Shotgun Myths

There is something awesome about wielding a shotgun. It is powerful and loud, but there are many misconceptions about this firearm I would like to address.

1. You dont really have to aim- Depending on the distance and type of load you are firing (Birdshot, Buckshot, Slug, pictured here) you can expect anywhere from a 1" hole to a 2 foot spread of pellets. Birdshot will NOT kill an intruder at more that 20 feet away, ask Dick Cheney. More than likely you are going to piss off whoever you shoot with birdshot unless you are less than 10 feet away. It will spread and you will hit if you casually aim towards "whatever you want to go away" but stopping power is VERY limited. Buckshot is better, but since the pellets do not fragment, you only injure whatever tract the pellet hits, making a clean wound. Injury is guaranteed within 30 feet if you AIM and hit your target, but stopping gets less likely as your distance from 10 feet increases. Slug on the other hand will cause the most damage, but you have to hit your mark!! You have to know how to aim your firearm, a shotgun is NOT a lazy mans Personal Defense Weapon.
2. Racking the action will deter a thief- This one is a dangerous assumption. Not saying that the "CHIK-CLAK" of racking a shotgun doesnt sound cool, but it is NOT a deterrent. It can easily turn a simple home invasion into a gun fight by triggering the thief's 'fight or flight' response. Not only that, but it gives away your location with such a loud sound. Spend a couple minutes practicing how to quietly load your firearm. If you feel that an audible warning is necessary, try "I will fucking shoot you!" while your shotgun is loaded and aimed. Keep in mind that the first thing you should grab in a home invasion is the phone. Call 911 first before you run up on someone with intent to eliminate a threat.
3. Shotguns are more deadly than pistols/rifles- If you choose .00 Buckshot, the result is A LOT like shooting 9 small handguns. If you have aimed, and you hit your target, your result will be multiple low velocity wounds. Any tissue surrounding the pellet tract is NOT damaged. Deadliness has many variables (distance, shot placement, type of load used) so it really comes down to the person firing the shot, not the firearm itself.
4. Anyone can use a shotgun without much training- This is another dangerous assumption. Knowledge of the firearm is vital, no matter what type. Shotguns like the common and popular Mossberg 500 have manual controls that the user must have knowledge and proficiency to use effectively. Higher weight, lower ammo capacity, and lots of moving parts all must be expected and accounted for. If your first shot misses, are you able to quickly re-engage your target and follow up? Can you tell, in the dark, if your safety is on or off? How many shells are loaded? You must display some level of proficiency in all the aspects of how your firearm works in order for you to be able to protect yourself with it. 

There is a lot of Hollywood and video game hype involved with shotguns that can be a serious detriment to your safety if not addressed. I am not saying the shotgun isnt a good Home Defense weapon, I am saying (in my opinion) that there are some things you need to be clear on.

For MY Home Defense weapon, I have a Mossberg 500 with a 18.5 inch barrel, Hogue Tamer Pistol Grip for Mossberg 500, and a mounted flashlight for target identification. I load it with Winchester Ranger Law Enforcement Low Recoil 1 oz. Slugs. Remember, the first thing you should pick up in a home invasion, if at all possible, is the PHONE.

7 Ruger 10/22 Accessories for Survival

The Ruger 10/22 has been referred to as "the only gun I would own" if gun owners were to pick just 1 firearm they would have. They are inexpensive, $200-$300, depending on the who what when and where you make the purchase. They are also incredibly mod-able, so you can keep it simple, or go ALL OUT. You may wonder, as many have, what are the most essential upgrades or mods to make to your Ruger 10/22. Here is what I believe are the "Must Have" accessories for the rifle listed in order of necessity. I have recently purchased ANOTHER one since my others were seized, so these are the bare minimums I am going with.

1. SLING- You have to be able to have your hands free at some point, and your carry case may not be around. A sling ranges from $10-$30 depending on what style you want, here is a link to the sling I purchased. UTG Tactical Sling I decided this one in order to be able to attach a sling without having to purchase ANY additional hardware (sling loops, nut mounts, etc) and I can just literally drop my rifle without worrying about it.
2. SCOPE- You may or may not disagree with even needing a scope. Thats fine, the iron sights that come on the Ruger 10/22 work GREAT.  A rabbit at 100 yards is EASIER to hit when its magnified 9x is my point. This one works and doesn't cost much. Simmons Truplex .22 Mag Riflescope I paired it with some look through mounts to still be able to use my iron sights Weaver 1-Inch Steel Mounts
3. MAGAZINES- The factory 10 round magazine will last forever, its great, but personally I like to be able to fire off more than 10 rounds before having to reload. Get a few of these Ruger BX-25 You can purchase these strait from Ruger, but they cost more there.. You can disassemble these for cleaning, and they fit perfectly. Never had a failure to feed with these. Also, many gunshows sell these, just dont pay over $30 for them.
4.  EXTENDED MAG RELEASE- This isnt one of those "you have to make this upgrade" ones, but there are countless situations where swapping a magazine more quickly would be all the help in the world. This is a fairly simple upgrade to make that requires you to swap out the existing part in the trigger assembly. It isnt that difficult to do, if you need advice or help just ask me. They are around $10 - $20 Volquartsen Extended Mag Release
5. AUTO BOLT RELEASE- Like #4, this upgrade will simply make life easier. 1 handed lock, 1 handed release, no messing with the stupid tiny lock. Think survival, every second counts. You easily modify the bolt release already installed without fear of damaging your rifle, or just buy one for $10-$20. You decide. Volquartsen Auto Bolt Release
6. BOLT HANDLE- The factory bolt handle is small, real small. A bigger handle will, like the last 2, make life easier. One thing I do want to stress on THIS accessory is that the bolt handle's weight is a factor, get one as light as possible as to not interfere with the action. Titanium Extended Bolt Handle Assembly   Dont get just the handle, get the whole assembly. Again, my opinion
7. SHELL EXTRACTOR-  This is the least important, but still a valuable upgrade for lasting efficiency and functionality of your Ruger 10/22. Your rifle CAN become a bit slow extracting shells after heavy usage, not saying it WILL. This upgrade can prevent any worries about that. If you're not confident with doing this upgrade yourself, a gunsmith can easily. It isn't difficult, but dont risk damaging your bolt. Volquartsen Edge Extractor 

Any and all of these upgrades have videos on Youtube that will walk you through the process. Any questions, feel free to ask.

inspired by survival cache
 

They took my guns

On Nov 23, I got a USPS card saying I had a certified letter to come pick up. Sender was "DoJ" I jokingly said to my fiancee that they were probably gonna ask me to surrender my firearms... HA HA HA... So I go to the post office and get the letter, it was indeed from The Department of Justice: Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosions division. I opened it and read that under USC 922 (g)(2) that I was a prohibited person to possess any firearms/ammunition.
Had a phone number to an ATF agent out of Phoenix AZ that I was to contact before 12/1/11. I called and got his voicemail. Told him about the letter and that I was supposed to contact him before 12/1 and I have now done so. He called the next morning and told me I had a warrant in MO from about 3yrs ago for an unpaid fine, which made me a FUGITIVE OF JUSTICE.

Seriously?? Who comes up with this shit??

I told him I would call the municipal court and pay my fine over the phone. He said that wasnt good enough, I needed to sell or surrender my firearms to an arms dealer first, THEN I could pay the fine. I said "thats not gonna happen Agent Tsui" He said that if I didnt fax him proof that I had surrendered my firearms by 11/23 that they would come and arrest me for felony possession of firearms and I could sit in PRISON for 10yrs. (over a $150 fine at a municipal court I didnt know about from 3yrs ago!!!) So, I took them to the pawn shop a block from my house. Got the receipt and faxed it to him. Paid the fine, called him up to see if he verified that I paid it, which he did. Went back to the pawn shop to get my firearms back. Since I was receiving firearms (even though they were mine already) I had to fill out the FFL for the FBI NICS. DENIED instantly. Called Agent Tsui back, no answer. Called the FBI and explained what was going on, she put me on hold, we got disconnected after about 5 minutes.... Then Agent Tsui calls me, saying "you just called the FBI and got disconnected? Yeah, I was on that call too" W T F??!! He said it would take 24 hours to purge from the system, but since 24 hours from the time I paid my fine would be Thanksgiving, that I could just pick them up on Friday. Went to the pawn shop Friday, did the paperwork again and DENIED instantly again!!!

*Blah Blah Blah calls back and forth between ATF and FBI*

I had to file an appeal to get them to un-deny me so I could pass the NICS... Did that on 11/25 and they said it could take 5 business days to respond.

Which brings me to today... got a letter from DoJ Federal Bureau of Investigation saying they got my appeal BUT they needed my fingerprints to prove my identity (I guess my ID and Soc Sec# wasnt good enough) and any court documents mailed to them.

WAIT WAIT here's the best part!!!
-and I'll just go ahead and quote em here

Please be advised that appeals are processed in the order in which they are received by the NICS Section. Currently, the NICS Section is receiving a high volume of appeals, and the current average processing time is approximately 109 days from the date your fingerprint card and/or court documentation is received by the NICS Section.

So to sum it up, got a call that I had a fine and had to surrender my guns or go to jail, pawned my guns, paid my fine (all within 2ish hours of the call that AM) and now I'm looking at about 4-5 months total time til I can go get MY PROPERTY.