So you hear a noise, now what?

It's an ancient military axiom that no plan survives contact with the enemy...

I love these threads

I get to have a huge belly laugh from all who have NEVER done a house clearing with an Op-For to contend with.

That is the only way you will find out that you have NO skills and that a "house clearing" needs be done by at very = VERY least 2 trained and flashlighted & ARMED well trained people.

But don't take my word,you don't know me from a bag of buttholes.

just TRY it with a paint gun or air soft and an opposing force [ Op-For ] and see how many times you get lit up IN YOUR OWN HOUSE.

Unless you tell the Op-For where to hide I bet you lose.

that is a telling lesson,all except those with a dog will not try this as its too easy to prove me wrong.

I agree that a dog is the best home EARLY warning system you can get.

Just saw Fred's posting above mine = says it all.

A big +1 for the dog idea.

I used to have one 100lb and very intimidating German Shepherd that quartered at night in the house. Too much hair, but we kept him until he died at 11 years old,

Now I have a wander-up rat terrier that lives outside, and a pound-rescue miniature dachshund that lives in the house. They both seem to be smart enough to go-off only when appropriate. They're great early-warning systems, and both very lovable dogs.

First, if you don't have some form of working phone in your bedroom, you're doing it wrong.

Second, people need to get out of the "either/or" mental trap when thinking about handheld lights vs. weapon lights. USE BOTH. The handheld is for most situations, keeping in mind not to silhouette yourself and using it sparingly, not leaving it constantly on. The weapon mounted is a backup and for when you need to use your other hand for something else like dialing a phone, opening doors, carrying a child, etc. One is none, two is one, especially with things that use batteries. Having both a handheld and a weapon mounted gives you the best features of both and a handy backup.

As for me, I keep a plate carrier next to my bed with a cell phone, light, apartment/vehicle keys, 2 spare mags, a holster for my pistol, plus a blowout kit. I can drop the plate carrier over my head faster than it takes to put on a robe, plus it gives me added protection plus someplace to carry a few useful things. I honestly can't think of any reason why anyone should be willing to spend hundreds of dollars on multiple offensive options (guns) but not a few hundred on at least one defensive option (armor). Plate carriers with plates cost about as much if not less than one average handgun and are the only think that can actually keep you from being harmed, not just harm other people.

And before you think it, NO they are not a hassle to use or put on.

Step 1: Pick it up.
Step 2: Drop it over your head.
Step 3: There isn't a step 3. You're done. It takes about 2 seconds.

Ragnar Danneskjold said:

Second, people need to get out of the "either/or" mental trap when thinking about handheld lights vs. weapon lights. USE BOTH. The handheld is for most situations, keeping in mind not to silhouette yourself and using it sparingly, not leaving it constantly on. The weapon mounted is a backup and for when you need to use your other hand for something else like dialing a phone, opening doors, carrying a child, etc. One is none, two is one, especially with things that use batteries. Having both a handheld and a weapon mounted gives you the best features of both and a handy backup.

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Agree 100%. My carry weapon always has a Viridian C5L/X5L or Streamlight TLR-2 on it. I also carry a Streamlight Protac 2L. The benefit of having both is the option to use both. You won't use a handheld light for a weapon light application and a handheld light for a weapon light application. Only downside to a weapon mounted light is getting a holster for it.

First I would make sure my wife and kid are ok, then I go check out the scene with mr. mossberg and .44 mag riding shotgun along with st.bernard julie.The wife has a ruger lc380 and and m1 carbine for her

Another ancient axiom - Curiosity killed the cat. It's gotten more than a few homeowners in trouble, too.

Yup..........our male GS actually checks the house during the night at different intervals randomly going from room to room. I hear him in my sleep checking things out then he comes back and lays at the foot of our bed. Great watch dog.....

Some interesting reading. My wife and I actually practice and have had a bit of training from a few experts in the area of house/room clearing.

We are in a unique situation. I rely on cochlear implants (ci) to hear. At night, I take them off and you could shoot a 45 next to my head and I wouldn't hear it. So we train on what to do first, second, third, etc. and also knowing that the plans would go to hell quickly in a bad situation. We have a process for her to wake me so that i know something is serious and the first thing I do is put on one of the ci's. That gives me the hearing I need.

It also depend if our daughter is home. If so, we call 911 then clear the house like we trained. If she's not home, we call 911 and stay put in the bedroom.

The one thing we joke about, sort of, is that if we do hear a BG in the house, my wife's first call is the morgue as the noise my wife would of heard was the dogs having their way. But we joke about it only..sort of.

The dogs roam the house so the reality and the hope is that any BG that saw these two dogs would turn tail. And if the big dogs didn't do it, I'd be force to go nuclear and release the chihuahua. Oh the horror...

I check it out from my bed room doorway since everything in my house connects to the Large Country Kitchen. My two cats are my early warning and if they HISS I check it out.

I have no dependents in my house, so I need to protect only my own butt. If there were others on board, my approach would have to be rethunk.

About 95% of the bumps in the night are benign. The other 5% are best addressed from my secure cover. IF the bump maker reveals himself in such a way that I can engage him from my cover, then I might consider doing so, but I bet I'm better off just dialing 9-1-1 and holing up than in any way announcing that I'm aware of the intruder and armed.

Stuff is replaceable. A defensive shooting changes one's life forever, whether the shoot is deemed a good one or not. My goal is to anything and everything in my power to avoid needing to press that trigger.

Heh everyones paranoid until they need what they have, then they are smart! and prepared.

I dont think the guy with all the guns nearby is the least bit paranoid. With home invasions on the rise, and the fact I sleep upstairs, I do not want to be cut off from my guns!

The rest depends on the nature of the noise. Thumps and bumps dont alarm me, but I take note. Big crashes of windows broken in and doors kicked in get my attention and set me and my guns in condition one!

All my friends, family and co-workers know WAY better to come in my house late at night without first calling...and yelling out. The one time a friend did have an emergency and was coming in my garage, you better believe he was yelling my name and who he was!

No, I dont live in a crack house. However, those from crack houses are usually who does the home invasions in this neck of the woods, and it is not unusual that they are way stupid and liable to kill you for little or nothing.

Lastly, I am a criminal defense attorney and take a lot of appointed cases. You never know when one of these guys gets mad, desperate, doped up or whatever.....

Russellc

For me step one is to send in the dog, then I am listening for a response from the potential intruder, not so much the dog barking, etc. as it is my experience that most people will tend to react rather strongly upon unexpectedly being confronted by a Mastiff even if he is the runt of his litter at only 120 pounds. I then procede to investigate usually with my 870 which has a 300+ Lumen Malkoff LED modified Surefire grip light. One squeeze of the foregrip not only lights up the room, but potentially momentarily blinds any person there.

The house I just bought is one story. Two bedrooms. The bedrooms are side by side. I would basically grab the 12 gauge and my pistol and phone and roll off the bed between the bed and the wall. I would make myself low as possible. I would then dial 911 and wait. If the door opened Id empty the 12 gauge then investigate with my hand gun. Seeing as how if the bedroom door opened at 3am and I live alone it's safe to say someone else is in the house.

Sent from my mind using ninja telepathy.

The responses will be as varied as the millions of scenarios.

Bottom line, you should be familiar with the possible noises and what could cause them, and have a plan of action in mind in advance.

Being startled awake is terrible. I have been in a deep sleep and been starled awake by smoke alarms (false alarm) that required a solid 5 minutes to disengage, by faulty window alarms too.

I've also been started by the shower soap holder falling off the wall and causing a loud crash, and in another occassion an object falling off the wall and damaging the glass window, causing a loud crash.

You either recognize it and immediately fix it (alarms) or you lay there with your gun and your phone, listening for followup noises.

If there was really an intruder, unless you must leave the room, best for you and your loved ones to gather in a safe room that you can defend until LEO arrives.

Have a plan for when LEO arrives. I've read that you can have an extra set of keys on a landard to throw out the window for the cops.

Finally, enough rope

I was beginning to wonder...

So you hear a noise, so what?

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Fixed it.

Maybe he just stores his guns in his bedroom. He's not paranoid. He "needs" however many guns he wants, one or a hundred. Please don't tell us what we "need", I get very nervous of others telling me I don't need this or I don't need that; those people are never around when I really do need whatever they decided that I didn't need.

In the noise situation, the dogs help. Hard to hide from a dog.

My golden retriever alerts at noises.

If someone continues with the nights entertainment, the next noise will be little girly screams when 85 pounds of border collie/malamute mix object to being woke up.

I hope the schmuk isn't wearing his squirrel T-shirt that night.

gym said:

The most likely time you get an intruder is either going in/coming out, or when you are in bed late at night.

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Do you have any hard data to back this up?

JVaughn said:

Why not?! You aren't one if those "I understand wanting to protect yourself, but why do you need 30 rounds?" Types are you?

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Heh! Not by any stretch of the imagination, my friend!

How well armed I feel the need to be depends upon my own risk assessment at any given time. I simply don't feel like I need to have "two pistols, a rifle, and a shotgun next to me at all times".

Doesn't mean I don't have said weapons.

I get to have a huge belly laugh from all who have NEVER done a house clearing with an Op-For to contend with.

That is the only way you will find out that you have NO skills and that a "house clearing" needs be done by at very = VERY least 2 trained and flashlighted & ARMED well trained people.

But don't take my word,you don't know me from a bag of buttholes.

just TRY it with a paint gun or air soft and an opposing force [ Op-For ] and see how many times you get lit up IN YOUR OWN HOUSE.

Unless you tell the Op-For where to hide I bet you lose.

Click to expand...

So somebody is going to break into my house and just sit there waiting at the ready for me to come through the door so he can gun me down? I can't speak for others but the potential for assasins to target me seems kind of low.

I'm not advocating clearing a house, and if i knew a bad guy were in the home i would wait for the police. But, it appears the vast majority of noises in the night are not clearly identifiable and i'm not inviting LE to enter my home in force just because i heard some random noise and i'd bet most won't either.