WEAPONS

Try Dunhams (sporting goods store). They are very economical.

Annie B-

Annie B.

Snicklefritz wrote: I have years of experience in law enforcemnt and SWAT.  A shotgun is the way to go for you.  Don't worry about the recoil, if you ever have to use it you won't even be aware  of the recoil.   If the barrel, as it is on most sporting shotguns, is too long to be manageable inside your home, just get somebody to saw it off with a hacksaw.  I recommend a barrel length of 18-20 inchesl.  Don't spend extra money on a short barrel shotgun, just saw it off.  (A cheap single shot shotgun shoud be very reasonable, so you won't be wasting money by sawing off the barrel).

A good shotgun home load, especially for someone 70 years old, is my favorite load for the house. You will need some help doing it, but I take a field load (light load) take a #4 buckshot load. Remove the buckshot and replace the bird shot in the field load shell.

TA, good for you for speaking up (even I have a bad mental image of an older person with *gasp* a evil black assault rifle.)  I agree--classes, classes, classes, Annie B.  I pretty much taught myself to shoot, but when I went through the CCW course, I learned soooo much, DH and I went back for more lessons!  Who knows, you may find you enjoy shooting--i did!  Best hobby ever!

Komet,

Those old K98's were the stuff, huh?

I totally vote for a shotgun... and practice reloading as fast as possible.

You're a smart lady!

Hey, Buss01,

TA, totally with you on the bad image.  And your advice on the rifle is spot on.  I am just wondering is a day at the range with an instructor trying out different firearms might be the ticket for Ms. Annie B.  If you live in AZ, I can give the names of a couple of great CCW instructors (one is a retired DEA agent) who would be happy to help at a reasonable price.

Jax, she is 70 years old and you want her to get a 12 gauge!?  What are you thinking? 

I own a 10-22, but had read somewhere that Ruger has a .22 mag version of the rifle.  Any knowledge on this?

RE: "Some thoughts- ALL shotguns hurl their payload at very close to the same velocity. The difference is the weight of that payload. A 20 ga. is much easier to handle than a 12 ga., but does the same thing. Notice that ALL police use the pump action."

Not necessarily true. The heavier weight of a 12 gauge shotgun makes it much easier to handle the recoil over the lighter weight, but nearly as powerful 20 gauge shotguns.

Many police agencies also use the Beretta 1200 shotgun, which is a semi-automatic. I have one and it can shoot 8 rounds of Max-Load 00Buck as fast as you can pull the trigger. Further, it is bottom loaded so that you can also load as you shoot.

Spirit wrote: Snicklefritz and T.Angel - you are both really great!!! What cool advice. I am much younger than 70 (by 30 odd years) and I appreciate the info. I must go out and buy something to shoot with. I am left eyed and I have shot ground hogs before.  I shoot a 22 using my left hand. Is there a gun better suited? - Is that what you mean about the shotgun in the close confines of the house? Pardon me for saying this but I'd like to do the job in one go. It 's enough of a shock when the groundhog jumps up and run just when you think you got it.  I'd hate that to happen in my house - (Sorry if this is too weird...) But when you mention a shot gun and buck shot, I think of Our VP's little hunting party in the bush and his poor buddy getting hit but making it just the same - I'm sorry but I dread being ineffictive.... ..And I would shoot to defend my kids.

At your age, an SKS or AK-47.  There's a forum at www.ar15.com which you will find quite enlightening on this subject.

Thomas Angel said:

Annie B, you go girl!  Don't let your age hold you back, but I agree with classes and practice, practice, practice.  This happened several years ago. A woman in her late 70's lived alone in her small mobile home and she kept a handgun on her bedside table.  Sorry, but I don't remember what kind it was.  She was in bed and heard someone breaking in through her bedroom window.  Needless to say, she got him with one shot!    The people in the retirement communities out here in AZ went wild!  She was an instant celebrity and she is still my heroine.  For what it's worth, my husband and I are in our early 50's.  I'm disabled with Fibromyalgia and my husband has severe Osteoarthritis.  It's been over 25 years since we've handled weapons.  Our son, who is in law enforcement, recommended we get a Glock 40 and a shotgun with buckshot.  He will also train us.  Good luck with whatever you decide. 

Annie B.....some advice to take to heart.  Not knowing you or your current state of health, I would HIGHLY recommend AGAINST getting a gun for yourself.  While it may be a very good option for others, unless you are physically and mentally able to kill someone, then your own gun is likely to be used against you.  Ask any law enforcement official about these statistics.  My advice would be to adopt a dog from the local SPCA.  Working breeds are best as guard/watch dogs and can not only help protect you, but they can also add to your quality of life because of their companionship.  Only a determined felon will tackle a german shepherd, doberman, rottweiller, boxer, etc. and if they are willing to go that far, then you would be in trouble with a gun anyways.  My best recommendation is to get a boxer.  They are very easy to train, good with children and are exceptionally good at intuitively protecting their family.  The only downside is that they tend to jump a lot but good training can avert that.

Trident I love that 10/22. Check this weapon out if only it came in a bigger caliber.

I own an SKS made by Norinco.  It is a Chinese version of the russian made AK-47 basically.  This is a highly deadly and accurate rifle that is easy to load, easy to fire and has very little recoil.  The ammunition is a high velocity 7.62mmx39mm.  Great for peircing light armor and is very leathal at close range.  You can carry more bullets than a shotgun and the ammo is cheaper.

I"m 5'51/4 and 120 lbs. I have a Colt Pony for my purse that I really like. It's small but does the Job.  I also took a CWC class when I purchased it.I was taught by my DH to shoot at a perp until the gun is empty. We have a trigger word in our family for intruder alert to avoid killing a family member. All members know what to do if the alert is sounded. Kids leave the house via a window or go under the bed  or in their closet  and to lay down on the floor if they can't escape un-noticed. Every closet in our house has a lock on the inside of the door. This is easy to do ,just install locking door knobs with the lock inside.In my opinion if a perp is in your house, all members are at risk  of death and everyone should escape the house if possible. If not, the adults must stop the perp from killing the other family members.

We also have four dogs that sound the alert if even a leaf falls on the yard.

We have a burgular alarm installed and armed, but if there is no power this form of protection is not viable.

A note about burgalar alarms: Ours went off when we lived in Miami. I had gone to the corner store. When I returned the alarm was blazing and the cop was standing in the front yard. When I asked him if he had checked to see if there was someone in the house he said "I'm not going in there, let's just wait and see if someone was comes out". He was afraid of my 25 pound Boston terrier.  He suggested I go in and see if anyone was in the house. So much for Law enforcement. By the way ,my dog had set off the motion detector when he jumped on top of the couch to look out the window.

A big dog is great protection, but a dog can be killed if a Perp means to get in your house. In my opinion you have to have back-up plans. Such as a firearm.

Annie and all you other gals out there: If you feel you need a firearm for protection ,get one. Get trained. If you have children, teach them Firearm safety and don't leave the firearm unattended. Buy a gun safe ,one that does not use keys. Keys get lost and take up too much time. Take a self defense course . There are courses designed specifically for women and anyone can do it.  The YMCA is where I went for mine. If nothing else, the course is a confidence builder that puts you in control of fear. A helpless woman is a supreme target for perps. An alert, confident woman has a chance to survive.

Some other tips for securing your home:

Bad dog signs, even if you don't have one.

Video surveilance signs, even if you don't have a system. You can get them at radio shack.

Alarm stickers on every window. You can get extra ones from your alarm company, or if you don't have system, ask a friend who does to get them for you.I even put  one on the mailbox.

Charlie bars on the sliding glass doors. I love these things .The only way for the slider to be opened is to break it.

Locks on every window. We also have metal bars to wedge in the frame ,if we are going out of town, to jimmy proof them.

Lock your gate!! always lock it. Get a big fence with the rungs on the inside. This makes it harder for a perp to scale the fence.

Motion detector lights, preferably solar.

Plant thorny bushes around your fence perimeter. I used Bougainvilla. It has very pretty flowers and huge thorns.

 

A Perp will choose the easiest target.

Make it hard for them and chances are they'll pick someone else.

 

Some folks might think I'm paranoid.

Ten years ago I was in the parking lot of the Grocery store in broad daylight. As I was opening my door to get in the car, a man came up behind me and tried to push me in the car. I braced my arm on the doorjamb and hit him in the face with my elbow of the other arm so hard, I

 broke his nose. I knock him to the ground. Blood was jetting out of his nose. I jumped in the car and locked the doors. I laid on the horn. He was not a small guy either. He got away ,but so did I. I was lucky that day, If he had grabbed me around the neck, I could not have fought back.  I had no training on how to get away.The worst part was that my infant son was in the car too. I get sick to my stomach thinking about what he would have done to the both of us.

After taking a self defense course and CWC classes I pity the fool who tries to hurt me again.

  first off, don't bother with the taser.  they are EXTREMELY unreliable in their effect.  to paraphrase an amusing quote "if you ever tase me, and i find out i'll kick your ass"  actually that quote was about a 25 auto but it gets the point across. 
  
  teh pump shotgun is a good choice, avoid 16 gauge as it has fallen out of favor in recent years and is becomming a difficult ammo type to find.  12 is good, 20 may be better if you are recoil sensitive.  i would suggest you find someone who has several firearms and try all of them that you can.  one of the most important parts of the equation is your comfort level with the weapon.  both physical and otherwise.  i have a very large collection of guns, and often like to buy new ones to try them out as it were.  i can tell you that you may have 6 guns on a table in front of you that are identical, same model and caliber etc, but you will pick up one that is somehow different.....better....more fitting to your hand.  don't know why this happens, but it does.  go to as many gun shops in your area as you can, don't buy at first, just handle them and check out the choices.  you may find something that really grabs you back.

  all that said, the best gun is the one you can shoot well and have confidence in.  that's  the most important thing.  everything else will follow, with a little diligence that is. 


  one thing that you need to address is your physical profile.  things like your hand strength, if you don't have a certain amount of hand strength, you'll have a hard time retracting a slide on a handgun.  that's another reason to handle as many guns as you can before buying.  a pump shotgun is a very good firearm for a person with minimal hand strength as it can be brought to bear with more than just your hands, and doesn't require a great deal of strength to load.  one thing to remember, don't listen to the gun store employees advice, they are just trying to sell a product and often they don't know squat about what they sell.  do your research and then make your own decision.  i would rather face a 20 year old incompetant gangbanger with a 44 mag than a 95 year old fart  who is competant with his 22.  EVERY TIME!!!!!!!!

  on the subject of the statistics, the "shoot you with your own gun" thing is compleat bullsh*t, it wasn't even faulty statistical research, it was just a lie.  and even if it was real, i'd rather be shot after trying to defend myself than just lay down and take it.  the grit your teeth and take it crowd deserve nothing but contempt.  they're nothing but a resource for the predators.  so if any of the victim culture sob sisters wring their hands and whine at your choice to take responsibility for your own life and security,  pay no attention.  this sort of conduct should be noted....sort of like a warning label on a defective product
    "warning may come apart under light stress"
        all the best, pat