Do you carry protection when you go detecting?

[tabdog]

Hi Folks,

I started carrying a hand gun after being jumped by
a durggie in a park while metal detecting.

I already have a Davis Ind. derringer that shoots 32
auto,

Yesterday,,,, I saw a sign at the sporting goods store
down the road. It said;

* 5 day gun sale *
30 to 50 percent off

I just had to stop. Then I just had to have this,

Here is a closer look at both of them,

Size comparison on tha 32 auto,

The American Arms is a little less than 1/2 inch longer,
and a little slimmer and about the same height. It is
less bulky than the Davis Ind. 32 auto.

After I bought it, I went out and shot a box of shells out
of it. (50 rounds) I also took some 2 inch thick phone
books to compare the penetration of these two guns,

I got to shoot a lawyer and his car?.... lol

Here are a few bullets I recovered.

In the initial test was two shots from each pistol into
a fresh phone book that was backed by another phone
book.

The results were;

NAA 22 Mag <> 2.1 inches of penetration
NAA 22 Mag <> 1.9 inches of penetration
Average penetration <> 2.0 inches

This 22 Mag bullet was sticking into the second phone
book, so I called it 2.1 inches,

Davis 32Auto<> 1.4 inches of penetration
Davis 32Auto<> 1.2 inches of penetration
Average penetration <> 1.3 inches

According to my questionable Arkie test, The NAA 22
Mag may have about 35% more penetration.

I believe that both pistols may have about the same
amount of energy, but, the smaller 22 Mag makes a
smaller deeper hole.

I have shot another box now.

After shooting several types of targets with both pistols,
I believe the 22 Mag is more likely to penetrate clothing
and other obstacles.

Conclusion;

They are both very loud!!! (for little guns)

The American Arms 22 Mag is a 5 shot revolver. It can
carry five rounds without the firing pin resting on a shell.
That allows me to safely carry it fully loaded .

The American Arms 22 Mag with a 1 and 1/8 inch barrel
is very well made and is far more accurate than the Davis
Ind 32 Auto with a 2 and 1/4 inch barrel. I can shoot three
or four times as far with about the same accuracy as the
32 auto derringer. The action with the 22 is smooth, and
the trigger pull is nice and crisp. (no play) All five rounds
can be fired rapidly with reasonable accuracy for close up
use.

The Davis Industries 32 Auto is very cheaply made with a
terrible trigger pull and it almost takes both hands to cock
it. It gets pocket grit in it and will not rotate the firing into
the upper barrel sometimes!!! It just does not seem as
reliable as the 22 Mag. But it does what it is supposed to
do most of the time.

I am happier with my new little companion.

I saved myself about $25 in about 30
minutes.

I wanted a pocket holster for my new
NAA 22 Mag.

I could have got one like these for $20
plus shipping,

But, instead, I just made one out of an
old billfold that had thin soft leather. I
like it better..... It's soft leather and it
covers the hammer,

I know my sewing looks bad,,, but that
ain't no biggie for this old Arkie.

I know a fella that has been carrying an
American Arms 22 Mag for ten years and
loves it. I am starting to see why.

After leaving the shooting range, (down tha road), I took
a few photos out my car window.

Thought you all might like a little Arkie sight seeing,

Happy Huntin,

Tabdog

 

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[VaNative]

DigginThePast, Thanks for the welcome!
I have never fired a PPK/s but I will tell you that the perceived recoil on the PF-9 is less than on my Magnum Reasearch Baby Eagle in 9mm which surprised me considering the PF-9 weighs less than a pound loaded and the Baby Eagle weighs 2.3 pounds loaded.
The PF-9 is a DAO pistol which took some getting used to as everything else I own is DA/SA but after 100 rounds I was shooting consistant 3" groups at 25'.
I have put over 500 rounds (mostly el-cheapo range rounds) through it and have never had a malfunction. Overall a decent gun for the price and comes with the Kel-Tec lifetime warranty.

 

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[bigwater]

I have a Walther PPK/S. It was my grandaddy's. It's more of a collectible for me, so I don't carry it. It's a .380 though. I didn't even know they made a PPK in 9mm. I mean, I can shoot 9mm rounds out of it if I breach load them one by one, but the length of the 9mm rounds prevents me from loading a clip. Maybe 9mm shorts... i've never tried it.

 

[Hardy]

Up here we need no protection , aint nobody going to bother us except only to ask questions about the hobby

 

[cavador del oro]

One can run into bad people most anywhere. But if one shoots somebody one had better have proof of self-protection and no witnesses to the contrary. For most people who kill someone their lives are changed forever. And too they always will be worried that some friend or relative will seek revenge. For these reasons and more I tend to stay away from the more dangerous locations.
--Snowy

 

[kenley]

Bigwater..a.380 is a 9mm short (kurtz)

 

[Monty]

I carry concealed and for a great part of my life I carried a firearm on duty. I have seen people shot on many place on their body and with a dozen different calibers and it all was not a pretty sight. I have also seen them cut, stabbed, beat with a baseball bat and an occacional tire tool! One of the worse was beat in the head with a telephone receiver! And although I carry a weapon and would feel naked without it I hope I never have to use it to kill another human being. That doesn't mean I wouldn't, just that I hope I don't have to.
That being said, it is my experience that if a person is shot with a small caliber handgun in the torso, and he is intent on removing your liver with a knife, he will probably be successful. The only one shot instant stop I have seen with a "pea shooter" or "mouse gun" handgun was an irate drunk husband who had beat his wife and was chasing her around a car saying he was going to kill her. After about three laps around the car she stuck her little .22 LR handgun over the top of the car and fired. It was like David and Goliath. One lucky shot right between the eyes (unlucky for him) and he fell like a rock DRT (dead right there). I saw another man shot 6 times in the chest with a .22 and talked with him at the hospital. He was drunk as usual and his wife had planted six shots in his chest at close range. All of the bullets were lodged in his breast bone or a rib with no apparent serious injury. He swore he would kill her as soon as he got out of the hospital! Another man was shot in the chest at a convenience store robbery with a .25 auto. The doctors couldn't find the bullet. They finally found it lodged behind his knee! The little bullet had deflected down from a bone and traveled the entire length of his torso and leg and lodged there! He walked out with just a couple of bandaids!
But I have also seen several dozen men put down with a single shot from a .40 S&W, a .45 ACP or a .357 magnum. The 9mm penetrates pretty well but I have seen several walk away from being hit by it. I am talking stopping power vs killing here. Although a greater percentage of those I saw shot with the larger calibers were fatalities. Just a few "war stories" to consider.
Me? I carry a S&W New Chief Special in .45 ACP or a Glock M23 40 S&W. Monty

 

[bigwater]

Bigwater..a.380 is a 9mm short (kurtz)

Yes, I realize that. I even stated in my post that I have shot 9mm shells in my PPK/S, however I can't load standard 9's in a clip. I have to manually load them through the ejection chute, and then manually dig the brass out after they hang up on ejection due to being too long for the ejection mechanism. My PPK is a .380 and the only point I was trying to make was that I didn't realize that the PPK/S was offered as a standard 9mm. I thought they were all .380.

 

[DigginThePast]

Hey bigwater, I was just reading replies in this thread. I went back and read my post regarding the PPK/S and VaNative's Kel-Tec. It looks as though I was referencing my PPK/S as being chambered in 9mm which I did not mean to do, poor wording on my part. It is in fact a .380.

I wouldn't be shooting 9mm from a .380. The 9mm develops 35,000 psi while the .380 develops 21,500 psi. You could blow up the gun, lose a hand, maybe even get killed from this practice. The case of the 9mm is also 2mm longer than that of the .380 so it is surprising that it will even chamber.

 

[bigwater]

So your lady friend is getting bruised by a .380ACP? She must be of the "delicate princess" type. I understand the blow back method and short recoil on the PPK/S is a bit harsh, but if it's enough to bruise her, a gas recoil 9mm isn't going to be any better. A Colt 70 series .45ACP might be something she could try. Even though they are a bigger shell, the lower muzzle velocity and longer stroke recoil seems to soak up a lot of the force. They don't seem to jump around in your hands as much even though the bullets tumble so much it's sometimes hard to hit the side of a barn with one.

 

[Shortstack]

I'll soon be carrying (with CCW permit/license) a kel-tec like the other guys - it's the right price for me in 9mm caliber. If I was really scared and not betting that I'll only have to use it on the off chance, I'd carry either a derringer like the guys above or a revolver like soe of the other fellows. Your revolvers and derringers are not going to fail like the other weapons like my semi-auto subcompact example. If I was hunting in a shady area I'd rely on either a speedload or make sure I had enough options for any number of people coming provided you can hit a target at 10-20 yards.
guest

Hey, guest:
I carry a Kel-Tec P-11 (9mm) and think it is a fantastic little piece. It is cleared for +P ammo and comes with a 10 round, double-stack clip. It's clip is replaceable with a S & W 5200 series clips that can be found in capacities up to 30 rounds.
Anyway, if you get a Kel-Tec, also get their steel belt clip and the steel slide follower. That belt clip is almost a necessity for easy concealment. They also have clip extension pieces to provide a place for your little finger to rest while sighting the weapon. An additional reason to get that belt clip is that it comes with 2 replacement pins for installing it and those pins are steel, where the pins they'll be replacing are fibre. Those replacement pins are a couple of millimeters longer so as to allow for the thickness of the springsteel clip.
I have found the Kel-Tec people very good to do business with.

 

[Seamuss]

This thread sounds like a reason to carry a pistol for the purpose of carrying then actually protecting ourselves.
The area that I detect is not the old west where people want to gun you down for being in their location.

If I feel that my life is in that much danger, then I would keep moving without headphones on and stay away from danger locations.
The parks in my area just aren't that dangerous. Never saw a gun fight yet and I have been detecting for a couple of decades without looking over my shoulder. I do get a panhandler approaching me once in a while. But no reason to pull a gun for that.

 

[bigwater]

I carry more for protection from critters than I do from people. I can spend days prospecting/detecting/hiking/camping in the forest around my home and never even see another human being. Bears, bobcats, feral dogs, even rabid racoons are another story though. I may see two or three bears and a half a dozen big cats out there over a couple of days. That's why I carry something with enough stopping power to punch through a small block chevy engine... if I were ever to get charged by a bear, I would want to drop it and not just piss it off. You can't do that with a .22 deringer. I've never been charged, and try to give them wide berth when I see them as much as possible... but I'm not wandering miles into the forest without a gun. It just ain't happening. And since my house sits two miles inside the forest in the first place, I don't walk out the door without a gun

 

[Monty]

I carry concealed because I have personally seen too many people dead or seriously injured in places where there would ordinarily be nothing to fear. Most human animals don't tend to rob or kill the poor, or stalk their prey in poor neighborhoods. The go to the places normal or wealthy people tend to congregate. Your local parks or recreation facilities are ideal place to be accosted. You may go your entire life without needing to defend yourself but that once can make you very dead. That's very dead as opposed to just a little bit dead! I have a way with words! Anyway, very few people who choose to carry concealed are of the so called "cowboy genre". That is a term that is coined by anti-gun people and a proven misnomer. Very few people who are licensed to carry firearms ever have to use them and the percent of those who are licensed to carry that violate the law is too small to even keep track of. It is proven that licensed handgun carriers are the most law abiding people in our society contrary to what the anti-gun crowd might espouse. I carry because I have been trained to be safe doing so and I refuse to be a victim. And as I stated I have no desire to cause pain or injury to any other human being or small animals, except squirrels, and I hope I never have to. Monty

 

[Shortstack]

I carry concealed because I have personally seen too many people dead or seriously injured in places where there would ordinarily be nothing to fear. Most human animals don't tend to rob or kill the poor, or stalk their prey in poor neighborhoods. The go to the places normal or wealthy people tend to congregate. Your local parks or recreation facilities are ideal place to be accosted. You may go your entire life without needing to defend yourself but that once can make you very dead. That's very dead as opposed to just a little bit dead! I have a way with words! Anyway, very few people who choose to carry concealed are of the so called "cowboy genre". That is a term that is coined by anti-gun people and a proven misnomer. Very few people who are licensed to carry firearms ever have to use them and the percent of those who are licensed to carry that violate the law is too small to even keep track of. It is proven that licensed handgun carriers are the most law abiding people in our society contrary to what the anti-gun crowd might espouse. I carry because I have been trained to be safe doing so and I refuse to be a victim. And as I stated I have no desire to cause pain or injury to any other human being or small animals, except squirrels, and I hope I never have to. Monty

DITTO. Well said, Monty. That ONE time can last a LONG time. Ever since I began concealled carry, I've noticed it is easier to work around and avoid potentially lethal situations. After over 2 decades in active duty Army and Air Force, my training in weapons handling is more than adequate. I don't look for trouble and try to avoid it, but, I will not be backed against the wall.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

An "Amen" from the choir.

I have several fire extinguishers in my home and on the boat. Nobody calls me a "wannabe fireman" because of that. And I don't go lighting matches and tossing them around the livingroom just for an excuse to play with the extinguishers.

Same with a firearm.

In Karate my Sensi taught me to avoid a physical confrontation however possible . . . to a point. And when that point is reached to react fast and follow through as necessary to end the situation.

 

[golddigger14s]

Just bought a Kel-Tek PF9, and applying for a CHP. I'm not paranoid, but I at least want to have the ability to carry if I want. Like a Boy Scout always prepared.

 

[Seamuss]

Eat garlic to keep the insects away. Protects against vampires also.

 

[DanB]

Well I too support the point and click option......guns don't kill people.....people kill people...out here in AZ we have an open carry law....when metal detecting I try and have the least amount of metal on my person....less interference with the high end metal detector...I leave the cell phone in the jeep.....and my gun of choice for carrying when out MD'ing would be my FN 57....a nice carbon fiber light weight pistol, fully loaded it holds 21 rounds and weighs less than my glock 45 un-loaded.....The FN is carried out in the back country because of the range and power, and in town I prefer the glock 21 .45 cal....
I was out at the mining claim.....and had a very large mountain lion follow me around for a day....it kept its distance and stayed on high ground....and I tell you it sure felt good knowing I had my peacemaker....and felt even better knowing I didn't have to use it.
Now when I spend time on the claim, I keep the FN on my side and an AR-m4 near by.....after talking to the local rancher he had informed me that the cat will attack if given a chance....and warned me not to turn my back on the cat....he fears it will attack again....he says it regularly kills his cattle...the rancher told me flat out if I shoot and kill it he would reward me handsomely....needless to say that was the last time I saw the cat...now when ever I go back up to the claim....I try and play music loud...burn a fire and hope that will detour the cat from coming around...I enjoy the wild life...and the cat is apart of the eco system, I have no plans on shooting him but if he chooses to violate my safe space.....well, then he will get a warning shot over the head..and if he chooses to ignore the warning shot well....I guess I will collect from the rancher...

After reading all the threads the only thing I would recommend is if you choose to use your weapon...shoot to kill...because a dead man can not come back and sue you for wounding him....and put away the .22 cal...all you are going to do is just wound them and possibly get your self hurt....use something that has some stopping power.....and don't use ball ammo....use hollow points or wad cutters they have better stopping power...the bigger the round you use the better your chances are of surviving the ordeal....its odds and statistics...use it in your favor not theirs...I had a friend that was shot with a .22 in the head....he complained of having a head ace.... and lived.....I all ways told him he was hard headed...I guess I was right....he was shot at close range....the bullet was intended for somebody else and the shooter missed his mark and my friend was the unlucky victim.....don't worry about my friend he made a full recovery...

Good luck and HH

db

 

[poorhunter78]

I would carry the Springfield (Xtreme Duty) XD-45.

 

[Seamuss]

This thread talks more about arming yourself then it does about really protecting yourself. The heavy duty rifles I saw here are a little bit excessive for metal detecting. If the nieghborhood that I detected in was that dangerous then I would get a german shepard the size of an elephant to stand gaurd. That's why I use the buddy system for detecting. Dangerous people don't want the attention of a crowd.