Best gun for home protection?

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In my opinion, a shotgun is the single best gun for home defense.

In the realm of pistols, I would prefer for the gun to be full-size and in a larger caliber like .45 Auto.
 
500 s& wesson magnum :evil:

Ok, what I really ment to say was a shotgun :). A shotgun is sort of a swiss-army knife of guns. It would be my first choice in a home defese situation.
 
.357 magnum..... The "blinding" thing is a myth. the noise level however. ouch. none the less I like it when the bad guys drop. You cant go wrong with the magnum. :cool: go ahead and leave the .357 mag revo sitting loaded for 10 years until god forbid the day you have to use it then find .... it will work. :)
 
Get a long gun and a handgun.

As for the long gun -- if you've got a large rural property:

* Some sort of semi-auto carbine such as an AR-15, AK clone, SKS, Mini-30, or the like. I'd put a light on it and a red dot sight or low-power scope.

If you're in suburban confines:

* A pump-action or semiautomatic shotgun loaded with buckshot. 00 Buck, 1 Buck (my choice) and 4 Buck all have their partisans.

As for the handgun -- revolver or automatic, your choice. For defensive use, esp. indoors, I stick to non-magnum rounds such as .45 ACP, .45 Colt, 44 Special, and/or .38 Special +P. I would somewhat prefer the first three ("fortysomething") rounds, but there is some mighty good .38 Special +P ammo out there too.

My personal ideal for a home defense handgun is a 4" double action revolver in .44 or .45 caliber.

Note that guns PENETRATE. You must bear your neighbors' safety in mind. Even non-magnum handgun rounds will blow through a typical suburban house's exterior wall without any trouble. Turning to the shotgun, I am told that buckshot also penetrates to a much greater degree than you might think. Some use birdshot for home D for this reason. I have no opinion on that.

In very close quarters, you might have to confine yourself to using so-called "frangible" handgun ammunition for defense -- bullets that break apart into little shotgun pellets and thus are less prone to penetrate walls. Glaser Blue Safety Slugs are the industry standard for this sort of ammo, but there are other companies who make frangible rounds. They are expen$ive.
 
I would have two home protection guns. Both are moderately priced where if you bang them up you aren't going to cry. (1) Remington Model 870 Police 12ga ; (2) Ruger GP-100 3" 357 Magnum. I would have a rig where I "could" carry both given an extremely dangerous situation.

Both would stay loaded at all times and both would be shot enough that you feel confident with your shooting ability out to 50 yards with the shotgun and a minimum of 15 yards with the 357. I would load the 357 revolver with 38spl +P's. Added weight due to it being a 357 is comforting in terms of it strength and durability.
 
Here's mine. It's loaded with 10 rounds of #1 buckshot. If racking the slide doesn't scare 'em off, one look at it should. If that doesn't work, I can spray about a pound of lead around.

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That's a 12 Ga. Mossberg 500 w/18" barrel and Brownell's 10-rnd drum magazine conversion. If that's not the most fearsome looking weapon then I don't know what is.
 
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there is no best for this mission. It depends on your situation, what you shoot best, what you can afford to buy and practice with, ect.

An option for some might be a pistol caliber carbine or a M1 carbine. Shotgun and pistol have distinct but seperate roles in HD. You should have both if possible.
 
I like a short (18") barreled 12 ga. pump shotgun with a pistol grip and no buttstock. Something like a Mossburg patrol gun.

- Short enough to move through and clear a home with
- Wide enough pattern to hit what you're "aiming" at in the dark
- Virtually no wall penetration problems (load dependent)
- Easy to hold your flashlight at the pump grip

and ...
Another thing to consider is intimidation factor. My eight year old Grand Daughter is more intimidating with a pump 12 guage than my 6.2 partner with a 9mm pistol.
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The sound of a load being racked into the chamber of a pump shotgun in the dark is a frightening one indeed. While most criminals are complete and utter idiots, most of them will understand what it is they're hearing.

That's a 12 Ga. Mossberg 500 w/18" barrel and Brownell's 10-rnd drum magazine conversion. If that's not the most fearsome looking weapon then I don't know what is.
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Now that's what I'm talking about.
 
Home Protection

Black Majik..

I favor my S&W .357 model 65-3 with jacketed hollow points.

1. I'm not as "nimble" as I once was, and weilding a shotgun isn't practical for me.

2. Hollow points should mushroomm and spread if I miss the scum bag and hit the wall!
 
The sound of a load being racked into the chamber of a pump shotgun in the dark is a frightening one indeed. While most criminals are complete and utter idiots, most of them will understand what it is they're hearing.
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Why would you want to announce your position, intent, and armament? I'd already have a round chambered, and would wait until I had sight of the person. A verbal warning would suffice, and if they make a threatening move, I'm not screwing around with the slide - I'm already loaded and ready to go.
 
A .44 special should be good for indoors. With deep hollow points I doubt it would go too far if you missed.
 
Why would you want to announce your position, intent, and armament? I'd already have a round chambered, and would wait until I had sight of the person. A verbal warning would suffice, and if they make a threatening move, I'm not screwing around with the slide - I'm already loaded and ready to go.
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+1

Ready to go in my bedroom:

- 12 Gauge shotgun with 00 buckshot within reach in closet
- M1 Carbine with 15 rounds right next to the shotgun
- Sig 228 with 13 rounds of 124 grain HydraShok in the night table drawer
- Ruger GP-100 with .38 +P 129 grain Hydra-Shoks in the closet

What would I grab first? Probably the carbine and if I had the luxury of time, keep the 228 on the bed and easy to reach.

Others around the house...
 
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Hi. Everyone should evaluate their personal needs, budget, and skill level.

Essentially, the only reason anyone carries a handgun is ease of carry and concealment. For actual use, longarms (rifle and shotgun) are easier to aim, easier to control, and typically fire more powerful rounds.

Every state is different in law and application, but a "back against the wall" clause is typical. Almost anywhere in the United States, someone in their home with noplace to retreat, can use force against a potentially lethal threat.

"Intimidation factor" is foolish and I do not hear it mentioned by those whose teaching and skills I respect. I do not believe in announcing my location and status via audible weapons charging. I will not hold anyone at gunpoint by choice.

Are you asking because you're moving out of the UK, Andy? If so, a carbine with 16"-20" barrel, in any quickly operable platform, and firing anything from a heavy pistol cartridge (.357 Mag, .45 Colt, .44 Mag) up to a medium level rifle cartridge (.30-30, .308) would be a fine choice for most. My personal dedicated home protection firearm for under $500 would probably be an M1 Carbine or 12 gauge shotgun loaded with reduced recoil slugs. For novice shooters, I would not suggest the shotgun. There are lots of lever-actions that would nicely fill this role, and a used .30-30 will probably only run around $200.

John
 
JShirley

I would attach your "here I am" observation to a laser night scope. Wouldn't that act much like a neon sign advertising your location?

Thanks!
 
I don't think lasers are typically very visible unless you're looking directly at them. (I could be wrong; check it out.)

One exception I know, is while using night vision. Infra-red lasers, when viewed with NVG, look like giant arrows, pointing towards and away from the weapon.

J
 
Laser and NVG= amazing tool.

Personally, where I think NV is best utilized (at least, by ground forces).
 
Hd

The HD loadout for the bedroom

Rem870 in the corner (3x 2.75" 00buck in the tube) 3 more of the same and 2 2.75" slugs on the stock sleeve.

gp100 6" ss w/6 remington sjhp 158gr. .357mags in boot (my side the bed).

sp101 2.25 ss w/5 remington lead hp 158gr. .38spec +p in shoe (her side the bed).

And for the odd bear or whatever...

Marlin336 30/30 behind the headboard w/9 federal 150gr. flatpoints on the stock sleeve.

That's the bedroom loadout. :D
 
I keep one of the following at bedside: (I rotate depending on mood)

- Smith & Wesson model 910 9mm with 15 rounds of Golden Saber

- FN Hi-Power in .40 with 10 rounds of Golden Saber

- Springfield 1911 .45 auto with 7 rounds of Winchester SD

I have a Bushmaster C14M4 with 30 rounds of Lake City XM193 ready to go if the crap really hits the fan....

I also have a fake book with a Bersa Thunder in it. I lock all other guns up when I leave the house, but leave this one available for emergencies. (I don't like having all my guns locked up) I have a CC permit, so sometimes I carry my P3AT or one of the above pistols with me, but everything else is locked up when I leave.

Never had to actually use anything for HD yet, as nothing has gotten past the dogs, but it feels good to be prepared.
 
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