My last two columns really have my leftist detractors’ panties in a wad. I’m not just speaking metaphorically about the feminists who don’t wear them. I’m also talking about the anti-gun Beto males who do. Given the fact that these columns on recommended firearms have caused so much emotional distress to my adversaries, there is only one reasonable thing to do: Keep writing them!
In this installment, we are sticking to the theme of a man’s three principal responsibilities; defending the family at home, defending the family away from home, and raising responsible gun-owning children. But in this segment, we enter into the realm of non-essential firearms choices. In other words, these three are not necessarily needed if you have the six I have already recommended. But the first two in this installment are awfully fun to shoot – and the third will extend your deer hunting capabilities, which is a legacy you will want to pass on to your children. So here goes:
Winchester Defender 20-Gauge. Please allow me to be blunt. I like big shotguns but I don’t like big women. If you’re like me, then you might end up with a discrepancy between the two. At night, you have a large frame shotgun underneath the bed and a small frame wife on top of it. You have to consider what happens if you are out of town and she is left in charge of defending the home. Obviously, many women do not feel comfortable shooting a 12-gauge – especially those who are smaller in stature. So the simple solution is to have a 20-gauge home defense weapon in your arsenal. It will get the job done. It is also better for yard pests (e.g. raccoons, armadillos, and snakes) than a 12-gauge.
By way of confession, providing the woman with something comfortable to shoot is not my only motive here. I just love shooting this gun at the range. It is lighter and has less recoil than a 12-gauge. And if you really want to have fun at the range you can find a semi-automatic version of a 20-gauge defensive weapon. Mossberg offers an SA-20 tactical that is hard to beat for that purpose.
Kimber 1911 Model .45 ACP. I previously recommended two carry weapons – one in each column – that could be comfortably shot by both a man and a woman. But this selection is a man’s weapon. Sadly, some people shy away from using 1911-style .45s because they have lower magazine capacities – generally only seven rounds. Such criticisms are misinformed. Put simply, you don’t need as many shots with the .45 ACP round. If you are shooting a 230-grain hollow point then you have a tremendous amount of knockdown power. Firing these heavy loads is like hurling a cinder block in a bar fight. Unless you are an actor in a bad Hollywood action movie, you’ll never be in a position to reach for the eighth cinder block. The fight will be over by then and your opponent will be leveled.
Also, note that the seven-shot magazine is an advantage in that it is a single stack, which makes it easier to conceal. And, speaking of ease of concealing, I like Kimber because they make 1911s with three, four, and five inch barrels. I find the intermediate option to be small enough to conceal. It is also easier to manage the recoil relative to the three-inch option. Others will disagree. And that is precisely why Kimber offers several options.
Browning A-Bolt .270. I recommended a good brush gun in the last installment of this series. But as you continue to teach your children to hunt you will want to expand both in range and in the type of game you are hunting. The .270 can really reach out when you load it with a flat shooting 130-grain round. This can help when you are trying to take out game that is found in wide-open spaces and is therefore difficult to approach. (Please accept my apologies for those who now have an obnoxious Dixie Chicks song stuck in their head). Indeed, it is accurate and powerful enough to take down a pronghorn antelope at 200 yards. Stepping up to the 150-grain bullet allows you to take down any deer including mule deer and axis deer (which often requires through-the-shoulder penetration to hit the deer’s heart).
Of course, this .270 is not capable of taking down some larger game found in the western (and far northeastern) United States. And that is precisely why this column series must continue with another installment.
… To be continued.
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