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A short barreled shotgun in 12Ga is a better choice for home protection than a handgun, any hand gun. I'm not saying don't buy a hand gun. But consider a shotgun for personal protection in the home. I would not recommend a pistol grip for a shotgun, as it is way too easy to break your wrist. Once a year I train NRA Certified Pistol Instructors up to be NRA Certified Personal Protection in the Home Instructors. In selecting a gun for home defense buy a "functionally reliable" gun that fires every time the trigger is pulled. I would not recommend any pistol with a magazine safety, as all safety is with the operator of the gun. If you follow the rules for gun handling as taught by the NRA. Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction. Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot. Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use. You and all around you will be safe. A safety is a mechanical device which can and will fail. First consider a Basic Pistol and a Personal Protection the Home course taught by an NRA Certified Instructor. During the course you will be trained in the criteria for selecting a gun. In addition, in the PPitH course you will spend a hour or two with a LEO or an attorney reviewing your local laws governing firearms.

I agree 1000%!!!! Well said!

Perhaps one of you more enlightened and educated gentlemen could take a break from selling shotguns to people who want handguns to address the poster's question? Seriously, with all those certs, one of you has to have an opinion on the Ruger P345PR?

I am considering buying a pistol for personal, home protection. I don't expect to have any concealed carry needs/opportunities/license. I am pretty well settled on 45ACP as a benchmark for stopping power. I am also limiting my preferences to American manufacturers. I don't expect to do a lot of shooting, except for regular practice to maintain proficiency. I've seen a lot of discussion of various weapons and I'm really asking for views on reliability, durability, user-friendliness, safety and degree of kickback for the Ruger P345PR. If anyone suggests another American made 45, please tell me why it would be preferred over the Ruger.

My Glock 36 was made in Europe. I was incredibly surprised to find my XD's were really HS2000's. As far as I know, the only decent S&W DA 45 is the SW99, which is also imported.

My first defensive gun was a 590 and I love it. It cost $300 bucks and ammo is really cheap. It broke after thousands of shells and Mossberg fixed it and overnighted it back with no questions asked. There is no doubt that a shotgun will stop someone better than a handgun, but there are other considerations. Do you really want to blow huge holes in your walls? Do you have kids? Is your hallway big enough for a long gun to be applicable? Are you physically able and willing to put 1000's of shells through it training? Can you safely store it without making it useless for defense? Do you want to be discrete when you take your gun out of your house? Will your local range let you train (train, not stand there like a statue) with a shotgun? Will you feel like a retard shooting at targets with a shotgun?