(vanity) Yep, it's another "Help me pick home defense guns" thread

2/19/13 | marty

[martin_fierro]

POSTED THE OTHER NIGHT ON FB WHILE FR WAS DOWN:

Stopped by my local gun shop tonight for the first time, to see what their inventory/prices were like.



Was surprised by the friendly reception I got. Bunch of good ol' types hanging around.



I'm looking for a handgun + shotgun for home defense. The units would be low maintenance, use comparatively inexpensive ammo and be easy for a man or woman to use.



I looked at a Mossberg 500 (20 gauge) & some Taurus Millenium Series .45 ACPss -- these latter looked to be far too large


http://www.taurususa.com/gun-selector-results.cfm?series=MP1&toggle=tp



What do FReepers recommend?

[SWAMPSNIPER]

Had to go to work at daylight, needed the shortwave.

[LibWhacker]

I first heard about this gun here on FR a few months ago.

Ruger 357 magnum LCR

I don't remember who posted it, but I'm glad he did because I fell in love with it right away after reading a few reviews.

Some Pros: small, easily concealable, lightweight, compact, hammerless (won't snag on your clothing when you pull it out), reliable (won't fail to feed or eject), powerful.

Cons: small -- a 357 magnum bullet won't have the muzzle velocity and energy that is advertised on the ammo box when fired out of a gun with such a short barrel. It's going to ruin your night vision if you fire it in a darkened room... lightweight polymer -- so it will kick like a mule... compact -- only holds five rounds. But Speer makes a 357 magnum round specifically designed for snub-nosed revolvers that greatly ameliorates some of those negatives.

I wouldn't rely solely on it for home defense (I also keep a loaded 12-gauge shotgun and a .45 caliber 1911 nearby while at home), but it complements those other defensive tools nicely; I can slip it in my pocket and work outside the house without feeling encumbered by a heavier weapon.

[fella]

Circuit Judge, fire .410 shotgun and 45 Long Colt.

[Ken H]

Winchester 1300 Defender (pump, 12 gauge). Anything smaller is a waste of time, and this thing will fire reliably. 12 gauge ammo is plentiful. I keep #4 ammo at the ready for mine; about a 1 foot spread at 20 feet. Don’t use slugs/buckshot in a house unless you *want* to go through walls for some reason.

Revolver, blued (not chrome). Brand etc barely matters, just don’t buy cheap crap. Get at least a .357 if this is the extent of your gun buying and it’s only for the house/vehicle.

Simple and effective. I like it!

[Pollster1]

I’m partial to the Mossberg 500 or Remington 870 tactical or 887 tactical pump actions, in 12 gauge, for the home defense shotgun. Go with a tactical load instead of a 20 gauge to reduce recoil if that’s an issue, and with smaller shot to avoid over-penetration if that’s your concern. The Remington pumps have excellent reliability and the 12 gauge is the right size for home defense, even for a smaller woman (with the reduced recoil tactical loads).

As for the handgun, there are thousands of models because so much depends on shooting style. I like a Taurus Judge (with a Glaser .45 Colt Safety Slug or a .410 load with the right size shot), but your situation is unique, as is every shooter’s.

[eartick]

OK, you do not own a gun now so you probably do not shoot much and your wife does not shoot much.

You do not want a semi automatic pistol for home defense. If you are woken in the middle of the night and if either one of you grab the pistol and fumble around with it, I will lay odds that 10 out of 10 times you will limp wrist the first shot and the pistol will jamb. Due to the state of mind you will be in and your experience level, this is what will normally happen because you will not have the grip correct on a semi automatic.

The best home defense weapon out there by for is the shotgun. What kind is debatable. You want a low maintenance, one that everyone can handle the recoil and one that easy to operate for beginners. You may wind up with two different calibers and one on each side of the bed or locations in the house. Maybe one in the bedroom and one in the safe room where you evac to when intruder has breached your outer door.

On ammunition, no slugs should be used and nothing bigger than #4 buck shot in the caliber you select. This will help to eliminate wall penetration.

Outfit your weapon with a small in size but large lumen flashlight and/or lazer. Do not rely on lazer as aim point designator, but for intimidation when bounced off of mirrors/walls/picture glass. Can give the image of multiple shooters that the intruder is facing. I have this setup in my house using mirrors and picture frame glass down the hall into the living area. Combining lazer and focused light creates a illusion for an intruder in unfamiliar surroundings.

My personal preference: 2 - Mossberg 590 loaded to the gills with 3” #4 Buck Shot w/ slide in mount between mattress and boxspring that cradles one on each side of the bed. P226 Sig Sauer 40 S&W loaded with EFMJ (Expanding Full Metal Jacket)w/ 3 extra mags. If you have never experimented with EFMJ bullets, they are amazing. They expand to 1.5x the original size everytime and only penetrate 10” in ballistic gell. Get some for home defense.

Good Luck in your adventure and what ever you buy in a shotgun, get to a range with the shells you are going to shoot and pattern it. Most ranges have a “pattern” station where you can shoot into a piece of paper and look at your pattern the shotgun produces.

[Pollster1]

I'm looking for a handgun + shotgun for home defense. The units would be low maintenance, use comparatively inexpensive ammo and be easy for a man or woman to use.



If you and your wife are not going to shoot these much, I like a comparatively cheap "red dot sight" to make the shotgun more user friendly. I mounted one on this (rem 870-specific) rail in three minutes total:

That includes mounting the rail. I bore-sighted the red dot in five more minutes, and at 20 feet, the group centers within half an inch of the red dot, and aiming accurately is incredibly fast. I prefer top-quality optics for a rifle at long range, but on the shotgun a $30 red dot will do the job for home defense.

[Gaffer]

Under the right conditions, it could also be a wrist breaker (or sprainer). I have a couple of PG shotguns (Mossberg) but I installed Knoxx Recoil Grips on them. Also have a Knoxx recoil folder stock and a collapsible recoil stock. They work pretty well but you have to watch the collapsible if you rest your cheek up against it...cheekbone bruise.

[Squantos]

KISS warm and fuzzy simplicity that husband AND wife can operate easily.

Double barrel 12 gauge, over and under or side by side....

http://www.thefirearmsforum.com/showthread.php?t=105010

AND

3 inch barrel on a S&W or Charter Arms revolver in 38/357 or 44 Special

http://gunner777.wordpress.com/2006/12/08/sw-686-us-customs-model/

http://www.charterfirearms.com/products/Charter_Bulldog_74420.asp

These are Keep it simple silly (KISS) concept firearms for the basics of home defense.

With carefull shopping you should be able to find both shot gun and the “bulldog” from charter arms in 44 special and the Stoger double barrel 12 gauge for less than 750$ total.

Loads recommended for the 12 gauge are #4 buckshot.

Loads for the 44 special are 200gr Gold Dot HP’s from CCI Blazer

44 special and 12 ga number 4 Buckshot is plentiful and on the shelves and still pretty cheap .....

My suggestion only. Bought the same packages for sisters and Mom years ago and they love em.

The CA bulldog can be carried concealed easily if you desire to do such... The Stoger Double is a good package as well for the “House Gun” . With both barrels loaded and a stock sock of six spare you have 8 rounds of #4 buck at hand.

Stay safe...

[3clean]

Do you have a dog? Folks like shotguns for some reason, I think its because they dont have the same level of commitment as a handgun which IMHO is just a man killer A plus of using a long gun is you can hit folks with them and keep your purchase on the long gun while you do that, where as when you hit some one with a pistol its more a form of "encouragement". Given the choice of any weapon in the world for home defense and any set up invisioned.... IMHO I'm a big, strong guy that likes to fight, i do it for fun, give me a small cal, small double action wheel gun and a cute little smart and aleart 10-15 pound dog. Its really hard to beat a K-9 they live to tell you somebody it there, something isnt normal. A small little double action wheel gun is hard to see at night and works almost 100% they point and track very well. I find small weapons very hard to take away from people compaired to larger pistols and long guns. This is important when you want to make sure your site is sound and you are patroling. If you plan on being 100% defensive this is my advice, if you want to be agressive and go after somebody NO this isnt the way. There is really cool stuff in the .22, little nasty expanding rounds that are high volicity and will leave all the energy in the target. Something like a Ruger LCR .22 and you get 8 shots and no hammer! How can you go wrong? If you worry about bears and lions coming in your home this isnt what you want, if you are are in a gang war nope. If it a garden varity drunk rapist home invader heck yeah this little black beauty fills the bill in close quarters.

[Mad Dawgg]

[Hardastarboard]

I keep a pair of muffs next to the handy shotgun.

You've made a couple of good points so far (shot size and ear muffs).

The NRA published a study they did a few years ago that number 7 or 7 1/2 shot would stop anybody within a room size area, and would not penetrate the other side of a drywall wall. I just read about keeping muffs with your gun, to minimize your disorientation after the gunshots. I've got to do that myself.

[AUTiger83]

Walther P99

+1 on the Walther P99 or P99c (a compact version). The most ergonomic pistol ever for people with small hands. Get the AS model (Anti-Stress), not the DAO model (Double Action Only). 15 rounds in the magazine, plus one in the chamber. No safety (just like a Glock). First trigger pull is long and stiff, then it's short and light for the remainder of the magazine.

[panaxanax]

>>”You’ve made a couple of good points so far (shot size and ear muffs).<<

Ear muffs?

It doesn’t make sense to handicap yourself by eliminating one of your best advantages in a low-light/high stress situation.

[JRandomFreeper]

I have permenant damage to my hearing because of unprotected firing. I'll take that minor handicap in a tactical situation, since without hearing protection, you will be deaf after the first shot in an enclosed space anyway.

/johnny

[outofsalt]

I would like to buy one of these too. Linky?

[Chode]

no left hand penalty either...

[sauropod]

.

[martin_fierro]

LAWL. That’s a keeper.

[Bshaw]

I like the Taurus OSS 24/7 Tactical line. Solid weapons.