under the trigger guard or something)? I'm picturing a light on the fore-end of a shotgun, and the user having to move his hand back and forth from the pump to activate and deactivate it. Seems dangerous.

 

[Telekinesis]

My HD rig is pretty much just my rifle. If I know that people are already in my house, I would rather get to a defensible position fast as opposed to struggling to get all my gear on and loosing that critical time. As soon as I can afford it, I'm putting a light and an aimpoint on my gun.

As far as using that light, you don't keep it on all the time. You only use it to illuminate a target to make sure its not something that you don't want to shoot. You already know the layout of your house, so there shouldn't be much need to use the light to navigate.

Now if we're just talking about gear, I am building a kit I plan on using in carbine classes. Its more of a "go to war rig" than a HD setup, but it works for what I plan on using it for. Its based off a Rhodesian chest rig design (just with molle) and has 4 double mag pouches across the front and a IFAK (combat first aid for gunshots etc) and a pistol belt with a holster. All I'm missing right now is a good Safariland Holster and a general purpose pouch for my chest rig. (Yeah, I know it sounds like a lot of ammo, but when the school requests you bring a minimum of 10 mags, you do need to carry quite a few)

Something often overlooked as accessories is electronic ear/hearing protectors

I've actually been looking for some of these. Any recommendations? I was leaning towards the Peltor Tac 6, but I've heard some bad reviews of them (along with a slew of good ones) so I'm a little hesitant...

 

[Girodin]

but more importantly, you can turn the volume up to better detect noises/movement.

I have a few different pairs of them. One big issue is that they make it difficult to tell where the noise is originating from since the wearer just hears it coming out of a speaker right next to his or her ear.

 

[SniperStraz]

As far as the light giving away ones position, light discipline is very important. Learn how to use a light properly where you are sweeping an area and then immediately displacing your position.
For my shotgun I have a surefire mounted right in front of the forearm grip on the end of the mag tube. I positioned it so that my left pointer finger knuckle (I'm right handed) has the ability to press the end cap of the light for momentary on/off. It works well with practice. Normally I would use a pressure switch, but on a pump shotgun ther is too much arm movement involved and I don't like having wires hangin around to get snagged on door knobs and such.

 

[RightCoastBiased]

I have an M&P 45 on the night stand and a dog in the house.

 

[Smith]

Glock 19, spare magazines, light, and one of these guys (U.S. Palm Attack Rack with lvl IIIA inserts):

Realistically, I don't know if I would ever actually put the armor on, but I still keep it accessible.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I've actually been looking for some of these. Any recommendations?

I've been wearing Sordins for years, because they were the best at the time, but I've seen a lot of nice looking ones from Howard Leight at classes and matches lately (I know they cost a lot less)

One big issue is that they make it difficult to tell where the noise is originating from since the wearer just hears it coming out of a speaker right next to his or her ear.

Shouldn't be a problem with mikes in each muff feeding only that speaker

 

[Smith]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Telekinesis
I've actually been looking for some of these. Any recommendations?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Girodin
One big issue is that they make it difficult to tell where the noise is originating from since the wearer just hears it coming out of a speaker right next to his or her ear.

I use a pair of Howard Leight Impact Sports. I absolutely love them. I've raved about them to all of my shooting buddies, several of which have bought them and loved them as much as I do.

Regarding sound direction, it really isn't much of an issue. In the Howard Leight Impact Sports' there's a mic on either side of your head. I have music playing quietly on one side of my room, so I put on my Howard Leight's, closed my eyes, and turned in circles just now as a quick experiment. I had no trouble locating the direction of my speakers. Also, with the mics turned up to full sensitivity, I think my hearing is better at picking up quiet sounds than it is without any ear muffs at all.

 

[Fred Fuller]

I'm picturing a light on the fore-end of a shotgun

Some people like SureFire's offerings - the tape (pressure) switch is the long rectangle on the upper part of the forearm. Some models have switches that allow the light to be switched completely off, so an accidental bump on the tape switch won't activate it (or kill the batteries), and another switch that allows 'constant on' in case the support hand has to be removed from the forearm

My oldest versions of this one are marked "Laser Products" . Been using them for a while... your moderator is an oldphart.

==============

Currently I use one or another rail mounted weapon light on shotguns most often, preferably an LED version, on a Streamlight rail, often a 69906 that fits on the magazine tube under the magazine cap. - http://www.copsplus.com/prodnum2264.php I've been using these since they were prototyped, and like them.

For a common rail mounted type weapon light, see http://www.amazon.com/Streamlight-TLR-1-LED-Rail-Mounted/dp/B005G4GBTY . The 'flipper' switch on the back allows 'constant on' in one position and 'intermittent on' in another, for me it's easy to reach when mounted at the front of the forearm, where the short section of rail puts it. And it doesn't crowd my hand on the forearm the way the SureFire offerings do, plus it costs (a lot) less too. And you can use the same light on any weapon with a rail, be it handgun, carbine or shotgun. Versatility is nice...

 

[Bobson]

My oldest versions of this one are marked "Laser Products" . Been using them for a while... your moderator is an oldphart.

Nothin wrong with that. I hope I live to be one too lol.

What do you think of the red lens cap for a light? Worth getting, or would you not bother with it?

 

[OregonJohnny]

I mean, pretend you're a burglar for a moment. You're in a house you may or may not be familiar with. You enter the living room and you're doing your thing, and notice a beam of light coming toward your location from a hallway. You just gained a massive tactical advantage over the homeowner, if you do indeed choose to stand your ground and fight.

First of all, as others have said, the weapon light isn't for searching through a dark house when there is a possible threat. A proper weapon light should have the ability to flash the beam momentarily, and also stay on permanently, according to the user.

Second, try an experiment sometime. Have someone with a VERY bright flashlight or weapon light (these days that usually means 120-lumens or more, but anything over 50 lumens with a pretty tight beam should work) stand down a pitch black hallway from you. Have them blast you in the face with the beam from 10 or 15 feet away. Bet you can't see a thing for about 5 seconds, let alone their exact position. When used properly, in a very dark environment, a bright concentrated beam directly to the eyes can take someone out of the game for a few seconds while you move, or do whatever you need to do.

 

[OregonJohnny]

My oldest versions of this one are marked "Laser Products" . Been using them for a while... your moderator is an oldphart.

Hey, that's probably worth something to the guys over at Candle Power Forums!

"Vintage" Surefires have quite a following of collectors.

 

[tomaz45]

Like our moderator, there is a shotgun w/light, wife's side has her full size 9mm w/light and we both are trained with both. Any cellphone,(like the old ones in a drawer) will call 9-1-1. We keep one plugged in each bathroom and one on her nightstand. We also have individual flashlights (promo's from "Friends of NRA Dinner). Fenced yard, good dogs, life is good, even here in Sonora Norte.