A question for those who have had to use their weapon in self-defense

[MikePGS]

I'm sorry I know it isn't polite or appropriate to ask for details of such things, but I can't help but wonder. For those of you who have had to fire your weapon in self-defense, were you satisfied with your choice of caliber/ammunition/gun? If so, what was it? If not, why not?

 

[Grassman]

I posted basically this same topic a few weeks ago, and did not get one response. Either there are no stories, or nobody wants to share those stories.

 

[jakemccoy]

Ask soldiers if that's not disrespectful. My guess is that any gun feels underpowered if your life is in danger. By the way, I'm fairly certain I would not be discussing the details of a self-defense shooting on the Internet, for legal reasons and for not wanting to relive the horror.

 

[sm]

The unwritten rule is, those of us that have don't speak much of such things.
Sometimes in private, rarely in public.

With Internet some new wrinkles have come up, such as if a situation were to occur again Internet postings might be used against one in a court of law, be it criminal, or civil, or both.

Concerns of folks reading public posts by family and friends and figuring out whom someone is, and a civil case being filed, or payback.

Yes there are sharings of those that have,and one would have to conduct a search.

I will also share software, not hardware was the key, and is still the key.

Firearms from simple .22 revolvers with standard pressure 40 gr lead round nose, to small handguns in 25ACP, to NAA .22 mini revolvers, to 32 cal revolvers, 32ACP semis, small and medium frame .38spls with standard pressure 148 gr wadcutters, and 158 gr LSWC, 1911 with ball ammo, BHP 9mm with ball and even more modern guns made of polymer and using JHPs have been used.

Single shot .22 rifles, Marlin 60s, and Nylon 66 in rimfire rifles.
Lever action .22 and centerfire such as 30-30
Single shot shotguns, Semis, O/U, SxS, Pump, and Target Grade Competition O/U in .410, 28, 20, 16, 12, 10 gauge and even 32 gauge have been used.
Including youth models

When folks that have been there and done that, gather, words often are not spoken if the topic should come up, or be hinted at. Eyes, set jaw, head nods speak volumes when looking at a firearm or if a person has scars from a fight, and injuries from knife, or gunshot.

While the armchair rangers, net-ninjas, and teem-seel-six, go on and on teh Intraw3bz, with gun brand, platforms, modifications, accessories, gun cleaning, ammuntion types and caliber wars...

While the guru needs students and students needing a guru carry on...

Real World survival always boils down to correct, basic fundamentals such as often shared in cliches and quotes:

Software, not hardware.
Mindset, Skillsets "then" Toolsets...in that order.
ADEE...
Be the firstest with the mostest...
Shot Placement...




It changes you.

 

[doc2rn]

^Here! Here! Well said sm!

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

While there's nothing wrong with his post necessarily, and we all love sm, his post was NOT 'well-said" at all, in terms of answering the question posed. He didn't even share WHAT "software" specifically helped him, after touting that software is the key, let alone the hardware asked about by the OP. He just said a lot without saying anything really.

 

[kingpin008]

IMHO, it's pretty tasteless to ask something like this. I'm not trying to bash the OP, but you're asking someone to re-live and clinically evaluate an event in their life when they were forced to use potentially deadly force on another human being, in order to preserve their own life.

That's not the sort of thing I'd ask someone to re-live just to get some opinions on particular calibers or firearms.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

IMHO, it's pretty tasteless to ask something like this.

Get off it, man. That's patently absurd. If someone wants to share, then they can. If someone doesn't want to share, then they WON'T and don't have to. There's absolutely NOTHING wrong with asking. In my opinion.

 

[kingpin008]

It's not absurd - it's my opinion. If you don't share it, that's fine. But the fact is, any time someone is forced to use deadly force to defend their lives, that's probably going to be a situation they'd rather not re-live, especially not because of something so (arguably) trivial.

I don't really want to discuss it further, so let's jsut say that we disagree on this one, eh?

 

[Carlos Cabeza]

I haven't had to shoot my weapon in self defense but I once had a confrontation with two guys that resulted in them shooting at me with my own weapon. I underestimated their intent and verbally diiffused the situation so I thought and was overpowered by them and my gun taken from me. By the time they had figured out the safety and racked the slide I had ran a considerable distance. They got off two rounds before fleeing the scene.

I realize my mistakes and my feeling of over confidence led to the resulting incident.

I will say it will never happen again............

 

[AKGuy]

Short answer...I was perfectly satisfied with the bad guys' response of turning tail when I produced my SW 686+ in 357mag upon their approach and their, um, "suggestion" that I "come here" while changing a flat tire along a Detroit freeway at 2am one fine summer evening several years ago...

Long answer...reminds me of a story I read (in an NRA magazine I think) about a guy who cocked his own 357 revolver and told the bad guys at his car window "Now fellas, the noise you just heard is the quietest sound that a 357 magnum makes...unless you want to hear the louder sounds, I suggest that you move along..." Sounded a little bit on the Hollywood/bravado/hubris side of things, but it brought a smile to my face when I read it...

There's just something about unexpectedly hearing a shotgun slide being cycled, a handgun being cocked...

 

[dodgensince74]

I was in a situation once almost 20 years ago where I had to fire my gun at someone and to be honest with you I don't think it would have mattered what type of weapon I would have had at that moment, I think I would still have felt that I could have been better armed. I had at that time and still have a 357mag revolver, I feel that I will always prefer a revolver because there is less that could go wrong in the heat of the moment, thats just how I feel it doesn't meen I am right.

 

[orionengnr]

Do a search. We've been down this road before...many times.
It always leads to the same place.

 

[sm]

Sorry,

I have to stay private.
Some staff is aware of some things about me, and they do edit my posts, or have me edit them to keep me safe.
They have and will edit those of members if something is too revealing.


Do a search, too many threads have already done and I am not the only one that has shared probably more than we should to assist folks.

Personally the only reason I have shared, what I have, is some close to me have asked I do so.

I will never share some things on open forum, as I have not shared some things in invite only or private forum where one has to have someone vouch for you, or present credentials in order to participate.

 

[Joe Demko]

Guns are only tools
Sometimes you pound with a wrench
Rather use your teeth?

 

[Art Eatman]

Let's just drop this one, okay? We wind up with more opinions about the propriety of the question than answers to the question...

Art

 

[JShirley]

You know, this thread comes up now and again. Staff opinion about this ranges from stupid to damn stupid.

Shortest answer: get some training, and practice with good tools. Be aware of your surroundings, and always have a plan. Go to Strategies and Tactics for the "plan" part of this, or elsewhere for the tool/hardware part.

John