I don't know enough to know what's too big for me...I went with what I did after talking to a lot of folks and doing a fair bit of research. It seemed like a good option for me...big enough to stop a threat, but controllable. Maybe I'd be better off with something smaller, but I seemed to do just fine at 25 feet. After my first two shots were dead center of the bulls eye, the instructor was sort of giving me a weird look like I was part of a joke. I'm not sure how much time is "normal" to take between shots, but I did have to reset after each shot for a second or two.

It could also be beginners luck

I definitely didn't end up with the insanely tight groupings you have here, but for someone who had never even held a gun before, I thought I did OK. Everything hit the target in the black at least. I had 6 or 7 bulls eyes out of 50 shots...I was pretty happy with that. I seemed to shoot worse as time went on and I got bored.

Walking in there for the first time felt so strange...the only thing I can compare it to is when you're 18 and walk into the adult section for the first time, or when you turn 21 and order your first drink at the bar. You feel like you don't belong, like any moment someone is going to come in and demand to see ID...or laugh at you.

Hmm, that's exactly how I felt the first time I put on a kit.

Yep! Or the first time you shave your legs.

True the .38 is a small for a crack head but the 16ga is usually close too. That street sweeper looks like it will stop a bear.

MiamiJim, that is excellent marksmanship. Given all the USMC veterans and actives on this forum, I'll bet there are a lot of excellent marksman.

Has anyone ever seen mounted police (ON A BICYCLE OF COURSE) carry anything more powerful than their semi-automatic pistol while riding?

Detroit had something like 411 murders in 2012. For a city of 700,000 +/-, it's criminal. Here is a map of the plague. Only NOLA has a higher rate per capita.

Dear lord...and I thought Philly was bad! Camden and Reading are pretty rough per capita. I think Camden is still the poorest place in the country.

Richmond, CA isn't much better than Detroit. The murder rate is slightly better in Richmond, CA, only because the number of homocides has gone down in recent years. However, (according to www.city-data.com) there are more registered sex offenders living in Richmond than in Detroit, and it has 1/7th the population! Oh, and to the south of Berkeley is Oakland, CA (which trails only Detroit and NOLA in murder rate).

Quick thinking and I'm glad you minimized your losses.

+1


As a computer professional I can testify that we are as lax as anyone on proper disaster planning. If you have 24/7 internet connectivity there are some decent off-site solutions. One of them even provides free s/w to backup to other locations on-site or to a friends system off-site. It also has fixed price no-limit off-site encrypted backup to it's servers.
I recently stood up a server located in my basement that does full / incremental backups and can rebuild a system starting with a bare drive and a USB fob. Unfortunately I'm having some problems with the server's drives ;(

I used to be heavy into IPSC, and got to be a fair hand with a .45. At one point I could draw from a holster and fire 2 rounds in three targets, change magazines, and fire 2 more into each one going the other way at somewhere between 5-6 seconds. Granted it was at 10 yards, but it took a lot of practice and competition to get fast and accurate.

I also campaigned Highpower for many years, and competed at the state level. 200, 300, and 600 yards with open sights offhand, sitting, and prone. That was a ton of fun but time consuming reloading, practicing, and traveling up and down the state. Made the CA team once, and was invited to the Nationals at Camp Perry.

Nowadays I am just an instructor, and coach with the youth program a local range. My daughter went Distinguished Expert with a rifle (.22) at 10, and went DE again with pistol at about 15 (just in time for dating).


As long as we're posting targets, here's a little something I posted at 200 yards one day:

If I ever get a hound dog, I'm gonna name him...........







Taylor.

Memo to self, do not annoy bbm's daughter.

Aaron, congratulations on the dog, glad I went back a page or two on this thread. The best thing about dogs is they aren't like cats

I would also like to add that BigBossMan can shoot much faster than he can ride, and more skillfully. One of these days I'll demand he takes me on a hog hunting trip. I'll carry the camera. I know what I should be allowed to shoot safely with, and it aint a gun.

We had a bird dog (Weimeraner) for ten years and he properly broke us in for the rigors of child rearing.

I still miss that hound and it was fifteen years ago that he passed.

Good luck with that beast Aaron.

Looks like you have a great pal there and pity the fool that crawls in your windows.

Hope you don't need a part time job to feed him.

Went shooting with friends a couple weeks ago, two of them are police officers and brought their Glock .40s and I had borrowed a 1911 and a .38 revolver from another friend while one of our party rented a .22.

Of the bunch I was the most accurate with the 1911, next was the .22 and then the .38, I was all over the place with the Glocks, besides the fact that the Glocks made my hands numb.

The 1911 was really, really nice to shoot.

Thats insane!! If that happened to me and I screamed, "Lori, get the gun!" it would be really wierd 'cause thats not my wifes name!

That's something I'd really like to learn. There's a local art co-op that gives lessons and I really want to do it. Love this dog, though I really am gaga for the cats.

He's not cheap - but he gives a lot too. I really enjoy coming home to his wagging tail. I feel pretty sure that Monty (or Monty-saurus as we call him) is going to discourage any sane intruders. His bark is intense. I'm not sure if his size is coming through, but he's an athletic 80 lbs. He dominates pretty much everything at the park (which can be annoying, we're constantly shoeing him from the dogs he sexually harasses).

Awww, Shucks!!, why can't we just do this......

Istead of the guns and dogs thing.......

Chombi

You said you wanted more dog photos? Sure thing!

There is nothing like the unconditional love of a dog.

Throw your dog and your wife in the trunk of a car for a couple of hours. Open the trunk, and then see which one is truly happy to see you.

Got a nice one last time out. Been eating pulled pork and wicked awesome chili for the last couple of weeks. I'll spare you the pictures.


Seriously though - Aaron, that's a nice looking mutt, and I'm confident he's found a great home. They really are amazing critters, and I like dogs more than I do most people. Wait till he takes over the bed.

Be careful on the "known" breeds that will get your insurance cancelled.

If you get a gun, get trained, and trained well, and then practice.
That is essential to not making a serious mistake that can ruin your life.
I'm very familiar with, and was trained to use many types of firearms.
That's why they scare me.

Here, the boar are almost too muscle-bound to eat. A guy I know was putting out food last week, and one of them jumped out of nowhere, the guy ended up diving into the truck bed.

My 8mm Mauser is smiling at that.
It's never seen a scope, but I'm sure it would like to....

Aaron, all the best with your new family dog, even though he didn't came to your house in the best circumstances, I know you'll provide him a good home. Don't know about the burglaries and I sure don't want to get messed up in a gun debate, but here's to hoping your homestead will remain safe!