Advice on self defense weapon

[wesheltonj]

Yes ammo is a little short right now and so am I. I need to stock up, but finding ammo and not paying scalper prices is a little difficult.

 

[Professor Mawla]

For home defense ( and also for keeping in the trunk of my Cadillac ) , this is what I prefer .

My Laurona 12 bore ( 2 3/4 inch chambers ) side-lock ejector double barreled side by side shotgun . The best home defense loads ( based upon my personal experience ) are these .

Eley Alphamax 2 3/4 inch AAA shells ( with each shell holding 44 antimony hardened lead slugs of .20 calibre ) . They achieve quite a spread and are large enough to neutralize any human sized threat . Yet at the same time , they shall not over penetrate through walls ( thus refraining from harming any potential bystanders ) .

An ideal handgun for a novice , would have to be either :
- A Glock Model 17 semi automatic in 9x19 mm Parabellum ( you may alternately opt for a Glock Model 26 , should you prefer something a little more compact )
- A Smith & Wesson Model 36 snub nosed revolver in .38 Special ( you may alternately opt for the any of the Double Action Only Air Weight variants , which features a bobbed hammer in order to prevent it from potentially snagging on any articles of clothing )

 

[edward]

Hello all,
I’m looking to buy a gun for the house for self defense reasons. I don’t need anything fancy. Just something reliable, easy to use, and preferably economical (although that is not a deciding factor). Any suggestions? Also, any suggestions for Secure storage which can be accessed quickly in case that time comes?

the time needed is never known except when it comes,as such i have an s&w 9mm loaded in my safe,in our bedroom within arms reach,a walther 380 loaded in the bath room,and a kimberly 45 acp in my main closet, plus etc,etc.we live out of town and in this day and age better safe than sorry.just my wife and i,no children,3 cats.my wife is my hunting partner and can out shoot me.

 

[Ed Lally]

My wife and I have three Glock 23s in .40 S&W with extra 13 round mags held by magnets strategically placed around the house. These will provide time to access our UTAS 15 round pump shotgun and FN PS2000 in 5.56 NATO with two 30 round mags, both bullpup designs. We have #4 buck in the UTAS and hollow points in the 5.56 to minimize over penetration. I believe that the most important part of this system, besides constant training, is that every firearm is equiped with a high quality tactical light AND laser. One needs to be able to identify their target and the laser may deter an assailant. But if not, the laser surely aids in shot placement. The only change I might make in the future is to switch out the Glocks to full-sized 9mms with higher capacity mags.

 

[Ed Lally]

One of the main advantages of having exactly the same make and model of firearm placed in identical holders (magnets) in different places in the house is that training and practice is always the same and, no matter which you grab, muscle memory will kickin smoothly because the firearm is always the same, the spare nag is always the same and the retaining devise is always the same. There will be enough sensory overload going in and you need to remove as many variables as possible to allow your mind and body to function with minimal disruption. Your life may hang in the balance so KISS. Keep it simple stupid!!!

 

[mikecatt13]

You stated that you want a "house" gun and not a carry gun. You also seem unfamiliar with handguns. For your purposes it would be hard to beat a full size revolver like a S&W 686. They are largely "middle of the night" proof and the .357 can also shoot .38 special giving you a lower cost practice load (and +P .38 special also provides an effective lower recoil personal defense load). It is my spouse's bedside handgun and works perfectly in that role. I equipped her revolver with an aftermarket set of grips with a laser.

Any of the handgun suggestions will fit in one of the locked, bedside boxes. Most can be set up with a punch code and some even have a bio-metric fingerprint reader. If the handgun is locked away in a gun safe it is useless to you when things go pump in the night.

I would consider myself largely neutral on revolvers, enjoy them but not an enthusiast. I would tend to agree with this though. Very few moving parts, if you need more than 6 or 8 rounds you're screwed anyway, if your experience level is very low throw a set of laser grips on them and off you go.

Shotguns sound like a good idea at face value but they're simply just not. Hard to wield inside a home, many can be somewhat unreliable especially if you're talking about a pump (dont freak out, the unreliable part would be the user under stress. An inertia shotgun can be very easy to induce a malfunction with a stressed and/or inexperienced user), and the reality is that even if you remove the choke the pattern at 7 yards or less (typical indoor range) isnt much bigger than a pistol round, certainly not enough that it will mean a hit instead of a miss. As far a shooting through walls, a pistol with frangible ammo will help with enough practice to hit the perp being the first solution

 

[Newboomer]

Since 1960 I have been a 1911 guy. I've tried, shot, carried a lot of others but always come back to 1911 style. I have several locked and loaded (10 rd mags) within easy reach in my home with extra mags next to each one. Some are 45acp, some are 9mm. My carry gun is a Sig 938 in 9mm. Small but effective for self defense ranges.

The number one rule for any gun is FAMILIARITY. Learn it, use it, know it, practice until everything about it becomes an unconscious movement. Not just on a square range, set up scenarios under various conditions--against the clock. This will train you to react under stress.

 

[OxfordTheCat]

Considering that you're statistically far more likely to accidentally injure yourself or another member of your family, and similarly even more likely to have it used in a deliberate self harm incident instead of against an intruder; I would say pepper spray would be a prudent choice for someone that is querying an African hunting forum for such a recommendation and asking such an entry level question.

 

[dchamp]

Considering that you're statistically far more likely to accidentally injure yourself or another member of your family, and similarly even more likely to have it used in a deliberate self harm incident instead of against an intruder; I would say pepper spray would be a prudent choice for someone that is querying an African hunting forum for such a recommendation and asking such an entry level question.

I find your statement somewhat interesting but mostly absurd. What statistics are you sighting. A person who is relatively well trained and of the right mindset should be able to make rational decisions involving shoot no shoot situations. Also, being familiar and competent with your firearm should help keep you from shooting yourself, but I realize accidents do sometimes happen. I also understand that under stress strange things can happen but statistically I think more people have been well served by firearms than have been self injured. I would say check the FBI statistics.

 

[jeanes]

Glock 23 is identical to the Glock 19 except for the barrel. You can get an after market barrel to convert it to 9mm. Makes practice cheaper, if you can find 9mm ammo. You need 9mm mags, though.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

Glock 23 is identical to the Glock 19 except for the barrel. You can get an after market barrel to convert it to 9mm. Makes practice cheaper, if you can find 9mm ammo. You need 9mm mags, though.

The slide isn’t different? On a beretta or sig 226 the slides are different, I believe to accommodate the larger case head.
BTW I had both 40 and 9mm slides and barrels for my beretta 92/96. It was too confusing to keep the right ammo and mags you needed. Just pick one caliber and go with it.

 

[R.M.C.]

I've got a hammer less .357 mag revolver made by Taurus. I love it. There's no safety and the only thing that moves is the cylinder and the trigger. It could be all wadded up in someone's clothing or held upside down and if you can get to the trigger to pull it, its going off no matter what. And with minimal moving parts its won't jam after the first shot. Dead reliable. And the trigger pull is double stage so it would next to impossible to accidentally touch a round off without meaning to. Just my two cents lol

 

[OxfordTheCat]

I find your statement somewhat interesting but mostly absurd. What statistics are you sighting. A person who is relatively well trained and of the right mindset should be able to make rational decisions involving shoot no shoot situations. Also, being familiar and competent with your firearm should help keep you from shooting yourself, but I realize accidents do sometimes happen. I also understand that under stress strange things can happen but statistically I think more people have been well served by firearms than have been self injured. I would say check the FBI statistics.

The "relatively well trained and of the right mindset" is what is probably lacking in such an inquiry, hence my suggestion on pepper spray. Kind of like someone asked what is a nice starter car for their young son and people are coming out of the woodwork suggesting a widow-maker Jeep with the doors stripped or a 5.0 Mustang or something.

There are a littany of sources available on the internet, articles like the following from Scientific American are a good overview; but yes, statistically you're more likely to injure yourself or a family member than you are to use a firearm in defensive gun use.


Honestly I'd rather not get into it, as I think this is entirely an inappropriate venue for it (and it really has no place on a hunting forum, and should get slotted to the 'Off Topic' space), and I normally wouldn't even engage but the responses suggesting "having 30 to 60 rounds on the weapon" for a guy asking an entry level question on a brand new account is a little much taking it in. Call me absurd all you like, but I'm not American, and espousing that a guy needs more than the standard US infantryman's WWII load (which I think was a bandolier of six of the eight round enbloc clips) as a baseline for home defense seems bizarre on the face of it from an outsider's perspective.

Similar to the trend of city dwellers who are obsessed with "predator defence" when they might spend an hour or two a year in light bush (whilst literal millions camp and hike without any such nonsense), I suppose I might be a little old fashioned or out of touch with the recent trend that everyone has to play some version of SEAL Team Six Halloween while living their quiet, benign family life. See also: Plate carriers at the range, coyote and arid brown painted everything despite being a thousand miles from the nearest arid desert, and all manner of flashlights and gadgets bolted on to a firearm or AR clone.

To each their own, I guess. But colour me thoroughly bewildered by it all.
Lots of good advice about taking a training course, familiarization, and practicing in there; I will say.

 

[K-man]

I plan to take Biden's expert advise and shoot them in the leg...!

well maybe the last shot....

 

[Ed Lally]

Several firearms stratregically placed around the house with extra mags fully loaded may be overkill (pun intended) however, while I never served in the military but many of my good friends did. One steadfast military rule I have come to appreciate in civilian life: One is none. Two is one. Do what you want but I don't believe I will ever be wanting for personal protection of the ones I love.

 

[jeanes]

I have been shooting 9mm in my Glock 23 with a 9mm conversion barrel for about 14 years now. The 19 and 23 are identical, at least the gen I have.

 

[Corey0372]

I'm in the handgun crowd for home defense, even though I also have a handful of other guns as well. Shotguns are great, until you have to shoot past someone you don't want to hit.

Glock 19 Gen 3 9mm with a flashlight on the rail and tritium sights, standard 15 round magazine, I keep a round in the chamber. Having a light on your weapon and shining it on someone can immediately ID friend from foe, and potentially even cause the assailant to run away. A 15 round magazine can be sufficient when dealing with 2-4 assailants. I've carried both 1911s and Glocks as sidearms, have thousands and thousands of rounds through both, and would trust my life to a Glock over a 1911, just my opinion. ( I still love 1911s though)

In dynamic situations like a home invasion many things are out of your control. Being able to shine a light and fire your weapon with one hand and still have one hand free is extremely advantageous for a number of reasons...

1. you can engage a shooter while on the phone with the police (you laugh, but this can help you in court)

2. you can gain control of someone like a kid, or someone in your house to move them if necessary if they aren't responding to your verbal commands (think freaked out child in the middle of the night waking up to loud noises, they aren't going to be as responsive as they should be when you're directing them to safety, you'll see this same thing with PSD units or Secret Service, they take physical control over who they need to keep safe)

3. you can still fight if one of your arms has been hit and you lose the use of it

4. you can open a door with your weapon close to your body and at the ready very quietly

If you live somewhere that round over penetration is a consideration, look into frangible rounds.

As others have said..... train, train, train. Learn some first aid as well, how to apply a pressure dressing and a tourniquet (this can literally be the difference between life and death and is very simple to learn)

 

[SRvet]

The answer lies with your leader as in the video attached (joke) !! On a serious note the video below does show how less experienced folk can struggle

 

[browningbbr]

Springfield XD in 9 mm...reliable, compact if that is important, reasonable pricing. factory defense ammo. Practice ..practice.

My wife has an XD9 with a Veridian laser and the veridian holster that turns on the laser / flashlight when the weapon is removed. The holster is attached to the bed frame on her side. She likes the weapon and shoots it well. The recommendation above is a very good one.

 

[fourfive8]

There is a huge difference between choosing a self defense weapon and knowing when to use that weapon. No matter which weapon, those two mental processes need to be thought thru and committed to simultaneously... recognizing a valid threat and best course to stop the action. Stopping the action (threat) can include: avoiding, hiding, fleeing, coercing, talking or of course what everyone automatically skips to... stopping the action with use of sufficient force to stop the action. That is a lot of critical data processing with precious little time to do so when the burden is the requirement to act defensively not offensively. I only hope politically and culturally we can maintain the basic premise as set forth in 2A that allows for a level playing field (along with the after-the-fact legal protection) when confronted with or forced into those circumstances.