Lucky mike said:
only once for me and never had to pull the trigger.............It's funny how the sound of a 12 ga. shuttling a round into the chamber demands attention so quickly!!!!
I' m new here , that said I also have a great deal of firearms experience both on and off the job and am an NRA certified trainer and have long experience in training folks in defensive and tactical usage.
A few small items , though most here exhibit common sense.
If you're going to keep a firearm for defensive purpose one needs to avail themselves of some sort training that will address defensive/tactical usage.
One must also be aware of the specific legalities of defensive usage in their current location , along with of course carry , possession , transport and possible ammunition restrictions ( think New Jersey where h/p and jhp ammunition is a ***felony***).
Lets put to rest a highly circulated myth that can be potentially life threatening and which is a drastic tactical error.
*All* "bad guys" do not " run at the sound of a pump action operating" , And in point of actual *fact* , if you run up against a trained individual that sound could possibly be assessed as to your location , if it's a highly stressed scenario they may immediately retrun fire in the direction of the sound signature. If you MUST do this , then rack the action and *move* immediately.
Carry choices are individual , purchase what *fits* you and what you can shoot well , that said don't buy junk , if it's a defensive arm that means you may at some (I hope it never comes to that for you) be ***betting your life on it's function.Practice enough with your carry or defensive arms that you are absolutely confident in their functioning , especially with semi-auto handguns.
NEVER , EVER carry magazines in your defensive or carry rig that you have not fully tested for function.
Be aware that firearms are a " horses for courses" thing , it's a *tool* and at times one will need to switch tools depending on the current function necessary.
I.E. for urban social work I prefer certain SIGs ( 220s) and 1911s or certain Smith or Ruger revolvers. For the Far North or regions of the country where you may run into Bear or hogs a Redhawk in .44 mag or 454 Casull.
Defensive carry is a *choice* , but it's a double-edged sword , it's also a high degree of *responsibility* , one must learn to resist flipping the bird at jacka** drivers and the like , in point of fact avoidance of confrontation becomes the order of the day.