# sit and wait or clear the house



## nukehayes (Sep 22, 2006)

Hey guys, I have only my hunting shotgun at my house right now due to the fact that I recently moved to Military housing with my wife, from OH. I currently have no handguns (under 21, but <5 months away) and I am faced with a dilema. Even though I live in a fairly safe nieghborhood off base, My town is a little sketchy. If the need for me to defend myself and my wife ever arose, should I wait in my bedroom and lock the door or try and maneuver a 28" barreled Shotgun around my house. I really don't want to call the cops for every little bump in the night, but how am I supposed to know if anyone is there if I don't go look. Now if I hear like windows breaking/ a door being kicked in, the wife is on the phone and Miss Mossy is locked and loaded. Any advice? thanks in advance.


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## Shipwreck (Jan 26, 2006)

I will admit that when I hear a noise, I quite often go investigate. But, these are situations where I am 95% or greater positive that no one is in the house. I'm just going to look to satisfy myself.

If U KNOW someone is there - do not clear the house. There have been numerous, numerous articles on this in magazines and elsewhere. W/o a small SWAT team, U're chances of sucess are not that good. And, most people don't have good technique. EVen if U did have good technique, it isn't a good idea. 

Hold up and wait for the police.

Also, go buy some of those cheap door beepers at Lowes or Radio Shack - they beep anytime a window or door is open. U can make your own security system if need be - if your neighborhood is that bad.

I've been thinking of buying some of those things for quite some time now. Now $30+ a month monthly contracts for a security company (who is usually worthless anyway - I've dealt with commercial burglar alarms, and the alarm company is typically worthless).


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## scooter (May 9, 2006)

I for one will clear the house,HOWEVER I am a former LEO with some training in this area.And after call 911 and it could take the rest of your life for help to come:smt011


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## Shipwreck (Jan 26, 2006)

Well, the general consensus is to hold up, stay in 1 place w/ everyone gathered, and lock the door. Then if they come in to your area, do what ya gotta do. You are right - U may need to defend yourself before the police arrive. But, I have read so many stories of someone going out to check a noise, and then the bad guy(s) get the gun away and shoot the homeowner.


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## jwkimber45 (May 6, 2006)

If its just you and the little lady in the same room. Take a defensive position and call the police. 

If your room is breached, let 'em have it, no talking, no jibber-jabber, take the SOB(s) out. They are in your house, your life is in danger, take no chances.

I would say if their are children sleeping in other areas of the home and you knwo there is an intruder, the sceniro would be totally different.......


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## jpruett79 (Sep 23, 2006)

If you live in a two story house. I personally have always felt the best thing to do is when you have wait them out from the top of the steps. Normally your and your kids bedrooms would all be upstairs therefor you have a clear line of defence. And to repeat what has always been said It would be way to easy for a burgler to hear you comming and sneak up behind you and then you no longer have any tactical advantage. 

I am also guilty like shipwreck of going to investigate a noise but only when im almost sure i was just hearing things. 

You may also want to look at buying a shorter barrel for your shotgun. Then you would have a long gun and a short gun in one. That would be alot cheaper than buying a new gun and somewhat better for a home defece situation.

Also i know it is kinda off topic but if you do have to go through the house for any reason dont try moving through the house with the shotgun pointed up. If you have the gun pointed down you and have to wrestle with an attacker you could still get a shot of in their direction. Posible taking out a knee and stopping the attack. If you had the muzzel in the air you would have little chance of bringing if back down to your target when the attacker is trying to keep it in the air.

I hope that made sence sometimes im not that good at conveying my ideas. Im not a LEO Im just a guy that tries to pick up what knowledge i can from wereever i can. So if anybody disagrees id like to know why.


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## DennyCrane (May 11, 2006)

You mean no one just empties a mag in each room "just to make sure"...

Damn mice........ :smt082 :smt082 :smt068


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## Baldy (Jun 21, 2006)

+1 With JW. Put wife on the phone with Police, and blast anything that comes through the door. UHH! Not the Police. Have her to tell them what room your in, and find out when they have got there. Don't want shoot them boys.


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## A_J (May 22, 2006)

To quote an article, which I pretty much agree with:

_"... I am a firm believer in the "safe room" concept. It follows the principle of the ensconced defender. This is a basic rule of small-arms conflict in a MOUT (military operations in urban terrain) environment. The principle says, depending on the layout of things and assuming conventional weaponry, it will take an invading force up to nine times larger to dislodge the defenders. In doing so, however, the invaders will suffer terrible casualties."_

In other words, stay put. So long as you family is all with you, there's no piece of property worth going out there for and putting yourself at a tactical disadvantage.


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

Having grown up in sketchy Groton, CT, I'll +1 what most everyone else said. If you aren't trained in room-clearing, don't do it unless you absolutely have no choice. Having no choice might mean having kids. There's no way in hell I'd barricade myself in a room and leave my daughter to fend for herself (no matter how annoying she may be at times), so I have to plan to go rescue her. Of course I will have an M4gery or a Glock in my hand when I do so, and I will be backed by an armed and angry wife.

Here in the real world, we can't call the Groton Town Police every time the wind makes a branch hit the window, or the cat knocks over a picture frame. So there is a place for room clearing skills...it's just made a lot tougher with a 28" shotgun compared to a pistol, a 16" M4gery, or even an 18" shotgun. Have you thought about buying an extra "riot" barrel for your Mossberg? You can usually pick them up for under $100.

And if you do catch a bad guy in your house, give some thought to what you'll do if he surrenders at the sight of your well-armed self. Tough to call 911 while juggling a shotgun. I say let him go, unless there's some compelling reason not to.

Most important thing is to have a plan. Having the wife call 911 while you cover the door is a good way to go. Again, house clearing sucks, but anybody on this board who claims he's never grabbed a gun to go investigate a noise is either a liar or has a really severe courage deficiency.

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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

When you can sit and wait, get the short barrel. I would also recommend a shotgun for the wife to have. Not many sounds louder at night in the darkness than the sound of a pump slide being racked let alone 2 slides being racked


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## nukehayes (Sep 22, 2006)

> =Have you thought about buying an extra "riot" barrel for your Mossberg? You can usually pick them up for under $100.


 Thanks a lot guys, for all the thoughts. No kids to worry about just yet and unfortunately, Mossberg does not make aftermarket barrels for its new 930 line of shotties. Trust me I would love a shorter slug barrel for deer. I have written the company a couple of times to try and get them to make/sell aftermarket barrels for it but probably to no avail. 
Most likely gonna go with the sit and wait. I have tried to 'clear' the house starting at my bedroom (upstairs), it's just not gonna work, my gun is too big:smt082 . Again thanks a bunch guys.


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

nukehayes said:


> Mossberg does not make aftermarket barrels for its new 930 line of shotties. Trust me I would love a shorter slug barrel for deer. I have written the company a couple of times to try and get them to make/sell aftermarket barrels for it but probably to no avail.


Ah, sorry, I thought you had the uber-common Mossberg 500. I have one (that I picked up for $82.50 at a pawn shop!) with an 18" barrel. It's still a big gun, so I'd prefer a pistol or M4gery if I had to clear my house.

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## Maximo (May 26, 2006)

I think I have mentioned this before, but this subject all depends on your home situation. In my house you walk in the front door you don't walk into a big entry way, you choose to go right or left. Left is my den, dinning room, kitchen, living room, master bedroom. Right is the guest bathroom, laundry room, two spare bedrooms. So my 8 year old sons room is on the opposite end of the house. I don't put TOO much faith in the security system. They do serve a purpose, if a BG sees the security sign in your front yard and comes in anyway he aint there to have coffee with you. I have a security system and the only time it ever went off I was only 5 blocks away and the cops showed up the same time I did. 
With the boys room on the other end of the house I have no choice but to clear my house myself, and quickly. I do have a couple of dogs as well, one barks at anything out of the ordanary and the other is big enough to spook off most anyone who does not belong.
I also clear the house with a handgun with a tac-light, a shotgun is fine if that is what you have, or are more comfortable with, I just prefer the handgun because I like to have my other hand free to carry a flashlight. If the dogs don't perk up at night I use the second flashlight because I am 99% sure it is my son up and about in the middle of the night and I don't want to use my tac-light attached to a 9mm to shine on him. If the dogs do perk up I let them out of my room first and use them to scout out the house first, which is kinda funny since one of thems name is Scout.
In a nutshell, I am a big fan of the security system, it is proven just the sign posted in your yard helps deter crime. Dogs are another great way to help alert you to trouble, and I prefer the handgun over shotgun to clear a house. These are the things and ways I use, but they fit my house and situation better than anything else. 
Since you don't have kids your situation is different. Think about your homes layout and get the tools and and training to fit your situation.


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## Waffen (Feb 8, 2006)

Safe room, call the police, an pray for the bad guy that he doesn't make the mistake of finding where we are located... It will most likely be the last thing he does..


W


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