Choose your HD weapon (out of 3)

[heron]

.357 . . . because, of the three choices, that's the only one I own, but also for ease of carry and use indoors, and ease of operation.

 

[Red Tornado]

Either the .357 or the .45 will be great....for fighting you way back to your shotgun which should have been in your hands in the first place.
RT

 

[chuckusaret]

Why would anyone want to warn the BG where he is located by jacking a round into the chamber of a shotgun. My HD guns all are on safe with rounds in the chambers.

 

[Deanimator]

A shotgun is pretty much worthless in my apartment.

I consider the .357 and the .45 generally interchangeable. I've kept both for home defense over the years and carry one or the other most of the times I leave the house.

I picked the .45 only because a Series 70 Colt was my first home defense handgun.

 

[basicblur]

Voted 45 myself, but for some interesting reasons to use an auto instead of a pump, check out episodes 017A and 017B "Homing In On The Defensive Shotgun" at ProArms.

 

[John Wayne]

Keep in mind that caliber does not denote capacity. There are .357 revolvers that hold eight rounds; ".45" might be a 1911 with a 7 shot magazine or a Glock with a 13 round capacity. It might also be a .45 ACP revolver that only holds six shots, just like a .357 could refer to an AutoMag rather than a revolver.

I vote for a .45 caliber pistol in whatever platform you're most comfortable with. Shotguns are rather cumbersome indoors and a pistol will leave your hands free for other tasks.

 

[BBQLS1]

All around? .45 ACP in a 1911 of course. I chose the 1911 because it's a great gun, but it could be in another platform.

IMO, shotguns are good to get behind some cover and wait for the BG, but if I had no other weapon, I'd prefer something more maneuverable.

 

[jcox265]

.45 apc. it will have the most rounds. some people say the intruder would turn if they heard the shotgun cock. i don't think they would hear it behind two closed doors. i keep a .40 in my night stand. i tell my wife that if she hears something out of the ordinary to grab it and yell to see if she can identify the person. if not she should shoot out the bedroom window once. if she doesn't hear anything then shoot it again. i doubt the intruder will mistake the gunshot for anything else.

 

[Mr.510]

I voted .45ACP. Yeah, I know, my friends are all gonna be shocked. I practice with my XD45C a LOT. Unless my house is being stormed by a rogue SWAT team I'd go with the .45. With the laser I can fire from either hand at any position necessary. It's gong to be LOUD in the house, but not nearly as damaging as the .357 or 12ga. options. I cannot imagine what either of those sounds like when fired in a hallway, not to mention the night blindness immediately following the first shot! I've fired .45 HSTs at night and there is very little muzzle flash, even from my 4" barrel. I say go with what you're the best with, in any self-defense situation. For me that means .45ACP.

 

[ChCx2744]

Ultimately I'd opt for the 12 gauge...10mm pistol next to your bed as a primary defense and use that to get to your 12 gauge. Hell, we should all own a .357, .45 and 12 gauge anyways.

 

[DHJenkins]

Crap. I confused HD with SD.

 

[OurSafeHome.net]

I have all 3, but my wife and my son can operate the wheelgun with ease.

We teach only 38/357 revolver use in our Self-Defense Fundamentals classes.

 

[MountainBear]

I have all three. At some point or another all three have performed the duty. But currently, and I believe ideally, its a Remington 870 12ga.

For the arguments. No one is going to get close enough to me to disable my hand if they have to walk through a storm of .32 caliber OO buck pellets to do it.

I don't care if they hear me rack the slide. I sure hope they do. I hope they hear it and run like the devil's chasing them. If I don't have to shoot them, more the better. Just because I'm willing to, does not mean I want to.

The distance from nose to muzzle is not going to be that much farther with a shouldered shotgun and 18" barrel than it is with a 1911 in a good shooting stance (especially for me, I have very long arms).

The sounds are going to be muffled by the adrenaline you have pumping anyway. I'm not sure what expert witnesses call this phenomenon, but its kind of like tunnel vision with your ears. Choose the tool to do the job, not be the quietest.

For the benefits. Birdshot, buckshot, slugs. Anything coming out of the business end is going to do the job.

In the dark, accuracy is not exactly easy. Shotgun has less over-penetration (if you live in an area where that is a concern, such as an apartment). You do not exactly have to be a sharpshooter with a 12 ga. OO buck shotgun. Each shell has several opportunities to end the situation.

The gun you have is better than the gun you wish you had. So use what you have. If you have all three, the 12 ga. pump is best suited for this particular task. I suppose I should add a caveat and say "In my opinion"...

 

[Erik M]

have to go with 12ga since im using a mossberg 500 for that purpose now.

 

[VegasOPM]

All 3 will get the job done. The 12 ga has the most punch- by far. Basically a 1oz payload out of a 12ga is equivalent to 438gr traveling at 1250fps. That is a power factor of 547- which is BIG medicine. A .357 with a 125 gr bullet at 1400fps is only 175 pf, a 230 at 830 from a .45 is around 191- still not in the same league. The effectiveness of the .357 and .45 are well documented as handgun rounds to be sure. The .357 is brutal when fired indoors. Someone else mentioned auditory exclusion, which will minimize the psychological impact, but the hearing damage will still be incurred and likely permanent.

As for the length issue, I don't see that as an issue at all. I have done a fair amount of force on force with long and short weapons, and I promise that you will not win if you grab hold of the business end of a long arm if a trained individual has the other end. Yank back hard and pull the trigger- works every time.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

I do not store my .45 ACP "cocked and locked," therefore additional time would be necessary in order to rack the slide, thus rendering it useful. With the .357 Mag...no such worries as its good to go from the start.

Why keep the .357 ready to fire but the .45 in condition 3? Worried about spring fatigue?

 

[cchris]

I'm gonna say 12 gauge, simply since there's more room for error in a "panic" situation. However, if it was MY shotgun, I'd probably take the .45, since my 12 gauge, regardless of the fact it's semi-auto, has a 30" barrel and just isn't suited for home defense, at least not in my house.

A short-barrel pump would work fine, since the spray of lead would be enough to distract anyone else entering while you pump it again.

 

[WoofersInc]

I actually have 2 of the choices ready to go. There is a Mossberg 590 by the bed side. Then there is the Springfield XD 45 in the nightstand.

 

[Redneck with a 40]

Based on the layout of my home, which is pretty open, not many tight corners/hallways, I opted for the 12 gauge. A load of 00 buck at 10-20 feet is absolutely devastating, the perp will more than likely die from it, the fight will be instantly over. It may or may not take 2 or 3, or 5 handgun rounds to put someone down, especially if they're doped up.

 

[Still Too Many Choices!?]

The .357 will also Definitely fire at contact range, where most( maybe this should be many?) .45 autos can be pushed out of battery at contact distance...

 

[30mag]

.45 beat .357?
Why?
I voted for twelve gauge.. a pistol is only necessary long enough to get to a long gun.

 

[Boba Fett]

I wouldn't go with a magnum round for HD because it is very loud in an enclosed space and your stand a good chance of blinding yourself at night on your first shot. So you'll be blind and deaf after one or two shots, all while BG(s) are breaking in your house.

Don't take my word for it, take the wife of a police officer and CHL instructor's word. She was asked about magnum rounds for HD and said to stay away from them.

I love magnum rounds BTW, just not for HD.

.45 ACP is always a favorite and is my choice for CCW and if I had to use a pistol for HD, I'd go with the .45 ACP.

Ultimately, for HD, I go with the shotgun. It isn't that difficult to maneuver through your house with it. Also, you probably should let the BG come to you, so you choose the battleground and you have the most advantage.

If you're walking through your house with your flashlight and laser darting all over the place, the BG can prepare for you. You shouldn't play SWAT if you know someone is in the house; just find some good cover and let them walk into it.

 

[stubbicatt]

12 gauge 870 w/ shorter barrel and Number 4 buckshot.

00 is likely to overpenetrate. In my situation, I like my neighbors. Don't want to inconvenience them by shooting through their house.

 

[inSight-NEO]

Why keep the .357 ready to fire but the .45 in condition 3? Worried about spring fatigue?

Frankly, I just dont like the idea of keeping a chambered round in my XD...even with the grip/trigger safeties. Maybe "spring fatigue" also comes to mind, but its not at the forefront.

I keep a loaded mag in the gun, but thats about it for now.

 

[smokeringmd]

Assuming I was woken up I'd want to grab a revolver loaded with .38 +P. No thumb safety, no grip safety, no limp wristing. Awake I'd just hit them with one of those damn fruitcakes some relative sends every year.