I have $400 to spend, I want agun for the home, what are my options? HELP!

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TonyStarks

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I have doing some research online trying to find the best gun for protecting my home. The only gun i've owned was a Star Firestar .40 which I absolutely loved. Unfortunately my home was recently broken into while my wife and daughter were outside doing yard work:fire: and they stole it from me.
Luckily for me, the lowlife bastard that broke in came across my German Shepard and took off. No one was hurt Since then my wife and I have been looking for agun that is easy enough for her to handle, accurate and also works well for the home and for myself.

I have seen the CZ 75B{kinda wierd lookin thing} the Springfield XD .40 and even the Walter P99c...however, i want the best i can get for my money.
If anyone can please give some recommendations, i would truly appreciate it.
I dont know much about guns, other than my experience with the Star .40

THANKS!!!!!:confused:
 
You've mentioned three excellent choices and won't go wrong with either. Decide which one fits your hand best, and hopefully find the opportunity to see which you shoot best. If it's something your wife intends to become proficient with as well, make sure she in included in the buying process, to be sure it fits her hands as well as yours.

I'm sure your past experiences will give you some perspective on this, but you need to put some kind of safe in your budget as well. It's not fun knowing a criminal is running around using your gun to commit crimes. It's also not fun thinking about a criminal finding your gun and using it on you/your wife/your child. Get a good safe.
 
Thanks Spooky, I have a safe however i had the gun in my night dresser drawer. I guess i figuered i could get to it if i needed it. But i will look into a safe that has quick access in the event of an emergency.
Thanks again.
 
All of your choices are good...
If it were me...I would look into a Factory Reconditioned Sig (226)...

Or check out CDNN on the web. They have many used Sigs for around $400 (226, 229, 220)
 
Trade in SIGs, Glocks, new XDs, used S&W, Ruger revolvers, new or used Taurus revolvers, etc - no safety to fumble with. Take out of safe, pull trigger, bang - easy for the wife to use and easy for you to use in a stressful situation. 9mm in the autoloaders will let you get lots of practice cheap. 357 Mag or +P rated 38 Spcl shooting standard 38 Spcl for practice at the range. If you go with a 357 Mag revolver for its versatility I'd still load it with +P 38s for home defense for their reduced flash and noise indoors and in low light. Keep lookin, and keep askin questions. Let us know how we can help.

Edit: The Walther P99/S&W 99 (Same Pistol) with their DAO/'Safe Action' system, and the CZ w/ decocker are excellent choices as well.
 
The best house gun is a shotgun with an 18.5" barrel. 12ga. for you, see if the wife can handle a 12 in that configuration. Many cannot. If that is the case, get a 20ga. with some 00 buckshot. More firepower than any handgun, usually will end the fight in one shot. Handguns are a means to fight your way to the shotgun. Not only that, but the sound of a round being chambered will end most fights before they begin.
 
' fully agree on the shotgun recomendation. But if a pistol is a must, I recommend the Ruger P series or Taurus offerings.
Buy the GSD some treats for a job well done!
 
Sorry to hear about the break-in. It is good that no one was hurt. Having the dog around seemed to have helped. I had a German Shepherd and even in her old days she did a heck of a job keeping people on their toes.

Anyway, I would suggest that you look for a used Smith & Wesson revolver. Either a .38 Special or a .357 Magnum. I would suggest you load it with .38 ammo in either case. You should be able to find a nice one for less than $400. If you prefer a semi-auto, a brand new S&W 910 or a Ruger P95 should be possible for less than $400 as well. A nice used GLOCK might also be found for around $400.

Good luck.
 
A cz is great, as are used sigs and glocks. i also second cdnn as a gun source.
Another good option with a $400 budget is to buy two guns:

1. A 12 gauge pump; and
2. A S&W model 10 revolver.

Just something to think about.
-David
 
second the good used S&W mod 10 .38spl for $200

and a good used Mossberg 500 12ga(or Win 1300) if you can'tfind a Rem 870 for $150

and a good used Ruger MK2 or Mk1 .22 semi auto pistol for $150
 
Model 10 or 19 S&W Plus a case of Ammo for same. Practice, Practice, Practice, Practice, save last box for home defense.
 
I would go with the springfield xd .45 acp or the Walther P99 not the c.

I have the P99 and love it to deaht. Trust it with my heart.
 
thanks for all the advice guys (and gals if you're out there). I dont think i will go with the shotgun option because it would blow my small wife off her feet. Plus, i dont want her to feel intimidated by a gun thats supposed to save her life. I am leaning towards the XD .45acp. I held one last night at the local dealer. It felt like it was part of my hand. Also my wife held and she said "this is so light", both are great things for me. I am not familiar with shooting the
.45 acp round. Any thoughts on the XD's reliability, accuracy. How is the .45 acp compared to the .40 S&W as far as recoil goes.

I really appreciate everyone responding and for your concerns about my family. It has made feel comfortable in knowing that which ever choice i make, it will be the best choice for us.THANKS AGAIN!!!!:D
 
Do a search for CZ and you'll get a lot of positives. I have a 75B and 75D PCR (compact, alloy version) that I carry. Bother are superb and you can get the .22 Kadet Kit conversin that fits on any CZ-75 variant.
 
Tony,

I think you will find the .45ACP more pleasant to shoot than the .40 cal. I have always felt that the .45 recoil was more of a push, whereas the .40 was more of a snap, if that makes sense? I have seen people who could shoot the 9mm and .45 very well but had problems with the .40.
 
Any thoughts on the XD's reliability, accuracy
Click to expand...
.

I've shot a friend's XD 40 and hit where I aimed; quite accurate for a fixed sight 4" service pistol. He repors no reliability problems with it.


How is the .45 acp compared to the .40 S&W as far as recoil goes
Click to expand...

In my experience 40 S&W has a quick very snappy recoil where as 45 ACP has more of a slow heavy push in comparison. I personally find the 45 more pleasant to shoot.

I would make the investment of going to a range that rents handguns and letting the wife see how recoil compares between 9mm Luger/Parabellum, 40 S&W, and 45 ACP. Try to shoot the same or similar pistols in all 3 calibers to make the comparison based more on caliber and not different pistols in different calibers, preferably all 3 in the same size XD you're looking at buying. You don't wanna spend the money to buy a pistol and then find out that she can't handle the recoil. With this being the first handgun for both of you I'd highly recommend something in 9mm. The cheaper ammo will give you both more practice time; the lower recoil will let you shoot longer with greater comfort and be less intimidating to your wife. The 9mm you're accurate with beats the 40 or 45 that you don't practice as much with/ fight the recoil of.

Since you're looking at this for home defense you should definetly look into getting a good flashlight like a Surefire, Streamlight, etc. Since most self defense shootings occur in low light conditions the light will let you identify and verify your target while temporarily blinding an assailant at the same time. Take a look over in the non firearm weapons section for more info.

If you need more info ask here or PM one of us.
 
1. Used S&W .38spl, circa $200.

2. A way to secure it. $30 (a document safe will be fine for the purposes of keeping children and guests, invited or uninvited, from fiddling with it)

3. Ammo and training. $170. (starting costs)

Seriously.

The six-shooter lacks the sex appeal of an auto, but it works just as well (if not better) as a "home gun", it is cheaper, it is easier for a novice to use, and your gun collection will always have a place for a six-shot .38 spl. It also leaves you plenty of money to spend on #2 and #3, both of which are mandatory for anyone serious about keeping himself safe with a weapon. #3 especially is important, and the training in question should consist not only of how to make the gun go bang and put holes in the right things, but also the legal concepts surrounding doing so.

Skipping on #2 can result in a dead innocent (or your own gun being pointed at you if you come home and disturb the burglar). Skipping on #3 can result in a dead innocent, a dead you, a massive lawsuit, court time, jail time, etc.

Get the software to go with the hardware.

Mike
 
I put down a deposit on a pair of ex LEO Glock 21s, $400 each with full cap mags. They're used but not abused, and if I can shoot them like I think I can, and they prove reliable, they will be my new Bump In the Night/Deliverance/road trip pistol. 14 rounds of .45ACP is hard to argue with, and the price is great.
 
Tony, sorry about your b&e, that sucks!! House gun? Wife gun? Remington
870 youth model 20 ga. Loaded with 3" Mag. #4 shot that will ruin anyones evening, exept maybe your newborn baby in the next bedroom, or your neighbors window. :scrutiny:

Semper Fi
 
$200 for a nice used Model 10 .38 Special, load it with 158-grain LSWCs or LSWCHPs. Very simple manual of arms for both of you. Bullets drive deep with minimal recoil.

And a $179 Ruger 10/22 loaded with ten CCI Stingers or Velocitors. Heck, there are reliable 30- and 40-round magazines if you want a banana clip!

Your wife can easily handle a .22 carbine that has absolutely 'zero' recoil. There isn't a man standing that wants to take a magazine full of that sh*t. A 10/22 may be better than a shotgun as far as her being (or becoming) recoil shy.

And it's cheap and fun to practice with!
 
NOT so fast with the shotgun

I used to agree with the old theory that a tactical (shorter) shotgun was the BEST home defense weapon. However, I've read several articles and other trains of thought which have convinced me this is wrong.

The advantages to a shotgun (with the right load) are the greater stopping power, less need for perfect aiming, and less worry about interior wall penetration (hitting an innocent in another room). But the HUGE disadvantage is all of that length that you have to deal with. Just imagine this VERY REAL and likely scenario: You hear a noise and it doesn't sound good (crash, broken glass, familiar squeak of a door that shouldn't be opening) so off you go with both hands on your shotgun (no option for one hand holding a flashlight). You come around the corner but LONG before YOU get around the corner, your nice large "stick" precedes you and the intruder grabs it. You're screwed.

Buy a handgun with a rail and get yourself a tactical light. This has to be the best setup. You have an incredibly bright flashlight that is always where the gun is pointing and you have BOTH HANDS on the gun. That gives you retention and MUCH greater accuracy.

Of course I recently saw a REALLY short, PISTOL sized shotgun (NFA tax stamp required but it's only a few bucks!). If you had that with a mounted flashlight you would have the best of both worlds. Two hands on a POWERFUL and short weapon with a bright light that you don't have to point.

IMO THAT would be the absolute BEST home defense gun.

:what:
 
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