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yards, anyone with a steady hand could put five slugs in five seconds into a nickel-sized bull's-
eye using this gun.
Figure 10-1. 10/22 Ruger with scope. Photo courtesy of Cabela's
6.Ifyouwishedtopurchaseasinglefirearmthatwoulddoubleforself-defense, huntingsmallgame,
and also stop a grizzly bear in its tracks, that would be a 12 gauge shotgun (see fig.10-2 ) . Cau-
tion: The 12 gauge shotgun has quite a “kick” to it.
Figure 10-2. 12 gauge Remington pump-action shotgun. Photo courtesy of Cabela's
A 20 gauge shotgun has much less kick and is nearly as lethal as a 12 gauge, so lighter-framed
men and women may find a themselves much better suited for a 20 gauge shotgun than a 12 gauge.
I know a couple who purchased a 12 gauge shotgun and after a single shooting session were so
intimidated by the gun's loud blast and kick that they never used it again. However, they are happy
with the subsequent purchase of a 20 gauge shotgun. As a “featherweight” 75-pound preteen male
child, I was quite proud of the fact that I could handle shooting a 12 gauge shotgun, but my skeet
shooting accuracy improved significantly when I switched to a lighter and less intimidating 20
gauge shotgun. As a self-defense weapon, a 12 gauge shotgun loaded with 00-size buckshot shells
will blast a spray of between 9 and 15 each of .33 caliber pellets (number of pellets depends on the
length of the shell) that will stop an intruder dead in his tracks. The same shotgun can shoot a rifled
“slug” that will pack a huge punch to drop a grizzly or “two-legged large animals,” and with shells
filled with dozens of smaller-gauge buck shot (#4 through #8) will spray wider patterns of shot to
effectively take down fast-moving water fowl and smaller game. Even though using a shotgun to
fire rounds of buckshot dramatically improves your chances of hitting your target, contrary to pop-
ular mythology, a shotgun must be aimed well, especially at close range, where buckshot spread is
minimal.
7. After a shotgun and a 10-22 Ruger rifle, you may wish to expand your collection with a .30-06
classic deer hunting rifle and/or one of the military style “defensive” rifles such as the .223
caliberAR-15( fig.10-3 ) andRugerMini-14,orthelargercaliber.308(M14/M1A)or.30-06(M1
Garand). The larger caliber rifles have better accuracy at longer ranges, but are heavier and cost
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