Sorry about the baseball bat thread, I was really trying to have a discussion. I didn't know if someone had advice, you know? We've got MAD home invasions in my area. sorry if I twisted anyones socks. It just seemed like the best way was to choke up on it and use it for close range, as long range swings didn't have so much control. you all are so cool. I just want to be more like you.
Well a baseball bat is a pretty poor choice for defense against home invasion style robberies. Why not get a shotgun? Surely they're legal in VA. Pretty hard to beat for a home protection weapon. A whole lot more options than a baseball bat. Then again it seems like you now have a massive chip on your shoulder because people didn't tell you what you wanted to hear. Go figure.
yep. get a shotgun, learn how to use it, keep it handy when you're home, and lock it up when you're not. or move to a nicer end of the state.
I assure you my shoulder has no chips. I think I'm just gonna get a ninja sword for personal defense, and practice taiji for health and wellness and neat throws and takedowns. or maybe I should get ninja stars? or a ninja bo? or maybe I'll just blast em with tha fa jing. guns are expensive! Dang, dude! I'm just trying to see if anyone's come up with some practical SELF DEFENSE tactics that one can use household items for that are just lying around the house? like japanese short stick fighting , but with a bat? Like, how should i grip it? Should i jab, and just use it for a distraction tacic and really focus on getting a good sidekick? A shotgun? Sheeeahh.... in Norfolk you can buy an AK legally. No joke.
Shotguns are perfect for home defense. Enough stopping power to drop even a drug-addled crazy-person, yet minimal penetration power so that they won't go through a wall and kill a family member in the next room like a high-powered pistol round (or a rifle round) would. By the way, rifles for home defense? Seriously? TERRIBLE idea. Square peg in a round hole.
And ninja stars are a good idea? The only con I can see for a rifle is if you have neighbors or people living with you. Most people I know where I grew up owned both, and needless to say home invasions are not a problem there.
Never said they were! How about "long and unwieldy"? Rifles were never meant for close quarters, and home defense is all close-quarters.
Try waking up in the middle of the night... after you hear your front door kicked in and trying to site up a .30-06 bleary eyed and adrenalin pumping while passing through your standard size bedroom door frame into the hall of your average American house or apartment. Horrible idea. Shotgun on the other hand doesn't require that type of accuracy. Shorter barrel and wide bore.. and that does it.
well, shotgun or rifle, we've still got the same 26" minimum length requirement. also, at household distances, shot essentially does not spread. there are arguments in favor of short rifles for home defense, but they're generally predicated on... having other reasons to want a rifle.
What are these home invaders bringing to the party? I mean, if they're burglars, that's one thing. But if they're armed, with what? Knives? Guns? Either way, a baseball bat doesn't seem like the way to go. I suppose a burglar alarm doesn't have the same sex appeal.
Somewhat true. Going to depend on the load and the bore somewhat. And of course the load is going to influence this a fair bit. Depending on the distance... I'm guessing most people haven't got a 30 foot hallway in their homes... but even at closer distances... a 2-3 inch spread is better than a single round that's going to have a lot less margin for error than 2-3 inches. If you're lucky you might be able to get a 6-8 spread at around 15 feet. I'm guessing something like a 16 pellet with a full choke would be not half bad for home defense. More pellet in the bad guy the less chance of him making it to you. Birdshot or buckshot was always one of the classic debates for the home defense load. One other issue would be the ability to practice and afford the load. Seems to me shotgun loads were a lot more economical than were rifle rounds. But it's been absolute ages since I bought any or shot any.. so could have changed by now. Below is a snap of buckshot at about eight feet. Gruesome... sorry guys.
How many rifles on the market actually have those 26" minimum barrel lengths? Excluding plinking rifles that don't have the stopping power to stop a high-as-a-kite intruder. And don't forget the wall penetration problem. Rifles are very dangerous to people in adjacent rooms. Shotguns aren't.
