Prefered Home Defense Weapon

[Ala Dan]

My Home D' Weapons:

12 gague 870 Remmy Marine Magnum, with alternating #4 Buckshot and #6
shot

Colt M4 5.56 witha loaded 30 round magazine attached

West German SIG-SAUER .45 ACP P220A w/ magazine full of Hornady 230 grain TAP JHP's in the night stand drawer.

Plus, various hideout weapons that are distributed throughout the house.

 

[Noxx]

I'm with Dan on this one. We both have nightstand guns, and pistols around the house. I also keep a 500 mossberg with a pistol grip between the bed and the nightstand.

Given the mission of covering the bedroom door, I'd pick up that mossberg. If I have to go out into the house, I don't like it for getting around corners, and would choose the 686.

Fortunately our home defense plan is devised so as to avoid having to clear the house.

 

[Car Knocker]

Several other large cities have handgun bans...

Chiciago, NYC, San Francisco, and some smaller cities.

San Francisco does not have a handgun ban.

 

[MICHAEL T]

there's one thing for sure about a shot gun, if there is an intruder in the next room, all you have to do is work the slide action of a pump, no one mistakes that sound, you don't have to say that you have a gun and if you hit them with the first shot, you have 2 people, if you also hit them with the second shot, you then have a crowd.

More myth and BS . Don't bet your life on a noise. (racking slide) If that worked then save money and just have a recording. At close range almost no spread and miss possible. They don't cut people in half , blow hoods clean off cars ,or blow BG 20' backwards thru window. To many movies

 

[sturmgewehr]

 

[Library Guy]

Shotguns cumbersome? Maybe. But when you're half asleep and scared to death, that big ol' shotgun with those big ol' shells is a lot easier to manipulate than say... a telephone.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Not a LEO (though I did once ride reserve with a small town PD for a few years), just an old redneck, retired librarian, former EMT and longtime bird and small game hunter who grew up with a pumpgun in hand. I've been shooting them for... a good while now, let's say.

So I choose what I'm good with for protecting Casa Lapin, what I trust to work for us. It happens I'm reasonably good with a shotgun (though there are some folks here who have dropped more shotgun shells than I have fired). It happens I carry a pistol whenever I have pants on as well, but given my druthers I'll take a shotgun for close in trouble that I know is coming or trouble that gives me enough time to snag one of several 870s tucked away here and there.

And if it happens trouble appears over a hundred yards away (not likely but you never know), there's an AR handy too.

You said, "In a close quarter combat situation it is next to impossible to miss with a shotgun(due to the pattern of the blast)."

It's not true. It's actually pretty easy to miss with a shotgun, especially at close range. There's a thread running over on S&T right now about a shootout in Denver where a shotgun-armed bandit missed a couple of cops at 12-15 feet, for example. I've seen it happen in training too, shotgun patterns close in are pretty small- and some stay pretty small for a pretty good distance. My HD guns will keep a full pattern of 00 buckshot on a piece of notebook paper at 25 yards, for example. The biggest defensive shotgun myth of all is that "you can't miss with a shotgun." You can, and people do.

So why do I prefer shotguns, when I have access to handguns and rifles and a reasonably good skill set with them as well?

Simple. A 12 gauge is .73 caliber. It fires projectiles that weigh an ounce or more (that's 437.5 grains, by the way) at velocities (given my chosen defensive ammunition) of about 1600FPS. I don't know of anything more effective against thin skinned lightly constructed critters up to 250- 300 pounds at close range than a shotgun loaded with buckshot or slugs.

With slugs (on board the gun in our case) the house shotguns are good out to a hundred yards or so. That's enough range for defensive use in almost any conceivable situation, even in rural areas like ours.

Defensive shotguns here are 37" long overall, with an 18" barrel and conventional stock with a 12.5" LOP. They are plenty short and maneuverable if it's necessary to go somewhere with them. More likely my wife or I will be bunkered down somewhere waiting for trouble to come to us, if trouble's inside the house. Maneuverability is a nonissue under those circumstances. As for disarms, good luck. Anyone who knows how to handle a shotgun in close will give you a new nickname if you mess with them- Stumpy.

As I and others have said before here- use what you're best with for HD. The question of personal and household defense seldom has an answer that is strictly limited to hardware. It's much more of a software issue, most of the time.

Stay Safe,

lpl/nc

 

[TCB in TN]

Defensive shotguns here are 37" long overall, with an 18" barrel and conventional stock with a 12.5" LOP. They are plenty short and maneuverable if it's necessary to go somewhere with them. More likely my wife or I will be bunkered down somewhere waiting for trouble to come to us, if trouble's inside the house. Maneuverability is a nonissue under those circumstances. As for disarms, good luck. Anyone who knows how to handle a shotgun in close will give you a new nickname if you mess with them- Stumpy.

Someone grabs the end of your shotgun/rifle barrel it is quite easy to get them to let go. Back up quickly pulling the gun to you, this will line the barrel up with said individual. Pull trigger. It is highly likely that they will let go at this point.

 

[Syron]

For me, probably a shotgun. Something small; maybe with a pistol grip.

 

[meef]

For shear reward, my German Shepherd..

No no....

Shear reward is what a German shepherd would get from his sheep.

 

[glockman19]

It's been said the handgun beside the bed is there so you can get to the shotgun in the closet/safe.

 

[BCC]

Live in a safe(r) neighborhood, lock your doors and use an alarm when you go to bed, have a dog and keep all your guns in a safe unless you're cleaning them or going to the range.

Works for me.

 

[Blackfork]

A dangerous mind

I think I will defend myself with whatever is at hand in whatever situation I find myself in. In my home that could be anything from deerheads snatched off the wall, plates, firearms, furniture, the design of the house, et, et, et.
If firearms are to be involved I would choose the CHEAPEST. The police are going to take it for a good while.

 

[BridgeWalker]

We keep both handy. Husband and I are ok with a pistol, but my shotgun is an extension of my arm. It is completely natural.

I don't keep my regular gun handy for HD for several reasons (it's expensive, at least by my standards, it's pretty long for indoor use, and it's used so frequently that it would inevitably be elsewhere when I need it). We keep my husband's 870 handy though.

 

[TexasRifleman]

he sound of a pump shotgun is probably the single most intimidating sound in the world. There are very few sounds than can change an invader's mind quite like that one.

If your invader watches movies. What if you get one that doesn't?

 

[TCB in TN]

If your invader watches movies. What if you get one that doesn't?

I can't speak for the original poster, but if I rack the slide and the BG isn't scared away by the sound then perhaps we will need to go to the next level of our force continuum.

 

[wheelgunslinger]

I live on the third floor and have neighbors on both sides and all around.
I'm not going to open up with a rifle inside my house with the worry of overpenetration or killing someone sleeping in their bed because I couldn't properly prepare for my environment.

I do keep a 357 handy, but that's more of something I keep with me at all times.

But, I can accept that some people believe that shoguns immediately create an ever spreading pattern of death ray concentrate pellets. Some people believe that loud pipes save lives on motorcycles. Some people believe that racking a slide will make every bad guy poo himself. And, some believe in the toof fairy.

I reject their reality and subsititute my own where shotguns actually pattern, there are all different types of crminals- some meaner and more fearless than others instead of the message board evil "felon", and that I will still have to abide by the four rules even at 3 am when dealing with an intruder.

Use a shotgun, by all means if it's the right tool for the job. Know its limitations.

 

[TCB in TN]

My mossberg 500 with an 18 1/2in Barrel and pistol grip patterns about 4 to 5in at 15 feet (with my 2 1/2in 00 Buck). It cycles clean and handles very well. I have several other weapons at my disposal but for protecting the inside of my home I feel very comfortable with chucking about an oz of lead in a straight line every time I pull the trigger. I don't think that a shotty is a death ray, but as someone who has taken a 150lb deer with 00buck at 10 yards (out of a 24in barrel) I can say that it certainly has enough "bang for my buck" at the ranges needed for the most common home defense scenerios. (I have also taken nuisiance hogs, coyotes, foxes, and a variety of other vermin, with it). I would NEVER tell anyone that my opinion is the only valid one on the subject, but taken as a whole, from my own experience, a shotty is a very capable choice for a HD weapon.

 

[Timthinker]

A 12 gauge shotgun slug is one of the most devastating rounds the average citizen can own. As Lee Lapin said, a 12 gauge slug is a .73 caliber bullet! Just let the reality of that sink in for a moment, particularly if you are a "big bore" fan. Now, a 12 may not be appropriate for every residence, particularly if you live in a thin walled apartment. But it is one of the most potent loads available for self-defense.

Now, I would like to address the quote that started this thread. When I read that criminals disarmed people shooting at them, I thought I was reading a cheesy Hollywood script. Before I could accept such a seemingly absurd assertion, I would need some hard data or no sale. Indeed, there is an old adage that extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence. This definitely applies to that officer's claim.

Actually, this whole story reminds me of an advertisement that I saw in a martial arts magazine a few years ago. The company placing that advertisement claimed some criminals were so skilled that they could disarm police officers. So how should people protect themselves from such dangerous individuals? Well, people needed to purchase the DVDs that company was selling which demonstrated very secret fighting techniques. Armed with those skills, the average person would become a match for a hardened criminal. I know that everyone feels much safer now.


Timthinker

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

If firearms are to be involved I would choose the CHEAPEST. The police are going to take it for a good while.

To each his own, but are you really going to skimp when it comes to saving you and your families life? Or are you actually going to sit and think about which is the cheapest in a HD situation?

 

[One Man]

I keep a shotgun at the ready, with a rubber slug followed by the real deal. I AM a Peace Officer, and I've found that while a handgun is, well, handier, the long gun is easier to manipulate and it's longer sight radius reduces misses. I suggest to people that while they need to evaluate thier own unique circumstances, the best thing to USUALLY do is to take cover in the bedroom, LOUDLY announce that you're armed and that Law Enforcement is on the way, and let the intruder know that IF THEY COME THROUGH THE DOORWAY, THEY WILL BE SHOT. I know it doesn't work for the "noise in the night, and there a handgun is usually easieer to work, but if you REALLY do hear noises, as a Peace Officer, I'd much rather you call and let US find your neighbors drunk teenager passed out on the couch, than have you do it yourself. It's not that you can't, but that I'd hate for a tragic event to occur in your house because you were taken from a deep sleep with a leemer that has your hands shaking.

 

[Noxx]

FWIW, I'm not interested in the pattern of my 20ga at close ranges, because it's loaded with Winchester 5/8oz slugs. At 1400 FPS, I imagine they'll make a hell of a hole.

 

[M1A1Gunner]

just my situation but we keep our 2 XD tacticals by my side of the bed and my wife fields her 995 carbine with red dot scope by her side. for our vehicles, its the hi-point c9 or .40 or .45, but the more i've been studying the hd thing, i'm betting that a shortbarreled 12 gauge pistol gripped pump is in my very, very near future

 

[annielulu]

I keep a Maverick 88 fully loaded with 00 buck and 1 slug as the last round within arms reach of my bed. My doorway to the hall is less than 15 feet away from where I would be positioned in the event of a nightime intruder.

After that I would pick up my revolver loaded with .45 Colt, 200g +p Corbon JHP'S.

If none of that works, I am out the window and running.

 

[LAK]

Rifle - or shotgun - is the weapon of choice. A handgun is a companion piece; to wear at all times while the rifle is always close to hand and at the ready. A handgun is nice to have at the bedside too.

A rifle or shotgun can be used quite effectively in the confines of a home. If handled correctly there is really no more chance - perhaps less - of being disarmed than with a handgun. A handgun is useful in very confined areas such as crawl spaces etc.

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