Rifles.

Shotguns! 12 gauge pumps. Then give the ex-army guy the M16 that the cop probably has anyway.

He could ask, "Any of you clowns know how to shoot?"

;-)

Yep, a 12 gauge pump is a good choice for point and shoot. If you're looking for a variety of common rifles:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/rifle_battery.htm

No clue about the guns, but question: is your story set in the US? If so, the cop would have the guns in the trunk of his car and his boots on his feet.

Also, if this is a rural area, the cop might ask whether any of them are hunters.

Shotguns is good. A .410 might work. A double barrel 16 gauge or that 12 gauge pump. I like the pump! It's active. You don't just pull the trigger. Maybe a 30/30 or a
.260 Remmington. I don't know. I never shot at a werewolf. Do the bullets and buckshot have to be silver?

Appalachian Writer said:

I don't know. I never shot at a werewolf.

Click to expand...

Good point. We need an expert who's actually shot at a werewolf. I've shot at giant groundhog. Would that sort of count?

veinglory said:

Did it have red glowing eyes?

Click to expand...

No, but I did when he came straight for me.

I'd avoid anything that has much recoil, since to a novice that would really be difficult to handle. A pump 12 gauge shotgun has quite a kick--semi-automatics would be much easier for them to handle. Shotguns do have the advantage of point-and-shoot without much aiming in the dark. As far as rifles go, it seems to me any rifle bigger than maybe a .270 would also kick to an unnerving degree to a novice. Plus they would need to work the bolt or lever (i.e. .3030) unless it was a semi-automatic, too.

Bottom line--I like the shotgun idea, maybe loaded with single slugs or buckshot, in 12 gauge semi-automatic.

If the cop is furnishing the weapons from those on hand, he would most likely have 12 gauge pumps.

alleycat said:

If the cop is furnishing the weapons from those on hand, he would most likely have 12 gauge pumps.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I suppose you're right. I'm just recalling what my shoulder felt like the first time I fired my dad's old Winchester Model 12--I had a bruise the size of a grapefruit because I didn't know how to hold it tight against me. I think a first-timer might just drop the thing after one shot.

ColoradoGuy's comment brings up another point. According to where this is set, it might be odd to have four out of five guys who have never fired a gun (it certainly would be in my neck of the woods). VG, you could make it so that maybe a couple of of them haven't fired a gun in years, and a couple of the others haven't handled a gun before.

ColoradoGuy said:

Yeah, I suppose you're right. I'm just recalling what my shoulder felt like the first time I fired my dad's old Winchester Model 12--I had a bruise the size of a grapefruit because I didn't know how to hold it tight against me. I think a first-timer might just drop the thing after one shot.

Click to expand...

You're right about the kick. I can remember padding my shoulder when my dad took me hunting with that 16 gauge of his. The recoil made you feel like your shoulder was dislocated for a minute. For all I know, it did dislocate shoulders. The "kick" thing is a really good point.

Why stick with conventional guns - why not tasers?

Riot guns are usually short barrel 12 gauges, usually pump. A cop will also most likely have a .357 in his holster. How much time did the cop have to get his arsenal together? Was it only what he normally had in his car or was he able to stock up with the best available at the station? Puma

Depending on how much time he has before the werewolves get there, he might point out to people that leaning into the rifle/shotgun (angling the body forward slightly) helps balance out the kick. The tighter the weapon is tucked into the shoulder helps lessen the kick.

Of course, if they're too worried about that, just hold it down to the side at waist level and let fly. They call it a scattergun for a reason. A line of people firing shotguns at a charging mob of anything - well, someone should hit something vital simply because of the amount of buckshot heading down range.

This is definitely a time where shot is more important than slugs in a shotgun.

veinglory said:

I guess now I need a good youtube of someone firing a shotgun.

Click to expand...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNSVr0eJ_aA

And there's a bunch of related videos to look at too, including How not to shoot a shotgun...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wVziBa9IkQ

-Derek

Don't you also need 'Silver' bullets to do harm to a werewolf???

Appalachian Writer said:

Shotguns is good. A .410 might work. A double barrel 16 gauge or that 12 gauge pump. I like the pump! It's active. You don't just pull the trigger. Maybe a 30/30 or a
.260 Remmington. I don't know. I never shot at a werewolf. Do the bullets and buckshot have to be silver?

Click to expand...

My personal preference would be a single shot .410, preferably made by New England Arms. Very little kick but plenty of power, especially if you use full loads not the lighter game shot.

Shotguns. 12 gauge.

It will be easy to spot the guy who is familiar with guns. The first thing he will do is check the safety and see if it is loaded. Then he will probably turn to the others and make sure that no guns are accidently pointed at anyone else.

It's very scarey to be in a room full of people who don't know anything about guns. I think that might be scarier than the werewolves!

lakotagirl said:

It's very scarey to be in a room full of people who don't know anything about guns. I think that might be scarier than the werewolves!

Click to expand...

Yes, that would be scary. Guns are not frightening but people who don't know how to use them properly are very scary.

This one scene could be a very big scene. That many people would give you quite a few interesting scenerios.

You might have the "Clint Eastwood wannabe". Throw in a couple of teenagers who think they know everything because they go to the local paintball club. And the little old lady who looks down the barrel.... It would be a fun scene to write.

Silver bullets suck. If you have to have silver do silver plated lead. The Myth Busters did a segment on that and it's on youtube. At the end the guy holds up the lead bullet and says "Lone Ranger, I recommend lead bullets!"

For anyone who's fired at a moving target you know that it could be hard to hit a werewolf, streaking along the ground, possibly bounding right and left to throw off your aim. The ex-marine or hillbilly either one would know to 'put a lead on him' (aim into his path instead of directly at him).

I forgot to add that if werewovles were rushing toward you, you would not notice the kick at all, in fact you would be hardly cognizant of the incredible noise that firearms make.

2-cents and ideas

Okay, so 8 enraged, drugged werewolves are running down a highway towards town.
Between them and the town is a cop with a boot full for rifles and 5 people who he assumes can't use guns, although one is actually ex-army and a pretty good shot.

My question is, what kind of rifle or other long gun would a cop stock up on if he suspected he might need to arm a small group of useless townees against a pack of insane werewolves.

Click to expand...

Well, he's a cop guy, so that raises certain possibilities. Here are some:

Close range? Much time to prepare? Shotgun, 12-gauge, buckshot, no choke, laser sight. "Put the red dot in the middle and pull the trigger!" Probably a pump-action. Good to 25 yards.

Long range? Some sort of rifle, sure, probably something of shooter-friendly recoil like the ubiquitous .223 in an AR platform. But if in the UK, though, maybe they're using the L85A2, HK's improved version of the SA80.

How would he instruct them to minimise the chance they would blow each other away instead of the wolves.

Click to expand...

Here is the muzzle. Don't point it at anything you don't want to blow away. Here is the trigger. Don't touch it until you plan to blow something away. Here is the safety. This is on. This is off. You want to blow something away, make sure it's off.

And what would he notice first that would tell him one of the guys knows how to shoot.

Click to expand...

As already stated, safe handling will probably be the first tip-off. Anyone acquainted with firearms should handle them safely, always. Will exercise good muzzle and trigger discipline and will, when first handed a firearm, make sure that it is clear and safe. At the very least this will mean a visual inspection of the breach / chamber from a locked-open bolt, usually preceded by checking the manual safety and removal of magazine (though this depends on the type of firearm). Person in question might also shoulder the firearm to get a feel for ready and fire positions, and to have a look at the sights, too. For that matter, such a character might also try the trigger a few times to get a feel for what he's going to be working with.

But everything depends upon circumstances, now, doesn't it? These things are, after all, merely window dressing. The only way the cop's gonna know if these people can shoot is to see them shoot.