What length is good?

[centac]

"You make me sick. try giving soldiers a little respect. i'm gonna mutter something about elitism now."

Go right ahead. I dont think expressing concern for the guy's mental health is at all disrespectful. No context was given for why this guy is searching the house. If he is doing it arbitrarily and compusively for no articulable reason he needs to reframe his experience and work on returning to a normal level of behavior. Knowing when to turn it off is just as important as knowing when to turn it on.

And while we are at it, why not ask him? He apparently has BTDT, I'd take his guidance over the keyboard commandoes any day

 

[chopinbloc]

you make a good point and i'm sorry if i sound too harsh but i'm sick and tired of people assuming that a vet is automatically a little "off". since hi express didn't seem to express any concern i imagine there is no reason to be concerned. the post was about barrel lengths and tactics, not concern for his nephew's health. that said, i agree that an m1a socom is kinda long, but it wasn't designed for house clearing. most of those high-speed door kickers use m-4s and quite a few transition to pistol indoors. this shouldn't be a surprise.

 

[Logistics]

uhh oh...

>>>No context was given for why this guy is searching the house. If he is doing it arbitrarily and compusively for no articulable reason he needs to reframe his experience and work on returning to a normal level of behavior.<<<

More thought and "behavior" policing from one of the usual suspects on here.....Try not to read so much into things all the time! You (you know who you are) are starting to sound paranoid from all this worry about what other people are doing / thinking.....

It's ALL for the children though I am sure....

 

[JamisJockey]

dear sweet jeebus, you sound like the same types who are "concerned" about letting law abiding civilians have guns. don't you realize he was armed 24/7 while he was in country if he was going to snap, he would have. maybe it's just possible that hi express and nephew share interests in firearms and tactics. maybe he was demonstrating because of a conversation with his uncle. maybe he saw a fine piece of equipment and wanted to know how practical it was. not all combat veterans are blood-crazed lunatics. matter of fact, it is extremely rare and tends to indicate that a person was not very well balanced to begin with. you make me sick. try giving soldiers a little respect. i'm gonna mutter something about elitism now.

Well firstly, I was a Marine for 5 years. I grew up in a Marine household, my dad retired after 21 honorable years. I knew my fair share of combat veterans.

In the context of the original post, it sounds more like his nephew is a little wigged out. Now, if the theories you present are more how it played out, then thats obviously different. The poster didn't make it sound that way to me.

One of the things that he had to do was decompress (heavy stress from house to house searches). Meanwhile, he would grab my Springfield M1A1 Scout Rifle on the way into the house and begin "checking the house out."

How does that sound? The guy plainly stated that his nephew has experienced heavy stress and is grabing his rifle on the way into the house "checking the house out". He's home now. Al Queda isn't hiding behind every corner.

Don't tell me how I 'sound'. You don't know me pal.

 

[Bobo]

Getting back to your original question...

Your 18" shotgun preferably with a pistol grip (not a full stock) and a handgun as backup.

 

[Jeff White]

Let's stay on topic please....

Bobo said;

Your 18" shotgun preferably with a pistol grip (not a full stock) and a handgun as backup.

Handy for breaching doors, not optimal to fight with....

 

[Magnum88C]

Playing Rambo out at the range I practiced and got relativly good at the "tuck under" (Don't know if there is a real name for it) with my 18" Ithaca 37. Basicly shooting from the hip but you have the gun kind of tucked under you're armpit. Yes it is not the most accurate method, but the gun is much easier to manuver and is instantly ready if a BG gets in front of you. The gun is also quick to shoulder if needed. Just my $.02

I don't know what it's called, but I was taught the same thing with scatterguns. It enables you to "shorten" the weapon and still have the full buttstock for better control. Practice it some more, you'd be surprised at how accurate you can be with it at close range.

That being said, every SWAT or special entry-type (departments that don't have a dedicated SWAT team) all said the first guy through the door went in with a handgun. It was just more maneuverable than the SMG or shotgun, the other guys came in with the artillery.

As for the returned soldier clearing the house on the way in. . .sounds like he's doing it out of habit, not mental illness. When you have to do that day-in, day-out, it's not surprising he's still doing it, since to "slack up" on mental preparedness will get him killed in the war zone, I don't think there's a problem with it. Remember he IS going back, so "slacking off" may be a worse habit for him to get into at this time.

 

[Jeff White]

Magnum88C said;

That being said, every SWAT or special entry-type (departments that don't have a dedicated SWAT team) all said the first guy through the door went in with a handgun. It was just more maneuverable than the SMG or shotgun, the other guys came in with the artillery.

Got some references for that? Perhaps the actual name of a department that operates that way?

This might be true if the first guy in is carrying a ballistic shield. It's probably not good to make broad generalities about TTPs.

Jeff

 

[T. Bracker]

I am lucky that all of our bedrooms are on the 2nd floor. I would not want to go crawling around the house after someone or some noise. I will make sure all the kids are safe in bed and then keep the stairwell covered. Anyone coming up those stairs becomes silhouetted against the windows at the first landing.

 

[hightech]

Home Invasion

I think some training is required here . I would recommend the NRA’s Personal Protection in the Home course. They have some good ideas on things to do and not to do if you have an uninvited guest in your residence.

 

[ZenMasterJG]

No context was given for why this guy is searching the house. If he is doing it arbitrarily and compusively for no articulable reason he needs to reframe his experience and work on returning to a normal level of behavior.

I'd compusively clear a space i wasnt used to clearing too. I do it for fun, when im bored and alone in the house. Just grab whatever the closest weapon is, and practice what i'm going to do to check the house if i ever had to. All the danger spots, all the likely hiding spots, etc.

That said, i need to get a shorter barrel for my shotgun, clearing with a longgun is a pain, and i dont have a pistol yet.
Anyone know the legal issues involved with chopping down the barrel and stock on a shotgun? cuz i know there are issues, i just dont know what they are.

 

[rwc]

A couple thoughts:

The Meth entry team here favors surpressed MP5s (serving search warrants on suspected meth labs). Not to stay quiet, but to minimize "flash" and spark around a lot of flammable materials. Different jobs=different tools...

As for the nephew, his family is in the best position to judge his health. I have a good friend who works at the VA as a Psych.MD. He told me there has been a "ratio of 10" for a while now of 1KIA - 10 seriously wounded - 100 serious PTSD, psychosis, etc. Use of body armor is changing the first ratio, but not the second. No, not every vet needs help, but many do who won't seek it - I know this from personal experience. Recognizing this is not an assertion that all vets need help, but many do who won't seek it until things go seriously downhill.

"signed" the son of a fully disabled US Army veteran.

 

[reagansquad]

One time in the middle of the night my woman said to me "Wake up! Someone's in here!" I rolled out of bed, grabbed my glock 23, and thought to myself "Crap! I wish I had my 870!" ...I had taken it to the range that day and hadn't reloaded it yet. :banghead:

Nobody was in the house.