What guns to buy? and related posts.

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 24 May 2016, 02:12

Snail wrote:Someone reminded me today: if in Scotland, don't buy an air rifle as you need a license from December. And the licensing will be similar/identical to a firearm.
---edit-- ah, I see j2m already mentioned this

Bit of an update. I've been doing other things so haven't been shopping for guns. The Mrs.s waited until spring to try out her new Smith and Wesson I gave her for Christmas. The pistol functions well and shoots where the sights are pointed. She likes the balance and that it weighs enough to keep recoil manageable. Still on the first box of ammo as we both have other irons in the fire. Daughter has a wood chuck moved into the bank leading out from her basement and next to the garden. I've been commissioned to stake him out and terminate him. Funny how they assume dad can just do these things no problem. Have they never noted me coming home from a full day of hunting empty handed?

woodburner · Post by **woodburner** » 24 May 2016, 06:11

You people buy your wives pistols for Christmas???? Wasn't Christmas some sort of Christian (you know, religeous - thou shalt not kill - thingy)? and you buy one for Christmas? Bit of an oxymoron. What sort of lawless backwater is it over there?

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 24 May 2016, 10:21

woodburner wrote:You people buy your wives pistols for Christmas???? Wasn't Christmas some sort of Christian (you know, religeous - thou shalt not kill - thingy)? and you buy one for Christmas? Bit of an oxymoron. What sort of lawless backwater is it over there?

Hey it was on her Christmas list and I knew what was the right size for her.
She is probably afraid some undocumented Brits will slip in over the Canadian border and start rampaging over the countryside. We already have one such hiding in Northern New Hampshire and taking over the radio waves.

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 02 Jul 2016, 21:31

The UPS guy dropped off four boxes of ammo I bought on line from Midway. They are for the wife's pistol. Her 40 Short and Wimpy.

Have to set up some targets and get her to practice some on the fourth just to celebrate Independence day.

woodburner · Post by **woodburner** » 02 Jul 2016, 22:45

It's demonstrable that given the number of people who get shot over there, having so many guns is a generally bad idea.

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 03 Jul 2016, 01:41

woodburner wrote:It's demonstrable that given the number of people who get shot over there, having so many guns is a generally bad idea.

The homicide rate in Vermont is about the same as it is in the UK. Chicago
or Washington DC now that is another matter. But the gun ownership rate is a lot higher in Vermont then it is in those cities so clearly one does not lead to the other.

woodburner · Post by **woodburner** » 03 Jul 2016, 05:58

That would assume the people in Chicago are honest about the guns they have. Once people have more guns than they have hands, the numbers don't really add to the problem.

johnhemming2 · Post by **johnhemming2** » 03 Jul 2016, 10:03

woodburner wrote:That would assume the people in Chicago are honest about the guns they have. Once people have more guns than they have hands, the numbers don't really add to the problem.

One presumes, however, that the rate is the number of people that own guns rather than the number of guns owned.

mr brightside · Post by **mr brightside** » 03 Jul 2016, 10:06

From a UK perspective i've been considering ownership of a little .410 shotgun for hunting food in a post-crash world. I already own a legal limit .22 air rifle, but they are only reliable in the hands of the truly skilled in terms of kill rate. They tend to be affected greatly by wind and target range, and pellet drop is a constant issue to be compensated for. You need to be good with one to be effective, and when your quarry begins to wise up they're almost useless. I think a properly choked shotgun could provide a reliable source of food, but you have to consider the availability of cartridges as your license will probably not allow you to stockpile them.

woodburner · Post by **woodburner** » 03 Jul 2016, 10:28

Trapping might be a better way, it isn't so noisy. If you go banging away, someone will know where you are and relieve you of your future lunch. Apart from that, there won't be much to shoot, except if you're going to become a cannibal, as everyone else will be trying it too. Try growing worms instead, they don't run so fast.

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 03 Jul 2016, 13:33

johnhemming2 wrote:
woodburner wrote:That would assume the people in Chicago are honest about the guns they have. Once people have more guns than they have hands, the numbers don't really add to the problem.
One presumes, however, that the rate is the number of people that own guns rather than the number of guns owned.

You are correct. The number of privately owned guns exceeds 350 million which is more then a 100 percent rate (112.6 actually vs 6.6 for the UK) but the gun ownership rate in Vermont is 42 percent and in Maryland surrounding Washington DC it is 21.3 and Illinois outside of Chicago is 20.2 percent.
They often count it by household which gives higher numbers as about 30 percent of USA men own a gun while only 15 percent of women own one not shared with a spouse.
I add to VT's numbers by owning a dozen guns of various types.

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 03 Jul 2016, 13:38

woodburner wrote:Trapping might be a better way, it isn't so noisy. If you go banging away, someone will know where you are and relieve you of your future lunch. Apart from that, there won't be much to shoot, except if you're going to become a cannibal, as everyone else will be trying it too. Try growing worms instead, they don't run so fast.

I would not try to take a rabbit from the man that had just shot it unless I Knew for a fact that he had been down to his last shell.

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 21 Aug 2016, 00:16

Just to update.
I ordered a crossbow and accessories for it today. They changed the rules and allow them for all hunters over 50 years old during the archery season.
Seems they figured out that archery hunters tended to drop out after age 50 and they want to keep license revenues up.
So now I'll have a very quiet but deadly weapon in the armory. I'll post pics etc when it arrives by UPS next week.

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 28 Aug 2016, 01:28

Well it arrived on schedule. I haven't bothered to take any pictures as of now but I must say this is the the purchase that most lived up to the advertising hype of anything I have bought in twenty years. I can hit a grapefruit sized target at thirty yards every time so far and I'm sure I can improve with practice.

Catweazle · Post by **Catweazle** » 28 Aug 2016, 08:21

Keep us informed VT, I've always fancied a crossbow myself although not allowed to hunt with one in the UK.

What model did you get ? I'm thinking that a medium powered recurve type would be best for fun shooting over here.