Glock for home defense

[MachIVshooter]

Of those three, I'd go G21. As it happens, my bedside piece is the G20

 

[ku4hx]

Assuming all are equally reliable, choose the one you shoot best.

 

[Motownfire]

Go to the range and shoot all three. The one you are most comfortable with and can operate blind straight from a dead sleep is the best one for YOU.

 

[giggitygiggity]

Glock 21. Lots of power in 13+1 rounds of .45ACP. Also, in an urban environment, you have less of a chance of pentration through walls and chairs behind which other family members might be taking cover. Delta Force used the .45ACP according to Col. Charlie Beckwith because he said that if they ever had to shoot terrorists on an airplane, there was too great a chance that the fast 9mm would travel through a terrorist, travel through his chair, and then hit an innocent in the next seat.

 

[mljdeckard]

I don't buy that at all. A .45 is certainly likely to penetrate a human target and hit whatever is behind it.

 

[jfrey]

.45 is great, I have several. From the list though, I would pick the G19. Great all around weapon. You can use it for every purpose.

 

[tarosean]

The strobe setting on this thing is quite disturbing.

Just pray the intruder is not armed as you attempt to activate the function in a high stress time...

I have a couple of the 1s's and wouldnt try and sell that aspect of the light.

 

[Loosedhorse]

Home defense, you do not have to be concerned with carry size. Eliminates the G19.

After that, it's just a question if you want 18 (or 34! ) shots of 9 or 13 of .45. Just me, but 21 shots is a lot to give up.

I don't buy that at all. A .45 is certainly likely to penetrate a human target and hit whatever is behind it.

Using what ammo?

you have less of a chance of pentration through walls and chairs behind which other family members might be taking cover.

Well, I remember some old data (sorry, can't find it) that 9mm (FMJ especially, but HP, too) penetrated an awful lot of layers of drywall. Still, .45 ACP is no slouch in that department, either.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot1.htm

 

[mljdeckard]

Any defensive load.

 

[el Godfather]

If its strictly HD and not CCW then 17 or 21. You chose the caliber you like and make the choice accordingly.

 

[ugaarguy]

Also, in an urban environment, you have less of a chance of pentration through walls and chairs behind which other family members might be taking cover. Delta Force used the .45ACP according to Col. Charlie Beckwith because he said that if they ever had to shoot terrorists on an airplane, there was too great a chance that the fast 9mm would travel through a terrorist, travel through his chair, and then hit an innocent in the next seat.

It was also (assumed) common knowledge that 9mm from an SMG like the MP5 posed less penetration risk than 5.56 did from rifle. Testing has proven that (assumed) common knowledge wrong.

Go back and look at post 24. Faster, lighter 9mm JHPs pose less risk of over penetration than standard 230gr 45 ACP loads. The slow 147gr subsonic 9mm JHPs out penetrate both the standard 45 ACP JHPs and the fast, light, 9mm JHPs. There's a link to the data as well.

 

[ForumSurfer]

So my G34 will get a retro mod - a standard slide catch to replace the extended one.

I did that to my gen4 34, also. I eventually sold it. I just like the 19 and 26...I don't care for the full size models. I briefly considered chopping the 34 down to a long slide 19, but it would no longer be IDPA legal so I sold it.

The Gen 4 mag release is a little bigger in surface area and easier to reach.

Just big enough for my hand. Which is why I only buy gen4's. I don't like the extended mag releases on the 3rd gens. I also prefer the sticker grip of the gen4's.

But the short answer is, all of them will work if you do your job. Best money you can spend would be ammo, a light and a class.

 

[Loosedhorse]

A .45 is certainly likely to penetrate a human target and hit whatever is behind it.

Any defensive load.

Then I wouldn't say that .45 ACP defensive loads (especially, say 185 grain HPs or 160 DPX) are "certainly likely" to overpenetrate a human attacker. They certainly can, especially with a peripheral hit (say, forearm only). But they AFAIK don't have a reputation for overpenetration with COM hits.

 

[TimboKhan]

I am almost directly qouting this from somewhere, but it happens to ring very true to me: Any round that will penetrate enough to be a good self defense round will also penetrate walls, be it from a pistol, shotgun or rifle.

 

[gunnutery]

I have a TLR1s and I wouldn't fiddle with the strobe function unless I KNEW I had time, otherwise I'm just using the regular illumination.

OP, if you don't care about CCW with this purchase in the future, I'd say go with the full size pistol, otherwise if you'd like it to serve a dual purpose, get the G19.

 

[Skribs]

For a house gun, where size isn't an issue, I'd go G21 or G17. Yes, you can use G17 mags in a G19, but it fits better (aesthetics-wise) into the G17. From that point, it becomes a caliber issue. If you can shoot the .45 accurately, and the G21 frame isn't too big for your hands, either will work. If the frame is too big or you can't handle the recoil of the .45, then the G17 is for you.

Or you could go with the big big bore, and get the G10 and get the .50 GI conversion kit

 

[12131]

Out of the G21,G19,G17 what would be the best one for home defense?

I'm using all 3 for HD.

 

[Bobson]

I'm not a big fan of full-size Glocks, partially due to aesthetics (the grip looks too long... IDK why), and partially because the grips are just unnecessarily long for my hands/grip. The 19 and 23 are the perfect size for me, and they work just fine for concealed-carry too. For that reason, out of the three options given by the OP, the G19 would be my pick. 15+1 is outstanding capacity for a subcompact handgun, and there's nothing wrong with 9mm.

 

[thefamcnaj]

I have all three and would trust any of them for home defense. All three are very accurate and hold a lot of rounds. If I had to choose one it would be the g19. It's what I shoot the best and have the most rounds through. I would reccomend night sites and a weopen mounted light or a good flashlight if your going to nightstand it. I have the trijicons on mine and they work great.

 

[tbone1964]

As a home defence gun I would recommend the glock 17. Ammo being a price factor its cheaper to practice with 9mm than 45 acp. Also with a good +p round like gold dots you can easily transition to a more potent round at a lower cost.

 

[ForumSurfer]

If you're considering the 17, you're obviously not concerned with concealed carry. In that case, if you like full sized glocks, go for the 34. You get another inch of sight radius, which is pretty tremendous. My 34 was fun to shoot. Hitting 4" plates at 25+ yards at speed was not a problem. I just didn't care for the full size glock frame. FWIW, I also CCW'ed the 34 several times. It is far from impossible, but definitely harder than a 19 or 26.

Keep in mind that if round count concerns you, you can just buy g17 mags. I run them all the time with no adapter on my 19 or 26 and it shoots just fine.

I am almost directly qouting this from somewhere, but it happens to ring very true to me: Any round that will penetrate enough to be a good self defense round will also penetrate walls, be it from a pistol, shotgun or rifle.

I'd definitely say that his statement bears repeating.

 

[hentown]

I own G21s, G20, G29, G26 (daily carry), and a G17. The G17 is my nightstand weapon. Recently added a Streamlight tlr-1s. All my Glocks have night sights and lighter-than-factory triggers.

 

[MTMilitiaman]

For strictly home defense, either of the fullsize guns would probably be better, if only because they have a longer sight radius.

However, the G19 will be more versitile because it will be easier to conceal and therefore, more useful as a carry gun in addition to being a decent home defense option. If I could own only one Glock, it would be the G19. I really like my G19. I just wish it pointed better for me. Shooting high all the time is getting old fast.

At any rate, of the three options, any of them loaded with quality JHPs and equipped with a light and night sights, should be more than adequate. Most people will find the full size models easier to shoot accurately with, but the G19 will be easier to carry concealed if that is an option for you.

Glock 21. Lots of power in 13+1 rounds of .45ACP. Also, in an urban environment, you have less of a chance of pentration through walls and chairs behind which other family members might be taking cover. Delta Force used the .45ACP according to Col. Charlie Beckwith because he said that if they ever had to shoot terrorists on an airplane, there was too great a chance that the fast 9mm would travel through a terrorist, travel through his chair, and then hit an innocent in the next seat.

I don't buy that for a second, and I am apparently not the only one. First, consider that the standard issue for the Federal Air Marshalls is, or at least was for a long time, a SIG in .357 SIG loaded with 125 gr Gold Dots.

Then consider that pretty much all defensive handgun rounds perform within a pretty narrow window, very nearly identically. This seems like a broad statement to make, but, now for your consideration, most handgun rounds are designed around FBI test criteria. Because ammo manufactures are all studying the same questions, you end up with a bunch of rounds that give essentially the same answer. Regardless of which round you choose, then, you know it was designed to resist clogging and expand reliably at expected velocities, while still penetrating something like 10 to 15 inches of gelatin.

Lastly, experience has taught me that big, heavy, slow projectiles tend to penetrate tissue better than faster moving lighter projectiles. This is further supported by testing done by others, including agencies like the FBI, which conclude that high velocity rifle rounds like the 5.56 penetrate most interior structures less than lower velocity, higher mass pistol rounds like the 9mm and .45.

 

[GLOOB]

I disagree with the guys suggesting a longslide G34. I dunno how big your house is, or how good your aim. But sight radius isn't really a consideration for me for home defense. I have a 6" 357 and a 3" 357. And I keep the 3" on the nightstand. I figure if I need to defend myself, I'd rather have a lower chance of being disarmed in a run-of-the-mill break in than a slightly better chance at defending myself from an assassin shooting through the windows from 20+ yards away.

By the time you get to your gun, who knows how close the intruder is going to be. You could be in physical contact by then. Or you could be in contact distance sometime shortly after firing your first shot, if it's not a stopper. If you are so far away, you can't make the shot with a G19, you are far enough away to find cover and wait for the guy to get closer or to leave.

Any of those 3 are essentially the same. Comes down to your preferred ergos.

BTW, if you know any martial arts, a longer grip than necessary also makes a gun easier to disarm. So a G19 might theoretically be the best for self defense for its shorter grip as well as slide. This sorta depends on how big your hands are.

 

[Ben86]

If you plan on using it for CC in the future I'd go with the G19, it can do both very well. If not, go with the G17. I prefer 9mm over .45 so I wouldn't want the G21.