most people regard a 357 mag enough for home protection
Can anyone tell me the difference between a 357 mag and a 30 cal carbine other than the diameter of the bullet? From what I can determine they both yeald about the same energy at the muzzle. I don't know about all of you other people but if I need to shoot someone in my home the mazimum distance will be measured in feet not yards. Somehow I feel that head shots really can't produce much of a different.
For Home Defense, some things to consider:
I guess it was in the 80s that the Glasser Safety Slugs came on the market. The advantage with the Glasser is that the projectile(s) go no farther than the intruder and not out your walls into your neighbor's house or into your neighbor. That, possibly, could seriously restrict the amount of rapport you may want to have with your neighbor.
A popular book that needs reading before you shoot any intruder in your home is: In the Gravest Extreme by Asaad Mayoob (sp). I think he is the author. Politely, ask the intruder to wait while you skim-read through relevant chapters. Offer him a beer and some chips during the interim.
You just can't, legally, shoot someone who enters your home. You got to retreat to the farthest area of your home (exhausting all the intruder's efforts to neutralize you until you can legally shoot). I know some may think this is impossible to do if you are in a motel/hotel room.
And once the threat is no longer there, you must give the intruder safe passage to exit. That means if he puts his weapon down or backs off, he is no longer a threat to you or your loved ones and if you shoot him, YOU are in deep do-do! He, too, is under the protection of the law. I bet you've been told that if you shoot him inside your home and he manages to get outside, drag him back in by his heels. I'm skeptical about that working in my favor.
Also, if you shoot an intruder, no criminal charges may be brought to you, but you are open to civil lawsuits by the intruder's survivors, another hell for you to undergo for gosh knows how long.
Then there are those stupid after-effects like you being charged for discharging a firearm within town/city limits, etc., etc. etc. And if your handgun is not registered, you are just as much a criminal (committed an illegal act by not conforming to handgun laws) as the intruder who entered your home uninvited.
Oh yes, I forgot to mention that the use of EXCESSIVE force on the intruder is frowned upon by our courts. You may slip by with using a .357 (that caliber was once considered excessive if law enforcement people used it on duty instead of the .38). So, please do use discretion if you own a M60 machine gun, bazooka, 37 mm anti-tank cannon, or low megaton bomb. The criminal's defense lawyer possibly could use that in behalf of his client if it comes to his mind during the court proceedings.
The criminal just might have more rights than the homeowner may realize when push comes to shove.
Your home is not your castle. You only live there and pay the mortgage.
I realize this all sounds ridiculous; but what I have described is not far from wrong, unfortunately.
The point I'm trying to make is that you just can't shoot someone who breaks into your home and that's the end of the story; life goes on as if nothing happened.
Do take a legitimate , certified gun safety/home defense course offered by qualified law enforcement instructors.
