Hypothetical on a home invasion....

[OkieShooterTM]

Always a flashlight next to my gun when I goto sleep...

[TabulaRasa]

Originally Posted by JhankG

Are you afraid of slam fires with the Mosins?

On my '91/30 the "safety" mechanism will snap back into fire mode with the lightest tap of the bolt handle. Besides that, it's probably the clumsiest gun I own for CQB.

[Kable]

I live in a "secured" condo (secured meaning supposedly only homeowners can get in with their master keys but I have retarded neighbors that let people in that dont have keys thinking they are doing them a favor for not having to use the intercom to call whoever they are there to see) my condo is only 720 sq feet and my bedroom is right outside the door to get into my unit so if someone BREAKS in I will know plus my wife and I are the ONLY ones with keys also adding to the fact that if someone breaks in I know they are breaking in, so since its a "secure" building theoretically they have already broken into the building and if they come into my condo I will be grabbing my XDm .40 that is right next to my bed, rack the slide (wife is still not comfertable with me keeping one in the chamber quite yet) then as quietly but as quickly as I can get to the bedroom door and get in a low position incase BG is armed and tries to shoot in the torso area I will be too low for that, I will quietly open the door with my gun aimed at the crack and if BG is there and is armed BG gets 2 to the chest, if BG is CLEARLY not armed then he will get a warning but ONLY because I live in a condo so I wont want to risk having a bullet go too far if I dont have too. Oh yeah and after I grab the gun I will be telling wife to call 911 while she gets in the closet

[pgonza2723]

Originally Posted by Kable

then as quietly but as quickly as I can get to the bedroom door and get in a low position incase BG is armed and tries to shoot in the torso area I will be too low for that, I will quietly open the door with my gun aimed at the crack and if BG is there and is armed BG gets 2 to the chest, if BG is CLEARLY not armed then he will get a warning but ONLY because I live in a condo so I wont want to risk having a bullet go too far if I dont have too. Oh yeah and after I grab the gun I will be telling wife to call 911 while she gets in the closet

Being that most people shoot low, not quite that tactic will help too much . Sounds like you would be out of the way of where most people would train their sights (i.e. on the door and it sounds like you would be off to the door frame side). I still think that there are too many variables to warrant losing your tactical edge to risk opening the door. Gotta also remember, just like your rounds may penetrate through walls to the neighbors, the BG's rounds may go through the walls of the closet so if you engage in a fire fight there is always that risk. Guess you would have to weigh that risk versus what you have in the condo. To me, if my kid's happened to not be in the house, I'd stay put until backup arrived.

[kraigster414]

Originally Posted by crushload

stay in bedroom, call 911, front sight on door, ready to unload. not worth it going out, just property. if kids/occupants elsewhere, clear the house and gather everyone. number of suspects unknown. type of weapons they have unknown.

Of all the stuff I have read in this thread much of it laden with legal minefields depending on where you live and the laws in effect, crushloads advice probably makes the most sense and will keep you on the firmest legal footing, add a caveat however that I do not pretend to be an expert on this subject nor am I an attorney.

For starters, if you have pets that will bark at the slightest sound, that's even better because it might scare the BG away - he runs off with the stereo, who cares. If you walk downstairs, you don't know what the hell you're facing, how many and where they are and you are leaving your family members alone and vulnerable. I'd go once step further with Crush's recommendation and say if if you have a walk-in closet in the bedroom have your wife and kids stay there while you are defening the bedroom from the inside, gun in hand, 911 call already made, police on their way. BG (singular or plural) busts threw that bedroom door gun or knife in hand (or you have reason to believe he could be so armed), all bets are off.

And always, always have a charged cell phone in your bedroom. In this scenario a shotgun makes sense, handgun at the ready.

Keep in mind gentlemen your goal is to protect yourself and your loved ones but it's imperative that you be on sound legal footing - it's going to cost $ you regardless but you don't want to wind up in jail. After the shooting (God forbid it results in that, BG down), the real horror begins. No matter what, your actions are going to be heavily scruitinized and in today's wacko world, there's a good chance you'll be sued in a civil court whether you were absolved of criminal charges or not..

[JAK]

Originally Posted by kraigster414

Keep in mind gentlemen your goal is to protect yourself and your loved ones but it's imperative that you be on sound legal footing...

$0.01 The above quote is why we talk about things like this in hypothetical situations, instead of just waiting until they happen and saying, "Oops!" Truth is none of us can really know what we would do until we find ourselves there. Even then, each scenario is different.

$0.01 The above quote is also why I like the "Hostile Intent" methodology so much. I have not checked the laws of every state, but I believe this line of thinking/action will CYA in most states.

Just my $0.02.

[kraigster414]

And it's something we pray to God will never happen. Your first duty is to survive but the financial and emotional horror that follows is inevitable and we tend to overlook, not fully comprehend or hide from the reality of what's to follow. It's not like on TV or in the movies - good guy lives, bad guy dies, good guy goes on with his life. Your life will never be the same.