Need advice on what to buy for Home Defense

IMO, the best approach for defense inside the home will be a shotgun (either Mossberg 500 or Remington 870) loaded with OO buck. The most critical part of this and I can't stress it enough is to take a two or four day training class (both of you) on how to use the shotgun for home defense. Reading in a book, watching a DVD, or internet discussions won't cut it. You need to take a class.

When you mention going to and from, that makes me think you might also want to get at least one pistol for CCW and for your significant other to use as home defense while you man that shotgun. As for caliber, 9 mm, 40 cal, 45 ACP are all fine choices. Don't get hung up on it (these conversations have literally been discussed for 100 years and you will never find and absolute right answer). Found out which one you and the future wife are comfortable shooting and go with the one you both feel comfortable with. As for the make of the gun, same thing regarding make - been discussed forever and there is no clear winner. Go shoot some and find one that you both like. Personally, I prefer handguns that don't have any safeties that you need to actively disengage (fine motor skills and stress can make it hard even if you practice a lot). I'd suggest looking at Sigs, Glocks, and Springfield XDs. Again, you both will need to take training.

The shotgun is more powerful than the pistol but isn't as portable. The pistol will hold more rounds than the shotgun. The shotgun will likely have more recoil than the pistol. Those are the biggest tradeoffs.

You can probably get the shotgun for on the order of $300. The pistol $500 to $900. Training will liklely run $150-$250 per day per person. Yes, the training will cost more than the firearms but it is well worth it and IMO mandatory. Plus, you should go to the range at least at a bare minimum of every other month. The more you can train the better.

Good luck. It may be a bit more than you want to spend but not out of reach by any means.

I'm sure you'll get plenty of opinions, so here goes mine: for your situation, IMHO, a basic pump shotgun will fill your needs adequately. The Remington 870 is probably the most popular one in America, although Mossberg also makes a very good product as well. You can get a new 870 at Wal-Mart for well under your budget, but I got a great used '51 870 Wingmaster for $175 at my LGS (local gun store) that's as smooth as butter. But make no mistake - it's not a magic keep-away-the-bad-guys-stick, nor will the sound of one being racked instantly cause thugs to flee. You will need to practice with it, until you're reasonably comfortable with the idea of having to use it under stress. Lastly, I would see about a consult from a security expert, to come visit your facility and map out a plan with you considering various scenarios and your appropriate responses. Good luck!

Are you mostly trying to protect your home or the storage units? Shotguns on a self-storage facility might create a lot of unnecessary collateral damage, depending on what the units are made of. If that's your goal, you might consider a carbine-sized rifle.

This site has a nice breakdown of self-defense ammo, which is part of what I used for deciding what I want for HD. You can get a Saiga rifle or shotgun for around your price range. Semi-automatics are simpler for the user to operate than a pump-action, and you'll have less recoil. The saiga is an AK, a brand known for reliability.

My advise is to know physics. You are going to penetrate multiple walls with most defense rounds. There is so much information on this site, I'd dive in and read about different platforms. It can make you go crazy after a little while, so go to the range and try a few firearms out.

Also, I hate to say it, but if you're looking at getting a long gun, and a hand gun you're going to pay more than 500 dollars.

I think that a shotgun is the best general low training option, but a rifle is also a very good idea. I vote for a Mossberg 500, W1200, Auto 5, or a M1014. Granted, I'm not sure that they'll all fit in your price range, but guns are rather expensive. If you want a bottom of the barrel cheap but powerful, reliable gun, then a Mosin Nagant M44 should be perfect, or you could get an SKS. You definitely have got to train in order to be able to use a gun properly and effectively. I'm a rifle guy, so I'll tell you about the last two.

The M44 is a bolt action rifle firing the 7.62x54R cartridge. It is seriously powerful and comes equipped with a permanently attached bayonet. It is very reliable. One should be available for $165.

The SKS is a semiautomatic carbine firing the 7.62x39 cartridge. It uses the same round as the famed AK-47. The round has perfectly good terminal ballistics characteristics and the carbine comes with an attached, underfolding bayonet. This is also very reliable. $300 is not an unreasonable price.

Since you have the office to protect AND you will be out and about on the typical golf cart doing odd jobs/maintenance - you might want to consider getting two guns - one for each application

I'm with HD Camel regarding we need more info. What is the exact purpose of the weapon? Protecting you and your partner while locked in place at night or protect yourself during business hours in the office or while out of the office on the property? Who gets priority possession? What other safeguards are in place? Motion alarms, panic alarms, cameras, etc. Describe the property what surrounds it, etc. What happens if you miss your target, where do those errant rounds go? All of these factors are essential to know before suggestions can be offered.

A key question would be how comfortable would you be being seen going out to investigate a disturbance in your facility carrying a shotgun. There are pros and cons to this. I used to think if you own one gun own a shotgun. Now I'm not so sure about that. There is a lot to be said for a pistol. You really want both because each has an advantage on the other. The shotgun gives superior firepower and range. The handgun is going to allow you to manipulate other things like doors while still controlling the gun and carried on the body out of sight.

^ Or maybe even four. One gun for each application for each person. With Mosin Nagant rifles, that comes out to maybe $500 or a little more.

Pump gun. My only change from the input above...I would use # 4 turkey loads.

When it comes down to the application you talked about, I'd say the shotgun will be a more powerful option, but not as versatile as a pistol. A pistol may not be able to produce the power and shock that a shotgun blast may, but they are much smaller, lighter and maneuverable indoors and tight spaces. If the gun is going to be primarily going to be kept there, I'd say a shotgun is a great choice. A pistol, however, can double as a business defense weapon and carry piece. Although I have all 3 bases covered, I'd say the pistol is my primary weapon in all scenarios; the long guns come later.

Sometimes it isn't worth it to try and cover too many bases on a limited budget but if you must I believe it can be done. My first shotgun was $100 - less than 10 years ago. It was a Mossberg 500 with a "Sears" stamp. It works great.

Other good values in used guns include the Ruger P95. These can be had new for under $300 and the recoil is quite manageable. I have seen used Ruger GP100s (.357) revolvers sell for $300 as well.

My situation was sort of similar to yours when I was getting started. I needed something for home defense. I wasn't looking to become a collector or serious shooter. I purchased a new Smith & Wesson 686 (.357 revolver) with a 4 inch barrel. The 686 can be loaded with low recoiling .38s or with potent .357s. Unfortunately I had a problem with the gun (pretty rare for a 686) and had to send it back to S&W for repair. I didn't want to be without a gun so I purchased a $100 shotgun. That combo covered me for quite a while.

Today, my go to guns are Glocks and/or a custom 686. I choose them because I have total confidence in their ability to work 100% of the time.

General consensus is that Hi points are effective.

Get a German Shepard and a beware of dog sign.

Kel Tec is a good company and they have a good reputation for customer service. Kel Tec is also pretty innovative. With that said I see many Kel Tec models as good compromise guns. By that I mean when I'm not willing or able to holster a Glock I can often slip a P3AT or PF9 in my pocket and go. I do not have the same level of confidence in these guns as a Glock but as I said it is a compromise. I would not go with a Kel Tec as my primary, but that's me.

I'd say your best bet it probably a shotgun and pistol combination. It will probably run about 700 for both, but thats just a guess. A Glock 19 and Mossberg 500 would be a good combo. Glock, XD/XDm, M&P theres a lot of choices for relatively affordable and very reliable pistols. Theres also a lot of good choices for shotguns but the 2 most common seem to be the Mossberg 500 and the Remington 870. A rifle would penetrate quite a few storage units but the shotgun would have a wider spread and more pellets obviously. As for the M44 its cheap with cheap ammo and Russian conscript-proof. Its stupid simple and nothing says get out like a bayonet :roll eyes:. However its an often sticky bolt action so follow up shots will be slow. Whichever you choose training is a must as is range time. Also, caliber is important but good ammo is probably more important. On caliber, the debates have been beaten to death 100s of times and theres still no winner. And neither ammo nor caliber are as important as being able to use whatever you have.

Lovesbeer99 said:

Get a German Shepard and a beware of dog sign.

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Winner.