Racking a pump action shotgun: Deterrent or Provoker?

[TacticalThug]

"Using a firearm to kill in self-defense is not murder. It is a justifiable homicide"


You are right, but some of these guys act like they are going to hide in the dark and ambush/murder the attackers when they say they don't want the sound to alert them of their location and kill the first. To shoot justifiably your life must be in danger, not cowardly hiding and ambushing some drunk teenager coming home because you didn't asses the situation. People on here are so willing to take a life when there are plenty of other ways to avoid a violent/deadly confrontation. I'm all for delivering lead injections to anyone trying to provide me with an unwelcomed dose of great bodily harm. But if showing/cocking/racking/loading a gun can stop them I will, if that isn't enough I'm sure the next step will begin there after.

This isn't about making noise, its about letting the perp know you are NOT the one.

[TacticalThug]

I'm going to rush into my safe room and hit the button to play a continuous loop, high-fidelity recording of my 870 being racked. A loudspeaker in every room should drive the BG crazy. If that doesn't deter him/her, I can switch to a barking Rottweiler recording.

LMAO cute

[Mitch]

my primary objective in the event of a break-in is to ensure the safety of myself and loved ones. that means ensuring that loved ones are in a safe room while calling 911, and me not separating from them. i'm not going to do a room clearing exercise that will leave my loved ones to fend for themselves.

Clearly you simply are not badass enough to participate in an internet gun forum.

Dude, do you even operate?

You are right, but some of these guys act like they are going to hide in the dark and ambush/murder the attackers when they say they don't want the sound to alert them of their location and kill the first. To shoot justifiably your life must be in danger, not cowardly hiding and ambushing some drunk teenager coming home because you didn't asses the situation. People on here are so willing to take a life when there are plenty of other ways to avoid a violent/deadly confrontation. I'm all for delivering lead injections to anyone trying to provide me with an unwelcomed dose of great bodily harm. But if showing/cocking/racking/loading a gun can stop them I will, if that isn't enough I'm sure the next step will begin there after.

Another Calgunner who needs to hand in his Badass Card.

[Mayor McRifle]

People on here are so willing to take a life when there are plenty of other ways to avoid a violent/deadly confrontation.

I think they just like to say they are, from the comfort and safety of their computer keyboards.

[TacticalThug]

Clearly you simply are not badass enough to participate in an internet gun forum.

Dude, do you even operate?



Another Calgunner who needs to hand in his Badass Card.

Lol Ive personally seen armed felons back away from a confrontation because they thought the other party was armed. Thru out my entire life, if a criminal "felt" you even had a gun JUST by the way you were acting (confidence, bravery, etc) they wouldnt even "test" you as they say. No need to display it.

[purer00r]

Clearly you simply are not badass enough to participate in an internet gun forum.

Dude, do you even operate?



Another Calgunner who needs to hand in his Badass Card.

I only operate on this...

[CAguy]

^^ this

My bedside pistol has a round chambered, but it is a DA\SA with a long heavy trigger pull on the first pull. And the pistol is designed for checking out a noise of undetermined origin, where I have a moment to get my wits about me. The shotgun is for immediate "someone is in the house" static defense. I don't want my shotgun so "ready" that it falls over, snags on a (whatever, the bedroom can be a chaotic place) and goes off, blowing my foot or my wife's face off. I have shot countless rounds of skeet with this gun. It is lubricated and well broken-in. I have countless repetitions of racking that action embedded in muscle memory. The first thing I do upon getting ready to shoot on the skeet field is rack the action. It's habit, instinct at this point. I have never short-stroked... ever. It's a non-occurence. If you live in a studio apartment then any intruder is already in your bedroom. In our home an intruder would be detected long before he got anywhere near the bedroom because of the dogs. I don't have anything in my home worth dying for, I can afford to stay in the bedroom with my shotgun pointed at the bedroom door... I don't need to go "prowling" and "creeping" around in the dark to try to kill someone. Why should I do that? How is that more beneficial to me than ANY OTHER COURSE OF ACTION? It isn't! The bedroom is where I hold all the cards. I can keep everyone I care about behind me, with me between the bad guy and them. I have a shotgun and a pistol, I have my body armor, I have my wife who is equally armed as an ally, and I have a position that is ultimately defensible in court - both criminal and civil court if the victim's family decide to sue. Having that warning rack and voice deterrent on tape in the 911 call shows I did due diligence to prevent bloodshed.

Now, if someone wants to sit in the dark repeatedly racking an empty shotgun and praying the bad guy goes away because they never bought ammo for it cuz they haven't got the heart to shoot someone... Lord have mercy, you should have bought pepper spray rather than a shotgun you weren't willing to wield with deadly force. Stupid should hurt and in that case it probably will.

If you buy a gun of any kind you had better be willing to USE it with deadly force. That doesn't mean you have to run TOWARDS a confrontation if one is reasonably avoidable.

Like TacticalThug said, 99% of criminals will run at the sight/sound of a gun. If there's a 99% chance that instead of having blood, brain and guts spattered all over my home and having to spend a year or more and tons of money defending my choice - if instead, I can simply repair a broken window and fill out a police report - which of those sounds like a better aftermath? If I can safely offer a warning, I will do it. Like insurance, it costs me very little and potentially returns a lot.

Well said

[xxINKxx]

Where's that video from the 80s/90s where they interview guys in prison who did break ins if they knew that someone inside was armed and ready would of they came in. I believe all of them said they wouldn't come in, or that they saw the owners with a gun and bailed.

So it's not all Hollywood hype.

[jyo]

Regarding my earlier post about racking the 870 while hiding behind the display safes in the gun store: I don't believe they actually saw me, the sound of racking that shotgun was the loudest thing (it seemed to me) and they clearly reacted to that. I felt that I had clear tactical advantage and felt the heavy steel safes gave me some level of protection from incoming fire.
Just so you know, I am an 870 guy from way back so operating this (well broken-in and tested) 870 was second-nature to me. Also, personally, I always leave my personal 870s with the chamber empty and magazine full as I do not engage the safety, instead using my training to keep my finger off the trigger until needed. Why don't I use the safety? Because I am right-handed but my left eye is by far the master eye and I shoot long guns left-handed and don't want to monkey around with the safety on the "wrong" side.
I believe my actions on that night prevented a shootout in the store---the guys the cops did get were fully armed. Also, having my other store employee covering my back was very comforting as I knew he was also a competent shooter.

[jyo]

Oh, and OO buckshot for sure---no messing around with birdshot...

[TeddyBallgame]

this is the main reason I don't keep a shotgun around for HD purposes

too many decisions

[davidb]

I laugh when the shotgun pumping debate kicks up. I've personally seen a crowd of 100+ run like the building was on fire when a deputy racked the slide on his shotgun. Long story short, someone threw a bottle at the deputy's car. He exits car with shotgun in hand and racks the slide. Sure was able to hear it clearly over the sound of the crowd.

thats great and all, but you can turn on the tv and see many people for the most part undetered by police with rifles already chambered

some are too stupid, too intoxicated, or too enraged to be scared off, those are the types i keep a gun cocked for...if a spineless criminal breaks in, i can point it and tell him leave on your own or leave in a bag, if a killer, enraged or intoxicated etc. criminal breaks in, well the gun is already ready for them so i see no downside to leaving things chambered unless you have kids around

[robcoe]

Hi fellow Calgunners, I've got a question about using a shotgun for home defense. I recently purchased a Mossberg 500 as my primary defense weapon and am debating whether or not to keep a round in the chamber. Ideally, I would like to avoid having to shoot someone in a SHTF scenario, and I like the idea of scaring an intruder away with the sound of a shotgun racking. However, in the case of a particularly violent or psychotic criminal, can racking the shotgun instigate a violent response, such as the intruder shooting through the door? I would hate to endanger the lives of people around me and would like to avoid a gun battle if at all possible.

I doubt it would be provocation(though you never know), ideally it would be a deterrent but I doubt it would always work, though if it doesn't scare them off it does get plan B ready to go.

I however would not rely on a weapon with the chamber empty, I prefer to first reach for something that is ready to go, so I keep a loaded revolver by the nightstand and a shotgun under the edge of the bed(no kids so I don't have to worry about that), that way I have a trustworthy ready weapon while I get to the heavier weapon and get it ready.

[zhyla]

The sound of a shotgun being racked followed by a live round hitting the floor will make them pee their pants.

[epilepticninja]

I laugh when the shotgun pumping debate kicks up. I've personally seen a crowd of 100+ run like the building was on fire when a deputy racked the slide on his shotgun. Long story short, someone threw a bottle at the deputy's car. He exits car with shotgun in hand and racks the slide. Sure was able to hear it clearly over the sound of the crowd.

Maybe because his department policy was to run the shotgun "cruiser safe" which is the policy of most agencies in the U.S.? So, like he had to rack it no matter what? But whatever, this is a ridiculous debate anyways. People should do what they want with a pump shotgun. Sh*t, use it as a baseball bat if it keeps you alive. If you really need to use it to save your life, then however it works for you, is best. /thread.