A .44 Magnum home defense story...........

Bob Wright · March 3, 2018, 02:55 PM

An elderly lady told this story at my old local gun shop:

She had recently been widowed, and her late husband had left her a Ruger Super Blackhawk, which she kept in a drawer in table in the entry way of her house. Late one evening she heard somebody at her front door. Peering out she saw a burly young man, a student at a nearby university. He pounded on her door, then began hollering. She told him to go away, and dialed 911.

The man reared back and kicked in her front door, frame and all. He stepped through the opening growling and snarling. She retrieved the Super Blackhawk and pointed it at him, which infuriated him more. He moved toward her and she fired one shot. At the blast he fell backward through the new door opening onto the front porch. He got up and staggered a few feet toward the edge of her yard and collapsed dead.

She was buying some cartridges with a mite less recoil.

Bob Wright

peterg7 · March 3, 2018, 03:01 PM

Use enough gun

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hanshi · March 3, 2018, 04:22 PM

I like her spunk and the outcome of the breakin.

ThomasT · March 3, 2018, 05:02 PM

Way to go Granny! I like it when a plan comes together.

GeauxTide · March 3, 2018, 05:09 PM

Yeeoowwwssaahhh!

tangolima · March 3, 2018, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Wright

He moved toward her and she fired one shot. At the blast he fell backward through the new door opening onto the front porch.

This sounds like bovine excrement to the Newton 2nd law physists (I'm not one).

-TL

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

TXAZ · March 3, 2018, 05:20 PM

You hate to see a youngster do something fatally stupid, but without knowing his intention, I'd say she did the right thing (as presented in the story).

1 shot, 1 kill. Statistically that's as good as it gets.

(I think my Barrett kicks less than the Super Blackhawk.)

Bob Wright · March 3, 2018, 06:05 PM

tangolima said:

Quote:

This sounds like bovine excrement to the Newton 2nd law physists (I'm not one).

I will assure you that from what I knew of this lady, she was not even capable of lying. Maybe you've never met folks like that?

Bob Wright

reteach · March 3, 2018, 06:54 PM

She didn't say the bullet picked him up and threw him back. "He fell backward" sounds reasonable to me.

tangolima · March 3, 2018, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Wright

tangolima said:

I will assure you that from what I knew of this lady, she was not even capable of lying. Maybe you've never met folks like that?

Bob Wright

I'm not one of the physicists. But I did debate with them, so I'm on your side.

-TL

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

Siggy-06 · March 3, 2018, 09:53 PM

I once met a nice old lady at a previous job. I helped her load some heavy bags of soil into her car. She looked to be about 70ish. She opened her purse to give me a tip, which I politely refused, and noticed a full-size 1911 inside before she closed it. I asked "You ever go to the range?" and she replied, "Every week hun." Bad a$$...

Model12Win · March 3, 2018, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tangolima

This sounds like bovine excrement to the Newton 2nd law physists (I'm not one).

-TL

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

She said he FELL backwards... what are you getting at with your quote? I'm not sure I'm following...

cslinger · March 3, 2018, 11:38 PM

Moral of the story is don’t mess with old folks.

We had an incident here many years back where some Delta bravo broke into an elederly lady’s house and she killed him in the kitchen. When we interviewed her she said.

“I grabbed the shotgun, but then I thought I just put new tile down and that’s gonna make a helluva mess, so I grabbed the .357 instead”

Now that is mindset.

Roaddog · March 4, 2018, 07:42 AM

What a gal and with a sa ta boot.

BIGR · March 4, 2018, 08:11 AM

That burly young man probably was high on drugs or alcohol and knew her, thinking she would be an easy target......WRONG

We need more like her, all grannies that are capable of handling a firearm needs to be armed. Sure would cut down on the grannies that become victims to senseless crimes.

HiBC · March 4, 2018, 08:20 AM

True Grit

**44 AMP** · March 4, 2018, 11:22 AM

there ya go, this one "broke all the rules"...

.44 Magnum (never a recommended defense caliber)

SA revolver (again, never a recommended defensive weapon today)

ONE SHOT (no need for half a dozen speedloaders or 4 spare magazines there..

)

Would she have been better off if she had a Glock 9mm? .40?, .45? or a 1911A1?? A lot of "experts" on the internet would say yes.

In this case, what a lot of folks would say is one of the worst possible choices worked just fine.

There were no worries about the speed of reload, or even the speed of a follow up shot. When one shot ends the attack, these points are kind of moot.

Of course I know the counter arguments, and they do make sense. This was not a case where the gun was chosen to be a defensive weapon, it was a case of because it was what she had, it was what she used, and used successfully.

And I rather doubt the old lady will be seeking counseling for the trauma, either. I can see her being asked (by some reporter) how she felt about shooting another human being, and her answer, "I think it was terrible that I had to shoot that poor young man, but he brought it on himself. Would you like some more tea, dear?"

HiBC · March 4, 2018, 11:54 AM

44AMP.I agree with what you said.
I don't use my SBH for urban carry. But generally,I can't think of many situations I'd be likely to shoot my way out of that 6 rounds of .44 in my SBH would not get it done,and frankly,in the moment of truth,I might feel better SBH in hand than 12 shot 9mm compact.

SIGSHR · March 4, 2018, 01:51 PM

I'd like to see the toxicology tests. Still she achieved a one shot stop.

Wyosmith · March 4, 2018, 02:28 PM

Little old lady with a 44 magnum!

That's the stuff of legend. I love it!

She deserves 2 medals.
One civic improvement award, and another for marksmanship.

Armybrat · March 4, 2018, 02:31 PM

My son's ex-MIL (age early to mid 70s) likes to ride her Harley on occasion. She totes two firearms concealed on her person (I'm afraid to ask where) and one in the saddlebag.

Don't mess with that particular Texas grandmaw.

Yes, she does get a lot of range time in.

ThomasT · March 4, 2018, 03:06 PM

44 AMP your post #17 needs to be in the thread on carrying a single action concealed where a couple of the resident "experts" have argued their opinions to point of nausea, totaly derailed the thread and haven't proven a damn thing. And now a little old lady comes along and with one shot from an antique "cowboy" style gun and proves all the "experts" wrong. Ya gotta love it.

tallball · March 4, 2018, 03:11 PM

For a ramblin' semi-OT story...

I am a public school teacher. A few years ago I had a Russian student. She was smart and had interesting ways of thinking. I enjoyed working with her. One time I asked the kids to write an essay about bullies or being bullied. Hers was different. Apparently in elementary school an older boy bullied her and her friends. She came up with a solution. They would lure him into a difficult-to-see part of the playground, and beat him down with sticks. She had already broken off and stripped some suitable tree branches. One of her friends had her parents have a sit-down with the principal instead, and the problem was solved. My student was somewhat disappointed.

I asked her about it, just to enjoy the conversation. She said something to the effect that she might have inherited some of her personality from her grandmother. Apparently Grandma had been a partisan and had killed any number of Nazis. After the Soviet Union fell, her kids and grandkids emigrated to the US. They eventually got Grandma to follow them here. She had her own apartment and was enjoying her life doing grandma things, which doubtless including drinking tea (Russian style). One night she heard her door lock jiggling. She took appropriate measures. Some guy had jimmied her lock and strolled into her apartment. She was hidden in some sort of closet or alcove. When he walked past, she stabbed him in the torso, then cut his throat. After that she dragged him out the front door so that he wouldn't mess up her rugs any further while he bled out. She was busy cleaning her rugs when the cops showed up. We live in Texas, so she wasn't charged with anything.

It appears that her granddaughter will be salutatorian this year. She is one of those kids who is kind of nerdy, but no one ever tries to bully her or mess with her. She is hard-core like her grandma.

**OldMarksman** · March 4, 2018, 03:17 PM

Quote:

This sounds like bovine excrement to the Newton 2nd law physists (I'm not one).

His fall might have been expected to take any direction, depending upon his stance and balance and upon the effects of the wound on his tendons, nerves and skeletal structure , and there is no reason to infer from the story that anyone contends that he was pushed backward by momentum.

Or to doubt its veracity, for that matter.

In The Ten Ring · March 4, 2018, 05:46 PM

You hate to see a youngster do something fatally stupid,

I never understood the rationale of attributing lack of judgment to evil acts.

***********************************************************

tallball, I loved that story! You just never know what someone used to do or is capable of doing.

March 3, 2018, 04:22 PM	#3
Hanshi Senior Member Join Date: April 23, 2017 Posts: 239	I like her spunk and the outcome of the breakin. __________________ Young guys should hang out with old guys; old guys know stuff.

March 3, 2018, 05:20 PM	#7
TXAZ Senior Member Join Date: September 5, 2010 Location: McMurdo Sound Texas Posts: 4,322	You hate to see a youngster do something fatally stupid, but without knowing his intention, I'd say she did the right thing (as presented in the story). 1 shot, 1 kill. Statistically that's as good as it gets. (I think my Barrett kicks less than the Super Blackhawk.) __________________ Cave illos in guns et backhoes

March 3, 2018, 09:53 PM	#11
Siggy-06 Senior Member Join Date: September 2, 2014 Location: Florida Posts: 1,148	I once met a nice old lady at a previous job. I helped her load some heavy bags of soil into her car. She looked to be about 70ish. She opened her purse to give me a tip, which I politely refused, and noticed a full-size 1911 inside before she closed it. I asked "You ever go to the range?" and she replied, "Every week hun." Bad a$$... __________________ Flicks just like a lighter, just a different kind of fire.

March 3, 2018, 11:38 PM	#13
cslinger Senior Member Join Date: July 14, 2002 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 2,045	Moral of the story is don’t mess with old folks. We had an incident here many years back where some Delta bravo broke into an elederly lady’s house and she killed him in the kitchen. When we interviewed her she said. “I grabbed the shotgun, but then I thought I just put new tile down and that’s gonna make a helluva mess, so I grabbed the .357 instead” Now that is mindset. __________________ "Is there anyway I can write my local gun store off on my taxes as dependents?"

March 4, 2018, 07:42 AM	#14
Roaddog Senior Member Join Date: July 16, 2010 Location: East central Minnesota Posts: 202	What a gal and with a sa ta boot. Last edited by Roaddog; March 4, 2018 at 08:04 AM.

March 3, 2018, 02:55 PM	#1
Bob Wright Senior Member Join Date: July 10, 2012 Location: Memphis, Tennessee Posts: 2,989	A .44 Magnum home defense story........... An elderly lady told this story at my old local gun shop: She had recently been widowed, and her late husband had left her a Ruger Super Blackhawk, which she kept in a drawer in table in the entry way of her house. Late one evening she heard somebody at her front door. Peering out she saw a burly young man, a student at a nearby university. He pounded on her door, then began hollering. She told him to go away, and dialed 911. The man reared back and kicked in her front door, frame and all. He stepped through the opening growling and snarling. She retrieved the Super Blackhawk and pointed it at him, which infuriated him more. He moved toward her and she fired one shot. At the blast he fell backward through the new door opening onto the front porch. He got up and staggered a few feet toward the edge of her yard and collapsed dead. She was buying some cartridges with a mite less recoil. Bob Wright __________________ Time spent at the reloading bench is an investment in contentment.

March 3, 2018, 03:01 PM	#2
peterg7 Senior Member Join Date: July 20, 2017 Posts: 316	Use enough gun Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

March 3, 2018, 05:02 PM	#4
ThomasT Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 2,753	Way to go Granny! I like it when a plan comes together.

March 3, 2018, 05:09 PM	#5
GeauxTide Senior Member Join Date: April 20, 2009 Location: Helena, AL Posts: 4,424	Yeeoowwwssaahhh!

March 3, 2018, 06:54 PM	#9
reteach Senior Member Join Date: August 31, 2016 Location: Texas Posts: 379	She didn't say the bullet picked him up and threw him back. "He fell backward" sounds reasonable to me.

March 4, 2018, 08:11 AM	#15
BIGR Senior Member Join Date: June 13, 2000 Location: Mountains Posts: 1,385	That burly young man probably was high on drugs or alcohol and knew her, thinking she would be an easy target......WRONG We need more like her, all grannies that are capable of handling a firearm needs to be armed. Sure would cut down on the grannies that become victims to senseless crimes.

March 4, 2018, 08:20 AM	#16
HiBC Senior Member Join Date: November 13, 2006 Posts: 8,286	True Grit

March 4, 2018, 11:22 AM	#17
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,832	there ya go, this one "broke all the rules"... .44 Magnum (never a recommended defense caliber) SA revolver (again, never a recommended defensive weapon today) ONE SHOT (no need for half a dozen speedloaders or 4 spare magazines there..) Would she have been better off if she had a Glock 9mm? .40?, .45? or a 1911A1?? A lot of "experts" on the internet would say yes. In this case, what a lot of folks would say is one of the worst possible choices worked just fine. There were no worries about the speed of reload, or even the speed of a follow up shot. When one shot ends the attack, these points are kind of moot. Of course I know the counter arguments, and they do make sense. This was not a case where the gun was chosen to be a defensive weapon, it was a case of because it was what she had, it was what she used, and used successfully. And I rather doubt the old lady will be seeking counseling for the trauma, either. I can see her being asked (by some reporter) how she felt about shooting another human being, and her answer, "I think it was terrible that I had to shoot that poor young man, but he brought it on himself. Would you like some more tea, dear?" __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

March 4, 2018, 11:54 AM	#18
HiBC Senior Member Join Date: November 13, 2006 Posts: 8,286	44AMP.I agree with what you said. I don't use my SBH for urban carry. But generally,I can't think of many situations I'd be likely to shoot my way out of that 6 rounds of .44 in my SBH would not get it done,and frankly,in the moment of truth,I might feel better SBH in hand than 12 shot 9mm compact.

March 4, 2018, 01:51 PM	#19
SIGSHR Senior Member Join Date: September 13, 2005 Posts: 4,700	I'd like to see the toxicology tests. Still she achieved a one shot stop.

March 4, 2018, 02:28 PM	#20
Wyosmith Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2010 Location: Shoshoni Wyoming Posts: 2,713	Little old lady with a 44 magnum! That's the stuff of legend. I love it! She deserves 2 medals. One civic improvement award, and another for marksmanship.

March 4, 2018, 02:31 PM	#21
Armybrat Senior Member Join Date: May 10, 2009 Location: Round Rock, Texas Posts: 976	My son's ex-MIL (age early to mid 70s) likes to ride her Harley on occasion. She totes two firearms concealed on her person (I'm afraid to ask where) and one in the saddlebag. Don't mess with that particular Texas grandmaw. Yes, she does get a lot of range time in.

March 4, 2018, 03:06 PM	#22
ThomasT Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 2,753	44 AMP your post #17 needs to be in the thread on carrying a single action concealed where a couple of the resident "experts" have argued their opinions to point of nausea, totaly derailed the thread and haven't proven a damn thing. And now a little old lady comes along and with one shot from an antique "cowboy" style gun and proves all the "experts" wrong. Ya gotta love it.

March 4, 2018, 03:11 PM	#23
tallball Senior Member Join Date: October 17, 2014 Posts: 2,444	For a ramblin' semi-OT story... I am a public school teacher. A few years ago I had a Russian student. She was smart and had interesting ways of thinking. I enjoyed working with her. One time I asked the kids to write an essay about bullies or being bullied. Hers was different. Apparently in elementary school an older boy bullied her and her friends. She came up with a solution. They would lure him into a difficult-to-see part of the playground, and beat him down with sticks. She had already broken off and stripped some suitable tree branches. One of her friends had her parents have a sit-down with the principal instead, and the problem was solved. My student was somewhat disappointed. I asked her about it, just to enjoy the conversation. She said something to the effect that she might have inherited some of her personality from her grandmother. Apparently Grandma had been a partisan and had killed any number of Nazis. After the Soviet Union fell, her kids and grandkids emigrated to the US. They eventually got Grandma to follow them here. She had her own apartment and was enjoying her life doing grandma things, which doubtless including drinking tea (Russian style). One night she heard her door lock jiggling. She took appropriate measures. Some guy had jimmied her lock and strolled into her apartment. She was hidden in some sort of closet or alcove. When he walked past, she stabbed him in the torso, then cut his throat. After that she dragged him out the front door so that he wouldn't mess up her rugs any further while he bled out. She was busy cleaning her rugs when the cops showed up. We live in Texas, so she wasn't charged with anything. It appears that her granddaughter will be salutatorian this year. She is one of those kids who is kind of nerdy, but no one ever tries to bully her or mess with her. She is hard-core like her grandma. Last edited by tallball; March 4, 2018 at 03:17 PM.

March 4, 2018, 05:46 PM	#25
In The Ten Ring Senior Member Join Date: January 26, 2018 Posts: 380	You hate to see a youngster do something fatally stupid, I never understood the rationale of attributing lack of judgment to evil acts. *********************************************************** tallball, I loved that story! You just never know what someone used to do or is capable of doing. Last edited by In The Ten Ring; March 4, 2018 at 05:54 PM.