Homestead mailing list

[EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

Clansgian AT wmconnect.com wrote:

> Bev, if you have an intruder and, God forbid, you have to resort to a
>  firearm, shooting them with the 410 is just going to make them mad.

Well, I am about to 'inherit' a .38 caliber pistol for personal
protection, so I am not too worried about intruders.  If the dogs and
the pistol don't stop them, I'd have to call it destiny that it was just
my time to go.

> Don't discount the 12 ga. so quickly.  Two factors will affect the 
> recoil, at least two:
>
> The mass of the gun.  The heavier the gun, the less the recoil.  A 
> very light English fowling piece is like setting off a shotgun shell 
> in your fingers. It is ALL recoil.  But a medium heavy pump such as a
>  Remington or Winchester absorbs the recoil as inertia agaisnt its 
> mass and so the recoil is much less. A very light 20 ga. will recoil 
> more sharply against your shoulder than a heavy 12 ga. will.

Really?  I haven't shot that many shotguns to really compare.  It was
about 10 years ago, but I did shoot a 12 ga once...it almost knocked me
down.  I don't even remember what kind it was, I just know it hurt, left
a huge bruise, and made me realize that it was too much gun for me.
> The load of the shell.  You don't necessarily need 3" magnum loaded 
> Howitzer rounds on the homestead.  For most purposes very light 2 
> 3/4" target loads and game loads do fine.  You can keep some heathen 
> heavy loaded buckshot around just in case.  Better kicked on you ass 
> by the recoil than go into a situation under armed.  But the need for
>  heavy ammuntion is somewhere between rarely and never.

Yeah, I don't see much of a need for heavy ammo, either.  I seriously
doubt I'd shoot at a bear.  Like I said before, I envision shooting
turkeys, snakes, marauding dogs/coyotes, and maybe other avian predators.

Bev
--
BevanRon of EarthNSky Farm   NW Georgia USDA Zone 7
34.498N 85.076W    Bev is Earth, Ron is Sky