Home defense in Washington

[GrayGoose]

I get irritated when gun owners did nothing to help oppose these bills before they became law and then want other gun owners to do their research for them afterwards.

Exactly!!!

 

[GWS]

First of all
Ignore all the nincompoopery above. Then
Look at the Ruger Mini 14. Pretty pricey these days but they are
solid, reliable rifles in .223.5,56mm with tons of aftermarket accessories I think Ruger's 9mm carbine isn't proscribed.yet but IMHO if you're going to lug a rifle's weight, then you might as well carry a rifle caliber.

Oh yeah! And welcome to the forum.

 

[Howard1955]

You might want to look at getting an AK-style shotgun.



Mr. Google says:

"What is the wait time for semi-auto shotguns in Washington state?

10 day

In 2023, Washington enacted a 10 day waiting period on the sales and transfers of all firearms. The law becomes effective on January 1, 2024."

 

[bumpus]

Up in Wa, I'd go with a lever action .357, since you already have a revolver that you can feed the same ammo to. I've had both the Winchester 1894c and the Marlin 1894c, both great shooters and fast to shoot in a pinch. Rossi and Henri make them as well. I think they are all good rifles.
If you want something in a new caliber, Get a 12 ga shotgun. That would let you defend the home, and you can hunt all kinds of things with it from Quail to Deer. or Just clay pigeons... a ton of fun.

 

[lucusloc]

Up in Wa, I'd go with a lever action .357, since you already have a revolver that you can feed the same ammo to. I've had both the Winchester 1894c and the Marlin 1894c, both great shooters and fast to shoot in a pinch. Rossi and Henri make them as well. I think they are all good rifles.
If you want something in a new caliber, Get a 12 ga shotgun. That would let you defend the home, and you can hunt all kinds of things with it from Quail to Deer. or Just clay pigeons... a ton of fun.

The question is how much do you want to train. The manual of arms for a lever action is a bit more complicated than most semi-autos, and can be less intuitive. Obviously you want to have at least some practice with any gun you might have to use for real, but I think that goes double for a manual action.

 

[bumpus]

From the time I was 6 I was shooting a red ryder and most of the time unless I was fishing. the manual action has never been a hindrance in any of the 1894c rifles I've shot. You don't even have to dismount the rifle to fire off multiple shots and stay on target.

 

[L84Cabo]

The law will, most certainly, fall and particularly given the latest decision on California's AWB from Judge Benitez. But it will, of course, take some time for this to play out in the 9th and/or SCOTUS. How long is anyone's guess.

If it were me, I would likely make do with a shotgun until things get straightened out. Either a pump gun or a good, high quality semi auto like a Benelli m4/m2 or Beretta 1301 if the finances allowed.

Semi auto handguns should not be a problem and there are lots to choose from. Go visit a range with a good rental counter and try a few out.

 

[JTK1791]

12 or 20 gauge shotgun. You can still get reliable versions of these inexpensively. Shotgun shells in 12 and 20 gauge are something that have been consistently available (thus far) during the ammunition famine. Buckshot rounds aren't absolutely necessary for home defense, birdshot rounds at close range are a good deterrent and you can still get boxes of 25 for $10.

Cheap birdshot can also be converted into slugs or buck shot using the lead, a mold, a cast iron pan, and a stove

 

[bumpus]

Seriously though, How long is the longest shot you are going to make inside your home? In my opinion and in my experience shooting bubblegum for many years, a 12ga with bird shot would be devastating in the confines of a house.

 

[Alexx1401]

Seriously though, How long is the longest shot you are going to make inside your home? In my opinion and in my experience shooting bubblegum for many years, a 12ga with bird shot would be devastating in the confines of a house.

This is a classic misconception. Bird shot makes a nasty wound at close range but, it makes a very shallow wound. If the person you are shooting is not armed? Great. If the person you are shooting is armed and wants to shoot back? If they are high on drugs? You want more than a shallow nasty wound.

 

[GWS]

At very close range 5- 10 yards that group of birdshot is a pretty tight ball and will produce a lethal or at least disabling wound, but as distance to target grows, the pattern expands and energy decreases. Pattern your shotgun as each gun/choke and load will disperse shot differently.

 

[Alexx1401]

At very close range 5- 10 yards that group of birdshot is a pretty tight ball and will produce a lethal or at least disabling wound, but as distance to target grows, the pattern expands and energy decreases. Pattern your shotgun as each gun/choke and load will disperse shot differently.

My two shotguns do not have any bird shot. I did buy some less than ammo but if I have to shoot someone with anything other than less than its going to be OO. If my life is on the line I am NOT going to trust bird shot no matter how close they are to me. Most who do keep bird shot will never have to find out if it will work or not since most will go life and never shoot anyone.

 

[mpstan01]

I like the classy tile roof.

Tough crowd!

Don't mind owning up though.

I completely omitted the fact that I have a long barreled 870 Wingmaster, but not the greatest mobility wise, and 3+1. I'll ponder a replacement and another rifle

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Since you already have a 870....Maybe get a replacement short barrel for it...
You already know the gun..and a barrel will be cheaper then a whole new gun.
Andy

 

[mpstan01]

Since you already have a 870....Maybe get a replacement short barrel for it...
You already know the gun..and a barrel will be cheaper then a whole new gun.
Andy

Great idea. Tons of great ideas. Thank you all for the help— even the nincompoopers

 

[bumpus]

This is a classic misconception. Bird shot makes a nasty wound at close range but, it makes a very shallow wound. If the person you are shooting is not armed? Great. If the person you are shooting is armed and wants to shoot back? If they are high on drugs? You want more than a shallow nasty wound.

I split the difference and put old #2 hi brass duck loads in it. The lead kind, not steel, although both would be a bad deal to get hit with.

00 Buck or even smaller like a #4 buck will go right through the walls and into neighboring homes in a residential area. I have a family with a 2 pack of youngsters and one on the way that live right next door and their dog on one side, and on the other a family with a Great pyrenese that sleeps right alongside the wall of their garage in a run (immediately next door not 20 feet from my the wall of my place.

I'd feel terrible if in the process of killing or forever maiming a bad guy, if I scattered buckshot into any of my good neighbors or their dogs.

Reconsider 00 buck unless you are damn certain that it isn't going to punch through and cause collateral damage (for which the shooter is liable.). It is totally your call to make, but one that needs to be looked at carefully.

 

[oremike]

My bump in the night gun is a 4" GP-100. I've had it a long time, it points naturally for me and I shoot it well. With rifles and shotguns there can be a fumble factor that takes up too much time IMHO. The revolver is easy to retrieve and shoot one handed and it works every time at least for the first 6 shots.

Edited to add: with the revolver I can hide it behind my leg when investigating said bump in the night and carry my 5 cell Mag light in my other hand.

 

[Alexx1401]

I split the difference and put old #2 hi brass duck loads in it. The lead kind, not steel, although both would be a bad deal to get hit with.

00 Buck or even smaller like a #4 buck will go right through the walls and into neighboring homes in a residential area. I have a family with a 2 pack of youngsters and one on the way that live right next door and their dog on one side, and on the other a family with a Great pyrenese that sleeps right alongside the wall of their garage in a run (immediately next door not 20 feet from my the wall of my place.

I'd feel terrible if in the process of killing or forever maiming a bad guy, if I scattered buckshot into any of my good neighbors or their dogs.

Reconsider 00 buck unless you are damn certain that it isn't going to punch through and cause collateral damage (for which the shooter is liable.). It is totally your call to make, but one that needs to be looked at carefully.

EVERYTHING that will stop someone who is trying to kill you will go through drywall if you miss. So it is your call. If you are that scared the best thing to do is NOT use ammunition. Buy some less than lethal ammo. They make several flavors for a shotgun. Chances are you will go your entire life and never need to shoot anyone. If some scum is in your house trying to kill you? Aim for his face with the less than. Good chance it will stop them, at least long enough for you to get out of the house.

 

[Alexx1401]

Tough crowd!

Don't mind owning up though.

I completely omitted the fact that I have a long barreled 870 Wingmaster, but not the greatest mobility wise, and 3+1. I'll ponder a replacement and another rifle

That is simple. New barrel is not pricey and easy to swap. The gun should be able to hold 4 or 5 rounds depending on the size you choose. Just take the plug out of the magazine and put the short tube on. Want to go hunting again? You put the plug back in and put the original barrel back on.

 

[lucusloc]

At very close range 5- 10 yards that group of birdshot is a pretty tight ball and will produce a lethal or at least disabling wound, but as distance to target grows, the pattern expands and energy decreases. Pattern your shotgun as each gun/choke and load will disperse shot differently.

You might want to try gel tests on that. Birdshot only stacks at the ~1 yard range, so basically contact distance. Any further than that and you get a wide enough pattern for each individual pellet to act independently. That means a shallow wound. If you want birdshot to drill deep you have to keep the load grouped together with something like wax or remelted lead. But at that point you might want to just switch to an actual engineered load designed for self defense. . .