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Thread: Hat trick

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  1. #1
    Join Date
    4th April 2005
    Location
    Arizona Territory
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    Hat trick

    As many of you know, I live in a very rural area that is full of various types of wildlife. ...both grazing and top tier predators, ie, mountain lions and black bears.

    Following are three self defense encounters that have occurred since February of this year, involving 3 different 1911s in 3 different calibers. None of the calibers (.38 Super, 45auto, 10mm) were maxed out ....far from it. All three situations involved one or both of my dogs, all three were hectic and sights weren't used in any of them.

    .1 I've lost count of the rattlesnake encounters that have happened on the property, typically focusing behind the rattler's head, taking the shot while closing the distance. February, walking a very young terrier mix and trained German Shepherd on a horse lead line.
    We encounter a young, coiled rattler. ...the terrier went around in back of the rattler, aggressively barking as I draw while shortening the lead line. The GSD and I have have gone through thousands and thousands of rounds together, so as I draw he knows it's game on. The rattler strikes towards me several times, finally getting the terrier to back off a bit....I walk in front of the sitting GSD to take the shot, but the GSD wants to see the action which tugs on the lead line a bit....causing the shot to hit slightly to the left. Still a decent shot at close range, Colt Government, 38-Super, Double Tap 115gr Barnes TAC-XP bullet.

    .2 Terrier is outside and his barking is at a frenetic pace, experience tells me to have 1911 in hand....as I go around the corner of the house I notice the terrier is in the midst of 3 pit bulls. ...oh . The largest one sees me, bares its teeth, snarls, growls and charges. As I'm bringing up the 1911, the second pit bull makes contact in the groin area, shot on the first was about a half second later. Contact pit bull disengaged and I double tapped it.
    Reconstructing, it was closer than I first thought, #1 was impacted at its left eye socket/bone and exited right behind lower left jaw. Scary part was its bared snarled teeth were frozen in time. The first shot was taken at about four feet distance, even with Colt in hand, this encounter went down extremely fast and I was using peripheral vision on the first shot. ...needed to be sure that the terrier was not in the line of fire. Colt Government, Lew Horton version of the combat/target, 45auto, Federal 230gr HST+.

    There is a feral dog problem here, in fact, professional hunters were contracted to eradicate two feral dog packs between February and April. Of the four feral dog attacks that I've been in during the last 9 years or so, all six dogs have been pit bulls. This attack was the quickest and closest.

    .3 I engaged Bob Serva at Fusion to use his experience to craft a purpose built 10mm Commander to be used in night time encounters. It's simply a numbers game here, go out the front door thousands of times knowing there will be an encounter someplace on the property. Crazy things can happen during the monsoon season, one night it was a neighbor (over a mile away) who lost a pair of large Rottweilers to a roving mountain lion. For the last little while I've carried the railed Fusion in hand while taking the dogs out at night.
    Last night it was instant rattle as the GSD and I went out the front door, fortunately he understands the "INSIDE" command and I was able to deal with the very close problem on the porch. This rattler was only about 3 feet from the doorway, TLR-1 on, porch light on along with Streamlight HL-3 all illuminated the small viper very well. Coiled on concrete between large planters and the house, I was somewhat reluctant to take the shot, but with a racing heart I took the shot and the Diamondback seemed to jump a couple of feet into the night air. What a mess on the concrete and side of the house. I went back inside, wife had heard the rattle and the 10mm seemed a little loud....but it took several minutes for me to collect myself and for my heart rate get back to normal.

    Fusion Commander 10mm, Double Tap 125gr TAC-XP. Bullet expanded while traversing the coil, left a large exit hole mid body, large entrance hole and it took out about 4" of internals before exiting near its tail.

    I like 1911s for carry, the platform is a natural pointer, meaning 1911s are very quick on target and split times of ~.15 are doable with self defense ammunition and practice. The ammunition used in these three calibers felt very soft on the hands.

    Hat trick unplanned, three calibers used in five months, one platform kept me safe.
    NRA Life Member since '67

    "Never interrupt your enemy when he's making a mistake."
    Napoleon

  2. #2
    Join Date
    4th April 2005
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    Arizona Territory
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    Small, short Diamondback morning after on dirt part of driveway.

    Should have added that a red tailed hawk recycled this viper w/i a half hour of taking the above photo.
    NRA Life Member since '67

    "Never interrupt your enemy when he's making a mistake."
    Napoleon
    Last edited by horse 91-A1; 21st July 2015 at 17:09.


  3. #3
    Join Date
    20th December 2010
    Location
    West Michigan - Ottawa Co.
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    Thank you for sharing.
    Thank John M. Browning for the platform.
    Thank God for you.

    You are truly Blessed.
    "Where is the wisdom that we have lost in knowledge?" T.S. Elliot
    Dominus Vobiscum . . . <))>(

  4. #4
    Join Date
    4th April 2005
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    Thank you for your kind words, service to our country and welcome home.

    For me, it seems like the 1911 is very fast on target and the first shot is quicker than other platforms. SAAMI spec 10mm handloads (180gr, mid 1200s) don't produce the muzzle flip of the popular LEA G22/G23 in 40S&W.

    FWIW, in talking with a rancher friend of mine, his wife nearly stepped on a rattler as she was descending their front door steps....same day as my encounter. The rattler was dispatched and recycled in an appropriate manner, life goes on.
    NRA Life Member since '67

    "Never interrupt your enemy when he's making a mistake."
    Napoleon

  5. #5
    Join Date
    24th July 2015
    Location
    Texas, y'all
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    One Saturday morning, I'm sitting on the couch watching one of the woodworking shoes on PBS and I hear my wife outside screaming. She had gone out to get the mail and she's now at the street screaming. Apparently, there was a snake about 5 ft long laying right at the front edge of the step up from the patio to the doorway and she had stepped across it while exiting the house. She didn't notice it until she was coming back in the house which resulted in the screaming and her running back to the street. I see that it is a Texas Rat Snake, so I pick it up and toss it over the back fence into the greenspace behind my house. Rats, I'll kill on sight, snakes (since they eat rodents), I'll release some place safe.

    I grew up on a ranch, so we had our share of problems with dogs that would get in packs and attack calves when they were being born. If I saw a dog on our property, it was fair game for a bit of target practice. Had a doberman jump out at me one night when I was investigating a noise and I shot a 12-gauge from the hip. Found the body the next day. If you care about your dogs, you should not let them run wild. One of the dogs that we currently have is a female pit bull and she gets along with everyone and doesn't have a problem with other dogs. Probably the smartest dog that I've ever had. That's probably not saying much since most of them have been rather stupid.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    26th December 2009
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    Alaska
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    What a great story! Sure glad you came out on top of them all! I live in alaska and like you've said, prefer the 1911's for carry for all the same reasons you've mentioned. I used to pack the larger horsepower stuff cause bears can take some doing to stop, but they always ended up left in camp, or in the truck, or in the boat due to the cumbersome nature of carrying them, so I've arrived at the 10mm and a rowland that I occasionally carry. Seems like some pretty good shooting to be whacking snakes with them! My hope is that with the size of a bear, if I wait till he's close, I might not miss! Had a small blackie INSIDE the garage last week and was fixin to shoot him, but worried if I hit him wrong and the bullet passed through my plate glass window in the back, or if it glanced around and tore up a bunch of stuff in the shop, or if the bear didnt die right away, how much damage and mess he'd make flailing about Finally resorted to moms old proven trick and ran him outta there smacking a couple frying pans together!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    24th July 2015
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    Texas, y'all
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    Never had to deal with a bear in an enclosed space, but having grown up on a ranch, I have a bit of experience in large animals that can be dangerous in certain situations just be their size even if they don't have sharp teeth and claws. Basically, don't get in their way / in their escape route. Just in case you are curious, the "muddy" area in a coral will soften your landing after you fly through the air, but the solids are not dirt and the liquid is not water -- if you get my drift.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    4th April 2005
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    Arizona Territory
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    Fortunately we don't have Texas length rattlesnakes here, do Texas rattlers strike out high or low?

    Lots of rain, for the desert, has fallen here. ...mild winter, spring and summer temperature wise. Very young rattler dispatched on the front yard, late afternoon in the shade so I'm wondering if some of the holes in the ground have been filling up with rain water.

    Out the other night with the dogs, no sound, and there was a bear off in the distance huffing and it was comforting, for lack of a better word, to have a railed 1911 in 10mm. I loaded a large batch of 200gr WFNs that have a 0.320" meplat, COAL 1.260". While this bullet at this COAL loads very well in G20 magazines, it can only be loaded as the top round in Metalform magazines. On property carry is 200gr WFN in chamber and top round in magazine, not optimal for a defensive situation, but it's back to load work up for reliable functioning out of a loaded magazine.

    Always something going on here, but gazing at the immensity of the Milky Way during our cool evenings is breathtaking.
    NRA Life Member since '67

    "Never interrupt your enemy when he's making a mistake."
    Napoleon

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