Get a pair!
I would plan on buying at least two guns. One for self defense, the other for a practice/learning gun. The .22lr caliber is perfect for practicing. Easy to shoot, cheap rounds, and you can get a .22lr with the same type of action (pump, semi auto, or double action revolver) as your self defense gun.
A lot of people start out learning with larger caliber guns, and end up with a huge flinch.
Shotgun and a Revolver for newbies.
For the wife - S&W .38 Lady Smith Air-Lite is sweet.
Shotgun - Mossberg or 870 Remi is just fine.
Total cost - $850 - $1000.00
You’ll see a lot of Freepers recommending shotguns, because it’s good to be able to hit your target when you’re stressed. And you’ll see a lot recommending revolvers. You might consider the Taurus Judge handgun, which can shoot both kinds of rounds.
From another similar thread
The Judge is a pretty impressive and versatile self-defense handgun. It appears to be unique.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgnwO0o2ClQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H5GepjBRsM
5, 10, 15 feet with 000 buck, 4 pellets/ round
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnrDMJvlL4M
Demo gave up on shotgun, went with Judge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY3YYDgDUXs
female shooter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7by3UcLP-M
Also, isn’t the Judge the only handgun that allows washer rounds? Seems like a great compromise gun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kIuI3heYMQ
bookmark
Something that I recommend when you buy a first gun, is to take a gun oriented friend with you and go shoot many more bullets than you want to, instead of 10, or a box of 20, shoot a 100, or 200, shoot until you get tired of shooting and the experience is thoroughly in your blood, then take them and your friend home and fix dinner and clean the guns, in other words, a total immersion experience, a complete ice breaking experience.
Try not to just buy it, put it away and keep putting off the actual familiarization experience to some future date.
I’ll put in my $0.02 here and will openly admit I am no expert in this but will share my experiences.
I have owned .22 rifles; one a semi and another bolt action single shot. These are highly accurate, can be fitted with a scope and the ammo is very cheap.
I’ve owned a Beretta 92FS. That was my first handgun. But I quickly found out that I couldn’t hit the side of a barn. I sold it back to the gun dealer.
Next gun I got was a Ruger .22 “bull barrel” semi-automatic.
Now that is one sweet gun and highly accurate. But like all semi automatics it can jam and a jammed gun is of little use. It also offers a laser sight option so you could plug someone and kill an intruder very efficiently. I haven’t killed anyone lately and fortunately never had to try to defend myself. If you want a semi-automatic this is definitely one to look at. Very little kickback. Subsequently I sold it.
The next handgun I owned was a Bersa .380. These are fine guns, very small, and increasingly popular. The ammo is somewhat expensive; even more so than the popular 9 mm ammo. And they are not terribly expensive. But again it is a semi-auto and all semis are subject to jamming. I subsequently sold it.
I had a Mossberg 12 gauge pump action shotgun that I bought expressly to rid myself of armadillos that were tearing up my lawn, foundation and driveway. That didn’t prove out very well because they don’t stand around and wait to be shot. An animal trap solved that problem.
Latest gun is a .22 revolver. Nice thing about it is that it will hold up to 9 rounds. No jamming. Little to no kickback, relatively quiet and if one is reasonably accurate it should offer safe home protection. Being that it is double action means that if you pull the trigger it will fire but it will take a little effort as opposed to the single action where you have already pulled the hammer back. But I wouldn’t under any circumstances allow the hammer to remain in a cocked position because it could go off and kill someone. Contrary to some opinions, the .22 is an effective weapon to take someone down. And it is easy to reload. A semi-automatic requires the loading of the clips and that can be very time consuming. So one is advised to have multiple clips handy. I find that very inconvenient plus one has to chamber the weapon, take off the safety and hope it doesn’t jam. And there is one other thing to bear in mind with most semi-automatics. Just because the clip is removed doesn’t mean that the gun cannot go off. Very often a single round has been chambered. And when the trigger is pulled it is just as deadly as when the magazine is in the gun. I believe the Bersa had a safety feature to prevent this from happening without the clip in place. Check this out to be sure.
Personally, I would second those who suggest actual practice on a gun range and remember that you will have a deadly weapon regardless of what caliber it is or whether if is revolver or semi-automatic.
And I would say this. I don’t really like guns. I really don’t. But I always recall this saying. If you are murdered remember the cops are only 10 minutes away. Unless a cop is going to be housed in everyone’s home we have little alternative but to protect ourselves.
Again, this is my $0.02 based on my personal opinions.
One other thing to remember. If you are buying one for home protection just think of the fact that regardless of who you may be protecting yourself from you would potentially be taking another person’s life. You have to ask yourself the question. “What are you prepared to do?”
I am not going to browse through 85 replies to see if you received a sane answer yet.
My recommendation is for you and your wife to contact a reputable firearms instructor. The NRA website (nrahq.org) has a button to find certified instructors in your area. Contact one of them , ask for references. Basic rifle/pistol and armed self defense in the home are good courses to get started. Same for Armed self defense outside the home (if you ever intend on concealed carry). Also, Lethal force institute, gunsite, frontsight and other private schools (may be NRA affilitated, probably are) are well-know shooting schools but are in the higher cost bracket and may not offer mobile courses in your are (flying to AZ this time of year may be nice though).
I strongly recommend you seek a professional guide to help you through this equation. Your life(s) may depend on it.
I’d love to tell you what you need, but I am not going to. Your situation will dictate what works best for both of you, and you should ignore most advice (except mine of course). Get face to face professional input, training and guidance.
Get a pair!
To answer your first question, some gun shops have ranges that may allow you to test drive the weapon, depending upon state law, prior to purchase, and some ranges rent firearms for use on the range, but do not sell, and if you like what you rent, then you can buy it at a gun shop.
To answer your second question, I highly recommend a pump action shotgun 12g/20g loaded with 00 buckshot. However, if the only thing that separates you from your nearest neighbor is a sheet of drywall, then you may want to use a turkey load (No. 4 - 5). As others have mentioned, I recommend the Mossberg 500 or Remington 870. In either case, buy the shortest barrel allowed under state law. For example, I own a Remington 870 that came with a 26" barrel, which I use when I'm in the field hunting or even for sporting clays. But I also purchased an 18.5" barrel for home defense. I can easily switch the barrels without tools in less than 30 seconds.
I also recommend a revolver that shoots both .38sp/.357 magnum. Revolvers are easy to shoot and rarely fail. Pull the trigger and it will go bang. Although revolvers generally don't have a safety, a safety is unnecessary because of the heavy trigger pull. Since you do not intend the carry the revolver concealed, I recommend the Ruger SP101 or the GP100 with a 4" barrel because the weight of the gun and length of the barrel will "absorb" recoil better than the shorter/lighter revolvers -- particularly important when shooting .357 magnum rounds. In addition, longer barrels generally produce greater bullet velocity and energy, which may be important if you prefer to shoot .38sp as opposed to the significantly more powerful .357 magnum.
I also advise that no matter what you buy, that you practice, practice, practice. That means shooting hundreds and hundreds of live rounds at the range; playing "what if" in your mind for every conceivable home defense situation; and dry rehearsal WITH AN UNLOADED WEAPON at home so that you can visualize the likely confrontation points and what lies in the line of fire beyond your target. (You may want to do this now before you purchase to help you in selecting the appropriate firearm and caliber for your situation.)
Lastly, research, research, research. I highly recommend anything written by Chuck Hawks, which you can easily find on the Internet using the search engine of your choice.
bang
I like Glock 9MMs for home defense. Laser sight, and hollowpoint ammo. I have military training, and my main priority is mobility in tight spots and being able to pop off multiple rounds as quickly and accurately as possible. I’d avoid larger calibers. The recoil can make it difficult to put a second round on target in real-world conditions, and larger rounds are more likely to go through walls and kill something you don’t want them to. Handguns really are optimal for home defense. If you’re 100% serious about home defense, pay for lessons from a security pro, get a good handgun, and practice frequently.
For someone without training, a shotgun is best. I agree with the other poster that said it’s easier to put the first round on target quickly hip-shooting with a shotgun than drawing-down with a pistol. 20 gauge is plenty big enough. DO NOT get a single-shot for home defense use. Plan on blowing through a box of shells at least once every couple months to familiarize yourself with operating the weapon, and go with a pump. Cut the stock down, or have it replaced with a short stock. If you need to get a round off in a hurry, it will just get in the way. Make sure to get proper instruction on breaking your weapon down and cleaning it. This should be done at least every couple months as well, same day after firing it.
If you have children in the house, or have them over as guests, you should never leave ammo or loaded firearms anywhere but in a locked gun safe. It’s statistically more likely to kill your kid than an intruder. If you don’t have children in the house, I’d recommend keeping a couple firearms well-concealed, and ready for use - which means loaded and properly maintained and in a location where a snoopy houseguest won’t find it if they poke around a little. Tell absolutely nobody where they’re stashed.
I like guns, but seriously speaking, a good alarm system and floodlights rigged up on motion detectors are probably the best investment there is to make your home more secure against break-ins.
bfl