High tech or basic? What do you grab when needed?

[swim615]

I went out this afternoon feeding the animals as usual, dogs, rabbit, and the chickens. When I looked into one of the chickens nest boxes I saw a opossum just sleeping the day away. I am sure he was full of eggs. I do not like grabbing them with my hands because they have a really mean set of teeth and put on quite a show hissing and growling. Not much on smacking there heads against the wall or hitting them in the head with the shovel. It just seems to mean and I am getting older and soft hearted about this sort of thing. So first thought is what gun to use? I went with my old Savage model 6. It is a very simple basic semi auto 22 with plain iron sights and can shot shorts, which are much quieter inside the coop.

After the deed was done I got to thinking I have several different guns to chose from when a situation happens but it seems I always grab something basic and plain like the Savage, G19, or my old single shot 20 gauge from when I was a kid. I have some high tech stuff but only seem to pull it out to go target shooting or just for fun.

Am I just getting old and set in my ways or what?

How about everyone else what do you grab first when a situation comes up the high tech stuff with all the lights, lasers, and scopes or just something basic and simple?

[Garufa]

Never been in such a situation but it just goes to show...high tech's got nothing on tried and true.

Oh, and all those fancy lights and lasers you speak of....nothing but crutches. I will admit to having a light bolted onto my nighstand gun but that's about it.

Edited August 12, 2012 by Garufa

[Oh Shoot]

Inside, would depend what room I'm in.

Actually, what part of what room.

- OS

[Spots]

Tried and true. I like to use what I'm comfy with, and I'm comfy with what I use all the time. Varmit control it my old Remington bolt action .22 unless its a coyote then its my Marlin 336 in .35 rem. Inside the house, it's my 1851 Navy or my Mossberg 500, depends on how a threat presents itself.

[TN Outlaw]

im like Ohshoot it depends where in the house i am because i have guns hidden all over

[dlm37015]

simple if i got my pants on i got my 38 super

[Guest capt usa]

When it's business to attend to I get something I can hit with, everything else is just for fun.

Edited August 12, 2012 by capt usa

[TMF]

Had a similar situation a few years ago when my small (15 lb) dog had cornered a opossum at the wooden fence. This dog has no survival skills so he wasn't taking the cues from the hissing and baring of teeth that the seemingly larger opossum was giving him. It just so happened that I was watching from the back door to make sure he went potty when I noticed he was slowly moving in on something that I couldn't quite see. I went out there and heard the thing hissing and pulled out my 1911 to put him down. I guess I was just worried that it was about to attack the dog since there was only about 6 feet between them. I moved closer and scooped the dog up, put him inside and went and got a shovel. Much to the protest of the animal, I was able to get him on the shovel and huck him over the fence. I don't like having to kill the wildlife if I don't have to.

[Ray Z]

As I think about it, my USPSA production guns all have Lucite sights on them. My house guns are bare bones basic. Why? if the day ever comes when I have to use one to defend my family or myself, and it comes to court, I really don't want the prosecutor waving some high tech thing around with lasers and flashlights on it to the jury.

Like TMF I really don't like killing the wildlife I have here. A couple of weeks ago we had a wild dog trying to get at the ducks in the lake. I put one over his head with the bold gun and he changed his mind. I could have dropped down a foot and put him down, but it wasn't necessary. I do my best hunting at the meat counter at the local wally world.

[Guest TankerHC]

Like you, my uncle got old and a little soft hearted. lol. He used to just bash their heads in when he would go out and find them eating up his garden. What he started doing, instead of killing them, is he took a crab trap, lifted the sides and put in something they like to eat. They would crawl right on in, and not be able to get out. Then he would take them out to a desolate area of the woods and release them. They wouldt come back.

One thing though, he lives on the Chesapeake Bay and has a dock behind his house. The first time he caught one in a crab trap, we took it to the dock and just dumped it in the water. (This was in the late 70's for the PETA people who might have an issue), I know this sounds unbelievable, but we left him down there for half an hour. When we lifted the trap out of the water he was hissing and fighting to get out and PO'd as all get out. Since he made it that long, we gave him a reprieve and released him in the woods.