Laser Grips for home defense

[Sigarms]

Ive always heard that a .22 or .25 were almost more fatal than larger rounds

Not more fatal, but I believe accounts for more deaths.

Ballistic wise, bigger and faster is always "better" assuming shot placement is at the same location on living tissue, and the same type bullet is used.

With small children sometimes in the house a loaded shotgun placed where it would ALWAYS be handy is not practical. It would need to be in a closet and that would not allow it to be as easily accessable as I want. A handgun where this one will be kept is instantly at hand even while in bed.

WRONG thinking. ANY firearm that you have access to, that is not under "lock and key", children have access to. REMEBER that. Train accordingly.

My wife and I have already talked strategy in case of a break in and it is different now that the kids are married and gone.

As usual, I'm confused. You mention small children, and now you mention that the kids are "married and gone"? Grandchildren?

Laser grips are nice and cool, but still don't know anyone who shoots competively with them. Practice makes perfect. Make sure you don't use a laser "red dot" for a crutch (only my opinion).

Suggestion, before you get the laser grips, put at least 500 rounds through the firearm, and know you can hit your target.

 

[RSKY]

Did not mean to confuse anyone about 'small children'. Tonight we have a 9-year old boy and a 7-year old girl spending the night. They are cousins of my wife we picked up so they wouldn't have to stay at a day care. They went with my wife and I to the Thanksgiving meal my side of the family had. Tomorrow their parents and all thirty to forty of my wife's family come to our house. There are not many children visiting in our house anymore but our first grandchild is due in June. We hope that in a few years there will be several rugrats running around again.

The revolver will not only be for home protection but sometimes it will be carried by my wife. An auto shotgun could not be slipped in a purse or pocket if she decides to walk 'around the block'. She travels quite a bit locally and there are some shady characters moving in to our area. A shotgun would not be useful or concealable in a car. Also my wife has fired a rifle/shotgun/handgun only a few dozen times in her life. This one she will fire at least once a month for a year or so. Then at least every three or four months after that she will fire a few rounds.

In the house it will be kept in the upper drawer of a lingere case. The drawer is shoulder high to her and there is nothing around it for a child to climb on. If a child tried to pull out the bottom drawers to climb on them the case will tip over. At least it did the one time our youngest tried that trick. Also the drawer has a trick to getting it open, you cannot simpley pull on the handle. I believe it was designed for jewelry.

This weapon is for a woman who has no interest in firearms what so ever. She simply would not practice with the shotgun enough to be able to use it in a situation. I, on the other hand, have several other weapons I could use in the case of a break in. She will barricade herself in the bedroom and wait for help. If I am there I will move through the house toward the intruders with enough firepower to take the entire side of the house out along with the bad guy.

Once again I am trying to use the KISS principal in providing a weapon that I think MY WIFE will practice with, be comfortable with, and most importantly be able to use in a high stress situation. A double action revolver with lazer aiming will be more effective than an M60 machine gun if the person using the machine gun cannot bring it into action. The Viet vet I talked about in an earlier post told about ejecting the mag from his M16 by accident during a firefight his last week in country. He was a combat experienced hardcore soldier but in the stress of the fight he did something totally stupid. All the stopping power, all the magazine capacity, all the weapons in the world are useless if in the midst of a high stress situation you cannot use it. KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID !!

As for my own concealed carry I want something that I can actually carry in a non threatening social situation with nobody knowing I am armed. I do not intend to get in a gun fight. I do not intend to threaten anyone. If I am in a store and it is being robbed I will not be a hero and pull an Uzi out of my shoe and shoot the bad guys. I will stand back and unless one of my family or a child is threatened I will play the coward, not the hero.

What I am asking is this. Does anyone have any experience with the Crimson Trace grips and are they worth the extra money? Has anyone had any problems with them? Is the added price of a Smith over a Taurus worth it? Does anybody have the little Kel-Tec in 32 auto or 380? If so have you had any jams? Are you satisfied with the weapon?

Thanks to all for their input. It is appreciated and enjoyed.

RSKY

 

[RollTideRam]

I think either pistol would not be a let-down. There is not much to go wrong with a revolver. Just get the model that fits the users hand better. I'm sure you could add laser sights to any model, I just have not looked around for them. JC

 

[Sigarms]

In the house it will be kept in the upper drawer of a lingere case. The drawer is shoulder high to her and there is nothing around it for a child to climb on. If a child tried to pull out the bottom drawers to climb on them the case will tip over. At least it did the one time our youngest tried that trick. Also the drawer has a trick to getting it open, you cannot simpley pull on the handle. I believe it was designed for jewelry

I would strongly suggest that you invest in a decent, small handgun safe to store the firearm in the bedroom if there is ANY chance that a child not faimilar with firearms may be, at sometime in that bedroom.

Many parents of children killed accidently with sidearms swore there was no way they thought a child could get to the gun.

 

[kennyd]

I would strongly suggest that you invest in a decent, small handgun safe to store the firearm in the bedroom if there is ANY chance that a child not faimilar with firearms may be, at sometime in that bedroom.

Many parents of children killed accidently with sidearms swore there was no way they thought a child could get to the gun.

I agree 200%.

I have a GunVault bolted to a shelf in my closet. Very easy to use with minimal practice.

 

[jaybrad]

1. Is the $100 extra for a Smith & Wesson over a Taurus worth it?

Oh boy, an S&W vs. Taurus thread on TBN! That would be like The Firing Line forum talking about motor oil.

By now I see that you have already decided on a purchase but I still wanted to toss out my thoughts on part of your OP.

I have both of these brands (S&W revolver; Taurus semi-auto) and like them both for different reasons. I also shoot them both on a regular basis, which is a key point. To my eye, they are both very well made. They both fit nicely into my hand and are consistently accurate (for me that is within a 4" cluster at 25 yards).

Brand loyalty is pretty intense (much worse than tractor colors....) and there are those who will speak passionately about why one is better than the other, but that is often more subjective than whether a red tractor is better than an orange or green tractor (BTW, the answer is "yes" ). I would submit that what matters most is getting something that is comfortable in your hands and that you will actually shoot every once and a while. Getting familiar with a gun in a non-stress setting will pay huge dividends if you ever get into a self-defense situation.

The laser sites are pretty impressive, and may give pause to someone who saw a red dot on their chest. By the same token, if used in a dark setting that would also reveal your location to the bad guy.

The other reality is that most personal protection settings are less than 10 yards away and are more of a point and shoot situation than one where careful aim is needed. Practicing point and shoot can hone that skill nicely.

The law enforcement officers that I know practice 3 shots: the first two are point and shoot to the chest as the gun is being drawn out of the holster and into aiming position. The third shot is lined up with the sites and aimed at the head.

As for calibers, I'm partial to .45, .357, .38 +p, and 9mm. I limit .22 to shooting woodchucks and target practice.

Now can we talk about synthetic vs. dino motor oil, too?

Good luck and be safe.

Jay