What is your home defense pistol choice?

I have Glocks around the house and in the garage. All have lights mounted or near them.

Most immediate to me while asleep is a Glock 19. On my wife's side is an old Ruger Service Six with .38+P in the cylinders. In the closet by the front door is my #1 armadillo gun, a Mossberg 500 .410 pump with either number 4 shot (for 'dillas) or #4 Buck for two legged varmints (#2 'dilla and varmint rifle is a Benjamin Marauder PCP custom lightweight rifle. Then there is an AR, my one and only, hidden and secured away for any zombies or infidels or space aliens who might decide to attack the homestead. or carry dependent upon threat level, time of years and clothing dictates and other considerations could be any of a number of pistols including a BG.380, Ruger LCR or a Kimber Pro Carry .45ACP.

I prefer a shotgun for HD but my carry pistol is always on me or in my immediate area - glock 30, it's been doing carry duty since 2012 and is still my #1 choice for carry. I have a "service" gun handy too , if you consider a glock 20 with a weapon light on it something that qualifies .

I've got little kids so all my gear is secured in one way or another. If there's a bump in the night, I'm not grabbing a pistol if I've got a choice.

I have several handy, 6" Ruger Security Six Stainless, 6" S&W M-28, 4" S&W M-57, Colt Combat Commander in 45ACP, AMT Hardballer. Good 38s in the .357s, I have measured my apartment, 15 feet range max, those heavy frames absorb recoil, allow for faster follow up shots. Row apartment, the front door is the only real avenue of entrance and exit, single guy, live by myself.

In our city apartment, a Glock 17 and a HK P7 in the master bedroom, a pump shotgun (1897) and a 10½" suppressed AR ready to go in the safe. Our house is located out of town, more than a mile from any other permanent residence, four from the nearest area with city lights, and our front yard is the end of the road. By the time anyone gets near the house after the dogs have started barking and motion sensors have been triggered, you've had all the time in the world to pick and choose anything you like from the safes. There's still a few handguns places in strategic locations around the house, mainly 1911:s but also others like 92F and Jericho.

My carry guns tend to be shorter-barreled service/duty revolvers. 2” to 3”, or, a full-length service/duty revolver. Anything smaller is only an occasional gun, for occasions when/where something smaller is an essential factor, or, a secondary weapon, when carrying something larger. Compact handguns, that have small gripping areas, hurt my aging hands, so, I do not generally train much with them. It follows that I would rather not defend our home with a weapon with which I have less up-to-date skills. I do not have “designated home defense handguns,” but I may use what we could call an “enhanced” service/duty handgun for home defense. The chief enhancement would be a high-quality, rugged, weapon-mounted light, which means an accessory rail would be on the handgun. My Glock G17 pistols, one of which was one of my police duty pistols, before I retired, would be the leading candidate for the title of enhanced service/duty pistol. Sometimes, I carry a Glock, when out and about, but, not usually with a light on the rail.

So, depending upon where I am, inside the house, the go-to handgun that may be used for defense could be a short-barreled service/duty handgun, that I am already carrying anyway, a service/duty handgun, that I was already carrying, anyway, or an enhanced service/duty auto-loading pistol.

I do keep Benelli M2 shotguns, as part of the home-defense plan. One was my police duty shotgun, before I retired. (I was required to buy my own duty handguns, shotguns, and rifles.) If I have notice* that something serious is amiss, and there is time, I am going to have a shotgun in my hands. Nothing wrong with carbines; my shotguns had a head start, and I cleared countless building and built-up areas with a shotgun in my hands, while LEO-ing. My patrol rifle had to remain cased, in the trunk of the patrol vehicle, unless specified circumstances existed. Training opportunities with my shotguns were frequent, whereas training opportunities with the patrol rifle were rare. So, I am simply more comfortable with the shotgun. It is not that I am afraid that rifle ammo will “over-penetrate.”

*Multi-layered, four-legged warning is in place.

The Ruger is in my nightstand, the Winchester close by…..

I use a rifle. Daisy Red Ryder BB gun. The cocking puts the fear into everyone and the threat ends.

If I'm up? Whatever is on my hip will be first up if I don't have a chance to get to my room.

If I do get to my room, it will be the Ruger P95 that is kept bedside.

Varminterror said:

Integrally suppressed SilencerCo Maxim 9, 9mm semiauto, with dual-illumination Trijicon RMR. Still looking for the right light to mount on bottom.

Stock photo, for reference:
View attachment 1126572

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Those are surprisingly light, I discovered, like it.

Might want to test that optic with the light on it, I’ve found that a WML completely washes out those dual illuminators pretty quickly. Switched to a battery op one on max power and I’ll just live with the bloom in darker settings.

For OP: service auto and sometime CCW Glock 19 with optic and light. With kids I probably will need an arm free and that makes a carbine awkward.

First gen Shield for me. It’s the only pistol I own but I do plan on getting an M&P 22 Compact for cheap shooting.

Glock 30.3.

Carry gun on the nightstand, (Gx4), Ithaca 37 next to the bed, AR behind the door.
The 37 has a light on it, should the power be out. I keep enough lights on for target acquisition otherwise . The Gx4 gets grabbed first, the dog was barking the other night about 11, I grabbed it and Looked out the back door before turning the garage lights on from inside, nothing. Turned the lights on and a rabbit hightailed it out into the yard from the driveway. I have a gun handy near the front door should trouble come calling while I'm in the living room. The AR is for SWMBO, cruiser ready. I'd also grab it if someone is battering the door in.

A few Glocks scattered around. If the Grandkids are to be here I put them away for the duration of their visit. It it looks like a BLM deal there are lots of options in the safe!

Ru4real said:

I use a rifle. Daisy Red Ryder BB gun. The cocking puts the fear into everyone and the threat ends.

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Maybe the perps are just scared that you'll shoot their eye out?

A Sig P239, a S&W Model 10, a S&W Model 64, a S&W Model 629, and a Kahr K9 are all loaded in different places in my home.

Weird thing is I own several high capacity handguns and do shoot them somewhat regularly but they are all packed away in the safe.

I will be redirecting the CZ75 SP-01 to nightstand duties starting this week.

I guess if 18 rounds of 147 gr HST wont do it, then I am careening down dung creek without a paddle!

Lets all hope we never need to find out for ourselves.

Stay safe.

I have pistols all over the house but they are there only to hold off the perp until I get to one of my rifles or shotguns.

Ru4real said:

I use a rifle. Daisy Red Ryder BB gun. The cocking puts the fear into everyone and the threat ends.

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You, and my grandson….

1911's, here, and there, and maybe over there under that.

How about a Hi-Point ? They are reliable, and if gets taken in "evidence"....

BLACKHAWKNJ said:

How about a Hi-Point ? They are reliable, and if gets taken in "evidence"....

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If you are comfortable, competent and capable using a Hi Point, then that is all that matters.

They do have a reputation of almost boring reliability, that alone could make a Hi Point a great gun to use if you wanted.

I have zero experience with Hi Points, so for me I cant say if one would be good for me or not.

Stay safe.

Two loaded pistols. S&W 642 & G3c. + Mossberg 500 as the Kicker.

BLACKHAWKNJ said:

How about a Hi-Point ? They are reliable, and if gets taken in "evidence"....

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For not much more money, you can own a much more enjoyable gun.

Hi-Point has its place at the bottom of the list. Yeah,... it works OK. I don't want to spend any time "training" with Hi-Point. For another couple hundred dollars, you can go to the range with a gun that doesn't look like it was drawn by a third-grader.

I went budget on my house gun, it's hanging from a gun magnet under the desk next to my bed. It's a SAR CM(Combat Master) Gen 2 with a red centermass laser on it. It's almost impossibe to miss, if you can see the laser, it hits. The gun is a clone of the Tanfoglio polymer "witness", and cost me a whopping $250 shipped a few years ago. It's had well over 1000 rounds through it, and it's never had an issue, except for some badly made ammo. A polymer CZ clone that I wouldn't cry over if it was taken is a good thing. It's a fantastic bargain, even at a higher price, IMHO.