Good home defense hand gun for first-time owner?

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JesseTX

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Hi all,

I'm scheduled along with my wife to take a gun safety course this weekend. We recently moved into our new home which is somewhat secluded and, being out here on our own, we're finding ourselves a bit more concerned with personal safety than before.

I am not a "gun person" and I doubt I ever will be. However, I do need to purchase something that is simple to take care of, reliable, and not over complicated as I want my wife to be able to easily use the weapon if necessary.

Would a revolver be the proper choice for home defense that is easy to understand and use? It seems easier to my layman mind than something with a magazine, anyway.

I'm hoping for specific suggestions on both the firearm and the ammunition. I'm also hoping to not spend TOO much money if possible!

This forum seems to be very active so I trust your suggestions. Thank you all very much for entertaining a "new guy" and answering some stupid questions.

Take care,

Jesse
 
One of the most highly recommended handguns for what may fit your needs is in fact a revolver.

A DA/SA (can be fired double action of single action) in .357 Magnum caliber with a 3 or 4 inch barrel. This gun will also shoot the milder .38 Special loadings for practice or for those who are more recoil sensitive.

Some good firearms of this nature are made by Smith & Wesson , Ruger , Taurus (more or less the top three ) and they feature a swing out cylinder for ease of loading.

PS: Welcome to THR !
 
yeah, cant go wrong with a revolver, .357 as stated above would be good, and as far as your ammunition choice, some basic federal hollow points are all thats needed really
 
If you're sure on the handgun, then a revolver would be great. If you're a little more flexible, a shotgun would be great for home defense.
 
A revolver would be an excellent choice. If you're going for .38/.357 Magnum, take a look at the Smith and Wesson 686 or the Ruger GP100. Both are very highly regarded, and very durable guns. These are a little on the large side, but for a home defense gun, these guns are almost perfect. Easy to shoot, low recoil with .38 Spl loads, and fun to shoot.

If you want something smaller, you can look at the S&W 66. Its the next frame smaller in .38/.357.

I do recommend a shotgun also. It is very effective and pretty much the best gun for home defense. Either in 12 ga. or 20 ga. The Remington 870 set the standard as the best pump shotgun around.

Welcome to the world of firearms. Safety is key.

Good luck. :)
 
To expound, "single-action" means that you must manually cock the hammer with your thumb, like they do in the movies, before you can fire; pulling the trigger simply releases the hammer, which fires the gun. Single-action revolvers tend to have very "light" triggers (little pressure is required to fire the gun) as having to manually cock the hammer is considered the safety.

"Double-action" means that pulling the trigger both cocks the hammer back and then releases it. Double-action revolvers tend to have "heavy" triggers (a good amount of pressure required) due to the amount of force required to cock the hammer.

A gun can be single-action only, double-action only (abbreviated DAO) or DA/SA, which means you can go either way - cock the hammer manually and then pull the trigger, or simply pull the trigger.

The phrase "x-pound trigger pull" will likely be used here and means that x amount of pressure, in pounds, must be applied to the trigger to fire the gun. This pressure is applied with your finger, so as you can imagine, a 15-pound trigger pull would be very difficult (if not impossible) to work with.

I believe that a DAO or DA/SA revolver is "the" gun for a "non-gun" person who does not wish to learn anything more about guns - load it, and if you need it, simply pick it up and pull the trigger.

However, for home defense a shotgun would be much more optimal in terms of effectiveness. Single-shot and double-barreled shotguns are very simple, but you'd be better served with a pump-action shotgun capable of holding 5 or more rounds (compared to one or two with a single-shot or double-barreled shotgun). The Remington 870 is pretty much universally considered "the" shotgun to own for serious business, can be found for around $250-300 new, and will, in all probability, never break. It is somewhat more complicated to learn to use, but is still very simple.

Whatever you decide on, be sure to buy enough ammunition that you will be able to go out and practice at least a little! The biggest, baddest, best gun in the world will not help you if you cannot hit what you are aiming at in times of greatest need.
 
A short-barreled (18.5"-22"), 12-gauge, pump-action shotgun is also a great choice. It has much more stopping power than a pistol and it can reach out to longer ranges. A 20-gauge is nearly as effective and might be easier to shoot.

A shotgun is, however, more difficult to have at the ready and pretty much impossible to conceal. Think about a situation like opening the door with a pistol in one hand behind the door -- not really work-able with a shotgun.

In a secluded/rural situation, I'd want both. But then again I'd also want a long-range rifle...a .22 rifle...a .22 pistol...a medium-range/high-capacity rifle...a pistol-caliber carbine to match my .357...an upland shotgun...a waterfowl shotgun...a 1911...another 1911...:)

.38, .357, .45, 9mm, 12ga, 20ga are all all great for home defense.

.44mag (pistol or carbine), .223, 7.62x39, .308, 30-06 (and other rifles) also great for defense, but have a much longer range and can penetrate walls and/or travel up to a mile beyond the bad guy and hurt a good guy.
 
Also -- I recommend that you purchase a .22 pistol and at least 2000 rounds of .22 ammo. This should cost you less than $300.

If you and your wife burn through 1000 rounds of .22 ammo each, you will be better shooters than 90%+ of the people on the planet.

Plinking with a .22 is also great fun.

AND a .22 with a brick of 500 rounds plus a good knife is the best set of survival tools you could own.
 
Smith .38 special, snub nose, hammerless. This is the end of your search.

For the sake of your wife, get a Smith & Wesson snubbie, hammerless, .38 special. New, or used. It doesn't matter. I doubt she would enjoy a shot gun. A smith is super reliable, and without a hammer, all she has to do is point it, and pull the trigger. Smith also has the best trigger pull, so you can feel sure that she can handle the load, the weight of the gun, and smoothly operate the firearm. I say Smith over Ruger, and over Taurus, if you need to trust your life to it. I can hear the out-crys coming, but no one can deny the fluid operation of a Smith. I know, I've shot and handled many. If I had to go to a gun fight with either my Smith, or my Taurus, it would be one of the easiest decisions of my life.

And Kudos for taking the firearms safety course!

P.S.- Out of respect for my fellow members, please be advised that this is JMHO. ;)
 
Arcticfox said:
P.S.- Out of respect for my fellow members, please be advised that this is JMHO.
Click to expand...

Yes - don't be taking anyone's word as law. Arcticfox makes a very good point. Your life is on the line - do your homework and decide what's right for you. :)
 
Smith .38 special, snub nose, hammerless. This is the end of your search.
For the sake of your wife, get a Smith & Wesson snubbie, hammerless, .38 special. New, or used. It doesn't matter.
Click to expand...

I take issue with this, as would many here, on several points:

1) Why a .38Spl when a .357 will accept both .357 and .38 ammo?
2) Why would you want a snubby for a house gun, where concealability is not an issue? You lose sight radius and muzzle energy with the short barrel.
3) Why hammerless for a house gun, where concealability is not an issue?
4) I also prefer Smith, but Ruger is a perfectly acceptable alternative.

Hope we're not confusing you with all this debate, Jesse. A lot of this is pretty subjective, so in the end you have to just go with your gut after considering the possibilities. I'll vote for at least trying out a S&W or Ruger .357 revolver with 3" or 4" barrel.

I also strongly recommend getting a .22 handgun to practice with. The ammo costs $8 for 500 rounds, and good quality guns can be had as low as $189 new (S&W 22a). In Texas, you can also find used .22 rifles for as low as $35 in pawnshops (bolt action), or $60 or so for semi-automatic (Marlin 60). At the cost of .22 ammo, you can't afford NOT to practice.

I also add my kudos for your decision to get some formal training, and for involving both halves of the family.

-MV
 
Like others stated a .357 with a 2 - 4 inch barrel. If you go with a 2" barrel and hammerless, spurless hammer, or concealed hammer then you'll have something you can use for concealed carry if you decided to get your permit down the line. Whatever you get I recommend putting a set of Crimson Trace laser grips on it. I also recommend getting a high output defense light with a tailcap switch and practicing one of the light/handgun shooting techniques (you can request a free catalogue at surefire.com that describes them). If you have to use your gun in the dark the light will make sure you know what you're shooting at. If you don't want to invest the $100 for a high end Surefire Wal-mart sells a Brinkman for about $20 that is almost identical to the Surefire G2 Nitrolon which can be had itself for about $30 online. Either will do the job. Surefire has the best deal on the CR123 batteries at about $21 a dozen. They can run $4 - 5 each in the store.

Good article at surefire http://www.surefire.com/maxexp/main/co_disp/displ/pgrfnbr/447/sesent/00

good article about shooting with lights
http://www.spw-duf.info/flashlight.html
 
I personally don't like them ...

But I believe a glock is what you are after. As reliable, maybe moreso. Manual of arms is easy (bullets into the magazine, magazine into the gun, rack the slide, point, squeeze trigger). 3 minutes with the salesman and you'll know all you need to know.

I'd suggest a full size glock, and I'd suggest a 9mm unless you think you/your wife would like a larger caliber. 9mm is the cheap as practice ammo gets (centerfire). Premium ammo for actual duty tho.

The .22 suggestion is a good one (for learning to shoot). Works for pest control too.

But most bang for the buck would be a short pump shotgun. 20 inch Mossberg or 870 can be had for very little $$. Be warned, it's more powerful = not as fun to shoot for your wife.

Really need to head for a range and see what works for you, rest of us are just guessing and giving our best advice.
 
welcome Jesse,I'll throw my opinion in also.

agreed that a revolver should fit your need,.357 magnum or .38 special.If you are on a budget maybe a Taurus.Think about a stainless steel because that is more rust resistant.I would go with a 4 inch barrel.You may actually start to want to target shoot.

Glock 19 is a good semi auto choice,easy to use and clean.9mm is rather cheap which will help with practice time at the range.

Got a dog in the family?One of the best home defense measures..:)
 
My advice for a house defense gun for the new and occassional shooter is slightly heretical.

My criterion is the armament that the occassional user is most likely to get solid, rapid hits with, with a minimum of training and practice.

I do not recommend shotguns, UNLESS both folks are comfortable with them. They are creatures of vast noise and recoil. The shotgun a lady fires twice, bruising herself with recoil is going to be intimidating, and an gun someone is intimidated by will not be wielded well.


I do not recommend handguns, UNLESS you're going to put in the training and amount of practice necessary to attain and retain proficiency. (Sidebar: hammerless snubbies are one of the more challenging sidearms out there, due to heavy trigger, short sight radius, small grips, and light mass which has recoil implications)

IMO, the friendliest household armament that is not intimidating to the user, and can be wielded well with a minimum ante of initial training, practice and subsequent skill brush up is an autoloading pistol caliber carbine.


Models to look at:

Marlin Camp (9, .45)
Beretta Storm, in (9, .40, or .45)
Ruger PC4 carbines (9, .40)
Kel-Tec Sub 2000 (9, 40)


Oh, and don't fear the magazine. Once you've got a mag fed armament in your hand with someone to point out how it works, you'll grasp it immediately, if not sooner.
 
Whatever you buy you need to practice with until you can utilize it in the dark, when you've gone from sleep to "Ohmygod awake" and that means hours of practice, self safe skills, loading, safety, unloading, being safe, aiming, practicing more safety skill, dry firing (safely) and actually sending more rounds downrange (3 - 5 yds to begin with, 10 - 15 yds when you've got the shorter range down cold).

For those reasons, I'd never steer a newbie towards a shotgun, unless you own a farm or have access to an outdoor range, and enjoy serious recoil (not always good for self admitted reluctant beginners). Instead, hie thee to a local range that rents handguns, shoot .22's and .38/.357/s (keeping with light .38's in the beginning), since both of you are going to take an NRA introductory course in firearm safety and basics, consider one additional course which allows you to shoot, shoot and shoot some more.

So here, I agree with matt g. geo. and others... look for a good, lightly used S&W Model 10, 4" barrel in .38 spl. The .38 spl rounds can be had ranging from light plinking target loads (called wadcutters) up to 158 gr. JHP +P rounds that the FBI used to use and practice ammo is relatively inexpensive.

Buy ammo, ear and eye protection and practice, practice, practice until you KNOW you can hit that at which you aim. With either hand. Have fun doing so (you might be amazed at how much fun recreational shooting can be) but practice with a purpose in mind each time you go out.

There's obviously more to home defense than a loaded gun tho' so plan on the other things a prepared homeowner should have at hand. A plan. A cell phone (lines cannot be cut). Flashlight (or two or three). Safe room with locked door. Hardened access into home. Maybe a DOG!

But... as others here have noted, note that a handgun is a poor choice if something larger is available (and you've practiced with), hence the advice on shotguns. Shooting a shottie well requires practice, contrary to the myth that you can point it and shoot and bad guys will drop like flies.

Good luck JesseTX
 
If the gun is for home defence ONLY and not to taken from the confines of the residence:
(1) Mossberg model 500 in 20ga..

If a potential of conceal carry or to be carried in an automobile:
(2) Ruger model GP100 with 4" barrel.
(3) Smith and Wesson model 686 with 4" barrel.

If to be taken from the home for some sort of carry, make sure of your local laws and regulations and if you intend to carry on your person; GET THAT CARRY PERMIT. Shorter barrel weapons make for easier carry but require a higher level of proficiency.

The shotgun is almost always the preferred weapon, with more brute power and incapacitating capability. The down side is it is bigger and and not quite ans moble because if its length. The 12 ga is more powerful but if your wife is to use it the 20 ga is bit more forgiving or kinder in recoil. Both the number (2) and (3) are revolvers. I would suggest a revolver over a semi auto for ease of operation, simple manual or arms. The .357 magnum and .38 special standard and +p loading can be fired the Ruger "GP" and S&W "L" frame gun. The 4" barrel is probably most versitle for a number of reasons. The Mosseberg is an affordable weapon of high quality as is the Ruger. The S&W also a very quality gun but will most likely be a little higher in price.

Welcome to the forum, there are many knowledgeable folks here that will be glad to help in many ways. Regards Pistol Toter
 
The 357 pistol is great. You can use .38 defense loads that don’t have as much kick. If you desire to move up in power the option is there to go to 357 magnums. As previous posters mentioned, pistol marksmanship is not easy. If you don’t plan on practicing at least once a month I suggest you don’t get a pistol.

The second popular option is the shotgun. Shotguns have mucho recoil and if you or your wife is recoil adverse there are ways to mitigate recoil. You don’t have to get a 12 gauge, I suggest you start with a 20 gauge using #4, #6, or #8 birdshot. It is an effective deterrent, it can kill, and it tends not to over penetrate drywall too much (a 357 can go through drywall easily). With a shotgun you can choose semi, pump, double, or single. Each has its plus and minus.

Semi = holds 5-8 rounds, fast firing speed, fast reload, more prone to jamming, less recoil

Pump = holds 5-8 rounds, medium firing speed (as fast as you can pump), fast reload less prone to jamming, will jam if not pumped hard enough

Double barrel = holds 2 rounds, fast firing speed, slow reload, no jamming

Single shot/barrel= holds 1 round, slow reload

For what you’re describing I suggest getting a 20 gauge pump or double barrel shotgun using birdshot. Keep in mind you want a short barrel to maneuver in close quarters (in the hallways). Coach guns are great for close quarters so are self defense shotguns. You will still need to practice with a shotgun once in a while to get used to handling it and the recoil, practice once a season and you'll be fine.
 
my $0.02

I'll agree with most of the others here and say .357 (which can also shoot .38SPL as has been stated) but I will go one further and say...

If home defense is the primary use (as opposed to carry) then I would get a steel frame (as opposed to an alloy 'airweight' type frame) 6-six shot (or more) revolver with a 4" barrel... In additions to the recommendations made already I would add the Ruger Speed Six or Service Six to the list

The heavy steel frame make even .38 SPL nicer to shoot and practice with for you and your wife. Also the 4" barrel make a big difference in performance, and since this is for home defense concealability is not an issue -- get the 4" barrel.

Kudos to you and your wife for taking the initiative to educate yourselves and receive training. I will second what Pistol Toter says -- both of you should get your handgun permits, this will allow to to travel freely to the practice range and later, if you feel the need to carry a weapon you will already be able.

Learn and Live the Big Four:

1. Treat EVERY gun as if it were loaded.
2. NEVER point the muzzle at anything you are not willing to destroy.
3. Keep you finger off the trigger and out of the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot.
4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond.

P.S. Welcome!
 
Shotgun is best... but if set on a handgun, then maybe a BFR in .410 caliber?
Click to expand...

I'd actually rec the Taurus 4410, there, instead. It's chambered to take EITHER .410 shotshells or .45LC.

So you can have the first few be shotshells, then follow with .45LC hollowpoints if they're still coming.

4410TrackerSS.jpg
 
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