Loudest Pump Action?

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You could get a parrot and teach it to imitate the sound of a “slide being racked†:D

Where did the term “racking the slide come from�
 
Mine. And it doesn't matter which model gun I'm holding.

I would expect if faced with a situation where I need to rack the slide on my pump gun...I'm going to be vocal. VERY VOCAL!

"What the **** are You doing in my house!"

Smoke - the cussing, yelling, loudmouth
 
Denny's

"I base this on numerous occasions while working the street where it had no visible effect on a bad guy at all."

Granted. But, if anything is going to make a diff, the pump will.

Had an instance once where the rack didn't work in the least, but - the round through the roof did.
 
Look at it from a strictly tactical standpoint. Racking the slide does the following:

- It gives away your position. You are in familiar surroundings, the bad guy is not. You have an instant advantage that you can maneuver in the dark with reasonable ease while the BG can't. Racking the slide on your shotty instantly negates this advantage. You might as well yell "I'm Over HERE!!" Stealth is life, otherwise the military would be broadcasting to the world "We're going to bomb a target {here} at {time}. Instead, they do it in a plane with the lowest possible radar return and infra-red signture. Get the picture?

- The BG is more likely to fire in your direction when startled. The BG is already on edge due to the situation. If they have a gun in their hand and you startle them, there is a very good chance they will begin spraying rounds in your direction.

- It is an inherently self-limiting action in the context of ammo capacity. When you rack the slide you have either A) racked a round into an empty chamber or, B) shucked a perfectly good round out onto the floor. Since most shotguns are a 4+1 ammo capacity, this means you have instantly limited your ammo capacity by 20%. Why? You wouldn't stop and pull a round out of your revolver before confronting an intruder, why, then, do are you willing to do the same thing with your shotgun?

The "rack the slide and scare the bad guy away" fails miserably when subjected to basic tactical scrutiny. Yes, you might be able to get away with it, but sound tactics dictate that you use the option with the most potential for a surviveable outcome. You have the three greatest tactical advantages on your side - familiarity with your surroundings, stealth, and a max load of ammo. Why on earth would you INTENTIONALLY negate all three in a single moment!!??

If you think it absolutely necessary to make some noise, then scream "I've called the police and I have a shotgun!!" at the top of your lungs. You will still be negating your stealth advantage, but at least you will feel better about it.

Brad
 
I'm with Mr. Smith, I keep my 870 hot and on safe between my side of the bed and my night stand. If the BG has 20/20 hearing he might hear the "snick" of the safety sliding to the left - he'd better because he is betting his well being on it.
 
Brad:

I must disagree. Your narrative sounds like you are a Ninja sneaking up on the BG to shoot him in the back of the head. As I and other's have said before, the intent is to prevent a confrontation. Isn't your walking around and creaking going to alert the BG as well? Wouldn't you like the BG to know that you are armed for fear he might actually think he can take you?

As for the capacity issue, I keep the magazine full and chamber empty for two reasons. One is that I don't intend to fire more than 7 shots. If I do, that's what the sidesaddle is for. The other reason is that I have children in the house. It's much easier for them to sneak in, pull out the shotgun, click the safety off, and hurt an innocent. The action of intentionally finding the lever that releases the action, racking the slide with authority, and taking the gun off safe doubles the safety of the gun.

Final comment. If I were on a jury and you described keeping the gun "Hot", wanting to sneak-up on the bad guy, etc., I'd be hard-pressed to let you off... I'd still let you go, but I'd think for a few seconds about it. My intent is to avoid grievous bodily harm or death to myself and my family. If I see the BG and have enough time to rack the slide and point, any BG that isn't already spread-eagle on the floor is dead. He's dead because as long as he's mobile, he represents a threat. The moment he's on the floor and disarmed, he's no longer a threat.

Heard a story from a CCW instructor to illustrate this. The Citizen in question went to jail for the following. BG entered the residence of the Citizen. Citizen shot said BG in the back. BG hit floor and rolled over. Citizen walked up and shot BG through the forehead while he was on the floor. Me, I'd have let the guy go, but that's why they don't let me do jury duty. I plan on living a long and prosperous life OUT of jail and I am NOT a Ninja. I, therefore, will continue to store my weapons minus a cartridge in the chamber. I do not intend to kill intruders, I intend to protect myself and my family. Killing an intruder is the best way to do that, but if he pee's himself and departs in a hurry, great.
 
I go along with racking the slide in my situation for a couple of specific reasons.

My stairway is an excellent defensive position, narrow with good concealment at the top, and a good open kill-zone at the bottom. It would be very tough to try and attack up the stairs, and even if someone was able to make their way up the stairs, they are then in another kill zone from our master bedroom. Also, due to the way the angle is at the bottom of the stairs,it would be very dificult, if not impossible to shoot up the stairs without exposing more of yourself than the person up the stairs. Doesn't sound right or possible, but you would have to see the layout to understand it.

I have no intention of ever trying to clear my house myself, or even with the help of our German Shepard, so I plan to defend the upstairs portion of the apt untill the police arrive to deal with the invaders, or better yet take a police report. I say that because I would prefer the intruders take what they want from downstairs than for me to have to shoot them. But thats just me, I would prefer not to have to kill someone over a $300 TV. However, if someone tries to make it up my stairs, than I will consider that to be an attack on myself and my wife, and will respond accordingly.

So as to "encourage" the intruder to leave my home as promptly as possible, and inform them that it is the wrong home to enter, I rack the slide as soon as I leave the bedroom. I would probably add in some obscenities to further make my point. All the while my wife will be on the phone with 911. If the badguys leave, they can deal with the very quick response time we have here (seeing as we have a police community center that is usually staffed with 2 officers on our property, less than 200 yards away, not to mention the County Sheriffs office only 2-3 miles away down our street), they can stay in the house and be arrested by the same officers, or they can try and attack up the stairs.

While I would prefer to not have to deal with the hassle of replacing photos, electronics and trinkets, thats what my insurance is there to cover. I would rather deal with my insurance carrier than have to shoot an intruder.

Thats why I give them the warning.

I.G.B.

BTW. The last time we called the cops (which was for a suspected break-in), the first officer was on scene in less than a minute, and several others were there not much after, including one of the K-9 units, with one of the biggest GSDs I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. :D
 
I want on of those movie gun that make the loud click-clack noise when the bad guy point them at the good guys (regardless if the action is worked or not). Great method to keep from shooting fellow good guys too! (always works in the movies)


David
 
That reminds me of another reason. If the intruder happens to be of the young child sneaking down for a cookie, Drunk in wrong house, Mother-in-law visiting, Daughter's boyfriend, (well, I might just shoot the latter anyhow), then you might want that person to have the chance to identify themself.
 
I have to politely disagree with Brad myself. Both for the reasons already stated by Badger Arms and itgoesboom, and also because my pump gun is '97 Wicnchester. There is no manual safety and lowering the hammer to half-cock with a round in the chamber just gives me the willies (same same as doing it with a 1911) But even when I owned a Winchester 1200 Defender, I kept it condition 3.

only1asterisk; I love your sig line LOL! Profound!

Wow! My One Hundredth post! :D
 
I'm on Brad's side -- why voluntarily announce to the bad guy(s) where you are and what you're armed with? Question for those who believe in the sound of thunder myth: what do you do next after you've played your "racking slide" hand and the noises downstairs stop, but you don't hear the sound of beating feet? I assume you rack the slide several more times in case the perp wasn't sure he'd heard right the first time? :D
 
I keep my gun cruiser ready in my closet, tube download by one for slug selection when needed. I pump the gun to get into commision from its storage state, not as a deterant. My previous post was just trying to point out that it can be a hell of a detterance, and quite frightening too.
 
There is a big difference between A) sneaking aroud your house B) shooting intruder in the back and C) getting behind cover and being ready.
 
Thanks to all for keeping this civil. :D

Badger - I reread my post, and it did indeed sound as if I was trying to paint a picture of staying stealthy to sneak up on the BG. That wasn't my intent. The advantage of stealth, in the context of facing an invader in your own home, is that it leaves ALL your options open, including retreat to a safe area (like outside to a neighbors to phone the police). Giving away that advantage severely limits your options, and makes it more likely that you will be forced to face your intruder since they now know where you are.

itgoesboom - you mentioned that you give warning in the hopes that you will frighten off the intruder. Why do it by racking the slide? First, you've given away your position. Second, you've just informed the BG exactly what you're armed with. Third, you've just changed the situation from "Bad Guy sneaking around without knowing where you are or what you're carrying" to "Bad Guy sneaking around while freaking out and maybe shooting back because he knows where you are and what you're carrying". Frankly, I prefer the former over the latter. If you feel the need to warn the perp, why not just holler "I've called the police and I have a gun!!"?. You've still given away your position and told the BG you're packin', but at least he is in the dark about what, and he (or she) also has the option of leaving before the cops get there.

Good comments, all, but I'll still stay with the "Stealth is Health" scenario. It's more tactically sound, and gives you the most overall surviveability options.

Brad
 
FWIW, particular incident was at a very noisy bar. I didn't rack, nor shoot through the roof - my partner did.

The ambient noise level prevented the rack being heard, but the round through the roof was fairly unmistakable ..... ;)

Settled down right quick.
 
Racking made a difference for us.

Ex-wife and I made the mistake of renting a duplex along Greenback Lane in Citrus Heights, CA in the fall of 1994. Rent was very reasonable, but the neighbors were rather skitterish, and had put up thorn bushes on the lawn over the property line.

One night, or rather morning, oh-dark-early, we were woken by somebody banging hard on the front door, and then on the front window. They were screaming something about "wanting their stuff, they know we were in there". ***? Wife grabbed her 1911 and cordless phone, I grabbed 870. The pummeling of the front window continued, it didn't shatter. (Of course not, landlord had long ago replaced it with Plexiglass...) I had enough, Sacramento County Sheriffs weren't gonna arrive in time to stop this one. Racking the 870 with the muzzle against the plexiglass, Ker-CHUNK, I screamed, "This is Beauford. He says it's time for you to go home. Now!" Not one, but two individuals hauled butt across my front yard and caught the thorn bushes there on their way towards the sidewalk and West along Greenback. Sac County showed up in what seemed an eternity. Statements were taken, etc, so forth. No hassles over my choice of HD gun from the deputies. Dunno if they ever found the "guests". But I did learn later why my duplex was so popular. It was a distribution point prior to my wife and I renting it. Hence the plexiglass, hence the new drywall, new door hinges, and thorn bushes planted by the neighbors.

Was I prepared to use the 870 after racking it? Yup. Once they came through that door or window, the 3" magnum 000 buckshot was going to fly. Did I expose myself needlessly? Probably. But it ended, and ended without me hurting another human being, or myself and wife being hurt.

That 870 got racked once more, in the presence of a Sac County sheriff's deputy, in my own back yard after a footchase. It ended the wrestling match he was having with somebody who didn't want to get handcuffed, and had decided to go for the deputy's holstered Glock. I only pray Citrus Heights, particularly Greenback and Sayonara, has cleaned up since 1999. We left in August of that year. :(
 
Well, you gotta love intimidation factor. Personally, I just not tough enough to want to intimidate anyone.

My thoughts on "intimidation factor" are similar to my thoughts on pain alone stopping an attacker. It may, but I'll still go for hydraulic, electrical, or structural failure if my life is on the line.

John
 
Your working the late shift at the local 7-11, when two menacing thugs enter the store, you call out on the loud speaker “jack, I need you to do a clean up on isle 12†followed by the sound of a 870 being pumped in the back room.

That’s my new million-dollar idea! All you need is a boom box with a tape recording of an 870 being shucked and a way to make it play when you want it to.
:D :D :D
 
speaking of that..

I have a recording of my Mossberg 590 being cycled on tape. Playing that through my PA is awesome. I think I'm going to make a recording of me cycling it, firing a short, cycling it again. That way I could make them think I shot once already without actually having to when I'm working at the studio late nights alone. Just leave it cued up, with the PA set to the right level. :) Then if they don't decide to leave I'd be shooting from a different place than it sounded like it came from (everywhere... heh)

I don't think it's a good idea to do that if you don't have a gun, though. If you make the other person think you damn well better be because they won't think twice about killing you then, for fear of their own life. I know that's how I would react, too.
 
Brad,

You asked why I would choose to warn the BG by racking the slide.

First, Any warning is going to give away my position. Either verbal, racking a slide, or turning on lights. But a warning should be issued to avoid a confrontation. With my current living arrangment, I would have the advantage with both concealment and decent cover, therefore, I am not too worried about the BG knowing where I am.

In fact, I want him to know where I am. I want him to know that if he approaches my position, he will be dead very quickly.

Second, why I don't just yell out, "I have a gun, get off my property"? Because thats exactly what a person without a gun would say. I would rather the perp KNOW FOR SURE that I am armed, and heavily armed at that.

BTW, I am very quiet while getting behind cover, and the very first warning that I am even awake will be the sound of me schuking a round into the chamber.

Imagine that you are breaking into an apartment, you are being very quiet, trying to find cash, jewelry and anything else valuable. You are the typical crook, armed at the most with a Lorcin .22, and you are really just looking to take things, not attack anyone. You are being pretty quiet, and the house is very quiet and still, when all of a sudden, you hear KER_CHUNK, "GET THE **** OUT OF MY HOUSE NOW".

Something tells me that your reaction will not be to try and confront that heavily armed resident, who you know is armed. Your reaction will be to piss your pants and run.

If you aren't the typical burgler, and instead are looking to rape or murder, well, than thats why I have the 5 rounds of 00 buck, plus 3 more and 3 slugs on the side saddle, with a 9mm on my hip.

I think the odds are still in my favor.

I.G.B.
 
Playing the devil's advocate ...
If you aren't the typical burgler, and instead are looking to rape or murder, well, than thats why I have the 5 rounds of 00 buck, plus 3 more and 3 slugs on the side saddle, with a 9mm on my hip.
Click to expand...
Did you call 911 yet? If not, what are you going to do when all you hear in response to your slide racking is ... silence. Not one sound. No panicked knocking into things as whomever might be down there heads out. No loud slamming of doors. Just silence. Are you going to sit quietly all night and wait for daylight before venturing out. Or are you eventually going to tire of waiting and come looking to see what made the noise? And if there IS someone down there in the dark who isn't "the typical burgler, and instead one looking to rape or murder," he now knows exactly where you are and what type of weapon you have. And now you're coming to him. And if he's armed and ready, the odds are no longer in your favor ... :evil:
 
Gabby,

You must have missed my first post on this thread where I said " All the while my wife will be on the phone with 911". ;)

I keep the BG from advancing on us, and she calls the cavalry.:D


I.G.B.
 
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