Best personal defense house gun you've owned

Status
Not open for further replies.
You know folks on here have used everything from a single shot .410 to an Uzi. Fact is, there's no 'best' answer for every situation, though few would recommend a bolt action rifle or muzzle loader.

But it really depends on where your house is, and what you have available at that moment doesn't it?

A 12 ga pump shotgun is rarely a BAD choice, and one of the least restricted defensive arms available.
 
Home defense? Sorry, but even with all the different type of guns I have, nothing beats a 12 gauge shotgun.
Nothing? I have a Continental 10ga double barrel shotgun that makes geese fall out of the sky during hunting season. You know when you have fired a 10ga!

Scott
 
havent shot anyone yet. but killed a lot pigs.
all chest shots, 223 55 gn soft blow up outside, fmj overpenetration, helps em run
9mm, 375 mag,45 acp doesnt even slow them much , get a lot over penetration
44 mag hp stone dead bits missing , but overpenetration
shotgun sg knocks em over tumble, bleed out into chest cavety, no exit if over ten mtr
number 4 skins them, pissed off and they chase you, find a tree
solid over penetration. lot of lung damage, but can still run hundred yards
 
I started with an 870 with a 28" barrel, because it was a gift and I couldn't come up with anything else to do with it. The crossbolt safety always confused my little brain. It and I couldn't fit down the long hallway leading from the bedrooms into the rest of the house. Didn't work out.

Replaced it with a couple of Mossberg 500's in the Persuader configuration. Still waiting for the Mossberg "How to Make Friends and Influence People" version ... this'll do till then..:)
 
Whether it's the best or not, my primary HD weapon is a SIG P226 in .40S&W with Tritium night sights. In the relative narrow passages in my home it handles better than a long gun. Holds 16 + reloads...
 
S&W Model 625 revolver, in .45ACP. More reliable than any semi-auto pistol, operation is virtually stress-proof (no safeties to manipulate, if a round doesn't go off just pull the trigger again), and with no adjustments it shoots any sort of round I care to put in it (mindful of un-neighborly overpenetration the cylinder is full of low-velocity target rounds). And for me and my wife, it's easier to train with - we go to pistol ranges all the time anyway that for the most part don't allow long guns.

I would agree that shotguns tend to be generally better for the function overall, but I'm satisfied with what I have.
 
causing limited collateral damage

Personally if I ever have to shoot another human I hope to God the weapon I am using is a Mk. 19 with frag grenades. I don't want to "win" the fight and still be killed by a dying attacker, or worse have one of my family members killed in the same way. Clearly I don't want to shoot a grenade machine gun in my house, but I do want to have a weapon that can cause as much damage as possible while still meeting all the other requirements for a home defense weapon.


At my house it is a CMMG AR-15, 16" carbine, the collapsible stock gives it an incredibly compact package for a rifle, the red dot sight is as easy to use as anyone can ask for, the 30 round magazine downloaded to 25 will last through any realistic situation, and if its an unrealistic situation, another 25 rounds is sitting next to the rifle. It has never malfunctioned, but I don't want to be a victim of Murphy's Law, and almost every common malfunction of an AR can be easily cleared by removing the magazine and vigorously workig the bolt once or twice before reloading. 68 grain Remington JHP bullets at 2800 feet per second (Georgia Arms numbers, I haven't measured) will work fine for bipedal attackers.
 
Folks,
Shotguns with proper defensive ammo (slugs or 00, 000, or #1 Buchshot) over-penetrate more than an AR15 loaded with defensive ammo.

It is a ballistic fact. There are no disputes with the science.
Alot of people use shotguns cause they "feel" that a shotgun is the most devastating weapon for home defense.
It is just not true ballistically speaking.

9 leads .33"diameter balls that travel at 1,300 fps is not providing the home defender with some "nuclear option" that is akin to some untouchable awesomeness that is unsurpassed... Compare a typical 00 buck payload to the terminal ballistics of a 75gr .224" diameter spitzer bullet traveling at over 2,600 fps (in my hand-loads).

SAMMI_pressure_Hornady_75_gel_shot_from_16_inch_barrel.jpg

or
buckshot_00_tac_remington_b.jpg


Both will ruin a bad guys day,,,however one has less recoil, faster follow up shots, carries more ammo, has infinitely faster reloads, and has less over penetration characteristics....Answer: 75gr BTHP loaded to 5.56 specs in a semi-auto rifle.

Shotguns are cheaper, however, if things get so bad that you have to use a long arm to defend your life/family/home then why use a "cheap" option? You are fighting for the ultimate prize: your life/family members lives. Don't use a cheap tool?!

Would you feel great about a Surgeon using the cheapest MRI machine or cheapest medical equipment when you are undergoing lifesaving surgery to save some money?
Would you want someone to build your seat belts and airbags with the cheapest materials just to save a buck?

Don't misinterpret me and think that by using the most expensive tool that it will automatically dictate the best outcome...everything is based on the nut behind the butt of the gun to determine the outcome. Practice and learn as much as you can. Making life changing decisions based on your feelings or by just parroting stuff that you've heard from others is a poor way to prepare yourself for a life changing event where your life is on the line.

"You don't leap forwards to doing difficult things in an emergency, you fall back to your training to see you through the crisis".

To those that choose a low capacity firearm for home defense, you are statistically correct, you will most likely never need to fire your gun multiple times at multiple bad guys (if ever),,,however, you don't need to look far back in the current news to see more than one instance where MULTIPLE ARMED ATTACKERS have laid siege to people in their residences.
In those instances, I'd hate to have a 6 shot revolver and have run it 6x so that I've got an empty gun while staring at the 7th bad guy...It is not about the chances or odds of getting into armed confrontation, its about what is at stake when trying to survive an armed confrontation.
:)
 
Last edited:
Shotguns with proper defensive ammo (slugs or Buchshot) over-penetrate more than an AR15 loaded with defensive ammo.
I don't believe my wife needs a overpriced semi automatic weapon such as AR15 for HD. The training required for her to become proficient in its use makes it an impractical HD weapon. She is far better off with a shotgun and her .380.

IMO the best HD weapon is a cheap 12 ga Mossberg. The HD weapon should be a easy to use, cheap, relieable, expendable weapon. The weapon will be taken, if used, for the investigation and in most cases not returned until the case is closed. This could take years.
 
Last edited:
MHBushmaster said:
To those that choose a low capacity firearm for home defense, you are statistically correct, you will most likely never need to fire your gun multiple times at multiple bad guys (if ever),,,however, you don't need to look far back in the current news to see more than one instance where MULTIPLE ARMED ATTACKERS have laid siege to people in their residences.
In those instances, I'd had to have a 6 shot revolver and have an empty gun while staring at the 7th bad guy...It is not about the chances or odds of getting into armed confrontation, its about what is at stake when trying to survive an armed confrontation.

An empty gun... and two moonclips full of 6 more rounds each (with loads that are less gentle), which if you've ever seen Jerry Miculek you know can be loaded fairly quickly.

Statistically, the odds of my home being broken into while I'm at home are fairly slim. So, I've got an adequate method of dealing with that circumstance that is appropriate to the risk. The odds of my home being broken into by multiple bad guys are much more slim, and I've got an adequate method of dealing with that circumstance that is also appropriate to the risk. :)
 
"I don't believe my wife needs a overpriced semi automatic weapon such as AR15 for HD. The training required for her to become proficient in its use makes it an impractical HD weapon. She is far better off with a shotgun"

Chuck, the manual of arms for an AR15 is easier to learn and has less things.
Manual of Arms for basic loading procedure.
AR: insert magazine (should already be inserted in HD situations), release bolt catch/pull back on charging handle, thumb disengages safety. Done.

Shotgun:
Take individual shells, put them into the mag tube one at a time (repeat 5-7 times depending upon model), push and hold slide release button, operate pump to rear all the way (don't short stroke) and then push the pump all the way forward (you mentioned a Mossy 500), with right thumb reach on top of stock to snick off safety (if a pistol grip Mossy 500 take entire right hand off grip/trigger to disengage safety). Done.

My wife enjoys shooting all of my AR's, she is hesitant to shoot defensive loads (slugs and buck-hi brass type) through my/our :)o) 870. Given the choice, she opts for an AR over a pump shotgun. That is just my wife though.

As I stated before, pump shotgun will get it done; but to say that a pump shotgun is the end all-be all home defense long arm is an over-statement.
 
Winchester 1300 Defender, in plain-jane configuration. Usually loaded with 00 or no.1 buckshot.
 
I'd say whatever you're most comfortable with at 3am, after getting jolted from a dead sleep. For me, a trusty old 870 express with an 18" barrel (glock 21 for backup).
 
Home defense?

One of my 1911s or my CZ75s. Why? Because, no matter where I am, or what I am doing I can have it either on my hip or within a few steps reach.

I have a number of carbines and shotguns that I would prefer to have in my hands, but I'm not going to have a long gun slung over my shoulder when I am doing yard work or working in the garage. The 45 that I have with me is much better than the 12ga I left in the house

CCO2.jpg

Colt CCO

Govt.jpg

Custom Full Size Govt. Model

CZ-75_03.jpg

CZ75B 9mm (bottom), CZ75B 40S&W (top)
 
The gun I'd grab in a panic (from my whopping collection of 2) would be my Glock 17. Pull trigger, it go bang.....always.
 
Whatever is closest at the time. It doesn't matter what you've got if you can't get to it when you need it.

They're all lethal in the right hands.
 
For 18 years it was a simple factor stock Mossberg 500. About two years ago I wanted to upgrade. I bought a Mossberg 590A1 so I could have ghost ring sights on it. I put a side saddle on it. I cringed and bought the Surefire font foreend. It required some dremmeling of the bayonet lug to make it fit. I found the recoil bothers me now. It didn't when I was in my early 20s. As such I bought the Knoxx recoil rear stock for it (not the one with the pistol grip. Rather one that looks like a rifle stock so I can still easily reach the safety tang). Most importantly, I took a two day class with Loui Awerbuck to make sure I really knew how to use it. The backup is a Sig P220 45 ACP with a Surefire X300 on it and Ashley XS sights. The pistol I lug around the house so I'm always armed and can shoot my way back to shotgun. I feel well protected.

Having said that I felt well protected when it was just the Mossberg 500.

I think just about any brand of shotgun would be fine for home defense.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top