OT - locksets.

[Nonny]

Consider the Kwikset deadbolt with the numeric keypad. You can set it to automatically extend the deadbolt after some time interval, it's now self-handing and there's an LED to let you know the door's locked. I have the older model, which is great, but the newer one is smaller on the interior, easier to install and works fine. The key cylinder for Kwikset can also be mastered to any suitable key by the installer with no need for a locksmith.

I also second the thought that if a burglar wants in, he'll get in. However, the goal is to slow them down and force them to make as much noise as possible. With enough hassle facing him, he'll just go next door. With that in mind, I install my deadbolts and strike plates using long, hardened screws that go well into the crip. All you need to do is be careful to not overtighten them and warp the casing.

I once thought of Schlage as being good- better than Kwikset- but changed that misconception after installing 5 of their exterior door sets and deadbolts on my home in Raleigh. Within a couple years, the brass had turned black. I contacted Schlage and their attitude was, "Tough Luck, you're out of warranty. How about buying our NEW coated brass sets, which will never darken?" The words, Push, Cram and Shove came to mind.

[krw]

They also make insurance companies happy.

Yes, they tend to be cowards, also. If your neighbor's house is an easier target, that's where they'll go. Make yours less attractive (to them) and that's where good locks come in.

Right. Look at your neighborhood. If they all have bars on the windows, move!

[Larry Jaques]

On Sat, 01 May 2010 09:58:07 -0500, the infamous Morris Dovey scrawled the following:

Cool. BUT, I don't see why that guy was afraid of the little .22, do you? Maybe it was the loud noise it made which sent him back out of the house. He thought "Damn, that'll rouse the neighbors to call police.", I'll bet. He looked big enough to handle all 6 shots and keep on comin'.

P.S: Goodonya, Aunt Bea!

-- Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -- Raymond Lindquist

[Larry Jaques]

On Sat, 01 May 2010 09:40:19 -0500, the infamous Douglas Johnson scrawled the following:

Haven't you ever heard a large window breaking? It goes on for several seconds with loud tinkling sounds. It's damned noisy. Kicking a door in is one loud, low thud and it's over. No way to triangulate noise, but the window should have lasted long enough to locate, if anyone was in earshot.

Gloria never did get her $12,000 diamond ring back.

-- Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -- Raymond Lindquist

[Larry Jaques]

On Sat, 01 May 2010 16:06:19 -0400, the infamous "J. Clarke" scrawled the following:

That's good and scary.

I like this sign, too.

-- Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -- Raymond Lindquist

[Larry Jaques]

On Sat, 01 May 2010 09:13:52 -0700, the infamous Evodawg scrawled the following:

I've seen double mag-sensored windows, where the window can be opened to the second sensor. If disturbed when the alarm is set, the alarm goes off.

-- Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -- Raymond Lindquist

[Larry Jaques]

On Sat, 01 May 2010 13:30:23 -0500, the infamous " [e-mail]" scrawled the following:

With video confirmation of home contents stored offsite and updated annually.

-- Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -- Raymond Lindquist

[Larry Jaques]

On Sat, 1 May 2010 14:53:30 -0600, the infamous "Max" scrawled the following:

And they break in, see that, and immediately think "Wow, if this stuff is just lying around, I wonder where he keeps the really good stuff!" ;)

-- Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -- Raymond Lindquist

[Lew Hodgett]

------------------------------------------ Once again you speak while having your head where the moon doesn't shine.

Having shot tens of thousands of rounds of .22 long riffle hollow point rounds, trust me, it would be no problem to sever the spinal column resulting in instaneous death with a single .22 LRHP round.

Think of it as a baby dum dum.

Lew

[Rumple Stiltskin]

You think the old lady was shooting LRHP rounds? Seems a might far fetched.

[J. Clarke]

If you think that a .22 is nothing to be afraid of, then please shoot yourself in the head with one.

[Larry Jaques]

On Sat, 1 May 2010 23:30:15 -0700, the infamous " Rumple Stiltskin" scrawled the following:

The cylinder on that pistola was long enough and that style round is the self-defense default. Why does it seem farfetched to you? A Short is lucky to penetrate deeply enough to hit bone and stop, let alone stop an attacker.

-- Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -- Raymond Lindquist

[Douglas Johnson]

Granny rocks. But some target practice and a heavier caliber would be a good idea. -- Doug

[Douglas Johnson]

Bingo. -- Doug

[Douglas Johnson]

Those have been around since the 80's to my certain knowledge. I thought about buying them when I was having an alarm installed in a house I owned then. They were really expensive, so I didn't. -- Doug

[krw]

A friend of my uncle's bagged a black bear with a .22LR. One shot, between the eyes. She also bagged a polar bear (the rug was in their den), but not with a .22.

[Lew Hodgett]

----------------------------------------- My weapon of choice inside the home would a double barreled 12 GA sans barrels loaded with ))

[Doug Miller]

The weapon shown in the photograph is certainly capable of firing them.

[DerbyDad03]

re: "Consider the Kwikset deadbolt with the numeric keypad."

I just installed one of them a few weeks ago. So far, I love it.

I rarely used my front door in the last 20 years since I don't like to carry anything more than my car key and fob. My work building and office unlock with a card key - I just flash the wallet - and my garage has it's own keypad.

Now that I have the push button lockset, I use the front door much more regularly.

I had heard that you had to be more precise when installing these locks, but I'm certainly no locksmith and had no problem. The entry door I installed was pre-bored for the handle set, both door and jamb, but only the door was pre-bored for the deadbolt. After adjusting the handle set for the "one finger click" mentioned elsewhere in this thread, I bored the jamb for the deadbolt and it operates as smooth as can be.

One button locks the deadbolt on the way out, and a 5 digit code unlocks. Sweet!

[Nonny]

I don't know if they're commercially available now, but Remington made SUBsonic 22LRHP rounds in the 90's at least. The snap of a shot was greatly reduced. Of course, the energy level of the bullet was also reduced, but for small game, squirrels in a bird feeder or other critters/target practice, the rounds did just fine. Even a pellet rifle can be lethal, given where the shot hits and how long a time is allowed for a hit to become incapacitating. Most squirrel shots I made with the cal .177 pellet rifle were instantly lethal and usually even exited the skull. The trick was placing the shot well, not its lethality.

In home defense, there's a balancing act between a number of factors. For instance, a cal .357 or .44 Mag round would have tremendous hydraulic damage beyond the normal wound channel and the result would be a lot of instant stopping power. However, the round could also penetrate the door, walls or ceiling of a home and take out a neighbor as well. Hollow points reduce this some, but the best round would be the frangible bullets.

Another factor is how well you can aim and fire a big handgun. Most people, regardless of their bravado flinch when pulling the trigger. . . particularly inside. That flinch and make one heck of a difference in the aim point.

Finally, a gun for self defense is like a camera. One time on a cruise, we met a well known photographer who did a lot of wildlife shots for National Geographic. I asked him what was his favorite camera and he replied, "Any camera I have with me when I want a camera." Guns are like that as well. Sure, a cal .454 loaded with HP rounds would be the ideal pistol to stop some creep coming in your window, but if you have it in the closet because it's too big and heavy to have with you normally, then good luck. For most burglars and home intruders, any shot, whether from a cal .22 derringer, little auto or a .32 would be a good deterrent, whether just flashed, fired at the ceiling or at the intruder's center of mass. It's enough to make him depart, which is the goal.