Best Home defense Gun

[santa]

If you don't mind shorter barrels there is the Judge from Taurus .410 ga. or .45 Colt, or the Governor from S&W.410 2 1/2", .45 ACP, .45 Colt. Neither one has as long a barrel as you wished for but the Taurus can be had with a 6-1/2" barrel.
They are "just" .410's but I really want to get hit with that.

I have a Mossberg 500 in 410 bore. It holds 5 rounds. A slug fired from a 410 bore shotgun develops 600-800 pounds of muzzle energy or the same or more than a 357 magnum. Winchester makes a shell dubbed "Stop The Threat" that has 3 projectiles and 12 BBs. The recoil is light making it easier to accurately rapid fire. A 410 in home defense situations is VERY lethal. An earlier post said a 22 can be fatal is also correct. Remember several of the worlds agentcies use the 22 for assinations. As always the gun in your hand beats no gun EVERY time.

 

[tuts40]

AR-15 or equivalent. I'm no expert but have read many writings of those who may well be, who feel the stopping power and round count available make it the gun you would "use your handgun to fight your way to". Having said that, I'd prefer a Glock or equivalent handgun for maneuverability in the meantime. Shotguns are awesome, don't get me wrong!

 

[tuts40]

I hope not .22 cal .....lol....

Many, many people have saved thier skins with a .22. Not the caliber of choice, no doubt, but if that's whatcha got then that's whatcha use!

 

[tuts40]

If you don't mind shorter barrels there is the Judge from Taurus .410 ga. or .45 Colt, or the Governor from S&W.410 2 1/2", .45 ACP, .45 Colt. Neither one has as long a barrel as you wished for but the Taurus can be had with a 6-1/2" barrel.
They are "just" .410's but I really want to get hit with that.

Dean, do you read your posts after you hit "post"? ...There is an edit feature. ;-)

 

[rdc2co]

Long guns vs handguns

I still say this:
If you plan to stand your ground (stay in one place to wait for help), a shotgun is an option.
If you plan to clear your own home (not smart), use a handgun.
It is far too easy (even for me) to grab a long gun out of your hands as you come around a corner.
Imagine I'm the BG (aka 'Bag Guy'). You (homeowner) are coming to get me by clearing your own home. I'm waiting for you on one side of a 90 degree corner (inside the bathroom door, or possibly in the kitchen- either way, just around the corner.) I hear you (homeowner) coming and I know you can't see me. At the very second I see that long barrel come around that corner, I'm going to reach out with both hands, grab the barrel of the gun, and take it away from you. Then I'm going to shoot you with your own gun.
Does this happen? Yes, it does, and I've done it many times, while playing 'bad guy' in a training scenario.
Learn to think like the 'bad guy' does in order to out-plan him. Have your friends play 'Bad Guy' and you (homeowner) use a broom stick, piece of foam pipe insulation, water noodle, etc as a shotgun/rifle. Their goal is to grab the broomstick/foam tube/etc "gun" away from you every chance they get. You, too will learn the lesson I learned through training.
BTW, rifle rounds will penetrate the walls of your home and cause damage/injuries/deaths to disinterested parties. Yes, we have done that training many times, too.
I know someone reading this is thinking that I have no frickin' clue what I'm talking about, so you all try the broomstick "gun" training trick ASAP, and get back to me with what you learned. I really do want someone to get back to me. It will open your eyes pretty quick.
If my advice helps 1 person, I'm thrilled. If I help 1,000 people....you know what I'm about to say.

 

[gunnerbob]

I still say this:
If you plan to stand your ground (stay in one place to wait for help), a shotgun is an option.
If you plan to clear your own home (not smart), use a handgun.
It is far too easy (even for me) to grab a long gun out of your hands as you come around a corner.
Imagine I'm the BG (aka 'Bag Guy'). You (homeowner) are coming to get me by clearing your own home. I'm waiting for you on one side of a 90 degree corner (inside the bathroom door, or possibly in the kitchen- either way, just around the corner.) I hear you (homeowner) coming and I know you can't see me. At the very second I see that long barrel come around that corner, I'm going to reach out with both hands, grab the barrel of the gun, and take it away from you. Then I'm going to shoot you with your own gun.
Does this happen? Yes, it does, and I've done it many times, while playing 'bad guy' in a training scenario.
Learn to think like the 'bad guy' does in order to out-plan him. Have your friends play 'Bad Guy' and you (homeowner) use a broom stick, piece of foam pipe insulation, water noodle, etc as a shotgun/rifle. Their goal is to grab the broomstick/foam tube/etc "gun" away from you every chance they get. You, too will learn the lesson I learned through training.
BTW, rifle rounds will penetrate the walls of your home and cause damage/injuries/deaths to disinterested parties. Yes, we have done that training many times, too.
I know someone reading this is thinking that I have no frickin' clue what I'm talking about, so you all try the broomstick "gun" training trick ASAP, and get back to me with what you learned. I really do want someone to get back to me. It will open your eyes pretty quick.
If my advice helps 1 person, I'm thrilled. If I help 1,000 people....you know what I'm about to say.

This is good logic, +1!

 

[rdc2co]

Thanks, Bob. I'm glad I learned it in training, rather than in a 'situation'.

 

[B2Tall]

There are 2 firearms in my house that are kept at condition 1 status 24/7.

My .45 for an immediate threat and a 12 gauge for any potential, looming threat.

 

[Ringo]

There are 2 firearms in my house that are kept at condition 1 status 24/7.

My .45 for an immediate threat and a 12 gauge for any potential, looming threat.

My 44 spl. for immediate threat and 12 gauge for potential, looming threat.

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[rdc2co]

Have not owned an 870 but do have a few 500 Mossbergs plus an old S&W tactical that looks as if it has been well used. What ever you keep just make sure you practice with it enough so that you do not freeze up if the worst happens. Do not be trigger happy but experienced enough so that your muscle memory will release the safety and put your finger where it belongs.

+1 regarding practice. Good comment.

 

[Terminal Lance]

I keep my ccw (h&k usp 9mmc) on the nightstand. In the even of a break in I hand that to my wife it's always condition 1 and have her stay put. Then I grab the mossberg JIC 500 from under the bed and go take care of business. Assuming there's time and they make it past my 130lb Rottweiler. Hence the pistol always being condition 1

 

[rdc2co]

Regarding .223/5.45mm and/or 7.62x39 and other rifle ammo

AR-15 or equivalent. I'm no expert but have read many writings of those who may well be, who feel the stopping power and round count available make it the gun you would "use your handgun to fight your way to". Having said that, I'd prefer a Glock or equivalent handgun for maneuverability in the meantime. Shotguns are awesome, don't get me wrong!

Do you live within 1 mile of other structures, roads, or parks (etc)? The reason I make this comment is because a rifle round is capable of being accurate to 1 mile, or even greater. If you accidentally injure other persons or are responsible for property damage, there could be criminal and/or civil liabilities with that. Think very carefully about that.
I also mentioned earlier in the post that any sort of long gun can be difficult to maneuver, especially in tight areas. That being said, in some training scenarios, I learned that a long gun is very easy to grab and disarm. That means it is very easy to BG to disarm you! It happened to me in almost every single training scenario. The long gun was taken out of my hands or compromised in these scenarios. I'm not a long gun fan because of those experiences.
Also, chasing a BG around your home is tactically unsafe, unless you have a 3+ man team specially trained for that. If BG is hiding (for example, just inside a bathroom door), he is able to hear you coming. You don't know where he is, and it's easier to surprise you. That makes defending your home a completely moot point. However, if you wait for him to come to you, the advantage of surprise is yours.
I CANNOT GIVE YOU LEGAL ADVICE, BUT...after a LOT of research through very reliable sources....over 20 years...
I have homeowners insurance. Take the damn TV set. For $500.00 deductible, I can get a brand new TV set, much newer and better than what I have now. Go ahead, take the TV set- you're actually doing me a favor. I have exterior keyed locks on my bedroom doors. If my home is breached, I would lock the doors and call 911. If BG comes crashing through the door, then it is very obvious (to law enforcement personnel and in court)that the BG was there to do more than take my stuff. He was there to harm or kill me.In court, it would be an open/shut case of self-defense. Period. If you go chasing BG through your house looking for a chance to shoot someone, it might be interpreted as an aggressive attack against some guy who happened to 'accidentally' show up in your house drunk. Keep in mind, the people on the jury might not be Rhodes Scholar winners. They also might be purposely chosen because they are ignorant, liberal and looking to make an example out of you- in other words, looking for an opportunity to hang someone simply because he owns a gun and used it, regardless if it was clearly a clean shoot or murder. It will be called murder unless you can prove in court (beyond any doubt, that there were no other alternatives. You were clearly out of other options.
If you use a rifle, whether a Ruger 10-22, or a .308 sniper rifle, or an AR-15, or an AK-47 semi-auto, that AR-15 always will be represented in court as an M-16 assault rifle, sole purpose for killing other humans and nothing else. You and I (obviously) know better, but uneducated people believe the trash that liberal media feeds them.
That semi-auto AK-47 will be represented as a middle-eastern terrorist weapon, used by terrorists in blatant attacks to genocidally slaughter innocent civilians. Of course, you and I know better, but people believe the ultra-liberal media, who is out to make an example of you.
Your .308 target or hunting rifle will be represented as a sniper rifle, whose sole purpose is to murder unsuspecting people in cold blood. And yes, you and I know better. And guess what I'm thinking about the uneducated people in the public and even worse, on the jury. What am I thinking?

I'm not offering legal advice here. Nor am I preaching to the choir. I am encouraging you to very carefully think this out before SHTF. Where do I get this information? I read the news, read legal briefs, people this has happened to, blah, blah, blah, blah.
In short, if you injure or kill someone of cause property damage with your rifle, you could be in much more trouble than you were in to start with. People (public) and jury will try to make you look like a monster and sentence you for life in prison or even death sentence.
I hope that everyone reading this will think carefully and read as much as you can. I feel bad to burst everyone's bubble.

 

[TekGreg]

Shotguns are great up to a point...Here's why: I have spent hours in training on how to disarm people (bad guys, obviously). We use Red Guns or Blue Guns for this training. For those who don't know, Red Guns and Blue Guns are one-piece, solid resin guns used specifically training and only training.
This is what I have learned about shotguns:
Shotguns (and rifles) are dangerous to YOU during room clearing. As you are clearing, you want to come around a corner, 'slicing the pie' as you move, right? In a narrow hallway, small room, or any close quarters, a bad guy can stay hidden until he sees the barrel come around the corner. He can grab the gun, using the corner as leverage, pull you forward and off-balance, disarm you, and use YOUR gun to shoot you, club you, etc. In close quarters, the shotgun / rifle is no good for clearance. It is good, however, when 'standing your ground' (otherwise to maintain a room and keep it from being breached by BG). That's why I have two shotguns- just to maintain the security of a single room.
If you are using a gun to clear a structure, use a pistol that you can pull closer to your body when cornering. Never extend a gun around a corner where BG can grab it. When you keep the gun close to your body (called "close-combat position"), it is going to be more difficult for BG to grab it.
That's my two cents comment.

Rdc2co, you have to remember that no one ever pays the $200-400 for the advanced training done in the shoot houses with advanced training instructors! However, if you get two or three friends together and darken your house, then tell them to do what they can to disarm you while you try to clear the house, you will soon see the weakness of the shotgun about 3 out of 5 times when moving, at least with criminals that are desperate and know what they are doing. A pistol held close to the body with your free hand available to grab anyone gun-grabbing from around the corner is the safest way to "slice the pie" and clear your corners in a tight space like a house. If you can't afford the time or money for an actual course, you might want to train with a video on handgun tactics like this one:

. I'm not a distributor or anything, just found it very helpful. :biggrin:

 

[TekGreg]

I keep my ccw (h&k usp 9mmc) on the nightstand. In the even of a break in I hand that to my wife it's always condition 1 and have her stay put. Then I grab the mossberg JIC 500 from under the bed and go take care of business. Assuming there's time and they make it past my 130lb Rottweiler. Hence the pistol always being condition 1

Terminal Lance, why doesn't your wife have her own gun? My wife carries/practices with her own Glock 21 .45 with a Streamlight M6 Light/Laser combo slung below the barrel. She's deadly accurate and I'd hate to see a criminal on the business end of her gun!

 

[Tucker's Mom]

I keep my ccw (h&k usp 9mmc) on the nightstand. In the even of a break in I hand that to my wife it's always condition 1 and have her stay put. Then I grab the mossberg JIC 500 from under the bed and go take care of business. Assuming there's time and they make it past my 130lb Rottweiler. Hence the pistol always being condition 1

Hubby and I also have each a condition 1 pistol within reach at night and our first responder, also a 130 lb rottie sleeping on the first floor with a well trained indoor Siamese cat (responder #2 or 1?). A BG have these two to mess up before they can get to us.

 

[tuts40]

rdc2co,

Yes I am aware that 5.55 (and similar) rounds penetrate walls, even after passing thru thugs on occasion. Yes, I'm aware of the legal and civil risks along with the horror of possibly hitting a neighbor while they are eating ice cream in thier bed. Yes, I have seen the accounts of people getting long guns taken away while trying to round corners...

However, the other option is to be less able to stop the attack. I'm gunna worry about the civil problems and the rest of it AFTER I save my and my families lives.

True, a handgun would be weapon of choice for house clearing (which I wouldn't do) or getting to a family member in another part of the house (which I would do). I know, same thing in practice. I would have my handgun with me at night in just such a situation, as it sits next to me hidden from plain view from accross the bedroom but easily accessable to me.

So many experts, LEO's, training guru's and gun mag writers have written on this subject and I've read a good portion of it, and have had some training myself in house clearing, home invasion and other scenarios as well as plain ol' handgun use from malfunction clearance/staying in the fight to tactical considerations of various stripes. Having said that, I'm no expert. I'm just some guy out here with an opinion, and no rambo like, well, others here paint themselves to be.

These threads are a bit amusing in that if you ask 110 people what thier weapon of choice for this or that is, what caliber rules, etc, you will get 172 different answers! It's a matter of personal choice. I stand by my AR-15/AK choice if I had only one weapon to choose from if defending my castle. It's my opinion. Subjective. However, I'll be well served by the glock I keep with me at nearly all times, and will indeed be a better choice if needing to get to a family member in the house with BG's hiding...

Thank you tho, for the information.

 

[Terminal Lance]

@tekgreg. She had never fired a gun before we got together and was afraid of them. Now she is all about them and a damn fine shot. She started working in a less that reputable area so I talked her into getting her permit and I'm gonna get her a gun soon. She's good with a 9 bit would probably e better suite to carry a 380

 

[mcraechief]

With my experience of investigating home invasions and other home defense situations. I do agree that the shotgun is devastating at close range, but it can be taken from you by the bad guy. A reliable handgun with a tac light is preferred in these situations. A light with a strobe setting can also give you the advantage in this situation. The bad guy can't hit what he can't see. Hit someone with a bright strobe like the TLR-1s and their vision at night is done for. At least for a minute or two and that is all you need to take control of the situation.

 

[TekGreg]

She's good with a 9 bit would probably e better suite to carry a 380

Congrats on getting her into shooting and over her initial fear! Always nice to see a smart man that can educate the people around him about shooting.

You might want to try her out on a whole range of calibers, if you can. When my wife and I were dating, I took her to the range and we went through every caliber they had: .22, .25, .38, .357, .40, 9mm, 10mm, .41, .44...she didn't like anything! Or at least I should say that her attitude was "unimpressed." Finally, last caliber of the day, loaded up a Para-Ordnance with 15 rounds and the first round went BLAM! and a smile creeped across her face. "Yeah, I LIKE that!" She proceeded to burn up every bit of .45 ammo I had. Surprised me! I never thought she would gravitate towards .45! Now she owns a Glock 21 .45 with an M6 Streamlight laser/light hanging off the barrel - she is extremely serious! You never know what the woman in your life will like until you turn her loose. :wacko:

 

[Cfb3]

I have a .357 beside the bed. My CCW is there too. I have a Redline tac light, inexpensive, but very effective.