Camera for shotgun

[skulldgry1]

Hey guys, this was in my inbox this morning so I thought I'd share. They show it attached to a shotgun for hunting and on a different shotgun for HD. Similar to a go pro but specifically made for pic rails it looks like. Also comes with a laser. They talk about getting a perp on video should you need to protect yourself or family but, do you guys think this type of video would be admissible in court?

http://www.opsgear.com/index/page/produ ... m-20140312

[DaveC]

It most certainly would. Sort of a police cruiser "dash cam" to record an incident. Might help if you live in a state without the so-called "castle doctrine" where one has to prove that a credible threat to one's life was about to happen, necessitating the use of lethal force to stop the threat... In Texas, we are protected from vengeful lawsuits but in other states, you'd best believe that the perpetrator and/or his next of kin will sue. Personally, I wouldn't want the weight and complexity unless I lived in a state that took a very dim view of armed self-defense.

[skulldgry1]

ya, I hear ya, ounces equal pounds. It might be cool for someone training for 3-gun or hunting perhaps. To be able to review yourself to look for issues? What will they come up with next....

[Synchronizor]

I'd say video footage of a HD encounter would be wonderful to have, whatever the laws in your area might be.

However, I'm not sure about having a camera right on the gun. More complexity, more weight, another thing you have to remember to switch on, and something to help the other guy hang on if they get close enough to grab your weapon. On top of that, I don't think a muzzle PoV would capture a very clear picture of things in a realistic self-defense confrontation, especially with this camera. My brother's the photography nut, not me, but from what I do understand of the specs, this camera has a pretty narrow 20-degree field of view, and can't focus on anything closer than 8 yards. Sounds great for hunting, but terrible for getting close-in footage of a violent encounter.

I'm thinking you'd be a lot better off installing one or more proper security cameras in your residence instead of shelling out for this. You can get basic black & white security cameras with night vision and built-in microphones for less than $30, color ones for less than $40. You can find VCRs or those little TV/VCR combos nowadays for next to nothing. It ain't exactly state-of-the-art, but I'll bet it'll capture any action better than a gun-mounted camera could. If you want something a little fancier, there are plenty of budget multi-camera DVR packages in the $100 - $200 range.

[Kentactic]

The camera being on the gun might make jurors question if you were looking for a fight. They'll try and pedal that idea to them. Also the camera cant see aswell as you can unless you're underwater. So that means the video might make you look bad because it allows the jury to see what they think is the whole story. Thats my uneducated opinion on it.

[ponycarman]

While having video of the encounter could be helpful, but I agree with Kentactic. Having a mounted camera on your home defense weapon kinda gives the appearance of looking to fight. First person shooter game kinda thing. Also I wouldn't want to fumble with turning on a camera if I heard something go bump in the night.

Perhaps a security camera system placed strategically though out the house would be a better option? No turning it on, no bad appearance from a weapon mounted camera, and it would keep an eye out in the house if you weren't there. Wouldn't stop anything, but could help identify a thief or something.

[skulldgry1]

Agree, I think it would be too much to mess with at time of encounter. I run an offset light on my AR that sits right at my thumb, a small compact light on my HD pistol, and nothing on my 870. I do also keep strategically placed low power lights on throughout my house at night. Small under microwave lights, low power bulbs in small lamps in corners, that type of thing. Works really well to light all rooms and halls enough for me to slice up on a room clearing run. Something I picked up from a guy I used to work with while contracting over seas.