Net Control – K0STR
K0STR – The first thing I want to discuss is archery. Any comments about using archery weapons?
KF0CSK – Archery is a skill that takes a lot of practice, if you’re not in practice, don’t bother with archery.
K0STR – You are absolutely correct on that.
K0APV – I’m an archery hunter, that’s a good tool to have in the tool box. If you want to start learning, learn with a buddy.
K0STR – An excellent weapon. I Practice about 2 times a week. There are archery ranges out there where you can practice.
Firearms. Something you have to be serious with, you have to understand and practice. You must be very familiar with these firearms. Ammunition is coming back in stock, but it will probably slow down again. Have enough rounds to defend yourself.
KE0MC – I’ve been shooting for the last 10 years, my girlfriend is a shooter and recently got an AR-15, she’s a petite woman and shoots well with the AR. She struggles with the pistol, the AR is much easier to shoot. If I were to pick one gun it would be the AR-15.
K0STR – AR-15 is an excellent weapon, this is the most popular weapon in American. 1 in 4 households have an AR-15. Over a million sold in U.S. There is almost no recoil. Women really like this weapon because it is really easy to shoot.
KE0YAK – I have AR-15 and AR-10 my wife is about 98 lbs, and she can shoot both.
KE0STR – That’s what I have found. M1A Springfield, a little recoil, but I can shoot that all day long. Fun to shoot.
I have an AR-15 pistol that is my go-to pistol.
KE0YAK – Where did you get the AR-15 pistol?
KE0STR – Most gun shops carry them, but I built mine, it was a fun project. Not a difficult build, you just have to go slow. There are instruction books that show to how to assemble.
KE0YAK – Where did you purchase the kit?
K0STR – I got the lower receive at a gun shop in Lakewood. That’s what you have to register. I ordered the barrel and the upper receive parts through various gun shot sales on the net. One of my sons helped me get the parts. You can get almost everything you need except the lower receiver through internet sales.
? – AR platforms are very flexible. You can put various barrel sized on the lower receiver.
K0STR – As I understand the law, the AR-15 pistol is still legal, and that includes all these barrel sizes as long as it has a brace.
N0KMO – Laws are changing all the time. My encouragement to make sure. I 100% agree with safety training, there’s always something to train with. Start looking into insurance, there are different services. Go out there and talk to insurance reps they can guide you on what’s legal and what’s not.
K0ATV – For normal home defense I wouldn’t recommend an AR, I’d recommend a shotgun, a Mossberg.
KE0TWN – I would like to make a statement about using a shotgun for home defense. We did a Mythbusters type test on this subject. We fired at walls and tested everything from .22 to 20 gauge shotgun, and everything went though drywall very well.
K0STR – Was there any backstop on the drywall.
KE0TWN – No. We fired through the drywall and the studs. Neither the drywall nor the studs stopped anything.
K0STR – I agree that shotgun is a great home defense weapon. Denver police used a shotgun to shoot themselves through a cinderblock wall and went though it. It took about 6 rounds. Anytime you use a gun, you have to understand where your rounds are going to go. You don’t want to accidentally shoot your neighbors. You want to make sure that no one else, other than use you’re shooting at, is going to get hit. It’s a big responsibility.
KF0AJ – Agree with everything Jeremiah said. It wouldn’t hurt to take a class to learn how to use you firearm. Look into insurance, it’s only about $15,20 a month.
K0STR – I live in a cluster home. My next door neighbor is only about 8 feet away. I need to take into account if I use my firearm to defend myself, how its going to affect him.
AE0PJ – Handguns take a lot of training to be proficient with. I would go for pistol caliber carbine.
N0KMO – When I look at a firearm today for me, I look at can my wife pick it up, my daughter. I look it as a tool for my mission for the day. Can I take my AR platform and convert to hunting rifle. Can I take my pistol and convert into something my wife can use.
KD0FQN – When you guys are picking up lowers, the firearms dealers have 3 options, it can be a pistol, rifle or other. I would double check if you’re changing out barrels.
? – If it’s a pistol you can make it a rifle. If it’s a rifle you can’t make it a pistol. If it’s other you can make it both.
K0STR – Great comments. We need to understand one thing. A firearm is a tool. If you take that firearm and set it down on the floor, it can’t do anything on its on. It becomes bad if someone else picks it up, just like any other tool.
I’m a re-loader, just about every pistol caliber, but a couple rife calibers. It’s fun and it’s much less expensive. Powder and primers are becoming available again. You want to have a stock of these.
KF0AJV – Reloading is an amazing thing. It’s a stress relieving thing. Do your research, it can be fun, but it can also be dangerous, you need to know what’s you’re doing.
K0STR – You must have a good reloading manual and follow the specifications. You want to concentrate on what you’re doing when you’re reloading, no distractions.
K0ATV – One thing as a regular gun consumer. If you buy reloading stuff, you must be able to trust your vendor. If you’re reloading it’s all on you and you have to be paying attention.
K0STR – I would personally never buy reloaded ammo from someone else. If you buy reloads, you have no idea of the quality control.