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Sriracha · September 29, 2022, 05:04 PM

Hi everyone,
I wanted to ask your insights on next steps for home security and proficiency.
I hope this question is also relevant to others at my level. Think of a suburban family man who has other hobbies and time commitments but would like to become more competent for bump-in-the-night scenarios.
My setup:

Home alarm
CZ-85B 9mm in bedside electronic safe
Mossberg 500 in key-lock gun cabinet (not quickly accessible)
Pistol-caliber shooting range is nearby -- 3-5 range trips per year.
Shotgun requires a 3 hour round trip to an outdoor range -- once a year (last-minute practice for turkey season)
Master bedroom exit has an awkward corner at top of stairs that lead to the front door.
Young child

I don't truly need anything other than training and practice time. Time is unfortunately the most difficult thing to change! I do recognize the need to improve accuracy and speed. I participated in two competitions at a club -- I realized that I'm surprisingly decent at stationary targets but become quite inaccurate (minute of trashcan lid) when motion is involved.

Now suppose I have around $500-$1000 for hobby spending that hopefully also improves security. Which way would you go?

1) Get a laser dry-fire training pistol to augment my skills with iron sights?
I'm hoping this would increase my dry fire time in short sessions at home. It may be more effective than using just snap caps and thumbing the hammer back each time. The thought also occurred to me that I could combine laser training with my exercise! (Shoot - pushups - shoot - jumping jacks - shoot - burpies.)

2) Get a more modern pistol that allows a red dot and mounted flashlight?
I realize that one can't replace skill with hardware. Yet ...it's clear that I shoot better with an optic. (The optic option may not fit well with the above laser training system.)
Secondly, it somewhat bothers me that I can't mount a light on my CZ. I do know the problem with pointing the gun to identify a person. But even if I obey all the safety rules, I wonder if a weapon mounted light might provide a last layer of safety to prevent a tragic mistake. One can practice flashlight carry techniques (Harries, etc.), but I find it definitely decreases my accuracy and speed.

3) Pistol caliber carbine?

Can practice at a local range unlike the 12 gauge
Requires a quick access long gun safe

4) Something else?
(assume I'll likely invest in a weekend training course in any case)

Thanks in advance!
- Sriracha

September 29, 2022, 05:04 PM	#1
Sriracha Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2005 Location: GA Posts: 310	Choices for a novice to improve security Hi everyone, I wanted to ask your insights on next steps for home security and proficiency. I hope this question is also relevant to others at my level. Think of a suburban family man who has other hobbies and time commitments but would like to become more competent for bump-in-the-night scenarios. My setup: Home alarm CZ-85B 9mm in bedside electronic safe Mossberg 500 in key-lock gun cabinet (not quickly accessible) Pistol-caliber shooting range is nearby -- 3-5 range trips per year. Shotgun requires a 3 hour round trip to an outdoor range -- once a year (last-minute practice for turkey season) Master bedroom exit has an awkward corner at top of stairs that lead to the front door. Young child I don't truly need anything other than training and practice time. Time is unfortunately the most difficult thing to change! I do recognize the need to improve accuracy and speed. I participated in two competitions at a club -- I realized that I'm surprisingly decent at stationary targets but become quite inaccurate (minute of trashcan lid) when motion is involved. Now suppose I have around $500-$1000 for hobby spending that hopefully also improves security. Which way would you go? 1) Get a laser dry-fire training pistol to augment my skills with iron sights? I'm hoping this would increase my dry fire time in short sessions at home. It may be more effective than using just snap caps and thumbing the hammer back each time. The thought also occurred to me that I could combine laser training with my exercise! (Shoot - pushups - shoot - jumping jacks - shoot - burpies.) 2) Get a more modern pistol that allows a red dot and mounted flashlight? I realize that one can't replace skill with hardware. Yet ...it's clear that I shoot better with an optic. (The optic option may not fit well with the above laser training system.) Secondly, it somewhat bothers me that I can't mount a light on my CZ. I do know the problem with pointing the gun to identify a person. But even if I obey all the safety rules, I wonder if a weapon mounted light might provide a last layer of safety to prevent a tragic mistake. One can practice flashlight carry techniques (Harries, etc.), but I find it definitely decreases my accuracy and speed. 3) Pistol caliber carbine? Can practice at a local range unlike the 12 gauge Requires a quick access long gun safe 4) Something else? (assume I'll likely invest in a weekend training course in any case) Thanks in advance! - Sriracha Last edited by Sriracha; September 29, 2022 at 05:14 PM.