Posted on 10/10/2008 12:41:21 PM PDT by doug from upland
http://www.learnaboutguns.com/2008/03/30/selecting-a-gun-for-home-defense/
Selecting a Gun for Home Defense
Published by the LearnAboutGuns.com
Many people purchase their first gun for home defense, and the question of which type of gun to pick is a common one. The three basic choices are a handgun, shotgun, or rifle. Of the three, I would recommend a shotgun for most situations, with handguns being recommended for people who lack the physical ability to handle a shotgun. My recommendation for the “ideal” home defense shotgun, and the pros and cons of each of these firearm types, in the order which I recommend them, are discussed below.
My ideal home defense firearm is a 12 gauge pump action shotgun with an 18″ barrel and a magazine capacity of 6 shells or more, such as the Remington 870 XCS Marine Magnum. 12 gauge is the most common shotgun gauge these days, and 12 gauge shells are amazingly effective when loaded with 00 buckshot (pronounced “double ought buckshot”). The 18″ barrel is the minimum length generally allowed by law, and does not make the gun too cumbersome inside a home. The pump action is the pinnacle of reliability, and makes it easy to keep the gun stored safely but ready to use at a moment’s notice. The gun will be amazingly effective at close range, and the risk of over penetration through exterior walls and subsequent injury to neighbors is lower than with a rifle or handgun.
The gun I listed as my 1st choice, a Remington 870 XCS Marine Magnum, costs about $900, which is nearly three times as much as as basic pump action shotgun such as the Remington 870 Express. The benefit of paying for this more expensive gun comes in the form of better build quality, a corrosion resistant coating, a nice recoil reducing pad on the stock, and the ability of the gun to easily accept magazine extensions. If you feel like spending more on the Remington 870 XCS Marine Magnum go for it, and if not the standard Remington 870 will still provide excellent protection for your home and loved ones.
1st Choice: A Shotgun:
Pros: Incredibly effective. Less risk of injury to neighbors due to over penetration of walls. Cons: Harder to maneuver with in tight spaces due to larger size than handguns.
I would generally recommend a shotgun for home defense, because shotguns are (rightfully so) generally considered to be the most effective short ranged firearm. Rather than shooting a single bullet with each pull of the trigger as a rifle or handgun would do, shotguns shoot multiple pellets. These multiple pellets are more likely to stop an attacker but less likely to pass through the exterior walls of your home and injure your neighbors (note that I say *less* likely, as there is always a risk to bystanders). The recoil from firing a shotgun is heavier than a handgun, but this heavier recoil is more than worth the increase in effectiveness (although there is more to the effectiveness of a firearm than the kinetic energy of its projectiles, you can compare the 500 ft-lbs of energy from a .45 caliber bullet to the 2000+ ft-lbs from a shotgun firing 00 buckshot). For those who are new to guns and not accustomed to recoil, let me assure you that you will quickly get used to it after a few trips to your local range. For those who have a physical condition that does not allow them to tolerate heavier recoil, I would suggest acquiring a gas operated semi-automatic shogun (such as the Remington 11-87) which will be more gentle than a pump action or double barreled shotgun. Another option is to use low recoil shotgun shells, which as the name suggests, will be more gentle than standard shells. Such low recoil shells are going to be slightly less effective than standard shells, but this difference is trivial in the home defense scenario, and some experts recommend low recoil shells for home defense over standard shells.
Another consideration that applies to shotguns and rifles is the length of the firearm. In smaller homes with narrower hallways, a barrel that is too long would make the firearm difficult to maneuver with. For this reason I would suggest a barrel length of 18″, rather than the 30″ barrel which might be more appropriate for hunting or trapshooting purposes.
There are also some accessories you may want to consider for your home defense shotgun.
2nd Choice: a Handgun:
Pros: Easier to maneuver with in tight spaces do to its small size. Lower recoil than most shotguns and rifles. Cons: Less effective than a shotgun or rifle.
A handgun, such as one from the Springfield XD line of pistols, would be my 2nd choice recommendation for home defense.
Handguns are generally less effective than shotguns or rifles, as their projectiles have less energy, but they do have the benefit of being easier to maneuver with in cramped quarters, such as smaller houses and apartments. Handgun bullets will generally penetrate exterior walls more than shotguns, but less than rifles, meaning the danger to your neighbors is higher than with a rifle but lower than with a shotgun. My recommendations for the proper pistol self defense calibers are here. Those who are unsure whether they should select a pistol or revolver will find this article helpful.
Another benefit of handguns is that they often have less recoil and can be less intimidating to some people. Indeed my girlfriend is more comfortable with handguns than with rifles or shotguns, as discussed here. You may also wish to consider certain accessories for your home defense handgun.
3rd Choice: a Rifle:
Pros: Generally much more effective than a handgun. Cons: Rifle bullets have a tendency to over penetrate walls, increasing the danger to your neighbors. A rifle would be my last choice for a home defense firearm, although it would certainly be preferable over throwing sticks and stones at a home invader.
Rifles are generally more effective than handguns, however rifle bullets are able to penetrate much further than the shot from a shotgun or the bullets from a handgun. This creates a much greater risk to your neighbors, without much benefit to you. Rifles are generally designed for longer range shooting (e.g. 100 yards, and much further +) so there is no appreciable benefit in rifle designed for long range shooting within your house, since if you are ever forced to shoot a home invader it will be at very close range. Indeed, shooting at someone who is 100 yards away is almost impossible to justify as self defense. Although rifles are great for many purposes, home defense is not usually one of them, since rifles possess the drawbacks of shotguns (heavier recoil, more physically bulky and difficult to maneuver with in close quarters) while having none of the advantages (such as less of a risk of over penetration). That said, pistol caliber carbines can be a viable self defense option.
Now that you have selected a gun for home defense, pick the proper ammunition.
Notes:
When discussing the risk of overpenetration, I assumed that the shotgun ammunition being used was 00 buckshot from a 2.75″ shotgun shell, that the handgun ammunition being used was somewhere between 9mm and .45 caliber, and that the rifle ammunition being used was somewhere between .243 and .30-06. Although the danger of over penetration may be lower with shotguns than with handguns or rifles, the projectile(s) from any gun can over penetrate and pose a danger to innocent bystanders. Even if you are forced to fire your gun in self defense or defense of your family, you should not endanger the lives of your neighbors or other innocent bystanders. Also, it should go without saying that firing at a human being is the absolute last resort and is only justified to prevent death or grievous bodily harm from being inflicted on yourself or a loved one. The decision to possess a gun carries with it the moral responsibly to use the utmost care and good judgment. Similary, it is the responsibility of the gun owner to ensure the gun is not stolen by criminals or misused by children, and to comply with any applicable laws on the storage of the firearm.
Precisely why I chose the HK P7M8; the P7M13 feels like a chunk of 2X4 in my hand...
I hope your a cop or have a class 3, to post those pics.
I wouldn’t fire that for $50. Maybe for a hundred, tho a broken wrist might cost more than that.
Claud, oh, we’ve really hashed over the ideas, some zany and some not so zany. One of the things that we’ve agreed on is the stealth that archers develop for getting up close to game. Keep in mind that they use the same techniques during the “gun hunt” so it’s a win-win. Archers have really gotten into camoflage big time, that and camoflage patterns are fantastic these days.
My son is in the Army, has been for 10 years (Infantry) and is a hunter, both gun and archery but in the camo world sometimes we both wonder what in the h*** the military (especiall the Army and Marine Infantry Divisions) had in mind developing the new camo patterns. He said in Iraq, he watched his soldiers (he was Squad leader) move through the streets and wondered how the h*** those camo patters were supposed to help!!
Anyway, archers have developed good techniques and patience, sitting still, observing and shooting under pressure. Pretty interesting, in America we have an amazing variety of self-sufficient groups, they’re not “survivalist crazies” either.
For example, I’ve always said that should we sink into some kind of terrible internal (or external) war on our soil and there was a great need for truck/transport drivers/operators, just call on the retirees that drive motorhomes, built-in transport jockies, age doesn’t matter!! I mean those old retirees can handle those things in the middle of Houston during rush hour, no sweat.
Best,
My current preferred HD weapon is a S&W 6 inch barreled 357. I load my own ammo with semi-wadcutters installed BACKWARDS. I have tested this load on a pig carcass. It is devastating but rarely goes through unless hit in a non critical area. The damage is akin to old lead ball damage and is devastating to bones etc. Cheaper than "safe" ammo and does not have the issues associated with them.
The Obama/ACORN/Gallup/MSM Kenyan 2-Step Campaign Strategy
Here's how this works. Obama knows he's going to lose. So he gets ACORN to drum up millions of fraudulent Dem voter registrations. It doesn't matter that these fake registrations will never be used to vote, the idea is to inflate the number of Democrat voter registrations. This has been going on for over a year now.
Next, the pollsters say, Wow, look at all these new Dem registrations. We better re-weight our polling samples to compensate. Some polls do this innocently and you can see their internals. Other polls are in on the game and won't show you their internals. The re-weighted polls then naturally show Obama ahead, and the ones showing the biggest lead are the ones that keep their internals secret.
Carville, Mathews, Oberman, and the rest of the MSM then start saying that if Obama loses the election while the polls show him winning, there's gonna be riots.
Meanwhile, Obama plants fake agitators at McCain rallys to shout violent, anti-Obama soundbites. The media then dutifully reports that McCain supporters are calling for violence against Obama.
Obama decries the violent nature of McCain supporters and gets his followers worked up, ready for a fight. Obama loses the election as he expects... Shazam! Obama supporters riot the day after the election.
Will there be as much murder and mayhem here as there was in Kenya after Odinga lost the election? Will Obama be able to wrest control of the U.S. government through this strategy like his cousin Odinga did in Kenya? Remains to be seen.
Toughen up those wrists!
You didn't see the second fold down handle???
One modified her grip so her palm was on one side and four fingers on the other with her thumb pointing back. Also we got her to push with her trigger arm not just try to pull with the other - to be clear use BOTH arms to cycle the slide.
The second lady found that old hook the rear sight on the belt and push down worked well for her. I learned that technique from a Top at the John F. Kennedy School for Wayward Boys. He had been hit in the gun arm in Nam and improvised a way to cock his 45 - he felt it saved his life.
Ooooo, cool!
Go with the 40.
I didn’t notice, thought it was a flashlight but didn’t really look at it. That would help but still just too short for any practical use.
All right! I just tried the first scenario and presto! Thanks so much.
Practical vs. tactical... I have strong hands...
When I was young I could hold my own with just about anyone. I was big, fast and strong. Despite that, I never liked recoil. I would put up with it if necessary to shoot guns I liked but would never choose a gun with ridiculous recoil.
Glad it worked!! Pass it on.
This is an older, inherited 870. Used to be a Nevada Highway Patrol cruiser gun. I inherited it from my mother-in-law like ten years ago, and it’s been at the ex-wife’s house for the last eight years. Figured it would be best to get it in to the smith and have him take a look at it. Firing pin was broken, so the pin and springs are being replaced, and the magazine spring is being replaced.
For me, in rifles, that's an 1898 Lee-Enfield RIC carbine. In shotguns, it's a Winchester Model 1200 w/ 22" slug barrel. In handguns, it's a 5" Smith Model 27. But if you're looking at your first firearm, once again, I would recommend taking a look at a Ruger 10/22 Magnum (something I'm looking for, for myself, right now ;>)...
Here in .22 LR
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