Bump in the night--Problems with this "drill"?

T

TheLastBoyScout

New member
I'm 20 years old, home for a few weeks from The Citadel and housesitting for my parents. I got the house to myself, and my neighborhood's had a rash of late night breakins lately.

Had the dog raise an alarm at 0200 yesterday. Checked it out with him, it was nothing. But it got me thinking about "what if it had been for real". This is what I came up with as a standard procedure:

1) When racking out for the night... leave lights on in first floor. Mom likes to have the house lit up as a deterrent effect anyway. On top of it, it simplifies ID'ing whoevers down there, and in a HD situation, it would allow me (or whoever's home) to fire from darkness into light.

2) When the dog sounds the alarm

1) Get up. Put on pants and flipflops.
2) Open bedroom door. Let dog recon. If the dog comes back, grab pistol from holster and verify doors/windows secure while in condition "yellow plus".
3) If dog doesn't come back. Dial 911. Pick up AR15. Load the 30 sitting next to it, chamber a round and turn on the EOTech. Prepare to repel boarders.

Suggestions?
 
Your best bet is to stay put. Clearing a house by yourself is asking for trouble. If you think someone is trying to break in etc., call 911, retreat to a safe room and wait. Have the dispatcher notify the responding officers that you are armed. Tell them what you are wearing and where in the house you are located. If the situation doesn't warrant calling the police, it doesn't warrant risking your life to investigate.
 
I would put on full shoes or boots rather than flip flops. I wouldn't want to be in any situation where I might have to spring into action wearing nothing but flip flops and my bare feet....just doesn't seem like a good idea.

A thought, I would be very careful about using a rifle if you are in a tight neighborhood where houses are real close together. A handgun should be fine. Or if you really want "stopping power" use a shotgun.

Another thought, one thing my dad used to do at home was if a breakin really is a concern, you might put a chair from the kitchen table or something in front of each door so if it is busted in, it will either 1) make enough noise to scare the intruder off or 2) make enough noise to alert you when it is knocked over or knocked across the room.

I'll keep shut and let's hear from some of the experts in here.
 
Nothing finer to get one's attention...

than hearing the echo of a shotshell chambering.
Have the sidearm in the waist band and the shotgun in hand.
#4 buck does nicely (at least on paper & bowling pins)
Better to use twenty-seven than nine.
 
Repelling borders

Going with Doug on this one. Shotgun's best for in home defense. You don't even want buckshot either. Bird shot makes a lot more holes and at normal house range it's got a maybe 6" spread. Real messy, plus the neighbors are safe if you miss.
Dad told me when I was younger that nothings as scarey as the sound of a 12 gauge pump racking in a shell in the middle of the night. If you think someone's in the house then the first thing you do is shuck that sucker. Anyone who stays after hearing that sound you're going to have to shoot anyhow. Don't worry about pants and shoes unless you've just got to. Above all else make sure of your target. Let's face it, you don't really want to shoot someone and you darned sure don't want to shoot a relative or friend by mistake.
Bill
 
Are you all serious? It's not sure that the person breaking in will hear the sound of the shotgun being racked. The sound, while many find it strangely satisfying, is not something to depend on to frighten away any burglars. Not only that, if they do hear it, and decide to stick around anyways, you've effectively just given them a good idea of where you are.

Shotgun Willy: Bird shot for home defense? Madness.
 
Wasn't there a test on buckshot vs birdshot somewhere around here?
I've heard bad things about birdshot for HD. I've heard not enough stopping power. Not that I'd feel like getting up after taking an ounce of #7 to the chest but I think I read about it somewhere..?

I have buckshot. Hope to God I never need it.
 
re: Clearing the house

I'm not going to call the cops everytime my dog sounds off at night. He's good, but not that good. The logic with checking the downstairs is that if the dog has already checked it out and hasn't found anyone worth barking at/biting/jumping on in a friendly manner (he's a Lab after all:rolleyes: ) than there's minimal chance that there is anyone down there, and the check is more for my own peace of mind making sure I'm not going back to sleep without the place being secured and empty.

My room is at the top of the only set of stairs. If I hear anything happen to the dog, I'm not going down them, sorry if I didn't make that clear earlier. This location does a couple "good things" from an HD perspective.
-Puts me between them and anyone else asleep in the house (when the family is home)
-Gives me a direct shot on the least physically secure entrance
-Gives me a position to fire from relative concealment into lit up "low ground"
-Creates a fatal funnel
-Points my field of fire down into dirt and unfinished basement if it punches through intruders and door.

M4 versus Shotgun
1) Most important--I've got alot more practice with the M4.
2) I've got better sights on it.
3) 30 shots is better than 6.
4) If you believe the "box of truth" 5.56 ball overpenetrates less than almost anything else that's a reliable combat cartridge
 
Day Dreamer, consider this, for the first 15 feet or so it's still in the wadding and he'll get the entire load in one spot. Personally I'm fond of #1 buck, but for inside the house it's bird shot. Don't want to have to replace more walls than necessary and it'll definitely get the job done.
Bill
 
Bird shot makes a lot more holes and at normal house range it's got a maybe 6" spread. Real messy, plus the neighbors are safe if you miss.
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Personally, I think bird shot is too light, but since I have a kid I also don't want 00 buck. I have mine loaded with #4 lead. Plenty of stopping power, without overpenetrating.

M4 versus Shotgun
1) Most important--I've got alot more practice with the M4.
2) I've got better sights on it.
3) 30 shots is better than 6.
4) If you believe the "box of truth" 5.56 ball overpenetrates less than almost anything else that's a reliable combat cartridge
Click to expand...

1) My wife can use a shotgun, practice a little and it's not like it takes a rocket scientist to rack a slide and point.
2)It's a shotgun at close range, it doesn't need sights.
3)30 shots is overkill. If you need more than 6 shells, you aren't having a break in, you're being raided.
4)That may be true but a properly loaded shotgun has even less penetration than than.

It's not sure that the person breaking in will hear the sound of the shotgun being racked. The sound, while many find it strangely satisfying, is not something to depend on to frighten away any burglars. Not only that, if they do hear it, and decide to stick around anyways, you've effectively just given them a good idea of where you are.
Click to expand...

You'd be suprised what you can hear in a quiet house in the middle of the night. Its frightened off countless intruders before. And yeah, if they hear it they know where you are, and they also know you're armed.

Put on pants and flipflops.
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I'd rather be barefoot, but shoes would be the best choice.



Here's another trick: if you call the cops, they are gonna bust the door in. I like my door intact. Get a glowstick and tie a key to the door on it. When calling the cops, let them know you just cracked that glowstick and threw it out your window with a key on it so they can enter quietly. They will prefer not breaking down the door too.
 
M4 versus Shotgun
1) Most important--I've got alot more practice with the M4.
2) I've got better sights on it.
Click to expand...
You don't need practice aiming with a shotgun, you just point in the bad guy's general direction and he's gone. That's why a lot of people claim the shotgun to be the ideal home defense weapon, it's simple and you don't need a whole lot of skill with it (except holding on tight to it)

3) 30 shots is better than 6.
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Well, that's true....if the Red Chinese army is charging up the hill/stairs to overun your position.

4) If you believe the "box of truth" 5.56 ball overpenetrates less than almost anything else that's a reliable combat cartridge
Click to expand...

But it would still overpenetrate more than a shotgun or even a handgun. You don't want something that is going to go through the bad guy, through your upstairs wall, through your parents bedside table, through your houses outer wall, across the street, through Old lady Hubbard's brick house's outer wall, sails right past her nose as she's reading in her rocking chair, through the kitchen and hits' old man hubbard right in the back as he is making a grilled cheese sandwich:eek: . If you are in a sparsely populated country spot, then you are probably okay, but I really think the shotgun is the ideal choice for the situation.



BTW,
for the rest of you, I didn't know buckshot was a bad choice either. I just keep my 870 loaded with Remington 00 Magnum Buckshot all the time, whether in car or in house. Isn't that what Police carry in their shotguns? I mean they go on drug raids in houses and even apartments.
 
I'd skip the flip flops, and this is from a guy who wears through the soles on about 2 pair of Reefs a year. They make that flip flopping noise when you walk unless you press down with your toes. I'd rather be barefoot.

I also personally prefer the shotgun for HD, but stick with what YOU are comfortable with.
 
for the rest of you, I didn't know buckshot was a bad choice either. I just keep my 870 loaded with Remington 00 Magnum Buckshot all the time, whether in car or in house. Isn't that what Police carry in their shotguns? I mean they go on drug raids in houses and even apartments.
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It's fine as long as you understand that it will penetrate drywall. I have a kid, I want absolutely zero penetration, and if it does penetrate, I want such a loss of velocity that it isn't dangerous. For me, it's #4 lead buck.
 
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1981 our house was broken into as we were at my Mom's house the day after Christmas, they took a lot of small stuff but couldn't get the big stuff because I had double key deadbolts on the doors, so they had to use the window. After a couple of weeks our insurance cut us a check for our loses and I bought a new Mossburg Pump shotgun. Long story short about 3am I heard the driveway gates rattle and I looked out the window and saw a shadow going to the back of the house, went into the den and took the shotgun off the rack and walked over to the window and racked the shotgun. Whoever was in the driveway almost took my gates off the hinges getting away from there. So at that time off the morning when it's quiet that sound is unmisteakable even from outside the house.
 
I would add a "racking shotgun sound" to play from an mp3 player or something like that. Then you can let the perp believe there are 2 people with shotguns.
 
I would add a "racking shotgun sound" to play from an mp3 player or something like that. Then you can let the perp believe there are 2 people with shotguns.
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Oh, or you could put it on repeat and it was sound like to whole bunch of people with shotguns!!
 
Racking the slide lets him know where you are and what he's up against. Also, you're going in 1 round down. I would prefer the 1st round to be a complete surprise and still have 7 more in the magazine. 1st one is a 3" Mag with #000 followed by 7 S&B #00 containing 12 in each one. My wife will be armed with a .38 revolver and I will have a 10-shot 9mm as a BUG to the Mossy. It fits in the pocket of my bathrobe just fine.
 
You guys can do what you want to do.

But there is no way in hell I would try to frighten a bad guy.

Do you also keep your daily carry in condition 3? No round in the chamber (assuming you are semi-auto guys and gals)? So that way in a situation you can always attempt to scare the bad guy first?

It is my opinion that if a dude is in my house, I assume he is there to do me harm. I want every possible advantage I can have at that moment, including the element of surprise. I do not want him to have a clue that anyone is home. That way, if it becomes necessary for me to engage, I have that advantage over him.

I'm not judging or blaming btw...these are just my thoughts. I agree with Lurper as well.

But I am no expert. :p
 
Neither am I, but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn last night. +1 on the element of surprise. The 1st shot is the most important, and if it's unexpected it's more likely to be effective.
 
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