speaking of guns....

[amazondoc]

Quote:
Ahhh, thanks! I wouldn't have thought to look for those. I'll check em out.

Hold the weapon correctly and the recoil doesn't hurt as much, keep the stock tight against your shoulder.

Just to be clear, because of this and an earlier comment made by someone else -- I'm not concerned about immediate pain. Heck, I walk around every day covered in bruises (no, I don't have an abusive husband -- but I do have a herd of large abusive dogs and I do a lot of abusive gardening.

) What I'm worried about is irritating the connective tissues in my shoulders again, possibly resulting in another long bout of bursitis/rotator cuff issues -- which was not fun the first time around, and which took me more than a year to get over. Whatever gun I go with, I will most likely get whatever recoil minimizers are available for it.

Thanks again to everyone for your help. Very informative and interesting!​

 

[warcard]

Oh yeah, I totally understand. Did some PT for inflamed bursitis in my shoulder, and something else they never quite figured out. Still wakeup some nights with pins and needles in my arm and hand (last two fingers, not first two, so NOT carpal tunnel).

Don't think is was shooting that did it, was in a lull there, but we were building a deck and bird housing, so lots of hammer swinging and load lifting.

I hope you find something that will work for you.

Its great that you do rescue, I would love a Dobe, but will have to stick to my Cairns for now. I keep trying to talk my husband into fostering, but he is worried we will get too attached.

 

[amazondoc]

Quote:
Oh, have I got the dogs for you! My mom, in Nashville, is currently fostering two little "terrorists" that are probably Norfolk terrier mixes. One could maybe be pure Norfolk, but the other, who appears to be a litter mate, seems to be something like chi-Norfolk or some such. Anyway, I got to meet them a coupla weeks ago and they are the CUTEST things. You know you need them!

 

[warcard]

Yeah, had a friend try and do that at an agility trial. She was fostering a wheaten cairn and kept threatening to drop him in the expen with my three wheatens, figured I couldn't (or wouldn't) count them before I went home.

She actually ending up adopting the little goober, she just didn't think he would work in a home that wasn't very terrier savvy (yeah right Marge, you just couldn't let him go

).

I would love another and always check the rescue groups, but it just isn't in the cards right now.

Sorry I took your thread OT.

 

[AllChookUp]

Equibling wrote:
.22 rifle with a scope will take care of a lot of things.

I tend to agree with her. Just have to watch what you're shooting at. I know you want a non-lethal method, but severely wounding a predator isn't humane. True predators keep coming. Unless you completely stop them.​

 

[Davaroo]

One of my points, too, Ron.

 

[gila_dog]

Could you really kill something (or some one) in defence of your, or your critters' lives? If not, then don't get a firearm. If all you want to do is scare things off, then a paintball gun would be a good choice.

If you are willing to defend your, and your critters', lives with deadly force, then here are some considerations:

1. Are there any children in your house? If so be very, very careful about having any kind of firearm around. You must keep the gun unloaded and the ammo locked up separately if so. But an unloaded gun is pretty useless. It needs to be able to be loaded and unloaded quickly and easily.

3. How close are your neighbors? Even a .22 rifle will shoot a bullet a long ways. A shotgun (20 ga minimum) is much better if neighbors are close by because its dangerous range is much more limited (less than 150 yards). A shotgun makes a lot of noise tho.

3. How much time are you willing to spend learning firearm safety and marksmanship? A gun is a very powerful tool, and it will take you some time and a bit of $ to become competent and safe with it.

If children are around the place a single shot break action 20 ga shotgun would be a good choice. You can load and unload it quickly. It's powerful enough to kill any predator. It has limited range so the chances of hitting something elsewhere in your neighborhood are minimal. And it doesn't kick too bad. Hunting loads containing large bird shot (#2 or larger) or small buckshot (#3 or #4) will handle any kind of predator.

If there is anything beyond your intended target that you don't want to kill, or damage, then don't shoot. Wait for a clear shot.

 

[Miltonchix]

Quote:
I have to disagree. If there are children around they too HAVE to attend some kind of gun safety course as well. I was raised up with the guns and ammo right there. I raised my kids that way. They start shooting, SUPERVISED, at 5. Yes, 5. They KNOW what a gun is, what it can do, and that they NEVER handle a gun without supervision/permission. The gun control people did some surveys or whatever it is they do, to try and PROVE HOW BAD GUNS WERE.
What they found is where gun safety is taught from a young age there are FAR FEWER accidents and almost NO taking the gun to school to shoot up the place. My kids never touched a gun without permission and are now doing the same with their kids. When I sat through the hunter safety course with my youngest daughter, the instructor told the class that in the over 20,000 kids he had taught the course to, not one accidental OR intentional shooting had occured.

It was quite fun being able to take my 5 thru 10 year old grand kids out shooting last December and have THEM telling grandpa how to handle a gun SAFELY!
A GUN HAS NEVER KILLED ANYONE! THE IDIOT ON THE OTHER END DID IT!

 

[amazondoc]

Quote:
I'm a retired vet. I have killed many animals in my life, including my own pets. I am not squeamish about killing, WHEN IT IS NECESSARY.

In most cases, definitely all I want to do is scare them off. Thus the paintball gun -- or the rubber shot. But I do recognize that I am moving To The Country, so I am not opposed to having the lethal option if I need it.

1. Are there any children in your house?

No kids, not gonna be any.

3. How close are your neighbors?

Close only on one side. But that is one of the reasons I like the shotgun idea.

3. How much time are you willing to spend learning firearm safety and marksmanship? A gun is a very powerful tool, and it will take you some time and a bit of $ to become competent and safe with it.

If I can find a local gun safety class, I'm perfectly willing to take it. I like learning. Unfortunately, I haven't yet heard back from the gun club.​

 

[flip9109]

i am by no means a big guy. 140lbs 5'9. i shoot 250-500 12ga rounds out of an over and under every weekend at the local sportsmans club ith no pain. double guns are fast loading and the most relieble but they do kick a little. semiautomatic shotguns hardly kick at all but they can malfunction when you need them. if the gun is fitted right it makes a huge difference, kick-eez recoil pads are great. there are custom gas operated recoil reduction systems, but they are very costly. 20ga will do as good a job on most all things and will kick much less and shells are the same price as 12ga. as far the rifle or hand gun idea, I would not recomend that. a .22 can travel over 1.5 miles and still be lethal. shot guns with lead shot #2's or smaller has a maximum kill range of 60yrds, steal shot is my home defence shell of choice 3inch 12ga steal BB's will go through walls but max kill range 40yrds. farther than that is not a threat to me and keeps my neighbors safe. hand guns are very inaccurate esp. if your excited and every round you miss with hits somthing eventually. no lethal is more dangerous. you will most likely make a bad situation worse by injuring somthing or angering it. If it's important enuf to go shoot at..... KILL it don't take chances. oh and if you really need somthing big a 12ga is .730 that 73caliber and can fire slugs(that one big bullet) but you have to aim it. just my 2cts.

jim