The sound of a racked slide... - The Firearms Forum

Nolaphoto1 · 02-19-2010, 09:43 PM

Tonight, my wife and I walked home from our neighbor's house three doors up the road of our quiet and old neighborhood. We're in our 30s but the average of the residents in our neighborhood is probably closer to 50. It's a quiet neighborhood and free of crime. It's exactly the kind of neighborhood that makes it easy to let one's guard down.

So after walking the few doors down, my wife went straight inside and I decided to move my car. I was in front of the house and I wanted to put it in the driveway. So I checked my mirrors, and backed slowly. All of a sudden, a figure appeared in my mirror. He was walking away from me on the same side walk I was parked adjacent to. I would have seen him in front of me if he had in fact come from in front of me. I watched him and he walking faster than someone who is just casually out and about at night. Was he fleeing?

Quickly, my attention turned to my wife. Was she inside. Yes. I saw her go in. Then I thought, this guy must have been between the my house and my neighbor's, which would have put him dangerously close to the path my wife took into the house. I threw the car into park and ran inside.She was inside and OK. I checked the house real quick...nothing appeared disturbed or missing. I ran to my office in the house, grabbed by XD-9 Tactical and shoved a magazine in the well. I went out in my backyard armed with my pistol and a 3 C cell Maglight to check if my shed had been broken into. The shed looked secure and the boat was in place.

Now an important note must be made. I am in the middle of replacing my wooden privacy fence. Due to the rain and frigid temps, all I have in the ground are the 4x4 posts. In addition, my neighbor's rear fence has two fence boards that have been knocked out for some reason. It's been like that since the last hurricane loosened up all of our fences.

So, back to tonight. I am looking around and see nothing out of place. So I start to wonder if we happened to foil this guy's plan. So I peeked inside and told my wife to turn out the usual lights. She obliged. I went back to the side of the house peeked up the street to see if I could see if this guy might be hanging around. I didn't see anything at first but a minute later, I saw a guy walking back in my direction. Was this him?

I went back in my blacked-out backyard and waited. Then I head the sound of footsteps in the grass. They stopped. I peeked around and he had paused. He was stopped between the houses, feet between him and my side door. I heard him take one more step and that's when I racked the slide, thus chambering a round.

The sound of a racked slide sends a powerful message. When he heard that noise he called out "WOE STOP STOP STOP" and that's when I emerged from hiding and shined that powerful light straight in his face. I had the light in one hand and the gun pointed dead at his chest with the other. Fifteen feet separated us. He wasn't gaining an additional inch.

He was smart. He chose to not make a move. I asked what he was doing sneaking between the houses. He replied he had just cutting through. I told him I saw him the first time and that I better not catch his ass again. I asked his name and address. The address he provided matches the house that would be behind me and one over....the fence with the missing boards.
I told him to go around the block like everyone else and that next time I might not be as calm.

After the event I went inside and phoned the sheriff's department. I just wanted to go on record that I did temporarily detain someone trespassing on my property and that I did in fact present a firearm but did not discharge it. They sent a deputy to take a statement and inspect the firearm. The deputy actually made a point to tell me that it was good that I had a firearm to protect the home.

dld · 02-20-2010, 09:03 PM

good for you

but what if he tried to jump you before you could rack the slide?

you keep your cool and I bet he won't sneak around your house no more

armedandsafe · 02-20-2010, 10:25 PM

Quote:

I head the sound of footsteps in the grass. They stopped. I peeked around

Quote:

but what if he tried to jump you before you could rack the slide?

Sounds as if Nola had situational awareness enough to preclude that.

Pops

mncarpenter · 02-21-2010, 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nolaphoto1

The sound of a racked slide sends a powerful message.

Yes it Does! story time

I grew up on a farm in western Iowa in the 60's and 70's, long before political correctness had gained much ground. Dad farmed from 1500 to 2000 acres(depending on availability of rental ground) and custom farmed for neighbors to boot. As a consequence, worked 20 hrs a day in the summer,and Mom was home alone most of the time. Dad taught her to load the Remington Model 11 shotgun, "just in case". One day, Mom spots this big black Cadillac pulling into the driveway, very slowly, and got scared. She grabbed the Remington, and a handful of shells. The Caddy pulls down into the yard, and Mom sees that there are 4 black gentlemen in the car, and that scared her even more... she stepped out onto the front stoop with that old Remington and jacked the cocking handle and let her fly. Nothing like the sound of a Model 11 or a Browning A-5(same gun basically). You can hear that sound a mile away, and these guys had their windows open.They didn't even stop, just pulled around the circle and left in a much bigger hurry than they came in.We gave Mom s**t about that for years. Now she would probably get sued.
I also scared the crap outta my older brother when he snuck home one night and was getting gas from the farm barrel, I heard him and was home alone. I was about 14, and had just bought a Win 94, 30-30 at Woolco for 70.00. It was about 10-11 pm, and scared the crap out of me, I stepped outside and jacked that lever action and hollered at him to get the h*** outta here or I'm gonna shoot. It was kinda comical, seeing him beg like that. Then he knocked the snot outta me. True story.

Nolaphoto1 · 02-21-2010, 05:13 PM

Well, my backyard was blacked out...no lights. The only light was from a power pole mounted street light in front of my neighbor's home. From where I was I knew he would have to enter from a lit area to a dark area and that his eyes wouldn't allow him to see well the first few seconds. That street light sheds no light in my back yard. So I had that to my advantage. Secondly, I have never had to present a gun for purposes of defense or security. I never put my finger in the trigger guard until I am ready to shoot. Having never been in this situation before, I didn't want to risk an accidental discharge due to the excitement of the situation. This, combined with the lighting and my concealment, led me to think that the more powerful statement would be for him to hear the slide while his situational awareness was compromised. I could see him but he couldn't see me. I wanted to diffuse the situation rapidly but as safely as possible. In addition, had he been able to disarm me, he would first believe the gun to be in full battery. He would have pulled the trigger and nothing would have happened, thus buying me additional time.

Was my choice of actions tactically the correct actions? Probably not. However, like I said, my inexperience in this situation led me to choose what I thought was the more powerful message. I think I used my environment to my advantage. Had this been a day time encounter, then I would not have relied on the sound of the slide. I would have been at full battery and would have relied on the visual presentation of my gun and a stern voice to gain both a physical and psychological advantage in the situation.

JLA · 02-21-2010, 09:58 PM

That sound will make you poop a little. I know from experience... story time... When I was about 13 my friends and I were not so bound by fences and no tresspassing signs. So on one of our summer fishing journeys we attempted to cross this old mans backyard to get to his 5 acre pond and fish a little. Well he was in the hay shed out back and saw us jump his fence, he snuck around the back of the shed and waited for us to throw a line before sneaking up on us with an old ithaca m37. That action slamming was the single loudest sound I have ever heard followed by "yall little S*** done F***** up now". I think we all pooped a little. After pleaing for our lives and somehow surviving the situation he turned out being an alright old man and granted us permission to fish his pond...

Maximilian II · 02-23-2010, 03:49 AM

Nolaphoto+situational awareness= it worked out right.
"Anyhuman"+situational awareness= it's more likely to work out right.

The VERY FIRST most important thing in any potential or occuring battle is an awareness of what is really going on.
I'm a huge fan of the "fustest with the mostest" but that's useless if it goes to the wrong place.

Good work Nola.

45nut · 02-23-2010, 01:41 PM

sorry double post

45nut · 02-23-2010, 01:42 PM

Good for you Nola. Glad you were able to diffuse the situation without any harm to your family.

JLA,

The old man just wanted to scare the crap outa you before he could be nice.

JLA · 02-23-2010, 08:04 PM

I know... He was an evil old guy, but turned out to be one of the best people a 13 yr old boy coulda ever known. He helped keep me and my posse outta alot of trouble. Through the next few years. And boy did that stock tank bear some big bass

02-19-2010, 09:43 PM	#1
Nolaphoto1 V.I.P. Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Houma, LA Posts: 109	The sound of a racked slide... Tonight, my wife and I walked home from our neighbor's house three doors up the road of our quiet and old neighborhood. We're in our 30s but the average of the residents in our neighborhood is probably closer to 50. It's a quiet neighborhood and free of crime. It's exactly the kind of neighborhood that makes it easy to let one's guard down. So after walking the few doors down, my wife went straight inside and I decided to move my car. I was in front of the house and I wanted to put it in the driveway. So I checked my mirrors, and backed slowly. All of a sudden, a figure appeared in my mirror. He was walking away from me on the same side walk I was parked adjacent to. I would have seen him in front of me if he had in fact come from in front of me. I watched him and he walking faster than someone who is just casually out and about at night. Was he fleeing? Quickly, my attention turned to my wife. Was she inside. Yes. I saw her go in. Then I thought, this guy must have been between the my house and my neighbor's, which would have put him dangerously close to the path my wife took into the house. I threw the car into park and ran inside.She was inside and OK. I checked the house real quick...nothing appeared disturbed or missing. I ran to my office in the house, grabbed by XD-9 Tactical and shoved a magazine in the well. I went out in my backyard armed with my pistol and a 3 C cell Maglight to check if my shed had been broken into. The shed looked secure and the boat was in place. Now an important note must be made. I am in the middle of replacing my wooden privacy fence. Due to the rain and frigid temps, all I have in the ground are the 4x4 posts. In addition, my neighbor's rear fence has two fence boards that have been knocked out for some reason. It's been like that since the last hurricane loosened up all of our fences. So, back to tonight. I am looking around and see nothing out of place. So I start to wonder if we happened to foil this guy's plan. So I peeked inside and told my wife to turn out the usual lights. She obliged. I went back to the side of the house peeked up the street to see if I could see if this guy might be hanging around. I didn't see anything at first but a minute later, I saw a guy walking back in my direction. Was this him? I went back in my blacked-out backyard and waited. Then I head the sound of footsteps in the grass. They stopped. I peeked around and he had paused. He was stopped between the houses, feet between him and my side door. I heard him take one more step and that's when I racked the slide, thus chambering a round. The sound of a racked slide sends a powerful message. When he heard that noise he called out "WOE STOP STOP STOP" and that's when I emerged from hiding and shined that powerful light straight in his face. I had the light in one hand and the gun pointed dead at his chest with the other. Fifteen feet separated us. He wasn't gaining an additional inch. He was smart. He chose to not make a move. I asked what he was doing sneaking between the houses. He replied he had just cutting through. I told him I saw him the first time and that I better not catch his ass again. I asked his name and address. The address he provided matches the house that would be behind me and one over....the fence with the missing boards. I told him to go around the block like everyone else and that next time I might not be as calm. After the event I went inside and phoned the sheriff's department. I just wanted to go on record that I did temporarily detain someone trespassing on my property and that I did in fact present a firearm but did not discharge it. They sent a deputy to take a statement and inspect the firearm. The deputy actually made a point to tell me that it was good that I had a firearm to protect the home. __________________ Jeff Gun List: Beretta A300 12ga., Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk1, Savage 10FP heavy barrel .308 w/ 4-12x 50mm Ballistic range finding scope and Harris bipod, Bushmaster AR-15 M4-A2, Springfield Armory XD Tactical 9mm, Marlin Model 60 .22, Browning Buck Mark .22, and Springfield Armory 1911-A1 Stainless Steel "Loaded," Browning BL-22. I also "shoot" with Canon cameras. Does that count? Wish list: H&K USP, Beretta 92-FS, CZ-75B, Anschutz 64MPR, FN-FAL,& an M-1 Garand --> Last edited by Nolaphoto1; 02-19-2010 at 10:01 PM..

02-20-2010, 09:03 PM	#2
dld Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: some where south of here Posts: 42	Re: The sound of a racked slide... good for you but what if he tried to jump you before you could rack the slide? you keep your cool and I bet he won't sneak around your house no more

02-21-2010, 05:13 PM	#5
Nolaphoto1 V.I.P. Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Houma, LA Posts: 109	Re: The sound of a racked slide... Well, my backyard was blacked out...no lights. The only light was from a power pole mounted street light in front of my neighbor's home. From where I was I knew he would have to enter from a lit area to a dark area and that his eyes wouldn't allow him to see well the first few seconds. That street light sheds no light in my back yard. So I had that to my advantage. Secondly, I have never had to present a gun for purposes of defense or security. I never put my finger in the trigger guard until I am ready to shoot. Having never been in this situation before, I didn't want to risk an accidental discharge due to the excitement of the situation. This, combined with the lighting and my concealment, led me to think that the more powerful statement would be for him to hear the slide while his situational awareness was compromised. I could see him but he couldn't see me. I wanted to diffuse the situation rapidly but as safely as possible. In addition, had he been able to disarm me, he would first believe the gun to be in full battery. He would have pulled the trigger and nothing would have happened, thus buying me additional time. Was my choice of actions tactically the correct actions? Probably not. However, like I said, my inexperience in this situation led me to choose what I thought was the more powerful message. I think I used my environment to my advantage. Had this been a day time encounter, then I would not have relied on the sound of the slide. I would have been at full battery and would have relied on the visual presentation of my gun and a stern voice to gain both a physical and psychological advantage in the situation. __________________ Jeff Gun List: Beretta A300 12ga., Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk1, Savage 10FP heavy barrel .308 w/ 4-12x 50mm Ballistic range finding scope and Harris bipod, Bushmaster AR-15 M4-A2, Springfield Armory XD Tactical 9mm, Marlin Model 60 .22, Browning Buck Mark .22, and Springfield Armory 1911-A1 Stainless Steel "Loaded," Browning BL-22. I also "shoot" with Canon cameras. Does that count? Wish list: H&K USP, Beretta 92-FS, CZ-75B, Anschutz 64MPR, FN-FAL,& an M-1 Garand

02-21-2010, 09:58 PM	#6
JLA TFF Moderator/Host Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Heart Of Texas Contributor Posts: 17,407	Re: The sound of a racked slide... That sound will make you poop a little. I know from experience... story time... When I was about 13 my friends and I were not so bound by fences and no tresspassing signs. So on one of our summer fishing journeys we attempted to cross this old mans backyard to get to his 5 acre pond and fish a little. Well he was in the hay shed out back and saw us jump his fence, he snuck around the back of the shed and waited for us to throw a line before sneaking up on us with an old ithaca m37. That action slamming was the single loudest sound I have ever heard followed by "yall little S* done F*** up now". I think we all pooped a little. After pleaing for our lives and somehow surviving the situation he turned out being an alright old man and granted us permission to fish his pond... __________________ It takes 43 muscles to frown, 17 to smile, and 3 for proper trigger squeeze. The latest caliber or gear is no substitute for experience and skill. Rifles and cartridges don't make hits -- shooters do. Fact of life: After Monday and Tuesday, even the calendar says WTF!

02-23-2010, 03:49 AM	#7
Maximilian II Advanced Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Northwest GA Posts: 1,385	Re: The sound of a racked slide... Nolaphoto+situational awareness= it worked out right. "Anyhuman"+situational awareness= it's more likely to work out right. The VERY FIRST most important thing in any potential or occuring battle is an awareness of what is really going on. I'm a huge fan of the "fustest with the mostest" but that's useless if it goes to the wrong place. Good work Nola. __________________ Karma is just justice, without the satisfaction. And I don't believe in justice. -Joe Sarno, bagman.

02-23-2010, 01:41 PM	#8
45nut Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,433	Re: The sound of a racked slide... sorry double post __________________ A gun is a tool, Marian; no better or no worse than any other tool: an axe, a shovel or anything. A gun is as good or as bad as the man using it. Remember that. Shane Nemo me impune lacesset We recall the case of the Shoshone war band which showed up complete with one 30-30 rifle per man the week after Pearl Harbor, and simply wanted to have the enemy pointed out to them. "We hear there's a war going on and we want to go fight it." Jeff Cooper *KCCO* Last edited by 45nut; 02-23-2010 at 01:42 PM..

02-23-2010, 01:42 PM	#9
45nut Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,433	Re: The sound of a racked slide... Good for you Nola. Glad you were able to diffuse the situation without any harm to your family. JLA, The old man just wanted to scare the crap outa you before he could be nice. __________________ A gun is a tool, Marian; no better or no worse than any other tool: an axe, a shovel or anything. A gun is as good or as bad as the man using it. Remember that. Shane Nemo me impune lacesset We recall the case of the Shoshone war band which showed up complete with one 30-30 rifle per man the week after Pearl Harbor, and simply wanted to have the enemy pointed out to them. "We hear there's a war going on and we want to go fight it." Jeff Cooper *KCCO*

02-23-2010, 08:04 PM	#10
JLA TFF Moderator/Host Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Heart Of Texas Contributor Posts: 17,407	Re: The sound of a racked slide... I know... He was an evil old guy, but turned out to be one of the best people a 13 yr old boy coulda ever known. He helped keep me and my posse outta alot of trouble. Through the next few years. And boy did that stock tank bear some big bass __________________ It takes 43 muscles to frown, 17 to smile, and 3 for proper trigger squeeze. The latest caliber or gear is no substitute for experience and skill. Rifles and cartridges don't make hits -- shooters do. Fact of life: After Monday and Tuesday, even the calendar says WTF!