[Lucas Groom]

Well, I thought I might never need to draw down on someone, but I did last night. My wife and I were awoken last night at approx. 2230 by a Radio Shack motion detector I recently installed after some thefts in the area. It covers the entrance to my carport and the side-yard that leads to my backyard. This has happened before, but both times it was a stray dog. However, as we all know, the sheepdog in us demands an investigation. I quickly grabbed my ArmaLite AR-15, and tucked my SA loaded into my pajama pants and cinched them up tightly. My wife picked up her SA micro compact in .45 and got the phone ready. I went to my bathroom window to see if a dog could be seen in the yard. I saw nothing and decided to check under the carport. I snuck over to the door so that my hardwood floors would not sqeak, and silently unlocked my deadbolt. As the door came open I saw nothing and I decided to quitly peek around the corner to actually see into the carport. I was fairly ready to go back to bed and didn't expect to see anything, but one must be vigilant, right? As the last bit of the carport came into view I saw a figure in the shadows. He was standing quietly as if contemplating how to get through an unused door to our kitchen he was looking at. I observed no weapons but that meant nothing because his hands were not visible and he was wearing clothing that could probably conceal a chainsaw. I decided at the time that it was better to simply call the police than confront the person. He didn't even know I was there, so why escalate the situation? I felt comfortable that I was much better armed and would be at a great advantage inside my home if he chose to enter. My hallway provides outstanding avenues of fire for the defender. As I backed away from the corner with AR at the ready, I heard him jiggling hard on the kitchen door knob. That sealed in my mind that he wanted in. I remember getting angry at that. I continued back in, but he must have given up on the kitchen door and decided to try the back door next because he walked quickly around a boat I had in my side yard and thats when he noticed me. I felt my finger slide down to the trigger. He had no visable weapon and I had to really make myself put my finger back straight on the side of the trigger gaurd. He was startled by my presence and looked unsure of what to do next. He did, however, square up his body with mine. I didn't like that. I took the initiative and squeezed my surefire light on and began yelling at him that I was armed and ready to shoot him if he approached me. The light literally caused him to throw his arm over his face and stagger backward. I remember being impressed. I ordered the individual to the ground and explained to him that if he were to run I would blow his head clean off (of course I had no intention of that, but he didn't know it). My wife had the police on the phone and they showed up with lightning speed. It was literally only about 90 seconds. As soon as I saw the first black and white round the corner, I layed my weapons down behind me and just pointed at the BG. The first officer ran up with gun drawn and waited about another 30 seconds for the second officer, and the cuffed him. Eventually 5 cruisers including a K9 unit responded. In the course of their search they found a large fixed blade buck knife under his loose shirt and he kept saying that he knew me and that he was just out looking for cans to recycle. The cops laughed. I laughed to..... nervously. From what the LEO's told me, he was hopped up on something, probably speed. It was chilly out and I was shaking a bit, but I don't think it was from the cold. I think it was all the adreniline with no place to go. The LEO's were OUTSTANDING and very professional. They told me that I did things just right, and that I have every right to defend my property and family, and that I ought not worry about the LEO's here giving me a hard time for going out my front door with an AR-15 (as long as I have a good reason). Did I mention I live in Arkansas? Good state for rkba. Any critique on my actions will be appreciated. Learning is the point here on this forum, and I am ready and willing. Be safe all!
Luke

 

[Powderman]

No critique, you did well. Good for you and your family!!

One question--is your light mounted to the rifle?

 

[crucible]

Well done Luke!

C-

 

[mitrod3]

a thumbs up:

those darn lights are really a good line of deterence before you start blowing holes in someone. mine is within hands reach of the bed and when I practice on the wife and kid they can't see squat.

oh....if I tucked my 1911 into my pajamas it would hit the floor as there aren't any pajamas. i figure the shock factor of seeing me in the buff :mummy: would gain me plenty of time to empty a mag if the threat was viable and I had to.

be safe, shoot well......if you have to.....and hope you don't ever have to. :rock:

 

[Brass Balls]

You did well Lucas. Congratulations for making your neighborhood safer.

I think it was smart that you took the time to observe what was going on before confronting. One of the biggest risks I see in a scenario like yours is that a lot of these dirt bags work in pairs or teams. It's easier to be flanked when one is outside than from a defensive position inside the house.

 

[HP12C]

+1 for the good guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nice job and don't it feel wonderful to KNOW you have the right tools for the job? An AR with a white light - very nice.

Glad it all worked out.

 

[Supernam]

Awesome! You could totally submit what you just wrote to Surefire for publication! Maybe they'd even give you a complimentary flashlight. :biglaugh:

Anyway, nice work! I always imagine myself telling a perp that I catch in the act to not run or I'll shoot, even when I know that I can't.

 

[Pacman]

Good job!

Like BrassBalls said, I assume you were moving your eyes around to make sure you weren't being flanked by an associate of the BG. Other than that it sounds good and a good detailed description.

Chris

 

[DirksterG30]

Well done!

You did good, Lucas. Sounds like you & your wife had a plan already worked out.
You also had the presence of mind to catch yourself putting your finger on the trigger and then remove it. Good catch.

 

[master gunner]

Good job Sir.

 

[LSCurrier]

Great job!!

Nice to hear when the good guys win.

Luke

 

[Custom-guy]

Good job brother! I bet he never thought he would be going up against a sure fire that just so happend to attached to your AR-15! I bet he was FREAKIN OUT.

oh....if I tucked my 1911 into my pajamas it would hit the floor as there aren't any pajamas. i figure the shock factor of seeing me in the buff :mummy: would gain me plenty of time to empty a mag if the threat was viable and I had to.

Also, mitrod3! Thank you for the laugh this morning, when I read your post I was laughing out loud (LOL) and had tears in my eyes. That was so funny to me, So thanks for starting my day off right. :rock:

 

[gman552]

Well done!

 

[NaturalSelector]

You did well brother... Not much to say or improve on from my standpoint... Glad everyone is safe and unharmed...

Nicely done.. :rock:

 

[BreacherUp!]

Lucas, well done. I think you also demonstrated to those who do not like light mounts b/c it might make them look uber-tactical, or some crap like that. Right tools for the job.

 

[Sheldonj]

I took the initiative and squeezed my surefire light on and began yelling at him that I was armed and ready to shoot him if he approached me. The light literally caused him to throw his arm over his face and stagger backward. I remember being impressed.

A while back I got in a argument on a discussion group abut just how effective a good light is, they give training to others and claim that a good tac light is useless, and makes you a target. By your above statement I guess I win they loose. BTY Good Job.:rock:

 

[Kimber Dude]

...one question - is your a neighborhood that is conducive to firing a .223 in the dark of night? I ask only because I live in suburb that is too crowded for me to use my carbine at night instead of a pistol. I'd also like to know what ammo you had the AR loaded with - I have my .223 and 12 ga. loaded with the new Hornady TAP LE rounds, which fire some tight groupings.

 

[toaddrc]

Good use of telephone, and cautious approach.

Hmmm, this story also tells me that I need to investigate a quick way to safely carry my .45 acp Springfield if I get popped out of bed. I have an IWB holster but that would take to long to rig up. A cheap shoulder holster maybe?

I have a INOVA light in a charger by my bedside, along with a cell phone and my land line phone. I need to get a lanyard for the cell phone in case I have to move out instead of waiting( fire and shots maybe).
I gave in to temptation recently and got a Bushmaster Carbine 16 inch barrel, M4 profile, and a value pack of 50 grain hollow point, Federal American Eagle. Need to get a seperate flashlight mounted and a pressure switch for the carbine. The "clack" of a charging handle isn't as loud as a Remington 870 pump being racked, but what the hey. I'm getting old and I like the light weight and low recoil of the carbine.

 

[Lucas Groom]

My street sets next to a wooded area that hides a highway about 2 miles away. Though the total distance a .223 round can travel is farther than that, I figure the trajectory of the round would send it through lots of trees first, and even a wild shot would have a severely limited chance of striking an unintended target. Is is totally safe? No. But if you live in an area with any surrounding population, no firearm is ever perfectly suitable in a defensive situation. There are, however, houses next to mine in the direction opposite that of the woods (and the intruder). In hindsight these are factors that honestly did not cross my mind at the time, but do warrent consideration. I thought about those concerns long before this event took place, and decided on a course of action prior to hearing my alarm go off. I admit to being on autopilot for the most part. There are certainly scenarios where taking my .45 would be a better choice, but I've always considered a pistol as a secondary weapon when my AR is available. The AR undoubtedly has far superior energy in the .223 cartridge, but as we all know much of that may not be expended in the intended target when it passes through, even though I'm currently using Black hills hunting ammo which is designed to expand. Perhaps I would be better served by limiting the AR to interior defense, and thus providing a greater chance of the round being stopped prior to exiting my residence. The federal hydra shock rounds in my SA would surely be a force to be reckoned with, but sometimes I worry that leaving the AR indoors limits the "shock factor" that a BG might experience upon seeing a "mean" rifle. It seemed to help this time (in conjunction with the surefire of course) I suppose the jury is still out on that, but thanks for the input. I will consider it further. Maybe this is just another situation where a 12 gauge with 00 buck is best suited (if you can deak with the long barrel length). Sorry my posts are so long, I've been thinking about this a lot!

 

[toaddrc]

Well one of the reasons I went for a poodle shooter 5.56mm carbine is the resarch that I've been doing on the net. While the primary thing is to be aware of what is in back of your target, the possibility of over penetration really concerned me since I live in an apartment complex. The following are some what typical of what I've been finding on the .223 round.

http://www.ammo-oracle.com/

http://www.olyarms.com/?page=223articles

More than you want to know. But it seems in the FBI testing that large buck and heavy pistol rounds penetrate structure more vigoursly than the .223 jacketed hollow points do. Which is why a lot of people go to the smaller shot sizes for indoor shot gun use. A center of mass hit with a good JHP .45 acp hopefull will not exit. A hit with a .223 with a light JHP may exit but it will probably be going pretty darn slow. The 55 grain jhp seems to be popular with a lot of the police agencies for indoor use from the anecdotal information I've been reading.