Poor widdle pirate....

[Passages]

Wish I didn't read that article Salty.

I can not believe there are people who buy into that drivel.

Hang the bum. Scuttle any ship suspected of piracy.

I'm sure someone knows where these pirates hang out on land. Let's have a few cruise missles drop in and break up their party.

 

[saltshaker]

I remember a story where a 17 yr old was shot on a NYC subway. He was shot by a man who was trying to stop him from mugging a female passenger. The 17 yr old had a knife to the woman's throat. The shooter never came forward. When the 17 yr old's mother was interviewed. She stated that her son was a good kid who got in with the wrong crowd and was making some bad decisions. She went on to say that the man who shot and killed her son probably did the right thing because her son very well may have hurt or killed that woman.

Really no different from the good brave fisherman turned pirate. If the mother of a kid gone bad can understand he went down the wrong path and needed to be stopped, then so should everyone else. Like Baretta said "don't do the crime if you can't do the time"

 

[ThirdHatt]

They WERE / ARE Vermin. Unbelivable...

Captned

223. the caliber suited nicely for pirates....

Speaking of calibers nicely suited for pirates, I've wondered about that recently myself. We will probably not be able to purchase semi-automatic rifles legally for much longer so there is no better time than the present to invest in self defense while it is still legal to do so.

I narrowed calibers down to 223 and 308. I have a preference for the look of a classic wooden high power rifle as opposed to the machine gun/terrorist black plastic look. For me the choices boiled down to a Ruger Ranch Rifle, which is the newest version of the well respected Mini-14 and a Springfield M1A which is the current version of the venerable M14.

I was having trouble deciding which to go with when the Admiral asked what she would shoot if I had the only rifle so we soon decided it would be best to have both. Hopefully we will NEVER actually need them and just practice at the range from time to time but we felt it was important enough to get them now before they are against the law to purchase.

Better safe than sorry!

 

[saltshaker]

Speaking of calibers nicely suited for pirates, I've wondered about that recently myself. We will probably not be able to purchase semi-automatic rifles legally for much longer so there is no better time than the present to invest in self defense while it is still legal to do so.

I narrowed calibers down to 223 and 308. I have a preference for the look of a classic wooden high power rifle as opposed to the machine gun/terrorist black plastic look. For me the choices boiled down to a Ruger Ranch Rifle, which is the newest version of the well respected Mini-14 and a Springfield M1A which is the current version of the venerable M14.

I was having trouble deciding which to go with when the Admiral asked what she would shoot if I had the only rifle so we soon decided it would be best to have both. Hopefully we will NEVER actually need them and just practice at the range from time to time but we felt it was important enough to get them now before they are against the law to purchase.

Better safe than sorry!

A very close friend of mine spends 6-8 months per year cruising solo. He has had a few situations were he was off on his own when a suspicious looking vessel started towards him, correcting course as he changed course. He tried to radio the boat but no response. Each time he grabbed his shot gun, sat in the cockpit and made sure he and it were visible while waiting to see how the approaching vessel responded. Fortunately every time the other vessel changed course. He has never needed to aim or fire the gun for protection but he feels having it on board has saved his boat and most likely his life.

 

[Trojan]

China had the same problem. They caught the pirates. Lined them up. Made them kneel and shot them all in the head. End of the pirates.

BILL

 

[stormchaser]

So he will get the bleeding heart libertards to feel he has the right to kill and steal from others because he has less.

The US needs to give some of these impoverished countries help in the form of birth control. If you cant feed em don't make em. No reason others should die for their irresponsible procreation.

he was on board with a gun uninvited and demanded control of the ship. GUILTY and ready for execution. No need to give him 3 hots and a cot for the rest of his life. That would be too good for him and many more would follow thinking they could do worse.

Agreed 100%. Putting him is jail is like a vacation...it's FAR better than his previous life. Doing so will only encourage this kind of behavior..."hey, if I become a pirate and get caught, I will get shelter and food for life...sounds good to me."...nope, 1 bullet is far less expensive and far more effective.

 

[MikeP]

I'd recommend a Ruger mini 14 in stainless steel and a Mossberg Mariner (which is also stainless) as perfect defensive "boat guns." I don't think of an accurate bolt action rifle, nice as it may be, as a primary weapon for this purpose though it may be good for picking off pirates!

 

[Passages]

I'd recommend a Ruger mini 14 in stainless steel and a Mossberg Mariner (which is also stainless) as perfect defensive "boat guns." I don't think of an accurate bolt action rifle, nice as it may be, as a primary weapon for this purpose though it may be good for picking off pirates!

I think we've visited this before and concluded a marinized 12 gage pump to be the most versitile primary weapon. If you must have one rifle, I'd opt for a Remington 700 in .308. SS frame, wood stock. Reason being 308 is the NATO standard and you can go deer hunting with it.

 

[Sparky1]

Speaking of calibers nicely suited for pirates, I've wondered about that recently myself. We will probably not be able to purchase semi-automatic rifles legally for much longer so there is no better time than the present to invest in self defense while it is still legal to do so.

I narrowed calibers down to 223 and 308. I have a preference for the look of a classic wooden high power rifle as opposed to the machine gun/terrorist black plastic look. For me the choices boiled down to a Ruger Ranch Rifle, which is the newest version of the well respected Mini-14 and a Springfield M1A which is the current version of the venerable M14.

I was having trouble deciding which to go with when the Admiral asked what she would shoot if I had the only rifle so we soon decided it would be best to have both. Hopefully we will NEVER actually need them and just practice at the range from time to time but we felt it was important enough to get them now before they are against the law to purchase.

Better safe than sorry!

This is one instance where I'd forget about pretty and go for something downright intimidating as in "machine gun/terrorist black plastic look." I'd stick with a .223 also for a number of reasons.

Nothing says, "don't fork with me", like walking out onto the deck (or your front porch) with a scoped AR15 with a 40 round clip protruding below it. Sure, if you fancy yourself a big game hunter, go for the M1A. Otherwise you're talking a lot more expense all the way around, and a lot more weight to carry in terms of gun and ammo.

I wonder if anybody is making (or will be making) hi-cap clips for BAR's?

BAR as in the high powered rifle with pretty wood.

 

[Passages]

.223 is a bit weak if you want to penetrate hulls & such. Plus not very versitile for hunting. Small game OK, but most States want .240 or larger for deer.

A scary looking assault rifle will also generate more scrutiny from law enforcement where a standard pump shotgun or semi-auto rifle will be just as deadly but recognized as a defense weapon.

 

[ThirdHatt]

This is one instance where I'd forget about pretty and go for something downright intimidating as in "machine gun/terrorist black plastic look." I'd stick with a .223 also for a number of reasons.

Nothing says, "don't fork with me", like walking out onto the deck (or your front porch) with a scoped AR15 with a 40 round clip protruding below it. Sure, if you fancy yourself a big game hunter, go for the M1A. Otherwise you're talking a lot more expense all the way around, and a lot more weight to carry in terms of gun and ammo.

I wonder if anybody is making (or will be making) hi-cap clips for BAR's?

BAR as in the high powered rifle with pretty wood.

I completely understand your points Randy and I certainly agree that the black plastic look is much more intimidating, but honestly I was also giving consideration to what the port authorities have to say when traveling by boat and checking weapons in and out of the Bahamas, Central American and Caribbean countries. The fact that the black plastic look is certainly more intimidating is precisely why I feel that I would have a better chance of convincing the authorities that my "personal protection" weapons are just that and they would hopefully be less likely to confiscate or lose my old-looking wooden rifles versus the fancy new "in" weapons like AR-15's, etc.

Another point that I considered is that I would hope to keep the potential threats far enough away so that they can't really see if I have a wooden stock or a black plastic one and they will turn away after they hear the loud bang of the unmistakable 7.62NATO round. I went with the combat/tactical version of the Springfield M1A, the Socom 16 which has a muzzle brake that is VERY loud to anyone not standing directly behind the weapon. I like the 223 caliber ALOT, but it simply does not have the power at the longer ranges to put holes in boats that the 308 has. Did you know that the military has re-issued the venerable M14 in Afghanistan and Iraq because snipers were complaining that the 223 simply did not have enough power to do the job when it got to their targets? TRUE! Like I said, I just couldn't decide so I went with BOTH. Look into the Springfield Socom 16 and I think you will be impressed. It is quite intimidating and well respected in military and tactical circles.

I have just received a bunch of the newly released Ruger factory 30-round mags for the Mini-14 and a dozen of the 25-round factory mags for the M1A. I am also seriously looking at ordering a Beta C-mag 100-round drum for each gun as well but your point about extra weight really comes into play there. Something tells me that weight may not be too much of an issue considering the adrenaline rush that will be flowing at the time of need!

 

[MikeP]

An FMJ 223 fired from an M16-length barrel will punch through 5/16 steel at 30 yards; at far longer ranges it will easily go through one side of your hatt hull, through the various interior walls and, unless it hits the engine, out the other side. The point at which it could no longer do so is far beyond any range you could ever hope to hit a boat from your boat.

Not saying you shouldn't carry whatever makes you feel good but the .223 is plenty adequate for this purpose and volume of fire is what you want...the world's military discovered that in WWII. Can't imagine ANY boat encounter that would occur at "long range" because you cannot just start shooting at people approaching you. They would have to either attempt to board or be shooting at you first before you would have a prayer of not being arrested and in jail for MANY years if you fired upon someone because they looked suspicious or whatever.

 

[Passages]

No question 223 can be a deadly deterrent. My point is if you want a "do anything" caliber, I'd suggest 7.62 (.308).

Price of ammo is about the same, why not go for the added punch?

 

[ThirdHatt]

Not saying you shouldn't carry whatever makes you feel good but the .223 is plenty adequate for this purpose and volume of fire is what you want...the world's military discovered that in WWII. Can't imagine ANY boat encounter that would occur at "long range" because you cannot just start shooting at people approaching you. They would have to either attempt to board or be shooting at you first before you would have a prayer of not being arrested and in jail for MANY years if you fired upon someone because they looked suspicious or whatever.

Adequate is great, but sometimes a situation such as we are imagining may very well require more than adequate firepower. I would NEVER shoot first or at a boat that simply looked suspicious, but often the bad guys will shoot to get you to stop or slow down to allow them to board and then it is perfectly legal to defend yourself with return fire. Even then I would shoot warning shots across their bow, and preferably with a really LOUD and intimidating fire-spewing weapon. The next step if they persisted would be to put a bunch of holes in their boat or better yet disable their engine. This is where the difference between 223 and 308 may be the difference between being able to get away from them or not.

Both calibers are excellent, so I got one of each. There will always be more than one person on board a cruising vessel, so why not more than one defense rifle?

 

[Captned]

Springfield Socom 16 - $1700 - $2100. OUCH! How about an SKS?

Captned
MBMM

 

[Bill Allen]

Trial is there some question of what he did? Are you trying to prove he did or didn't do it thats what a trial should be about. Save money, give him the penalty. I don't get it so they blew it and we should feel what sorry? Would we feel pity poor him if they had pulled it off? Bill

 

[ThirdHatt]

Springfield Socom 16 - $1700 - $2100. OUCH! How about an SKS?

Captned
MBMM

There are other rifles that vary greatly in price that are chambered for 308, I just chose the Socom 16 because I liked the short barrel for use on a boat so it suited my needs best. The SKS are still available at resonable prices and while they are more potent than the 223, the SKS/AK-47's shoot 7.62x39, while the 308 shoots the larger 7.62x51.

I personally would not be 100% comfortable with a Russian, Chinese, Romanian, Albanian, Yugo or other foreign-built SKS to save some money but that is just me. Hunt around and you can still find a genuine Springfield M1A for $1200-1400 or so. American made, American quality.

 

[MikeP]

I think we're getting a bit paranoid with all this heavy firepower talk...there are no Somali pirates on the Ches bay, LI sound, ICW, Biscayne Bay or along the Gulf coast. Where are you guys going?

 

[ThirdHatt]

I think we're getting a bit paranoid with all this heavy firepower talk...there are no Somali pirates on the Ches bay, LI sound, ICW, Biscayne Bay or along the Gulf coast. Where are you guys going?

LOL, you are right but who knows what the future will bring. I know that my wife and I plan on extensive cruising the Bahamas, Caribbean and Central American countries on our own boat some time in the future so that is why we decided to invest now while it is still legal to do so. Although somewhat rare here in the Americas compared to the coast of Africa, there are recent records of pirate encounters in the Caribbean and Central America. There's nothing wrong with planning for the future especially when it may not be legal to do so for much longer.

Other than trips to the range, the rifles will be stored safely until the time comes for extended crusing. The pistol and shotgun should be more than enough firepower for the areas that we cruise now and in the near future.

Remember, it's better to have a gun and not need one than to need a gun and not have one.

 

[Walter P]

Mike, Of course there are pirates in all the areas you mentioned. They go by other names - boat yards, marine supply stores, marine insurance companies and others.........

By the way, what the heck, what's wrong with a 460 Weatherby Magnum? No one has mentioned it yet. A couple of well placed shots at the waterline...presto boat gone, pirates feed fish, fish help rebuild the coral, more fish return and the former fishermen turned pirates return to fishing thereby ending the problem. (Thinking like this has not gotten me very far).

Walt