In article 1111317563.a8a0fef5a95910e18e9eaa0f9662aab4@teran ews,
says...
The missus and I are preparing our boat and ourselves for a RTW-trip
in a few years. My attention was drawn to the story of the two yachts
that succesfully defended themselves from pirates in the Yemen area.

In the ever ongoing weapons discussion I take a moderate position.
I know I'll be on my own, in known risky places preferably accompanied
by a few other yachts in a convoy. SSB is your friend here...

But when problems do arise I want to have a choice.
Depending on the situation I want to make a choice between a)
waving/using a gun and b) let it lie in it's place...,

So... In order to have this choice, I will have a weapon on board, all
legal, with permits, in a locker thats sealed and locked and I will
undergo without complaints the cumbersome customs-scenes every time I
enter some new territory ....

My question is: what would be a good choice for a weapon ?
I am not a drilled marksman so I guess I'll choose a shotgun, as the
yacht in the aforementioned story had chosen. When I google around a
bit this pump action Mossberg M590A1comes up pretty often. Together
with 00-rounds this would be a helpful combination I guess.

Can anyone add comments, experiences or advice ?
Please feel free to send your answer to my private email if you don't
want to post in this group.

Regards,
Len.



Can't give you legal but I had a buddy that asked me the same question
for the same reason.

My choice would be a sawed off or short as possible, read that riot gun
which would probably be legal, 12 Ga pump shotgun loaded with #4 bird
shot.

At the ranges found on most boats the shotgun will require no great
feats of marksmanship, the #4 shot will be deadly, and collateral damage
from over penetration would be minimized.

Sawed off or riot gun because a full barreled shotgun would be awkward
to wield in the tight confines of a boat.

You would not be picking them off at any great distance with the gun but
it's be hell on a small boat packed with people when they got up close,
and there isn't any sound quite as intimidating as the one of a shell
being racked into the chamber of a shotgun.

IMPORTANT NOTES

If you should run into circumstance where such force was necessary and
used it but failed to kill or seriously maim all the bad guys or,
unlikely but possible, intimidate them into leaving, when they do gain
control of the boat it is quite possible they may be just a tad put out
with you and inclined to show it.

Really bad bad guys tend to be skeptical of good guys with guns. It's a
moral thing. If you should run into a time when you REALLY REALLY think
you need to use the gun don't do anything stupid like telling them to go
away or you'll shoot or put up their hands. Keep your mouth shut and
start blasting. don't stop till there is no one left standing. You'll
only have five shots in the magazine so practice speed loading.

IF you are not sure of a situation keep the firearm close at hand and
out of sight and don't go waving it around like it's a magic wand. Keep
it as your "ace in the hole".

If you don't think you can do that don't waste money on a firearm. It'll
only get you into more trouble then you would have been in without it.

Good luck

--
Mike G.
Heirloom Woods

www.heirloom-woods.net