Best home defense weapon

Correct, a handgun is a weapon you use till you can get to a long arm. If it's light and handy it will either be on your person or nearby when you need it.

 

That is based upon ball ammo. However, virtually any round will go thru drywall. An arrow off a mere 75 pound bow will go thru drywall. So will a fist.

 

As a Brit what the hell do I know about guns, but I think I'd like a short-barrel shotgun for sheer stopping power because at close range it'd knock somebody clean off his feet like a sledgehammer. I think it's a 'kinetic energy' thing, something to do with the sheer weight of all those pellets, or am I wrong?
Arnie seems to swear by them-

 

You give no reason why a revolver is a bad choice. There are problem potentials for the novice shooter in a panic. If a safety there is a good chance they won't take the safety off. They can double hand hold it in a way that blocks the slide, throwing the gun out of their hand after the first round. Other blockage can slow or inhibit the barrel slide. Semi-autos in fact do jam. It would be no challenge going to YouTube to find videos of semi-autos jamming and failing to fire.

Ruger P95 not loading
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHML-ouiies
With a revolver you just pull the trigger again with a misfire

Glock 17 jamming
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_5iGQa14G4

Glock19 Gen 4 jamming
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOD1Q2eMEig

I could continue with links to semi-autos jamming or failing to load rounds.

Essentially all semi-auto manufacturers strongly advice "breaking it in" by firing hundreds of rounds thru it, something MANY who buy a home defense firearm will not do.

There has been more than one instance of someone shooting at the police with a semi-auto and, fortunately, it jams.

 

I keep a mossberg 590 full of 00 Buckshot between the mattress and box spring as a second go to for my wife and I. Our first go to for her is a stainless ruger sp-101 .357 2-3/8" snub, and mine is a stainless Springfield loaded edition 1911 in of course .45 ACP. Both of the hand guns are our concealed carry guns. If I have a 5 minute warning, I can bring just about anything into service.

 

Good choices.

Generally, for some reason, women prefer revolvers and men pistols (semi-autos). Not sure why.
Being lightweight is contrary to best choice for home defense. Steel is superior to polymers for home defense handguns.

Comment: I've often stated on the forum for any handgun I highly (highly!) suggest a Crimson Trace grip. In a panic most people couldn't hit a cow at 15 feet with a handgun without a laser sight.

 

I go places where people own dogs all the time. I always carry a sandwich or a couple of hot dogs. Once the dog is fed he never bothers me. A pump shotgun works for me. Or a double barrel. If the right one don't get ya...the left one will.

 

My wife is stupid accurate with her snub. Routinely practicing on golf balls at 25 yards with it. Women new to guns and shooting gravitate to her when I take her to the range. She takes them from "ok, this is an awkward date" to "oh yeah, this is cool and useful". And she out shoots me with every weapon in the arsenal. .she says the .300 winmag reminds her of which of her teeth have fillings in them.

 

novices should not be trying to use a gun in a lethal situation. There's only 2 times when the pistol should be off of your body. when you shower (put the pistol under your towel on the toilet seat) and when you're in bed (pistol between springs and mattress, under your head. You wont have the longarm when you need a gun. That's all bs. and no, the shotgun wont blow a guy off of his feet. If it could do so, it would ALSO knock down the shooter. Equal and opposite reaction, ever heard of that? You are many times more likely to be attacked while away from home than when in your sconce. The pistol suffices when you are away, so why would it not suffice when you are at home, eh? You are many times more likely to get caught without your longarm than you are to have the pistol not be "enough gun". Most attacks are not made with guns. If you dont corner the attacker, he'll flee when he sees your gun. A gunshot wound means death or prison and they all know it.

if you have 5 minutes, you dont need the gun at all. Most likely, you wont have 5 seconds. Anyone can smash in a window or door in just a second or 2. If you have 10 seconds before a lethal attack, you'd be wise to be in your car and headed down the road! Cause if you hit somebody with a bullet, it's going to cost you $50,000 to $500,000 to stay out of prison and "un-sued". Just ask George Zimmerman about that! So the 5 minute warning thing is bs.

 

But most semi-auto's don't have a failure to fire malfunction. Besides a revolver can fail as well. I've see crimp jumps, not all that uncommon in lightweight revolvers and failure to fire by not allowing trigger reset. Revolvers also just aren't really as tough as they're made out to be. Drop one on hard surface with the cylinder open and you can damage it bad enough so it won't function. Revolvers are difficult to shoot double action, hold only 5 or 6 rounds in most incarnations and difficult to reload under stress. I like snubs, however they're really a specialty weapon, not for the beginner.
Most of the big time self defense guru's like Rob Pincus have gone to DAO, striker fired, polymer framed 9mm's without the safety. They're simple to use, have incredible reliability, are accurate and very shootable. They're also have a very easy manual of arms that is much easier to teach to.

 

it's not the lack of sighting, it's the dodging of bullets/blows, the dodging target, the blasts/flash, poor light, the pucker factor, eyes being SHUT, yanking on the trigger, scared of the legal repurcussions, etc.

 

you can totally ruin a revolver by dropping it with the cylinder CLOSED. I've seen 3 cases of such. The crane or cylinder pin does not have to be bent much at all to lock up the rotation. A blow to the head with a revolver can do the same thing. A revolver in your pants pocket makes you look like a potato smuggler. I can spot it from 50 ft away. with a proper rig, the auto looks like a wallet in your pocket.

 

I'm what you might call, "Well armed."

Charter Arms .44 spl., stainless, loaded with Corbon Safety Slugs by my front door and the same weapon and loading by my patio entrance.

Walther 9mm in the garage.

My current carry pistol is a Glock model 30 in .45ACP (220 gr. Federal Hydroshock) with two spare mags. Described as a "Pocket Freight Train."

My bedside pistol is a Springfield Armory 1911-A1 .45ACP Military Combat pistol with tritium night sights..

I have a rare Remington 870 "US Marshals" cut down 12ga. under my side of the bed (yeah, I've got a permit). First round is a 12ga. slug then 00 buck.

Round that mix out with a Czech AK-47 full auto (yeah, I've got a permit) in my den, a Colt M-4 full auto (same, got the permit) by the back door in the broom closet and a Springfield Armory M-14 set up as a sniper rifle mounted in my first floor pantry.

I'm like TFM. I walk softly but I have a very big stick available. I love everyone but all I ask is that no one screws with me or mine.

Regards,

Jason Bourne

 

Considering that there are only two legal, transferable Class III Vz 58's available in the US, that they are very expensive collectors items and that reportedly both were sold as a pair about 10 years ago, I'm supposed to believe this?

 

not only that, but he's screwing up his training (assuming that he HAS any, which I doubt) with all the different "feels", sights, trigger pulls, action types. leaving loaded guns laying around, no pocket gun, no mention of ABILITY with any of it, or armor, or AP ammo, or use of cover, no mention of luminous sights, flashlight, etc. real "pro".

 

Nice troll.....

 

Not even a nice troll. I think we're looking at top contender for the "Brian Williams Award" here. Talk about getting caught in a lie. I doubt he will be back to even make an excuse here.

 

There is no training and there are no class III weapons. When called on it on another thread he offered up the usual weak attempts at insults and didn't have an answer. I don't think he'll be back here.

 

10.5" M4-style AR in 45ACP or 10mm

 

Never mind that anyone who has gone thru the NFA process knows the ATF does not issue a permit.

 

I have evolved a lot on this issue in my time as a gun nut. I started out in the 12-gauge pump (18" riotgun barrel 870 express) camp, loaded first with birdshot, then with buckshot. Then, just for experimental purposes, I tried maneuvering around my house (when the wife and kids were gone) with the 12-gauge, and realized how hard it was to maneuver. My next choice was my 9mm (and I'm still using it) pistol. However, while reading up on things, my next choice will be a .223 MSR with a 16" barrel and collapsing stock. From what I can read, the .223 with softpoint bullets will have the least penetration of dry wall of any of the defense choices. In addition, it will be easier to handle when I get old and feeble--easier to control than the 12-g or the 9mm. That said, the 12-g and the 9mm are still great choices. As are most shotguns, and most major caliber handguns (9mm and up, pistols or revolvers).

 

try one of these pistols out
got a lot of firepower in that small package
and stick a laser site on it , then you dont have to aim it just point the red dot on the bad guy

 

Too heavy when I'm old and feeble. An AR with a stock weighing about 6 lbs will be easier to manage.

 

No children here so guns hidden several rooms. I have the Glock 19 45 now because I don't have to figure out the safety since there isn't one. Colt Commander 45, 380, 9mm, 40 also. Used shotgun in service some but it's too clumsy to turn with in close quarters. A knife in left hand and weapon in right works great. No light.

 

These two:

• Benelli M4, 12-gauge, buckshot and slugs
• Heckler & Koch MR762A1

One of these, maybe all:

• STI Tactical DS in 10mm Auto
• STI Nitro 10 double stacked in 10mm Auto
• Rock Ultra FS HC in 10mm Auto

And undoubtedly that:

• Heckler & Koch Mark 23 + Streamlight TLR

If I can have these, I have the world.