Nick Burkhardt
.270 WIN
I know I will probably take some hits for wanting to chamber a Less that Lethal shell first in our new Mossberg 500, but here is our rationalization.
First, we do not live in a high crime or gang infested area and home invasions just don’t happen here in our smallish town. The most likely intruder, and the reason my wife said “I think we should get a gun”, would be a 15-25 year old male looking to grab electronics to pawn for drugs, not a murderer/rapist/kidnapper.
Second, we are both new gun owners and I can foresee five instances where a rubber star or rubber buckshot chambered first would have advantages over 00 Buckshot:
One, there is an accidental discharge that goes out the window and hits a neighbor or someone on the street.
Two, that bump in the night is one of our teenagers or their idiot friends sneaking in or out of our house and we unintentionally shoot them.
Three, there really is an intruder in the house late at night and our first shot misses (nerves, inexperience or the bad guy ducks) and the shot goes out the front door into the bedroom window of the honor student across the street.
Four, a real intruder is in the house late at night, advancing on one of us, but second thoughts about using lethal force prevents firing the shotgun.
Which leads to five, the shotgun winds up in the hands of the bad guy who uses it on a family member.
My wife brought up number four which raised the question “why bother having the shotgun if you are not going to use it?” She also said that she is not cleaning hundreds of lead birdshot pellets out of our living room, so birdshot is out.
I showed her a few videos of “volunteers” getting shot with beanbags, rubber slugs and low recoil Lightfield Stars and she said “Yeah I could shoot someone with that”. Also, that honor student’s mother would be on the phone with 911 thirty seconds after hearing a gun go off across the street, so I am not worried about not having a full tube of 00 Buck. If it does become necessary to fire a lethal round, the first round shows to the police and DA that our intent was not murderous.
The Mossberg 500 is kept in our bedroom in a pin-code locked fire-resistant gun safe with an empty chamber, the safety off. It will be loaded with four Buckshot rounds down the tube and a Less that Lethal shell on top to be chambered first. The sidesaddle with have extra clearly marked Buckshot and Less that Lethal shells which can be port loaded to replace the first shot if deemed necessary.
With all the above information considered what are your recommendations for a first Less that Lethal shell? Beanbag, rubber buckshot, Lightfield Star or other? I realize that these ammunition may be lethal if fired at distances less than six feet, but I believe that anyone who gets that close to my family deserves severe bodily harm.
First, we do not live in a high crime or gang infested area and home invasions just don’t happen here in our smallish town. The most likely intruder, and the reason my wife said “I think we should get a gun”, would be a 15-25 year old male looking to grab electronics to pawn for drugs, not a murderer/rapist/kidnapper.
Second, we are both new gun owners and I can foresee five instances where a rubber star or rubber buckshot chambered first would have advantages over 00 Buckshot:
One, there is an accidental discharge that goes out the window and hits a neighbor or someone on the street.
Two, that bump in the night is one of our teenagers or their idiot friends sneaking in or out of our house and we unintentionally shoot them.
Three, there really is an intruder in the house late at night and our first shot misses (nerves, inexperience or the bad guy ducks) and the shot goes out the front door into the bedroom window of the honor student across the street.
Four, a real intruder is in the house late at night, advancing on one of us, but second thoughts about using lethal force prevents firing the shotgun.
Which leads to five, the shotgun winds up in the hands of the bad guy who uses it on a family member.
My wife brought up number four which raised the question “why bother having the shotgun if you are not going to use it?” She also said that she is not cleaning hundreds of lead birdshot pellets out of our living room, so birdshot is out.
I showed her a few videos of “volunteers” getting shot with beanbags, rubber slugs and low recoil Lightfield Stars and she said “Yeah I could shoot someone with that”. Also, that honor student’s mother would be on the phone with 911 thirty seconds after hearing a gun go off across the street, so I am not worried about not having a full tube of 00 Buck. If it does become necessary to fire a lethal round, the first round shows to the police and DA that our intent was not murderous.
The Mossberg 500 is kept in our bedroom in a pin-code locked fire-resistant gun safe with an empty chamber, the safety off. It will be loaded with four Buckshot rounds down the tube and a Less that Lethal shell on top to be chambered first. The sidesaddle with have extra clearly marked Buckshot and Less that Lethal shells which can be port loaded to replace the first shot if deemed necessary.
With all the above information considered what are your recommendations for a first Less that Lethal shell? Beanbag, rubber buckshot, Lightfield Star or other? I realize that these ammunition may be lethal if fired at distances less than six feet, but I believe that anyone who gets that close to my family deserves severe bodily harm.
