Legal Weapons and Overlanding

  • HTML tutorial

CR-Venturer

Rank VI
Launch Member

Traveler III

3,372
Ardrossan, AB, Canada
First Name
Jas
Last Name
Spr
Member #

16340

best tool for out and about protection is a .38 revolver with wad cutters...

an auto loader can jam, especially if the person is nervous and doesnt pull the slide back all the way and jams the round and a scared person might forget about the safety lever. an auto loader also ejects the casings which will have firing pin marks to identify the gun as well as finger prints on the casing

recovered jacketed rounds will have rifiling marks that are distinct to the weapon's barrel that fired it. a wad cutter will distort so badly that it more than likely will not yield any info.

there are people doing time for legitimately defending themselves. sometimes "the system" can be just as dangerous as the criminals, so that also needs to be factored in.
everyone is always prepping for the shot, but rarely ever thinks about after the shot...
Shoot, shovel, shut up ;)
 

Hammer Time

Rank IV
Member

Enthusiast III

1,116
Los Angeles
First Name
H
Last Name
T
Member #

28384

Not bragging, but a bit of my creds may help a bit here. I’m a 30 year retired LEO who was the Rangemaster for his LEA for several years. I've competed in IPSC and IDPA. I was on a SWAT team for three years. I worked in a team that investigated OIS and I've seen a couple of dozen autopsies that resulted from shootings. I've spoken to pathologists for hundreds of hours about causes of death, by all kinds of weapons. I'm the senior instructor for a very busy firearms training school and I've been instructing for about 30 years.



best tool for out and about protection is a .38 revolver with wad cutters...


The .38 is the personal minimum caliber for my needs. Quite a few people will carry less powerful calibers, and they often discover too late, that they're under gunned. There may be reasons why someone may lean this way, but absent them, I prefer a more powerful round. The opposite opinion says, "It's better than a pointy stick." And it is. But not by much.



an auto loader can jam,


So can a ".38 revolver." The difference is that it's rare that the auto can't be cleared in a few seconds. OTOH, when a revolver jams it usually needs a well‒lit workbench and some tools to repair it. There's a reason that military armies the world over, have switched overwhelmingly to semi‒autos.



especially if the person is nervous and doesnt pull the slide back all the way and jams the round


When carrying a semi‒auto, a round should be chambered BEFORE putting the gun into its holster. That way one NEVER has to cycle the slide to chamber a round when a threat appears.



and a scared person might forget about the safety lever.


As I've said before in this thread, GET SOME PROFESSIONAL TRAINING! If you're still scared about this happening, carry one of the numerous striker‒fired firearms available these days, like the Glock. They do not have a manual safety lever.



an auto loader also ejects the casings which will have firing pin marks to identify the gun as well as finger prints on the casing


Only someone who is committing a crime should find this information of value. If you're in a shooting, unless you're still being threatened after the assaulter is down, e.g. an angry crowd, his crime partners, etc., you'd better be on the scene when LE arrives. If you leave, you WILL BE REGARDED as the suspect and will be treated accordingly when you're located.



recovered jacketed rounds will have rifiling marks that are distinct to the weapon's barrel that fired it. a wad cutter will distort so badly that it more than likely will not yield any info.


While both are possible, I've seen many jacketed rounds that could not be matched "to the weapon's barrel …" and many wadcutters that could be matched.



there are people doing time for legitimately defending themselves. sometimes "the system" can be just as dangerous as the criminals, so that also needs to be factored in.


It happens, but USUALLY it's because the person didn't follow the law. or did something extremely stupid that he heard through folklore, such as moving the body to put himself in a better light, or adding 'evidence.'



everyone is always prepping for the shot, but rarely ever thinks about after the shot...


Which is why I suggested PROFESSIONAL TRAINING. A good CCW class, or even a basic firearms class should present info as to the law covering deadly force, and when it's appropriate, when it's not, and how you will be judged after a use of it. Trying to get that info from your next door neighbor, your BIL who is a police officer, or your uncle who was "in the war" is a bad idea. Far better to stick to a criminal defense attorney who is well versed in self‒defense law. Here's a hint. MOST criminal defense attorneys are not.
 

ZombieCat

Rank V
Member
Investor

Advocate I

1,421
Maryland
First Name
Adventure
Last Name
Awaits!
Member #

8736

@Hammer Time, excellent info! Can’t stress enough having a round in the chamber. Hollywood loves to show folks “jacking” the weapon for dramatic effect, but in reality that’s an extra step which slows down the time to bring the weapon into operation and may cause you to fumble or pull the trigger on an empty chamber if you forget.
I’d also recommend practicing ALL steps required to deploy your weapon, including removing it from storage (safe, case, looking mechanism, etc.). Practice, practice, practice!
“We are what we repeatedly do, therefore excellence is not an act, but a habit.” (Aristotle)
 

grubworm

Rank V
Launch Member

Member III

2,358
louisiana
First Name
grub
Last Name
worm
Member #

17464

Service Branch
USN-Submarines
Not bragging, but a bit of my creds may help a bit here. I’m a 30 year retired LEO who was the Rangemaster for his LEA for several years. I've competed in IPSC and IDPA. I was on a SWAT team for three years. I worked in a team that investigated OIS and I've seen a couple of dozen autopsies that resulted from shootings. I've spoken to pathologists for hundreds of hours about causes of death, by all kinds of weapons. I'm the senior instructor for a very busy firearms training school and I've been instructing for about 30 years.







The .38 is the personal minimum caliber for my needs. Quite a few people will carry less powerful calibers, and they often discover too late, that they're under gunned. There may be reasons why someone may lean this way, but absent them, I prefer a more powerful round. The opposite opinion says, "It's better than a pointy stick." And it is. But not by much.







So can a ".38 revolver." The difference is that it's rare that the auto can't be cleared in a few seconds. OTOH, when a revolver jams it usually needs a well‒lit workbench and some tools to repair it. There's a reason that military armies the world over, have switched overwhelmingly to semi‒autos.







When carrying a semi‒auto, a round should be chambered BEFORE putting the gun into its holster. That way one NEVER has to cycle the slide to chamber a round when a threat appears.







As I've said before in this thread, GET SOME PROFESSIONAL TRAINING! If you're still scared about this happening, carry one of the numerous striker‒fired firearms available these days, like the Glock. They do not have a manual safety lever.







Only someone who is committing a crime should find this information of value. If you're in a shooting, unless you're still being threatened after the assaulter is down, e.g. an angry crowd, his crime partners, etc., you'd better be on the scene when LE arrives. If you leave, you WILL BE REGARDED as the suspect and will be treated accordingly when you're located.







While both are possible, I've seen many jacketed rounds that could not be matched "to the weapon's barrel …" and many wadcutters that could be matched.







It happens, but USUALLY it's because the person didn't follow the law. or did something extremely stupid that he heard through folklore, such as moving the body to put himself in a better light, or adding 'evidence.'







Which is why I suggested PROFESSIONAL TRAINING. A good CCW class, or even a basic firearms class should present info as to the law covering deadly force, and when it's appropriate, when it's not, and how you will be judged after a use of it. Trying to get that info from your next door neighbor, your BIL who is a police officer, or your uncle who was "in the war" is a bad idea. Far better to stick to a criminal defense attorney who is well versed in self‒defense law. Here's a hint. MOST criminal defense attorneys are not.
yeah, makes sense.
guns and anything gun related will be very subjective. some people own many guns while other folk want them banned. even states dont agree on the same thing...texas allows a person to protect their property while louisiana does not. guns are highly politicalized and when politics comes into play, thats when folk really lose their shit...so i totally agree with everyone and then do what works for me. the exact same scenario will have totally different outcomes depending on location and who is involved, so it is difficult to come to a consensus.

i do a lot of woodworking and it would be the same if you ask 100 people "what is the best saw". one guy will answer a table saw while another person is liable to attack you for killing trees. anyway, i personally dont need everyone to be in agreement in order to get some good ideas and information out of the discussion and there are certainly a lot of very good informative and thought provoking comments here
 
Last edited:

Uniquely Us Adventures

Rank VIII
Member

Pioneer II

9,324
Sacramento, California, United States
First Name
Daniel
Last Name
Montelbetti
Member #

41721

Ham/GMRS Callsign
HAM - KN6TKY & GMRS - WRQT727
Service Branch
FIRE/EMS
Full-time carry. I live in California it took time but it wasn’t hard but different counties are different and some counties are really difficult Sacramento however it’s very simple. But we carry all the time and when we camp I have bring two so if I go fish I can have one on my wife has one in camp. I’m worried less about humans in the middle of nowhere as much as some thing while coming into Camp thinking my dogs look like a good lunch..  my German Shepherd used to be able to hold her ground but she’s 15 years old now and she needs the back up…  with all that said we practice leave no trace if we ever do decide to shoot for fun and I spend an ample amount of time doing professional training so that I’m not just an idiot with a gun… cheers..
 
  • Like
Reactions: Desert Runner

Ubiety

Rank VI
Member

Explorer I

5,221
Sammamish, WA, USA
First Name
Greg
Last Name
Ubiety
Member #

6193

Ham/GMRS Callsign
Ribs
Just read tha CA’s restrictive concealed carry bill failed to pass but will be back for another vote in December. If you are a CA resident and desire your concealed carry permit it would appear that the time to act is now. Have no idea what December will hold for you or what renewing will be like…

@Monte1 - we shoot standing/sitting on an overly large tarp. Makes brass cleanup a breeze.
 

OTH Overland

Local Expert Washington, USA
Member
Investor

Trail Blazer III

4,847
Camano Island, WA, USA
First Name
Dave
Last Name
Ballard
Member #

20527

Ham/GMRS Callsign
N7XQP
Service Branch
Fire/EMS/SAR
Just read tha CA’s restrictive concealed carry bill failed to pass but will be back for another vote in December. If you are a CA resident and desire your concealed carry permit it would appear that the time to act is now. Have no idea what December will hold for you or what renewing will be like…

@Monte1 - we shoot standing/sitting on an overly large tarp. Makes brass cleanup a breeze.
Same thing we do, also primarily shoot metal targets, if not we place the targets over a tarp so we can clean them up. we also do not shoot where there is already garbage or destruction from previous shooting as we do not want the guilty by association from passerby's. Getting harder and harder to find a good safe place to shoot these days. We did learn that clay pigeons come in both biodegradable and not, used some of the biodegradable ones in all black, and liked that they did not leave little chunks of orange debris.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ubiety

Uniquely Us Adventures

Rank VIII
Member

Pioneer II

9,324
Sacramento, California, United States
First Name
Daniel
Last Name
Montelbetti
Member #

41721

Ham/GMRS Callsign
HAM - KN6TKY & GMRS - WRQT727
Service Branch
FIRE/EMS
Just read tha CA’s restrictive concealed carry bill failed to pass but will be back for another vote in December. If you are a CA resident and desire your concealed carry permit it would appear that the time to act is now. Have no idea what December will hold for you or what renewing will be like…

@Monte1 - we shoot standing/sitting on an overly large tarp. Makes brass cleanup a breeze.
That’s a good idea..!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ubiety

Ubiety

Rank VI
Member

Explorer I

5,221
Sammamish, WA, USA
First Name
Greg
Last Name
Ubiety
Member #

6193

Ham/GMRS Callsign
Ribs
Hey Mr Bag Guy, can you please stand on this tarp for moment while you’re attempting to rob/ kill me?
:tongueclosed:
If you are target shooting and shoot with a tarp under you the tarp will do most of the work collecting your brass for you. Don't want the tarp under the baddie - yuck! ;)
 

Mtnmn99

Rank V
Launch Member

Advocate III

2,333
Chamberlain, SD, USA
First Name
paul
Last Name
piazza
Member #

26596

just got back into target shooting/plinking after a 25 year hiatus. I bring a .22 semi auto rifle for fun plinking and now .12ga pump mostly to protect my nutty dog not me...I'm pretty good at avoiding trouble, the dog? not so much :smile:
Same Boat. My GSP seems to. be overly inquisitive, and my Blue Cattle dog follows, and he is the one who gets into mischief. I carry in states that are friendly, in the others I follow the laws accordingly. Betty and her 17 friends are never far away.
 

Desert Runner

Rank VII
Launch Member

Expedition Master III

8,507
Southern Nevada
First Name
Jerold
Last Name
F.
Member #

14991

Ham/GMRS Callsign
/GMRS=WREA307
Same Boat. My GSP seems to. be overly inquisitive, and my Blue Cattle dog follows, and he is the one who gets into mischief. I carry in states that are friendly, in the others I follow the laws accordingly. Betty and her 17 friends are never far away.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Are you sure it's Betty?............................I thought it was Karen:dizzy:.......and her friends!
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Sparksalot

Mtnmn99

Rank V
Launch Member

Advocate III

2,333
Chamberlain, SD, USA
First Name
paul
Last Name
piazza
Member #

26596

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Are you sure it's Betty?............................I thought it was Karen:dizzy:.......and her friends!
Positive!!!! Betty is all about taking action when needed; Karen tends to complain and are cry about it. :)
 

Jhop567

Rank IV
Launch Member
Member

Off-Road Ranger I

1,146
Sagle, Idaho
First Name
Jim
Last Name
Hopkins
Member #

15959

Ham/GMRS Callsign
WRFL231
Service Branch
LEO
Just picked up a G Lock in 10mm. I flyfish on some remote (read Grizzly Bear infested} streams in N. Idaho and Montana, This caliber was recommended to assist in defending myself from these fish stealing rogues...