Handguns for Home Defense

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I carry a Glock 17 or 17L with a TLR-1 HL daily all day and whichever one I'm not wearing is holstered on the night table. My wife has a Ruger SR9C on her side as well as my S&W mod 67.
 
... And a very good reason for the de-regulation and application for sound suppressors.

If such were the case, a good pistol for the bedside might be something like the HK VP70 (without the staple gun trigger) with an extended barrel and suppressor.
 
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My grandfather relied for years on a Smith and Wesson Regulation Police revolver chambered for the .32 Long cartridge. He did not believe it very effective, on the basis of the worrisome experience of the law enforcement officer who had owned it before.

But it was what he had. It sat on his nightstand for as long as I could remember.

I ended up with it. It was what I had.

Later, I acquired a more effective handgun. It too stayed in the bedroom. Concealed carry was not permitted then, and it never really occurred to me that a handgun kept in the bedroom might very well not be available to me timely should the need arise. But that's another issue.

Many people put their faith in handguns that they know to be marginal, because they have to. Many others rely on handguns that they do not know to question.

We all take what we can get. Given the choice, I will not keep at the bedside (1) any derringer; (2) any pistol chambered in .25 ACP. .22 short, or .32 short; or (3) any handgun with very high sound pressure or great penetration, such as a .500 S&W. A 22 LR would not be on my list, but if it were all I had, it would have to do.

A .32 Long or .38 S&W would not make the short list, either.

Someone in another thread keeps a five shot .410 revolver with three inch chambers. That would work for me, it it were what I had, but it would not be my first choice . A five shot .44 Special with a three inch barrel from the same maker would would be preferable for me.. Actually, a six shot Smith and Wesson .44 would rank above that.

Today, my home defense handgun is my carry gun. It stays with me, under my control, all the time, and I do not have to put in on or take it off whenever I come and go.

That keeps me from seeking a good S&W .44 Special Model 24 for defensive purposes, but I sure would like to have one.
First you would be surprised at what was able to kill or stop someone back forty or fifty years ago. Additionally there have been great strides made in ammunition and rounds are available today that make older calibers in sound pistols more capable today. Your Grand Dad's Regulation .32 can safely be fired with Buffalo Bore, Glaser Safety, or Magsafe rounds. Yes, I know that some are available in only .32 ACP, but that can be safely fired in a weapon like the Regulation .32. The real good news is that rounds like Magsafe won't over penetrate.
 
First you would be surprised at what was able to kill or stop someone back forty or fifty years ago.
Well, a .22 Short can kill today, and forty or fifty years ago is to me the rather recent past.

But quite some tome ago, Theodore Roosevelt kept a .32 ACP Browning next to his bed, John Edgar Hoover carries a Colt Police Positive in .32, and the French Army issued sidearms chambered for very anemic rounds. We have better choices now, and we know better.

Additionally there have been great strides made in ammunition and rounds are available today that make older calibers in sound pistols more capable today.
To some degree, perhaps, but not enough for me. I draw the line at .380 ACP.
 
Today, my home defense handgun is my carry gun. It stays with me, under my control, all the time, and I do not have to put in on or take it off whenever I come and go.

Yep. My carry gun is what I train with most, so its what sits in my bedside speed vault. Keep a .357 in the closet safe since my wife is more comfortable with wheel guns.

If for some reason I would need something more, the pistol will have to get me to my basement safe and my CQB rigged AR and AK.
 
One of the problems that I had was that I'd take my EDC off and put it on the nightstand, it is only a 6+1 pocket pistol, and it ended up being right next to my nightstand gun, I'm pretty sure that if I were startled awake, I'd reach for the pocket pistol and not the larger pistol, so now I make sure the pocket pistol is out of reach.
 
My primary HD gun is a G17 and I carry a G26, so same platform for familiarity.

Carry gun goes in the bottom of my handgun safe that is bolted to my bed. My wife can get it if needed. I do keep a loaded shotgun and rifle in my safe if we retreat to that area.

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I like to keep a .357 revolver, with slim compact rubber grips, at-the-ready in the bedroom, because:

1. I usually sleep with a splint on one wrist/hand, to mitigate/manage Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and this splint compromises my ability to properly grip my duty/carry Glocks and 1911 pistols, and...

2. Nothing "points" better for me than several specific medium/large-frame revolvers, and it can take time to get my eyeglasses situated.

If the mechanical/electronic and canine early-earning systems do their jobs, I will have time to remove the splint, if applicable, and then grab and don my duty belt, don my Level 3A armor, and either top-up my Benelli M2, or grab another serious pistol, that will complement the holstered duty pistol.

I own .32 handguns, but they are not part of the home defense plan, being kept inside the safe. One is a Seecamp LWS-32, a high-quality niche carry pistol, only needed for very special occasions. The other is an SP101, .32 H&R, with. 4" barrel, which I consider to be more of a "field" revolver.

My .380 Walther PPK/s is my idea of a minimal defensive pistol. It points almost as well for me as the above-mentioned DA revolvers, and does not try to wiggle or squirm during the trigger stroke. I wish it had a slide stop that I could manipulate manually, to enable clearing potential malfunctions. (It has never malfunctioned in a way that required clearing, but it is best to be prepared.) My PPK/s is a very nice, much-liked niche carry weapon, not part of the home defense equation.

The above-mentioned .357 revolver is an S&W Model 19-5, 4", with the thin Craig Spegel-designed boot grips formerly sold by Michaels of Oregon. Because I might fire it with a splinted hand, it is loaded with .38 Special Nyclad 125-grain hollow points, a very "warm" load that is not +P. On the street, I would load it with mild/mid Magnums.

FWIW, the splint does not inhibit my operation of the Benelli M2. :)
 
Usual night drawer gun is one of my 1911's with spare mag or either Glock 19 or Glock 26.

Mostly the 1911.
 
We have been keeping two loaded up. Three if I count my smaller, carry gun. For the wife an SP101 with Gold Dot short barrel +P gets the nod. Mine is a Glock 19 with Gold Dot +P. Both choices may be changing soon. I picked up a police trade in, Model 65 with a 3 inch barrel. So far she likes it. She'll have to decide which is better for her use. My choice may switch over to an XD Mod 2 in 45 ACP. A little more range time with both are needed before swapping out.
 
I haven't had a dedicated "home defense" weapon for many years. Back then, as a young man, it was whatever I happened to own, or whatever I happened to really like of whatever I owned. In my case, that meant either a Colt Commander or a .357 Magnum revolver (usually a Ruger Security-Six).

Fast forward many years later, to my 50's-60's, it was whatever I'd been carrying that day/night for my LE job.

Before retirement, on working days it was usually the duty weapon I'd carried home, which I was going to belt back on and wear to work the next day. On my off days, it was increasingly something smaller and lighter.

Nowadays, post-retirement, it's usually whatever I'm carrying (usually something pocket-holstered) on any given day/night. Might be a .38 snub, or even one of my LCP's.

Sure, occasionally, if something about local events seems to elevate the normal risk assessment concerns, I'll probably be carrying one of my larger weapons (a fair selection of 9's, .40's & .45's), so they get the "HD" duty at the end of the day/night.
 
My home defense weapons have changed over the years as finances have allowed it.

I started out with a Glock 23, but I never cared for it so I traded it for a CZ 75b which is kept in the bedroom. An added bonus is my wife is comfortable shooting it (she shot one round out of the Glock and refused to shoot it again). There's also a S&W k-frame loaded with .38 sp +p's in another room (for the wife again, or I'd put .357's in it) and my 9mm carry gun is in another main room when I'm in the house. These are all locked in quality handgun safes (we have young kids in the home) and I've held back on buying a couple guns so I could afford to buy these safes. I also keep extra mag/speed loaders and a fully charged flashlight in each safe. And there's also a Hi Point 9mm in the garage. You can laugh, but it's accurate and always goes bang, and since I paid $140 for it I don't really care if I find rust on it because the garage see's large temperature swings.

On top of this, I always have a NAA .22 revolver and a 3" locking knife in opposite pockets when I'm home and awake. They might be a last ditch defense, but my hope is at the least they allow me to make it to a larger handgun.

We also have 2 large dogs that I count on as an alarm. They stay outside during the day and inside at night and are pretty good about letting us know when something isn't right. Funny story, I was working from home a couple weeks ago and heard a loud commotion of barking and yelling outside. The FedEx guy showed up to deliver a package, and it wasn't the normal FedEx guy my dogs were used to so they chased him back to his truck! My neighbor happened to be outside and came to the delivery guy's rescue before I was able to get outside.
 
I carry my G29 10mm all the time and I keep in a hidden drawer by my bed while sleeping. It's loaded with Uw 10mm 200 XTP. I also have a 12 gauge pump loaded with triple ought behind the door.
 
"But nothing will stop determined intruders with certainty. An evil doer may push in with or behind someone we want to enter. Or some workman may have found a key and absconded with it unnoticed."

And good points. First, the home is really no different than a gun safe - how long will it resist a determined attack? On the one hand, the intruder given hours or even days to get in will, eventually. On the other, how many gun safes do you see sitting in an open garage door on Saturday morning as you drive thru a neighborhood?

We can and should do a lot more about our home security just by not advertising what we own. That is in some circles a very difficult proposition as there is a "keep up with the Joneses" attitude where homeowners like to publicly display all their material wealth. It's a bit of a slap down to explain they are just shooting themselves in the foot and attracting criminals.

Same homeowner may also be handing out keys that can be easily duplicated - how many on YOUR keyring can be made at a machine in the front entrance of a Big Box store or hardware store counter? It's simply the wrong choice - to either be gone when they are there working, or to give someone unlimited access. You might develop a trusting relationship with some tradesmen and contractors but it's amazing to read the anecdotal stories from cops and locksmiths about who comes in with what key to be duplicated. I've even done with Government keys marked Do Not Duplicate - I needed one that was otherwise unavailable to get into my own quarters.

As a supplying commercial locksmith I've refused to duplicate them plenty of times.

Point being if there is no reason to go to your house and it's harder to get into than most then the perps walk away. Surf window film vendors for home camera video of thugs throwing concrete blocks at patio doors and see. We spend a lot of time discussing what gun, what load, what tactics but it's all based on a complete failure to stop intruders at the property line in the first place. It's based on a policy of failure - and then the gun is the tool of last choice.

It would seem the Higher Road to address it up front than celebrate a culture of entrapment and lethal force. No, people aren't supposed to want to get into our house. On the other hand, we aren't supposed to keep perpetuating making it easy and then relate horror stories over how we failed and our last ditch efforts to protect our family and possessions.
 
"But nothing will stop determined intruders with certainty. An evil doer may push in with or behind someone we want to enter. Or some workman may have found a key and absconded with it unnoticed."

And good points. First, the home is really no different than a gun safe - how long will it resist a determined attack? On the one hand, the intruder given hours or even days to get in will, eventually. On the other, how many gun safes do you see sitting in an open garage door on Saturday morning as you drive thru a neighborhood?

We can and should do a lot more about our home security just by not advertising what we own. That is in some circles a very difficult proposition as there is a "keep up with the Joneses" attitude where homeowners like to publicly display all their material wealth. It's a bit of a slap down to explain they are just shooting themselves in the foot and attracting criminals.

Same homeowner may also be handing out keys that can be easily duplicated - how many on YOUR keyring can be made at a machine in the front entrance of a Big Box store or hardware store counter? It's simply the wrong choice - to either be gone when they are there working, or to give someone unlimited access. You might develop a trusting relationship with some tradesmen and contractors but it's amazing to read the anecdotal stories from cops and locksmiths about who comes in with what key to be duplicated. I've even done with Government keys marked Do Not Duplicate - I needed one that was otherwise unavailable to get into my own quarters.

As a supplying commercial locksmith I've refused to duplicate them plenty of times.

Point being if there is no reason to go to your house and it's harder to get into than most then the perps walk away. Surf window film vendors for home camera video of thugs throwing concrete blocks at patio doors and see. We spend a lot of time discussing what gun, what load, what tactics but it's all based on a complete failure to stop intruders at the property line in the first place. It's based on a policy of failure - and then the gun is the tool of last choice.

It would seem the Higher Road to address it up front than celebrate a culture of entrapment and lethal force. No, people aren't supposed to want to get into our house. On the other hand, we aren't supposed to keep perpetuating making it easy and then relate horror stories over how we failed and our last ditch efforts to protect our family and possessions.
Thieves commonly observe, or obtain local knowledge from others that may live in close proximity to a target. In other words, if you have a Browning Buckmark or NRA sticker on your pickup truck window, or sometimes are seen leaving with cased firearms etc you can become a target. I know someone who had a "Come And Take It" sticker on their vehicle. One day, while they were in a store, someone(s) broke into their vehicle and took it.

I know another person who a couple of weeks after having an insurance rep evaluate their gun collection in a walk in safe, were broken into and cleaned out while they were away for a day.
 
My HD weapon/weapons are ever changing. The more i learn and as my taste changes, so do my weapons.

I do have guns stashed about my home and shop in secured locations but ive learned chances are i wont be able to rely on always being able to get to one. I still keep them locked in their stash spots just incase they are needed.

My carry guns, Glock 43 with 2 mags and NAA 22wmr and sty pro flashlight are sitting on a chair about 4' from where i sleep still in my pants. On her side of the bed sits a S&W 681 L-frame 357mag loaded with Critical Def and on my side of the bed is a Glock 20 9x25 Dillon with 17+1 and a spare 15rnd mag and equipped with a streamlight. Across the room i have my small 12 gun safe with spare flashlight and is home to my Rock River AR, SKS, 1100 and 870 Rem etc all set to go if needed.

I have 2 dogs and motion lights along with solid doors and my next upgrade will be my windows. Its an everchanging working progress for me.
 
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