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Showing posts with label bullets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bullets. Show all posts

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Home Invasions: Information for Writers With Anti-Terrorist Expert Rock Higgins



___________________


English: A photo of S&W Mountain Gun M625-6 .45 LC
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Fiona -
This week, I posted an article on FB/Twitter about a recent home invasion, and Rock Higgins and I thought it would be an excellent blog topic.


Rock
Although I have written on this subject in my book, Meditations of a Modern Warrior, LINK there is more that can be discussed on this issue and here, Fiona Quinn and I will shed some more light on the subject of home defense.

Fiona -  
Let me say that my remarks are geared towards writers who are trying to write their scenes right, and Rock is the professional who will keep real humans alive and well. To learn more about Rock and his book go to this  LINK 

Let's take a minute first to explain the difference between a burglary and a home invasion.

A Burglary -

* Happens when there is no one home.
English: A door lock broken during an attempte...
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
* Usually happen during the day or when you
   are out of town. (So please don't put your
   fab plans for going to Paris out on social
   networks or make your plans generally
   known - you can share afterwards when
   you have the photos.)
* While some burglaries are done by
   opportunists, typically they are planned and
   the criminal knows quite a bit about you,
   your set up, your schedule, and your
    defenses. 
* If you get home and find something off - do
   not go in and investigate it alone. Call the
   police. Maybe you think one of your kids
   just accidentally left the door open.
   Minimally, you can get a neighbor to hang
   outside with your kids and the phone ready
    to dial 911 while you go do a 
    room-by-room.


Home Invasion - 

* Happens while someone is home. 
* A criminal who is coming into your home
   at night will assume that there is going to be a confrontation.
* Confrontations are to be avoided when possible. So it is important
    to be a HARD TARGET.
* Reason they might choose a home invasion:
   `Their plan may be to get someone to open safes or give pin
     numbers.
   `They plan a rape
   `They plan to inflict harm/kill the people inside


Being a hard v soft target

English: The "YL88 Digital Lock Adjustabl...
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
* Lock your solid-core doors with quality
   locking systems.
* Drill peep holes at your level and the
   children's level so they can see who is
   there, too.
* Lock your windows on all levels of the
   house not just the ground floor.
* Plant thorny bushes under your windows -
   and trim other bushes so that the criminal
   can not use them as a shield to hide behind.
* Motion detection lighting covering the 
   whole yard.
* Dogs 
* Consider a security system especially one
    that includes cameras. But if you can't afford a whole house
    system that is monitored, you can purchase the stickers and yard
    signs to put up. There are also portable alarms, designed for hotel
    stays, that are very inexpensive and can be used where alarms are
    not allowed (a dorm room, and apartment). 

    Remember noise and light make you a hard target. dark and
    quiet make you an easy target.  Link - this link takes you to a
    security store so that you can see the wide range of options. 
    (not an endorsement)
* A safe room set up. 
   `Simply a designated area to retreat to in an emergency. 
   `The children are taught to go there. 
   `The hinges are placed so the door swings out. 
   ` Some things that you might include: 
      A land line phone.
      Water
      Weapons
      Fire extinguisher
      Escape rope ladder
      Flashlight
  

Our Home Invasion Stories:

Rock-

      I was a young boy before my teenage years, my dad worked a shift system. My mom hated the night shift. At certain times when my dad was at work, someone would ring the front door bell or bang on the front door. As my mom went to answer the door, someone would climb over the rear wall and bang on the back door. When my mom went to the back, the front door bell would chime again and so on. This went on for quite some time. The local police were unable to catch whoever it was, and the neighbors never saw anything.

     My mom took to sleeping with a large carving knife under her pillow. My younger brother and I had no idea what was going on. Would I have liked to have been forewarned of events? Yes, definitely. Anyway, one night, my mom had had enough. When the front door bell rang (remember this is in the early hours so no one was coming round for a visit), she went to the front door and waited. When the back door was banged, she waited by the front door with the nib off so the door was open. On the next ring, she threw open the door; with  knife in hand she lunged. The guy had already taken a couple of steps back, and as he was confronted by a screaming woman wielding a blade, he legged it and would have been an Olympic sprint champion according to my mom.

     They never did come back after that and were never caught. When I learned of this story from my parents years later I asked my mom what she would have done that night, ‘I would have killed them’ she said and left it at that.

Are you trained in the weapons you have and are you mentally prepared to kill if it comes to that?


Fiona -

One day, I was home with my four small children when the bell rang. I went to the door and looked through the peep hole to find a man in a phone company uniform. I went to the window and saw that there was a company vehicle parked in front of my house. This was odd because we weren't having an issue with our phone. 
     So I called through the door, "May I help you?"
     "I'm here to fix the phone line..."
      My radar was up - something wasn't right. "We're fine. No issues with the phone. Thank you, anyway."
      He explained to me that it was my husband who had called, and he told me my husband's name. My instinct was that something was not right. I used my cell phone to call hubby to ask him what the issue was with the phone. My husband explained that he had switched our phone service, and we didn't even use that company anymore. My next call was to the police. I yelled through the door that the guy should get off my property, and he started kicking the door in, cursing at me, and ordering me to let him in. I had one of my children go press the panic button on our alarm. With the sirens wailing and whole house flashing red lights, I announced that the police were en route, and I had my gun aimed at the door, one more kick and I would shoot. He sprinted away, and the police congratulated me on not becoming a statistic.

So here I would caution you to  (or if you are writing this into a scene, then apply this to your character) premeditate a strategy. Know the applicable laws in the area you are staying and make decisions. Many of my friends will say, "I'd rather face 12 than be carried by six." My plan: I walk away, and my family is safe.

So Rock, what sparked this whole blog article for us was the story of the home invasion where the mother protected her family by firing at (and missing) the three teens who kicked in her door. Can you talk a little bit about guns and home safety?

English: Picture of a standard 'K Bullet' as m...
. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Firearms and Home Defense


Rock
Fiona has done a great piece on choosing a firearm for a heroine in a novel, and you can see it here: Choosing a handgun link

There is an inordinate amount of literature on firearms for home defense: rifle, shotgun, pistol. With the amount of choices, how do you really decide what is right for you? Well let me say this from the start, stick with a pistol, or a short barreled pump action shotgun at the most. Why? Well the tactics and the training to use a ‘Long’ effectively is 
far more complicated than using a ‘Short’. 

In this post I am going to ask more questions than give advice. This is because I do not know your circumstances. It’s your life, your home, your family. I can help point you in the right direction with questions you can answer.

Before you purchase your firearm get down the range and have a go with a few different types. Your hand size, strength and where you live (I will explain this a little later) all have an effect on the weapon of your choice. Also, take into consideration weak hand drills, that’s your none dominant hand, the weapon should feel comfortable for use in both hands with mechanisms that suit both dominant and none dominant hand firing.

But as you will see you may need to purchase two weapons, one for home defense and one for personal defense while out of the home.

Once you have chosen your weapon and are comfortable firing it on the range, the next step is to plan how you are going to defend your home.

Where you live will have some way to go in your weapon of choice and the rounds you use. Do you live in a block of flats, a house on a street, a semi or detached house? 

What are the walls like in your house, solid brick, plaster board, wooden or other? I ask this because if you live in a block of flats with thin walls, you don’t want a round hitting your next door neighbor while they are reading Virginia is for Mysteries, do you?  LINK

So two firearms: home defense may need .22 or a subsonic frangible round where as a CCW (concealed carry weapon) would employ a standard round for your weapon of choice. Bullet turorial

I have planned homes and night clubs for violent encounters. Why? Most home invasions happen at night and night clubs are dimly lit.

What is the first thing most people do on hearing a noise either outside, downstairs or in another room? You guessed it. They put the light on. This has now put the home owner on an equal footing with the intruder. You must get used to fighting in the dark. In the house it may be pitch black, or there may be ambient light coming in from outside. Either way, this is where the combat must take place, here you have the advantage.

When planning on low light combat, here you will also have to think about any attachments for your weapon:
* Torch (flashlight)? Not a good idea in my book. Remember you want the advantage, giving away your
   position is not having an advantage. 
* Laser dot light? Good if trigger activated, and you are already on target.


Your home must be planned with combat in mind.

* Can you move around your house in the dark without tripping
   over furniture, kids toys, cats or dogs? You should be able to. 

Fiona - Gosh Rock, and here I've been using the kid debris to make us a hard target. There's no way you could steal quietly through the room - and the thousands of lego pieces and marbles are special bonuses.

Rock - Yes,  toys make great noise traps when placed at points of entry. 
* Can your partner or kids move around in the dark to a safe room or escape from the home? 
* Do you have a plan for where you should meet up to count heads 
   in any emergency be it a home invasion or fire? Not next door for
   obvious reasons. 
* What about those who either don’t like guns or live, as I do, 
   where firearms are illegal? Well you are going to have to train in
   other weapons, knives, sticks, batons... Weapons can be placed 
   around the home either as ornaments or as purposefully located 
   weapons. 

Fiona - 
Ha! Don't break in at Rock's house. It will go badly for you. Here's hoping you all stay safe and sound. 


Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.



DISCLAIMER - This is a non-political site that is geared to help writers write it right, presenting information to help develop fictional characters and fictional scenes. In no way are we advocating any position or personal decision.
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Monday, July 22, 2013

Bullet Tutorial for Writers


.40S&W cartridge next to expanded hollow point...
.40S&W cartridge next to expanded hollow point bullet. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
DISCLAIMER - This is a non-political site that is geared to help writers write it right. I am presenting information to help develop fictional characters and fictional scenes. In no way am I advocating any position or personal decision




So things got pretty serious. Guns were drawn; a body sprawls on the ground. What the police find on the scene has a lot to do with what kind of bullet you as the author chose for this plot line.

If you need a tutorial about Step One - choosing a gun click HERE

Once your heroine has a gun in her hand, there are other things to consider. Let's begin understanding bullets and how they impact plot.



THE BASICS


* The bullet is just the top piece of the round - the part that hits the
   target.
* A cartridge or round is the entire component 
   (brass + powder + primer) When the primer is hit by the hammer 
   or firing pin, it ignites the powder in the shell, forcing the bullet 
   in the only direction it can go - down the barrel of the gun.
* The caliber is a measurement of the bullet. (If the bullet has two
   numbers the first is the width of the bullet the second is the
   length of the round.)
* Another way to measure a round is by grain the higher the grains
   the more the bullet weighs - the slower it goes and the deeper it
   will penetrate.



INTERMEDIATE - How to read a bullet box:

Jackets

*Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) - the entire case is encased in metal,
  offering the most penetration through your  target. The base is 
  exposed showing the lead.
*Total Metal Jacket - (TMJ) - The entire case including the base
  is covered
*Semi-jacketed (SMJ)- or just (J) for jacketed - the jacket only
  goes half way up the bullet.


Tips



.22 hollow point     9mm hydro-shock      9mm FMJ round nose/tip


Flat Point - (FP) has a flat tip (pictured below - left)

.
Round Nose - (RN) (below center) - This bullet will not expand in
      size with impact; it will continue on its trajectory. 

      This is an author's decision if she wants the victim to have an 
      exit wound, to die of impact/blood loss, or for the bullet to hit a
      secondary object or person. All of these would could result
      from a RN Click HERE to go to my blog article on Blood
      Spatter.
A cut-through of a hollow-point bullet. The pr...
A cut-through of a hollow-point bullet.  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hollow point -(HP) the tip is hollow. When it hits its

      target it will expand very quickly to almost 3x it's 
      original size. This means that the bullet expresses 
      the power inside of the body, damaging more 
      tissue than a round nose bullet. This expansion 
      also reduces the chance of a bullet exiting the 
      body and hitting someone nearby. This is safer 
      for self defense where innocent people are 
      nearby. This type of bullet creates massive pressure
      and the victim is likely to die of a brain embolism.
      Click HERE to go to my blog article on EMS and
       gunshot wounds.


Video quick study: First Science TV Round Nose v. Hollow Point (2:08)




Author's own picture. 9 mm pistol cartridge

9mm flat tip                     9mm round tip                    9mm hollow tip
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)



ADVANCED - Information about calibers



Baby Bear

.22 is cheap so it's good for target practice, but has minimal penetration - not great for defense.

Video Quick Study (5:56) This is a little in depth but shows him weighing the bullet (grains) and measuring the bullet for caliber, and also ballistic tests through testing medium.

.25 is used in small pistols it has a big kick - so a lot of recoil.
.32 penetrates a little deeper than a .380 and has less recoil  
.25 for a very small gun this is a good self-defense round


Mama Bear

38s and 9mm are the same size bullet. One is calculated in inches, and one is calculated in metric.The three kinds of 9mm  from smallest to biggest:


.380 Auto vs. 9mm Luger
.380 Auto vs. 9mm Luger (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
.380 and 9mm Short are the
   same (9x17) a little more
   power than the 38 special - 
   goes in a small pistol.
* 9mm Makarav (9x18)
* 9mm Luger is also known on
   the box as a
   9mm Parabellum (9x19)
   These are accurate far
   away, up close they are devastating. At 15 to 20
   feet your character might have to hit a guy 6 times
   to stop him if he's drugged up.
   (This is the bullet I shoot in my Springfield)


This is probably as big a caliber as your character needs. But if you are trying to make a decision between giving your character a 9mm or a .45 here is a good comparison video
 9mm v .45 bullet (17.31)


Papa Bear

.40 is the same as a 10mm. But a 10mm is really a .40 caliber magnum (I'll explain in a second) The .40 does not have the penetration of the 9mm because it is heavier and takes more power to shoot.

.45 is highly effective in dropping the target in one shot.

Video Quick Study: 10mm ammo energy test   (7:28) go to 3:50 mark


Rabid Klondike Mama Bear Protecting Her Young -or-What is MAGNUM?

A magnum round is a high powered round. So for example you can have .22 magnum or .45 magnum
* Lots of recoil
* Painful to shoot
* This is for hunting (a back up when an angry bear is running full
   tilt at the heroine) not usually for self-defense.
* IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU USE A MAGNUM IN A GUN
   THAT CAN HANDLE IT -
   The gun must be designed to handle magnum bullets unless of
   course you want your heroine to put a .44 magnum (name of a
   round) or .44 special (name of a round) and blow her gun apart
   because the gun couldn't handle the pressure.

Popular wisdom says, a bullet shot from any handgun at a distance of three feet will probably stop anyone. Most of the time a civilian is shooting, it is that close in range. Stopping power is not as important to a civilian as it is to a police officer whose range moves out to nine yards. So your gun/bullet choice depends on who is doing the shooting and why.


Sonic v. Subsonic Bullets Shot with a Suppressor - 

Brian Coates, U.S. Marine Corp., veteran

LINK Nottoway Shooting Sports




PLOT TWIST - One thing that I should point out is that just because a bullet will load into the gun, it does not mean that there will be success in shooting it. A particular round might misfire or jam. Once you know which gun is being used, research which bullets work best. Though, this could create a plot twist for you. Perhaps your heroine is new to the gun scene and buys a weapon for self-protection, purchases some bullets, loads it all up and there is a catastrophic failure. She could be hurt instead of the villain.


Image publicly distributed source unknown

VIDEO 1 - Bullet Basics 101 (8:01)





Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.