Home Defense

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One story house this time. My last house had a two part stairway upstairs. A nice coke point. This house is a large ranch with a basement. Master at one end of the house. Coke points are more limited. You can't see inside the room from the door way. You have to take a turn before you can. Best I got. Thanks for the inputs. They are what is needed for me to formulate the plan.
 
One story house this time. My last house had a two part stairway upstairs. A nice coke point. This house is a large ranch with a basement. Master at one end of the house. Coke points are more limited. You can't see inside the room from the door way. You have to take a turn before you can. Best I got. Thanks for the inputs. They are what is needed for me to formulate the plan.
keep the main bathroom light on all night so the master bedroom stays dark and the rest of the house is illuminated.

luck,

murf
 
I've yet to read where somebody asking such questions has a professional alarm as part of a first line of defense.
 
Suppose they smash in while you are in the kitchen....

Thing is... to get to the house they first have to deal with a territorial bull on the lane then 2 dogs in the barn lot. The one dog is of questionable breed and we are often asked if it is a very large dog or a medium size horse. Both are protective of the barn lot and tend to "hunt" in tandem as a pack. Just getting to the house would not be a quiet affair and we should have plenty of warning.
 
Isn't that the key, having something that will give some advanced notice? I was thinking of adding two drive way sensors. One for the private road and one for the driveway itself. Each with its own tone. The dogs although Labs do get more aggressive when surprised. I did this by sneaking up to the fence in the back yard and rattling it when they couldn't see me. They got angry til they knew it was me. In the kitchen I would have to make a mad dash for what is needed. Good point. My dad keeps a Ruger Black Hawk .357 on top of the fridge. And don't think he can't rattle off six accurate shots. He's good with it from practice. Better add kitchen or other rooms to my plan.
 
A multi-layer approach with motion sensitive lighting, thorny bushes under windows, dogs (you have), extra locks, etc. Then I would use a shotgun; even though the pattern won't be great it is better than a single projectile when the adrenaline dumps hit. Besides, being in NY according to your profile, using anything that some DA might consider an "assault rifle" probably wouldn't go over very well
 
As a senior level network engineer I certainly can understand the layered security approach and do the same at the house. Being a new house for us, requires new thinking. Hence the post. The responses have been excellent.
 
I don’t prepare anything special, i don’t want some judge thinking that I’m laying a trap or itchin for trouble.
Got a simple shotgun and a 45 handy and if that ain’t enough I’ll sick the wife on um.
Just me of course y’all can do yer own thing.
 
A multi-layer approach with motion sensitive lighting, thorny bushes under windows, dogs (you have), extra locks, etc.
"Etc." should include motion activated security cameras and an intercom.

Then I would use a shotgun
With the number of possible points of ingress in our house and the number of places where I might be in the event of a forceable entry, a long arm would not work well at all.

Has to be something I will have with me.
 
The real world is not likely going to be you stalking in your house as both you and the intruder play a game of cat and mouse where the light dim or a red dot is the thing that brings upon your doom.

More likely it will be a HOLY ****TAKE!!! Moment for both you and the intruder as you both trade shots while both of you realize there are about 100 other places you both need to be at that moment.

White light to identify, red dot to speed up rounds on target. Escape plan.

Gun doesn’t matter much. Software does.

There's a lot of truth to this post in my opinion.

I'd go with an Aimpoint and keep the battery on all the time. They last several years but I'd probably change the battery once a year. If money is tight the Sig Romeo is a decent red dot and it also has a long battery life. Some models even have motion activated on/off features.
 
Red Dot - Yes or No - You can see a Red Dot from both sides in the dark.

Had to put my red dot (TRS-25) on setting 5/11 in order to see the dot more than 24 inches away. Normal night shooting I keep it on 1. I also have an 800 lumen light on the rifle. Because night vision is expensive. With the light on or even intermittently used, no one on the barrel end will see that dot.

Firearm - Shotgun or Rifle?

Whatever you and the wife are handier with. A HD long gun isn't a lick of good if you are fumbling a safety in the dark because you aren't used to it.

Have an AR but its single shot.

How? You don't have magazines or it malfunctions?
 
for fastest access, whatever has the shortest barrel - that you are handy with. no need for a scope, it is just something to bang on a doorway as you try to move around … personally, I keep a .38 revolver ready, but if I have a few extra seconds - a 30-30 lever gun gets loaded. may modify that plan to 15 round mags of 9mm from a Beretta, but I haven't used it enough to activate that yet. the 9mm pistol was my solution to a need for more rounds in my home defense plan - it was a cheaper pick up than an AR. for a last stand, I would want volume of fire. I have 3 mags, and well - if I can't make it with 45 rounds of 9mm I can fire in a matter of seconds, they win. If I could get to my basement and sneak out the bulkhead, and avoid it all together - that would be my best bet. If I had more time and $, I would consider an escape tunnel or a highly reinforced safe room.
 
Why on Earth would anyone "try to move around" in a home defense situation?
one may find it expedient to run away if possible. never fire a shot, and receive no return fire. or maybe to take cover or get to a safe room.
 
One might have to go to the aid of children or loved ones located elsewhere in the house.
Yes.

I inferred that the comment had to do with "house clearing".

In my case, I would be moving, one way or another, unless the entry just happened to occur when we were in the bedroom. In that circumstance, shooting would be very unlikely to occur unless the perps saw fit to come up stairs rather than play it safe, keep their time of exposure to a minimum, take what they could grab quickly, and get out fast.

We'd be pretty safe in the bedroom. But I would not automatically assume that that is where we would be. More likely downstairs, I think, in the living room. kitchen, or dining room.

There are potential, and not unlikely, points of ingress that could result in my being blocked from the staircase....my old idea of relying upon a firearm kept upstairs in the bedroom doesn't sound prudent when one considers that.

I would have to deal with whatever occurred, wherever it happened.
 
I teach a home defense class so I guess I may have some input. If a handgun is not an option I would recommend going for the simplest tool. Either the Marlin Camp 9 or the pump shotgun. No matter which one you choose you need to train with it. Get a light and learn how to use it. Develop a home defense plan. Reinforce your doors and get an early warning system. If you have neighbors that you are in good relation with develop a neighborhood watch. Don’t flaunt wealth and don’t announce to the world when you are away from home. Stay aware of the goings on in your neighborhood, and for the love of all things that are holy, lock your doors. If you do all that you will be light years ahead of most people.
 
Personally, I have a 12 gauge pump in the bedroom along with a 5.56 mm AR and at least one handgun, and several other loaded handguns secreted at various locations around the house.

If I adopt a "hunkered down" position under concealment and perhaps cover (which I agree is often the most sensible thing to do), I will reach for the shotgun whenever possible. If I shot it dry, I would pick up the AR carbine.
 
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One might have to go to the aid of children or loved ones located elsewhere in the house.
Then one should have better protection already in place such as dogs, alarms, lighting, thorny bushes under windows, etc.
 
All my HD guns have high quality lights. It is a must.

Many have lasers as well. On the Shockwave, since there is no stock, a laser is most helpful.
 
For those with a two story (or taller) residence that plan on setting up an Alamo defense on a top floor... Consider what you'll do if the bottom floor is set on fire during an assault on your castle. No - not something very likely unless you're the one upstairs and there's a fire on the ground floor...

Once again tactics are everything - much more important than whatever you're armed with... At least that's my take on it. Consider where you're vulnerable and make plans to deal with it in advance - that's the best any of us can do...
 
Well, if it’s so dark that an intruder can see and the glow of the dot in the sight , you need a flashlight to see what you are shooting at.
There are four guns in my bedroom. A Taurus Mod. 85 on my nightstand. A SBR AR 15 and Remington Tac14 12 gage next to the nightstand, and a Glock17, at the foot of my bed, in my duty rig.
I’m not sure why some people feel the need to limit themselves when it comes to home defense.
You have a nice assortment of weapons that can be used. Just make sure that you are proficient, in light as well as the dark, with the ones you choose to use.
And I’ll bet some, if not all, have a weapon mounted light on them...
 
I have just enough light in the house at night that I can go from end to end without the need to turn on a single light. Its bright enough to identify friend from foe.

There are probably areas of your home (behind furniture, nooks and crannies, corners, etc.) that are dark in the daytime, let alone the wee hours when evil lurks.

Almost every HD gun I have at the ready has a light mounted. I carry and use a flashlight every day during daylight hours. What makes me think I won’t need one at night to defend my family and home?
 
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