Home defense weapon.

[Guest KustomHD]

I would look into the Taurus Judge Public Defender it uses 410 shotgun shells 2 1/2 long or the .45 Long Colt also the 410 shot shells are better priced !! , I have 4 hand guns & I love it and so does my wife. I use it for my concealed carry almost all the time. The Judge is a awsum for home defence. NOW dont get me wrong i do like my Taurus PT145 45ACP and my Rossi 462 357 Mag and my Taurus 9mm

[RobertNashville]

Robert's Rules of Responsible Gun Ownership for fun, home defense and personal protection (carry):

Rule No. 1...when in a gun fight, and/or defending your life or the life of another, any gun of any caliber that you have with you is 1,000% better than an other gun or any other caliber that you don't have with you/available.

Rule No. 2...carry the biggest caliber you can comfortably carry, know how to use and that you WILL carry.

Rule No. 3...regardless of what type or caliber of firearm you get, TRAIN...TRAIN...TRAIN and then PRACTICE...PRACTICE...PRACTICE.

Rule No. 4...read Massad Ayoob's "In The Gravest Extreme"

Rule No. 5...at least every couple of years, re-read Massad Ayoob's "In The Gravest Extreme".

I have more rules but those are the more important one's for me!

One of the great things about choosing a firearm for home/personal protection right now is that there are many, many truly good to great firearms available at reasonable cost in all sorts of calibers/configurations...one of the bad things about choosing a firearm for home/personal protection right now is that there are many, many truly good to great firearms available at reasonable cost in all sorts of calibers/configurations.

So...take your time...try lot's of different guns and then pick one you/your wife likes and feels comfortable with. And anyway, nothing is set in stone...if you end op deciding you want a different gun you can always sell the one you have an buy something else!

[Derek]

However, my experience with handguns doesn't go far beyond Glock. The only other handguns I have shot are the S&W 8" .45 magnum revolver, and the S&W snub-nose .357 special (loved both of those guns).

.357 for home defense. just point and shoot. and a G19 would be perfect too.

[Guest Benelli Nova Guy]

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My Benelli Nova Tactical and my "wifes" G19. I wouldn't be afraid to face an intruder to my fam's house with either.

Edited April 25, 2010 by Benelli Nova Guy

[Guest Jamie]

I want a pair of these for home defense use:

Yeah, they're percussion, but after 4 rounds from 'em nobody's gonna be able to see well enough to cause trouble anyway. Nevermind no longer being able to hear.... and there's all those holes for somebody to contend with.

Also, you can't say the intimidation factor isn't through the roof... if that matters to ya.

J.

[Doc Huckleberry]

mine is not big, long or bulky!

[Guest crotalus01]

mine is not big, long or bulky!

Amen. A shotgun is the best weapon for home defence IMO. Check out the Mossberg Maverick, it comes with a stock and a pistol grip. You might be suprised how easy it is to negotiate narrow areas and corners with the pistol grip installed...

[dlm37015]

12 or 20 gauge pump shotgun with riot barrel

[RobertNashville]

I think, perhaps, some people haven't read the OP's actual needs...he is looking for a home defense weapons for he and his wife that they can also use for concealed carry...I don't think a shotgun fits that bill very well.

[mikegideon]

I think, perhaps, some people haven't read the OP's actual needs...he is looking for a home defense weapons for he and his wife that they can also use for concealed carry...I don't think a shotgun fits that bill very well.

You need baggy pants

[RobertNashville]

Amen. A shotgun is the best weapon for home defence IMO. Check out the Mossberg Maverick, it comes with a stock and a pistol grip. You might be suprised how easy it is to negotiate narrow areas and corners with the pistol grip installed...

I used to hold the same opinion but no longer.

Wile I have tactical shotguns (one of which I'm selling, actually), I've recently come to conclude that the overall best choice for home defense is a carbine (I have a SCAR but an AR15 platform is just as good)...shotguns are certainly lethal but they have an overpenetration risk. Handguns have an even greater overpenetration risk, even the lowly 38 special, but even the biggest handgun caliber is no guarantee of real stopping power/lethality without accurate shot placement (primarily meaning a vital organ or an ocular/cranial shot)...I do understand that accuracy is important no matter what you are shooting (including a shotgun) but my point is that a handgun round simply is not a good round for stopping a bad gun.

We have and carry handguns because they CAN be carried and/or concealed...all things being equal who among us wouldn't prefer a shotgun or a rifle for personal protection???

A rifle with the proper ammunition not only has far greater lethality but also offers the least risk of overpenetration.

At least, that's what I've come to conclude.

[mikegideon]

I used to hold the same opinion but no longer.

Wile I have tactical shotguns (one of which I'm selling, actually), I've recently come to conclude that the overall best choice for home defense is a carbine (I have a SCAR but an AR15 platform is just as good)...shotguns are certainly lethal but they have an overpenetration risk. Handguns have an even greater overpenetration risk, even the lowly 38 special, but even the biggest handgun caliber is no guarantee of real stopping power/lethality without accurate shot placement (primarily meaning a vital organ or an ocular/cranial shot)...I do understand that accuracy is important no matter what you are shooting (including a shotgun) but my point is that a handgun round simply is not a good round for stopping a bad gun.

We have and carry handguns because they CAN be carried and/or concealed...all things being equal who among us wouldn't prefer a shotgun or a rifle for personal protection???

A rifle with the proper ammunition not only has far greater lethality but also offers the least risk of overpenetration.

At least, that's what I've come to conclude.

HUH? What is the proper ammo?

[willis68]

If I were in your shoes, I would buy 2 Glock 17's You will not go wrong with them as a defensive handgun in your home

[RobertNashville]

HUH? What is the proper ammo?

Firs of all, I am not and don't claim to be an expert.

That said, I use the 223 Hornady TAP but there are others.

As I understand it (and in some cases, observed) a handgun round, like a 9MM or 40S&W or 45ACP will go through two or three or more drywall walls of a home and can go right on out through the outside wall...ammo like the TAP round will fragment once it hits the first or second wall rather then just keep penetrating. It's also my understanding that it is for just this reason that law enforcement have switched to AR15 platforms and rounds like the Hornday TAP.

A couple of months ago (or perhaps longer now) "Personal Defense TV" did an entire episode on this issue where they actually fired all the usual handgun rounds and then the 223 Remington through, first, multiple gallon jugs of water and then multiple walls of drywall to observer just how much each did penetrate/how each round reacted...there was little question that of all the various rounds tested, the 223 was the least likely to over penetrate.

Of course, as I said above, we need to be accurate with anything we are shooting but I would suggest that in a life/death home defense situation, we may well "miss" no matter how much we train and try to prepare ourselves. As such, I think it makes sense to use a weapon with that gives the best chance of not over penetrating if we do miss.

Again; I don't claim to be an expert and I'm not looking to start an argument with anyone...just posting my thoughts on the issue.

Edited April 27, 2010 by RobertNashville

[mikegideon]

Firs of all, I am not and don't claim to be an expert.

That said, I use the 223 Hornady TAP but there are others.

As I understand it (and in some cases, observed) a handgun round, like a 9MM or 40S&W or 45ACP will go through two or three or more drywall walls of a home and can go right on out through the outside wall...ammo like the TAP round will fragment once it hits the first or second wall rather then just keep penetrating. It's also my understanding that it is for just this reason that law enforcement have switched to AR15 platforms and rounds like the Hornday TAP.

A couple of months ago (or perhaps longer now) "Personal Defense TV" did an entire episode on this issue where they actually fired all the usual handgun rounds and then the 223 Remington through, first, multiple gallon jugs of water and then multiple walls of drywall to observer just how much each did penetrate/how each round reacted...there was little question that of all the various rounds tested, the 223 was the least likely to over penetrate.

Of course, as I said above, we need to be accurate with anything we are shooting but I would suggest that in a life/death home defense situation, we may well "miss" no matter how much we train and try to prepare ourselves. As such, I think it makes sense to use a weapon with that gives the best chance of not over penetrating if we do miss.

Again; I don't claim to be an expert and I'm not looking to start an argument with anyone...just posting my thoughts on the issue.

If it's totally frangible, I guess I could see it. Just hard to believe that anything with a 3000 fps muzzle velocity is safer than frangible handgun rounds at much slower velocities, or shotguns where penetration can be adjusted by load and shot size. If you find a crack with that .223, it's gonna go forever.

[MCSCOTT]

Firs of all, I am not and don't claim to be an expert.

That said, I use the 223 Hornady TAP but there are others.

As I understand it (and in some cases, observed) a handgun round, like a 9MM or 40S&W or 45ACP will go through two or three or more drywall walls of a home and can go right on out through the outside wall...ammo like the TAP round will fragment once it hits the first or second wall rather then just keep penetrating. It's also my understanding that it is for just this reason that law enforcement have switched to AR15 platforms and rounds like the Hornday TAP.

A couple of months ago (or perhaps longer now) "Personal Defense TV" did an entire episode on this issue where they actually fired all the usual handgun rounds and then the 223 Remington through, first, multiple gallon jugs of water and then multiple walls of drywall to observer just how much each did penetrate/how each round reacted...there was little question that of all the various rounds tested, the 223 was the least likely to over penetrate.

Of course, as I said above, we need to be accurate with anything we are shooting but I would suggest that in a life/death home defense situation, we may well "miss" no matter how much we train and try to prepare ourselves. As such, I think it makes sense to use a weapon with that gives the best chance of not over penetrating if we do miss.

Again; I don't claim to be an expert and I'm not looking to start an argument with anyone...just posting my thoughts on the issue.

I saw the same episode, and if I remember correctly they said the .223 they were testing was just the 55gr FMJ, and would still penetrate less than the others. They also mentioned how hollow points going through drywall would fill up through the first wall, and basically be about the same as a FMJ round as far as penetration.

[mikegideon]

I saw the same episode, and if I remember correctly they said the .223 they were testing was just the 55gr FMJ, and would still penetrate less than the others. They also mentioned how hollow points going through drywall would fill up through the first wall, and basically be about the same as a FMJ round as far as penetration.

I can believe the .223 has crappy penetration, but like I said, if one gets loose, it's gonna travel (and be deadly) for a long way.

[MCSCOTT]

I can believe the .223 has crappy penetration, but like I said, if one gets loose, it's gonna travel (and be deadly) for a long way.

My opinion even after seeing the show is the same as yours. I still stick to my .45 as the first HD choice, with the 12ga as the 2nd. My AR would probably be the last one I would go to.

[mikegideon]

My opinion even after seeing the show is the same as yours. I still stick to my .45 as the first HD choice, with the 12ga as the 2nd. My AR would probably be the last one I would go to.

I just have this vision of a thug kicking the front door in, and me catching him on the way in, with a wide open door behind him.

Yes, a .45 is perfect. So is a healthy dose of 1/0 Buck.

[Guest Benelli Nova Guy]

I just have this vision of a thug kicking the front door in, and me catching him on the way in, with a wide open door behind him.

Yes, a .45 is perfect. So is a healthy dose of 1/0 Buck.

This is my nightmare scenario. Both houses across the street have children not much older than my daughter. That said the G19 is loaded with JHP and the Benelli with 1 buck, If god forbid someone gets in, I want to minimize any possible collateral damage thats outside my house.

[strickj]

I think, perhaps, some people haven't read the OP's actual needs...he is looking for a home defense weapons for he and his wife that they can also use for concealed carry...I don't think a shotgun fits that bill very well.

I think, perhaps, some people haven't noticed the OP is no longer with us.

Giving the OP advise at this point would be like giving me a step ladder

[Guest Jamie]

Sheesh... that's a helluv'a trick; he hadn't even picked out a gun yet and already managed to shoot himself in the foot.

J.

[mikegideon]

I think, perhaps, some people haven't noticed the OP is no longer with us.

Giving the OP advise at this point would be like giving me a step ladder

We're just babblin' on again. Don't need the Op for that