Home Security On my mind again

[jfh28]

That is a question I was concerned about. It will be locked under the bed. My daughter is a teen and will know how to use it. She's got a good head on her shoulder and spent a couple of years in CAP so I trust her. Still you always worry.

Jack

Not sure about the SG in the house with the kids. How do you keep it accessable, but not to the kids?

 

[RoyJackson]

Thanks for that Roy. That copstock does not look friendly to the shoulder!

Does the low recoil 00 make that much of a difference over the standard 00 in terms of kick? And does a 20ga have enough dropping power when used mainly in the short distances inside a house?

Thanks
Jack

The COPstock actually isn't too bad on the shoulder and if the shottie is fired using just the pistol grip, there is a significant reduction in recoil. However, since most of us wear light clothing (PJ's, Tee shirt) to bed, there's not going to be a lot of padding, should the gun be brought into play.
It is a worthwhile addition to a shotgun if you want a pistol grip only (not to be confused with stocks that are full length and a pistol grip). I put one on mine for space considerations.

I think the reduced recoil ammo is great for home defense. I wouldn't even consider full load buckshot for inside the home.

Personally, I think any shotgun would work well inside, including a 20 gage or a .410. Your purpose is to stop an intruder. A load of shot of any gage is going to cause an intruder to reassess his actions. I've read some "experts" consider birdshot quite adequate at the distances you'd expect to fire inside a house.

I tell you one thing...I wouldn't want to get shot with any of them!

 

[pennwalk]

Thought I'd pass on a little that I found out at the locksmith yesterday. He says that the entry lock, the knob with the key in it , is just for convenience it isn't very good at keeping bad guys out. To secure the door you need good quality dead bolts. Beware of cheap flimsy dead bolts. The bolt needs to extend into the frame around an inch or it is easy to use a pry bar and open the space between the door and the frame and defeat the dead bolt. The real weakness is the frame that holds the door. When someone kicks in a door the strike plates and the frame around them usually breaks out. The hinges and the strike plates are typically held in place by 3/4 inch screws and the frame is 3/4 inch pine. Way too easy to break out. It is a lot better if the strike plates and hinges are screwed through the door frame into the studs with 3 inch screws. One problem I ran into was the strike plate screws won't hit the studs even if they are long. You need an over sized strike plate but that's pretty easy. They also make a metal channel that wraps the door frame in the area of the strike plate and replaces the strike plate. The kit I saw includes channels to reinforce the areas of the hinges but the kit is kind of expensive at $124. The locksmith says alarms are fine but you really want good locks that make it so hard to break in that the bad guy goes some were else.

Chris

 

[MossRoad]

I'd knock out a rear window with some patio furniture long before I'd try to kick in a door.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Chris, any news on the murders yet?

Usually around here, a whole family involves a murder/suicide. But it could also be any number of things including a random burglary that went bad.

 

[KYErik]

I saw a special on the local news about this tactic to get in through door locks and deadbolts:

Lock bumping - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It uses a specially cut key and when the key is tapped with a hammer, it pops the internal pins outward so that the key can be turned.

The TV reporter was wandering around a nice neighborhood asking for permission to try to get through the owner's front door lock.

It really surprised the 3 home owners and one commercial business owner when she was able to open their locks! They showed the doors being opened with the hammer tap but they refused to show the "bump cut" key that was being used.

The only sign that this has been done to your lock is possibly a tiny impression where the bump key was tapped. Otherwise, the lock and door appear normal.

 

[jfh28]

Chris, you have really described the problem. A good quality dead bolt isn't going to do any better because your weak point is the door frame. By the time you cut out the stike for the bolt throw what's left is less than 1 inch of the 3/4 inch pine door jamb. And 3 inch or 10 inch screws will not make much of a difference. You don't need to kick the door, just put your hip into it....and don't ask how I know this

To reinforce this weak spot I have used a piece of steel angle. Screw one leg into the front face of the 2 x 4 door frame studs and let the other leg sit flush against the door jamb in the space between the studs and jamb. Now if your dead bolt has a minimum throw of at least 1 inch they would be trying to kick thru the steel angle instead of the 3/4 jamb. Most likley the dead bolt would break first. This does require monkeying with the door trim as the angle sits out in front of the plane of the door frame.

This may make you feel more secure but the reality is as Moss pointed out, if someone wants in they'll just break a window. Locks keep honest people out.

Jack

 

[MossRoad]

Locks keep honest people out.

People like me!

 

[pennwalk]

I'd knock out a rear window with some patio furniture long before I'd try to kick in a door

Moss. One of the alarm guys told me that 80 percent of break ins are through a door. Too many doors including mine are easy. your smarter bad guys realize thet you can get cut messing with a broken window and blood is evidence.

Chris

 

[pennwalk]

Kyle, No news on the murders this week. I'm starting to be afraid the this will be among the 40 percent of murders that are never solved.

Chris