The Rough List of Homestead Firearms. Part 2

Part 2

But First.

This is where we talk about hand guns and shotguns. And we here, and especially myself, understand that some people have an aversion to firearms. And that is perfectly fine. Our faiths are so diverse that there is no one "law" dictating what we have to do. We here at Gerðs Hearth embrace and and understand that. We are not here to tell anyone what to do. We're here to just educate, inform perhaps sell a few things or classes. We're here to reach as many of our fellow pagans with the opportunity for all, to find something that interests them. At times something we may blog about may not mesh with someone's personal morals and belief's. And that is cool. We know that we can't write every blog to please everyone who reads that blog. But we can write individual blogs to inform and perhaps please as many as we can. The objective of this series is not about "going to war" or anything like that. Believe me after 5 combat tours from 1983 to 1994 I've had enough. This is just information on tools, at worst to possibly help protect you, your family and your home when all other options have failed. But mainly for dispatching of predators that may wish to feast on your livestock, or in some parts of the country on you.

As always if there is something you want us to research and write about do not hesitate to let us know. We're on Facebook, X, Instagram and of course email us directly here.

And now back to our show..

Handguns

Before we get down to brass tacks here. I’m going to answer a question for you all. Semi Auto or Revolver. And my answer is.

Yes.

Yup Yes. We could spend hours here and beat a dead horse over which is better. So I’m going to settle the argument and just say yes. Both are fantastic. Both do the job very well. And both can be as inexpensive to as expensive as you want to spend.

Semi Automatic handgun:

PSA Dagger. Gods I am going to catch some grief over this! I carry a very old Glock 21. And I love it. It has never let me down, thank the gods I have never fired it in self defense, but I have drawn it twice. I WAS going to say Glock 17 or 19. But after trying a PSA Dagger, it was a no brainer. First. It is as close of a clone of a Glock as they can get without being sued. Almost all Gen 3 Glock parts will fit a Dagger. It is actually a little bit narrower than a G17 or G19. The only real complaint and that can be fixed easily is the trigger makes a stock Glock trigger feel 1911 smooth!. But the biggest selling point?

1. Glock reliability. Buddy of mine and I TRIED to break his Dagger compact. (G19 clone) mixed ammo, mud, salt water soak, Cleaned it in 95% rubbing alcohol to remove all the oil. And shot it dry for 200 rounds. Talcum powder sand, potting soil. And it ran as well as my Glock.

2. Price. Catch one at Palmetto State Armory right and I’ve seen them as low as $259.00 With threaded barrel and colors other than black.

Oh why 9mm and not something that starts with a “4” Short story is. Modern self defense ammunition, all have close to the same muzzle energy. 9Mm, .40S&W and .45 ACP are all in the mid 400 ft/lbs of energy. Sure we can talk ballistics, penetration velocity etc. But shot placement is what counts when the chips are down. You may have a S&W .500 mag in your pocket but if you can’t hit that target. May as well have a spitball shooter. 9 mm is one of the most common rounds, its light meaning you can carry a lot and it has very manageable recoil. And with proper shot placement, will stop almost anything most Riki Tik.

Revolver

Taurus Model 65

The Taurus M65 is a fantastic 6 shot revolver. It is chambered in .38 Special OR it can handle .357 magnum. So why a Taurus instead of a Colt or Ruger S&W etc? Easy. I was raised to buy the very best quality you can afford. But you do not have to buy a Big Name to get that quality. Taurus has been making firearms for over 80 years. When you look at a Taurus revolver you see a bit of it’s pedigree. In 1971 Smith & Wesson purchased a controlling interest in Taurus and a few revolvers share common ancestry. You can buy cheaper firearms and you can buy more expensive. But you can’t buy a combination of quality, accuracy and value at the price of a M65 Taurus. I’ve seen them as low as $399.00 on up. Depending on what you are wanting. As to the caliber. .38 is a very good round for self defense and dispatching livestock for the freezer. .357. Is VERY good for self defense, once you master the recoil. And is an excellent hunting round.

Shotgun.

This is dang near identical to my 870. Brand new here of course. But 2 barrels . 1 rifled and one smooth bore. Plain wood stock. No handles grips lights nor lasers. Just a good tool that my lovely wife gave me over 30 years ago.

If for SOME reason, we had to leave our home. And were only allowed to take 1 firearm, it would be our Remington 870 Express Shotgun. The shotgun IS the most versatile firearm on the homestead. It can and HAS taken every large game animal in North America. And a good portion of those in the world. Nothing and I mean NOTHING says STOP as loud or as well as the cocking of a slide action shotgun. One thing to dispel a HUGE myth on shotguns. We’ve all seen on TV. Bad guy takes a load of 00 buckshot square in the chest. Hole appears in the back of the bad guy big enough to fit a bowling ball in, and bad guys is FLUNG, Violently I may add. At least 30 feet and though 2 walls. Yes a 12 gauge with 00 buck is a devastating round. It does not blow bowling ball sized holes clean through people. 00 Buckshot is 6-8 .32 caliber round balls, and leaves 6-8 .32 caliber holes. Next the “perp” being flung 30 feet though 2 walls. A very smart man. Named Issac Newton He figured out something called the Laws of Motion. His 3rd law of Motion applies here.

If two bodies exert forces on each other, these forces have the same magnitude but opposite directions.

That means in plain English, If the perp, was flung 30 feet though 2 walls, the person SHOOTING the shotgun, will have been flung back the same distance. (+/- a few feet due to mass differences ! )

Okay, now that that is out of the way, the shotgun is the most versatile firearm on the homestead. With no modifications other than ammunition and MAYBE changing chokes. Can put a rabbit in the stew pot, Bring down a Yule goose. Or drop an Elk at 80 yards. That is including its self defense capabilities. Now lets add in “special” ammunition for the shotgun. You can remove a door from its hinges in under 5 seconds. You can send up signal flares with it. You can use it as an incendiary device. You can fire non lethal rounds in it. Why non lethal? That pesky dog of your neighbor is in the garden again. He’s a good dog and helps your neighbor so you don’t want to kill it. Just scare the Hel out of. Ever opened a hot shell dumped the shot out and filed it with rock salt or stuck a paint ball in and resealed it? Does wonders at changing a dogs mind. Or a young boy stealing fruit from an orchard. I have VERY tender memories of rock salt in my behind. And my dad telling me “Bet you won’t be stealing Mr. Matlock’s peaches again. “ And to this day 50 years later I still have not stolen fruit from an orchard! Folks you all have to realize a couple of things about that sentence above. Rural New Mexico and the US was a different place in 1974. 2nd Mr. Matlock warned my dad, who in turned warmed my butt. (He also as many years later found out.) Where his special loads that he only used stray dogs and kids. There was only enough powder in the shell to MAYBE get the salt out 15-20 feet, and with enough velocity to perhaps knock over a drunken house fly. Seriously. Ain't kidding. Today if Mr. Matlock tried that, well y'all can imagine.

Notice how I only mention the 12 and 20 gauge shotguns? Not the 16 nor 28 or even .410? First is availability. Every Walmart, every rural hardware store, every small town gun store WILL have 12 gauge and 20 gauge. Maybe not the brand or shot type you want, May have to settle for #6 or #8 instead of #7 ½, And the other gauges and calibers, (.410 is a caliber not a gauge) are hard to find and are really meant for accomplished shooters to use effectively. Most every country kid started with a .410 And we got MAD out dove hunting. Wasted a box of shells and got maybe 4 dove. Your older brother or dad or uncle with their 12 or 20 bores had 15-20 dove with those large bore guns. Smart assed uncle Bob takes your little .410 and proceeds to shoot a box of 25 shells and bags 3 dove. “Damn sights are off” Smart aleck kid (me) says “Shotgun doesn't have sights. Just that bead up front. 12 year old me exits stage right!

Seriously. If you can only afford to have one firearm. Make it a shotgun.

Pump, Single shot Auto loader. Here, I’ll leave the choice to you. But since you asked MY opinion, I’ll say the pump action. Sure an auto loader fires faster, and has a little less recoil. If it is gas operated. The single shot? Well the name says it all. But the pump action. Nothing says LEAVE RIGHT NOW like the sound of a pump action shotgun chambering a shell. And the pump action is affordable. Our personal shotgun is a very old Remington 870 Express. I do advise to stay away from the “Tacti Cool” (Tactical) shotguns. They look cool, and yes they function perfectly. But they are limited. Try hunting with a folding stock or pistol grip. It can be done but it takes a lot of patience and shells. Traditional stocked,. be it wood or synthetic with a standard length barrel. Here are our picks in no particular order.

• Remington 870. The most pricy of the lot. At Cabelas, about $450+

• Mossberg 500 series. Starting @ $359.00+

• Mossberg 88 @ $240.00+

• Savage Stevens 320. I’ve seen them as low as $189 NEW.

There are many others. With a good shotgun, you just can’t go wrong.

Primitive weapons ? That is the subject of our next installment A Recurve or Compound bow. A Crossbow. And a flintlock muzzleloader. No matter what happens. You will ALWAYS have a means to bring down game for the table. . Or defend your homestead. We have a very old Martin recurve that my dad bought new in the late 60’s. And I have my 40+ year old Traditions Shenandoah in .50 percussion and with the items and tools to make it a flintlock. All the makings to make powder and find flint are found just about everywhere. This is where we''' continue next time.

And as always We want to thank all of you who make this adventure fun and worthwhile.

Freya and Bjarni