Home defense... pistol or shotgun

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My $.02 cents worth.
If I lived in an area that dictated a need to keep an arsenal of weapons in my house in order to feel safe, I would move from that place without hesitation.
In my city, I feel very comfortable with my G26 on the nightstand. :uhoh:
 
My HighPower with 17 round mag in a GunVault at bedside, & Stoeger 12GA SxS coachgun standing in the corner of closet (with Aguila mini-shells for low recoil).
 
My friend said his 12g. left him partially deaf for a few minutes when he forgot to replace his muffs. he was shooting 2 3/4" shells outside out of a long barrel.
Click to expand...

Does this surprise you? :confused:
Your going to have hearing damage with any caliber, if your not wearing your muffs.

I know a few guys that have never worn muffs, and laugh when I wear them. Neither of them can hear worth a damn
 
I have discovered that using a shotgun as defense in a single room is probably ok, however, if you are moving aroud corners and through doorways even with a short barreled shotgun it can be awkward, atleast in my house.
 
I keep 3 Glocks in two separate Gunvault electronic lock boxes. Two in the bedroom and one in my office. I keep everything else in my safe. I have a Mossberg 500 riot gun in there, but to use it I would need to know a head of time if the bad guys were coming.

Before I had kids in the house my Mossberg was my primary go to gun. Then I kept it loaded and in my closet. Can't do that anymore with rugrats running around.
 
Clint Smith is right -- if you have a choice, choose the shotgun. The best approach is to have a handgun on your person and a shotgun in your safe room (which would normally be your bedroom.) When something goes bump in the night, reach for the shotgun.

1. The shotgun is more ergonometric -- your hands are separated, and even in total darkness that gives you clues as to where the gun is pointed.

2. The shotgun is a more powerful weapon.

3. The shotgun -- with #8 shot -- is not likely to penetrate the outer wall of your house and the house next door.

4. The shotgun is intimidating. When your knees are knocking and your teeth are chattering, you are sending a message. If you're holding a small weapon, the message might say, "You can take this gun away from me." If you're holding a shotgun, the message is, "This thing is about to go off."
 
I vote submachinegun. Get a supressed MP-5, best of all worlds with no hearing damage. :)

In all seriousness, I'd go with a shotgun.
 
I would suggest the Ruger, a Flashlight, and a Cell Phone with a handsfree.



I have this dilemna as well.

I have a bunch of C&Rs that are just not practical at all and:

Customized 1911 that is an heirloom

870 that I just today switched from a 28" to 20" barrel.

Yugo SKS

SIGP232 that no one but me likes to shoot

The 1911 is by far the most familiar of the weapons, and with CMC 10 rounders full of alternating 230grain HydraShoks, Silvertips, & FMJs, it qualifies as "enough gun." But it is an heirloom customized by my father, and I am loathe to part with it should I have to shoot an intruder. I don't really want the family pistol to suffer the rigors of a police armory. And I am not going to put a weapon light on it. So the 1911 is not ideal.

The 870 is by most common wisdom the ideal choice for home defense. But it is a duck gun with a 4+1 capacity, and up until just today it had a huge 28" barrel that is not suited to my tiny apt at all. The 20" barrel made a big difference, but the transformation is not yet complete. My main complaint with the scattergun, however is the requirement of two hands. I want to be able to weild a flashlight or use a cell phone or struggle with attacker or move kids out of harms way or any number of things that a one handed weapon could facilitate. So the 12ga stays loaded in the safe, away from the rugrats grasp. Not ideal, but as ready as I can safely get it.

The SKS is certainly "enough gun" with a 10 round capacity, especially when those rounds are 7.62x39. And the bayonet would make a nice back-up in a struggle. But the SKS is still a bit big for the tiny spaces of the apartment, once again, and while I don't plan on hitting anything but goblins, the rounds aren't gonna stop at these paperthin apt walls. So the SKS, like the shotgun is usefull for hunkering down, but not really a good "bump in the night" weapon.

Ahhh the unloved SIG P232. Originally my wife's pistol, but in reality, my fun gun. Everybody, (I mean everybody) that has fired this dislikes it except for me. Light weight doesn't soak up much of the recoil like "old slabsides" at the top of the list. But I love the thing. It is compact enough for at home CCW, and the Novak style 3 dots make for very quick sight picture. I like shooting it, despite some complaints with it's design. The biggest complaint is the round. The .380ACP is probably "enough gun" provided I use proper shot placement, but who knows how well I will shoot at 3am half-asleep, trying to figure out *** is going on. And it has a smaller capacity than the 1911, since no one makes big mags for it. But I am very comfortable with the little SIG, and even though I like it, it isn't gonna break my heart to part with it for awhile in the wake of last resort self defense.

So I keep the 1911 and the 870 loaded in the safe, and the SIG, cell phone, extra magazines and Mag-Lite by the bedside.

And I am working on getting a pistol that I can mount a weapon light on and getting the 870 into more of a HD shape that both my wife and I can use, (Shorter LOP).


One last thing. I can't really afford a weapon light right now, and a weapon light doesn't light up the sights. So my "make do for now" is $5 LED rotating night lights and a motion sensor nightlight from Target. I have the lights set up so they will occlude the hallway from which I will be coming while lighting up the front of the apartment.

I also have pictures on the wall that are set up so that I can see around the corners, but the same LOS cannot be traced back due to the lighting. Whenever I can't sleep at night, I practice checking things out quietly and trying to get sight picture in certain areas.

My set-up is far from perfect, but I am doing what I can.
 
Oh and it isn't conventional, but with the right ammo, I think this would make an excellent HD weapon.

az-C15P97S.jpg


Too bad it ain't legal here in Cali.
 
My question is, at 3am how are you supposed subdo an intruder and worry about hearing protection? I know it wouldn't be a choice, my hearing or my family. I will choose my family everytime! As many of you would as well. But this does worry me. I don't wear a "headset" when at the range, I wear earplugs. Don't have any hearing damage. But how deaf would I be right after shooting somone inside my living room? :eek: The other night I had to answer the door at 2am, and of course not expecting anyone I grabbed my gun. Although my parents told me a long time ago, that a robber isn't going to nock!! :uhoh: But nevertheless there are still those worthless pieces of sh*t that would nock and then gain entry into the premises that way. In which case they would get a double tap to the head. ;)

So, what's a guy to do. No hearing protection? I am speaking of shooting with my XD in .45 GAP. Also how would that compare sound wise to a 12 ga.? Does barrel length in a shotgun have anything to do with sound?
 
first thing is first...

*any* firearm set off is loud. Any firearm set off in the confines of an enclosed space is VERY loud.

If you ahve a .22, I suggest trying this ONCE (and only once): in the great outdoors, on a nice, clear day, go fired one round without hearing protection. Realize that that tiny bit of powder is producing THAT loud of a noise. Imagine what that noise will do inside a closed room, reverberating off the walls. Afterwards, put hearing protection on, and never repeat that exposure. Trust me, your ears will still ring for a good half hour afterwards.

Then think of a 12g blast confined inside a room. think BOOM! :eek:

this site has a pretty good discussion of hearing protection in hunting (not indoors): http://www.nwtf.org/tips_adventures/adventures.php?id=277

As to shotty vs. pistol for home defense, there is something else you need to consider: your living space. Is your house all alone in the woods, with no neighbors nearby? Do you live in a cookie-cutter student apartment? Do you live in a cobb dwelling with many rock berms around it. Check out this site regarding overpenetration of walls and the like: http://www.theboxotruth.com/ (seems to be down at the moment)

Keep in mind that your engagement distance in most urban houses is under the 40' mark for a hallway, and under the 16' mark for most rooms. At that distance, most shottys will have to be actually aimed, not just point and shoot, although you will have a bit more leeway than a handgun.

I would suggest sticks. Go out to the yard, and get some sticks, and have you and your partner and or kids play the aggressor and you the defender. Play assault the bedroom/kitchen/family room. Figure out what would work best for you in defending your home, the best place to stave off an invader and so on. While you are at it, check on your smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, and fire evac plans (especially with kids). Make it a safety afternoon :D
 
I use two - A Kimber CDP (full size 1911) on the night table and a Remington Marine Magnum with #1 shot under the bed. At bedtime, the cellphone is always on the table along with a Surefire Aviator.

...and if they give me enough time there's 3 SKS's under the bed as well but I'd have to clean off the cosmoline first... :eek:
 
When things go "Bump!" in the night . . .

First up is the Springfield 1911-A1, complete with spare mags. If I run that one dry, [with spares...36 rounds] then the Mossberg/Maverick 88 12Ga gets to play.

After that, the Most Serious Artillery...US Rifle Cal .30 M1. Popularly known as "The Garand"
 
I use two weapons for HD. I keep a S&W 15 loaded with 138 G. hollow points within arms reach during the day. At night I keep my 870P loaded with #4 shot next to the bed. Please note I have no children living at home. When they visit the guns are on my person or locked in the safe.
 
1. HK USP Compact .45 with AmeriGlo Night Sights is next to me wherever I go, whether asleep or awake, and always with a minimum of 1 spare magazine.
2. Mossberg 590 Persuader (8rd tube) on a rail just under the bottom of my bed frame (laser sight for kicks)
3. DSA SA 58 Carbine with red dot sight. Just off of the dresser in an upright wardrobe.


1. If I need to check the house, or go from room to room real quick, the USP goes with me. if I get a drink of water at 3AM, it goes with me. If I answer the door at 4:30PM, it goes with me. If I answer the door at 2:30AM, it goes with me.

2. If I need to hole up in the bedroom, the Mossberg goes with me as well, into the farthest corner facing the door. The Cell phone dials 9-1-1.

3. If things really get ugly (riots, civil unrest, invasion, zombies :neener: ), the FAL comes out. And most likely, so do her friends and sisters. :D

I don't like the idea of gun-mounted lights. I don't want to point a weapon at anything I do not intend to destroy. If my GF comes home late at night after I fall asleep, or she's get a glass of water and it startles me, I'd rather have a flashlight in my off-hand and the USP in my main hand. Call it personal preference.
 
Whichever one you choose, train with it. Practice moving around with it in your home (unloaded, of course) both lit and dark. Practice getting to your 'safe room'. Practice loading it in the dark, (with dummy rounds) Plan your reaction and train accordingly. Practice at the range at the maximum engagement range in your house, if possible. I have a 9mm pistol :( and an 870 for HD. I prefer the 870 out of familiarity and confidence in my ability with it. I like Nick1911's suggestion of an MP5SD for the same reason, but $$$ doesn't permit it. ;)
 
I use a Remington 870 with low recoil 00-buck in condition 3.

I thought about using a pistol, but with a spread of shot equalling several pistol shots with one pull of the trigger and the intimidation factor a shotgun provides, I chose the shotgun. The shot spread would help connect with the target while I'm under stress as well.

If I don't sense an immediate threat, I may be able to subdue someone by racking the shotgun. If there is an immediate threat, I can end that as well.
 
I thought about using a pistol, but with a spread of shot equalling several pistol shots with one pull of the trigger and the intimidation factor a shotgun provides, I chose the shotgun.
Click to expand...

The intimidation factor of a shotgun is an important point in its favor.

But as for the spread of shot, I recommend measuring the longest shot you could reasonably make in your house -- I would be surprised to find it would be much over 15 feet. Try patterning your gun at that range, and your pattern will look like a ragged rathole.
 
I keep my pistol with me. The shotgun stays in the bedroom. If the need is upon me either are in reach. So far I've never experienced a home invasion and only once caught a criminal tresspass. We've all survived to this date and I'd like to stretch that record a little further. However, for the record, the shotgun (Win. Defender 12 ga.) holds seven rounds of 00 Buck and the .45 also has seven. Surely it would be over by then! :D
Mark.
 
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