What 3 firearms for home defense?

[ATN082268]

If you could pick 3 currently produced firearms for home defense, what would they be? The choices could be all handguns, rifles, shotguns or a combination of those categories.

 

[huntsman]

I wouldn't buy a gun specifically for "home Defense" so my 3 would be my EDC(LCP) sidearm (G23) and 12 gauge(BSS)

 

[mesinge2]

These are my three:

 

[Tirod]

First, a pocket carry gun - because that is the one you will have at hand on you when somebody is banging on the door.

BTW, the #1 method perps get into homes is bang on the door and the homeowner opens it up. Victims are first of all too polite.

Once you've determined you AREN'T going to open it and they begin deconstructing it, the next weapon in a CELL PHONE - dial 911 and report what is going on.

The third weapon could be a long arm, better yet, a back door escape that allows you to get away from the property and put distance between you and whoever is trying to get in. Other than your family, anything of value that could be important shouldn't be out where casual visitors can see it - it should be secure in some container capable of defeating a sustained attack for 30 minutes.

No, you don't need to be carrying three guns on you as you exit. You can pick up a better one on the way out, something with reach and quantity. Of course, you will be shooting right back at your house and it's contents, think about it. In this day of SWAT teams making mistakes and homeowners being arrested for any kind of resistance, are you sure that you want to start shooting back at a trained and disciplined team who is committed to stopping you no matter what?

That's the problem with Home Invasion fantasy threads - they are as fanciful as zombie attacks or end of the world scenarios.

 

[Axis II]

Something a long time LEO, Govt agent, investigator, etc told me about home defense was the best home defense weapon is a baseball bat. you wont have to live with possibly shooting someone unarmed because your adrenalin is pumped up and most don't have the training to engage an intruder and know if he truly is armed or not.

he also said if the guy is unarmed which he stated 95% of the time they are just trying to steal a tv or something you hit or chase them with the bat and all is well and now you don't have to hire lawyers and possibly face jail time because you thought you knew the law about shooting someone in your house armed or unarmed.

this is what was told to me by this person who has many years dealing with stuff like this under his belt. I somewhat agree. however the old slap of a pump shotgun chambering a round will send them running! I know it would me.

also no offense to anyone but all the ak-47, AR-15 guys for home defense. what are you waiting for or what kind of enemies do you have where you need an AK-47 for home defense? you shoot someone with that thing and its going through them and the walls and possibly kill someone else. also 99% of the time things are done at night so a bat of shotgun is a better option as its hard to shoot something even if you have that fancy strobe weapon light on the AR.

A prosecutor is going to destroy you if you shoot someone 15 times with an assault rifle. give them an old peppering of the rear end with a shotgun and bird shot and send them on their way.

I know an LEO who was sued and almost lost his job because he hit someone with his baton and accidently missed the intended target area and hit a "red zone" he said the prosecutor and the criminals attorney kept calling it steel pipe, steel pipe. why didn't you pepper spray him instead of hit him with a steel pipe. I can see it now, you shot my client or the family that sues you with an ak-47 those weapons used for war and military.

 

[FL-NC]

3 glock 19s, distributed through the home.

 

[Robert]

AR15.

 

[johnandersonoutdoors]

I must disagree with Tirod. I am far from an expert on these things and have never experienced it personally. Howerver, if someone is trying to break in the front door, I wil not be running out the backdoor. It isnt a fire for goodness sake. What if the bad guy's friend is waiting at the backdoor?

 

[joem1945]

I have a 12 ga auto with #4's followed by 00 buck, a 9mm with high cap mag for HD. I don't believe I need anything else. Retreat? Not a option for a old cripple guy!

 

[TryLeo]

Revolvers !

1. Ruger SP101 DOUBLE ACTION REVOLVER at arms reach under my home office work station where I spend hours every day.

2. A 45 colt REVOLVER in my night stand and a S&W revolver in wife's night stand. If it is DARK and in CLOSE QUARTERS, I don't want to rely on safeties, "stove-pipes", etc.

3. If the once in a lifetime invasion of my home "Castle" should occur while here and it is compounded with the one in a million primer failures, my wife or I merely have to pull the trigger again.

Peace,
WLeoB
Canton, MI

 

[ATN082268]

First, a pocket carry gun - because that is the one you will have at hand on you when somebody is banging on the door.

BTW, the #1 method perps get into homes is bang on the door and the homeowner opens it up. Victims are first of all too polite.

Once you've determined you AREN'T going to open it and they begin deconstructing it, the next weapon in a CELL PHONE - dial 911 and report what is going on.

The third weapon could be a long arm, better yet, a back door escape that allows you to get away from the property and put distance between you and whoever is trying to get in. Other than your family, anything of value that could be important shouldn't be out where casual visitors can see it - it should be secure in some container capable of defeating a sustained attack for 30 minutes.

No, you don't need to be carrying three guns on you as you exit. You can pick up a better one on the way out, something with reach and quantity. Of course, you will be shooting right back at your house and it's contents, think about it. In this day of SWAT teams making mistakes and homeowners being arrested for any kind of resistance, are you sure that you want to start shooting back at a trained and disciplined team who is committed to stopping you no matter what?

That's the problem with Home Invasion fantasy threads - they are as fanciful as zombie attacks or end of the world scenarios.

I think a carry gun is a good idea because I suspect a lot of home invasion scenarios unfold very quickly. Using the cell phone to call 911 during a home invasion is also a good idea but ideally if it is done by someone who isn't going for a gun and/or providing security. Assuming you can get good cell phone coverage, a lot can go on even during a short call to the police.

I'm not sure I would retreat outside, even if I could (as I have 3 children), unless I knew what I was retreating to or the inside was so bad that the outside had to be better. I suspect by the time a SWAT team normally gets to a home, the home invaders and/or the homeowner will be dead/ run away, so having a homeowner shooting at law enforcement will largely be a non-issue. Once the home invasion is over, a cell phone would be useful to let authorities know the situation.

 

[Barry the Bear]

Smith and Wesson model 29 with warm special loads, mossberg 590 with 00 buck, and my wife whom is not very recoil tolerant has a Inland M1 carbine with 110 grain HPs don't remember the brand as if the moment.

 

[pcgunner]

First off I would ask - are we talking about a house or an apartment?

The reason I ask is, if it's for an apartment I would not recommend any high power handgun or rifle due to penetration of the walls to my neighbors - last thing I want to do is injur/kill an innocent- I would go instead for a shotgun, baseball bat and machete! - All of which I own from my apartment living days in Los Angeles!

If we're talking about a house where the neighbors are not within 10 feet of each other - any handgun with which you are proficient would work well, again I would not recommend high power rifles due to wall penetration.

I have several 9mm's, a few .45's, a few .380's and a few .38/357's - The 9's are by our beside a few of the rest are scattered about the house hidden (we have no children) and the rest are in the gun room locked closet (not really what I consider a safe).

 

[Robert]

the best home defense weapon is a baseball bat

Try swinging that bat in a doorway or hallway and let me know how it turns out.

possibly shooting someone unarmed because your adrenaline is pumped up and most don't have the training to engage an intruder and know if he truly is armed or not.

Honestly, if you are in my house in the middle of the night the absolute last thing I care about is if you are armed or not. You are in my house, where my wife and kids are sleeping. You made a series of bad decisions that lead us here. That is on you. Now, if you retreat then all is well and I will give a good description to the police of the individual who left a puddle in the hall as he ran away. If you advance then you can explain it to the medical staff at the hospital or to the coroner. I am not trying to beat my chest or be a Walter Middy, but that is the reality of things. If you are in my house in the middle of the night I assume you are not here to bake me cookies and I will deal with you accordingly using whatever amount of force is necessary to remove the threat, you, from the situation.

A prosecutor is going to destroy you if you shoot someone 15 times with an assault rifle.

An AR15 or a semi auto AK is NOT an assault rifle. Please stop reinforcing this perception. An assault rifle is a select fire weapon that fires an intermediate cartridge, and while the second half of that applies to the AK neither are true assault rifles unless they are NFA weapons.

Studies have been done, and many of them posted here, that have shown time and time again that an AR or AK with proper ammo over penetrates less than a handgun or shotgun. Yet people can't seem to accept this and continually try to shout that my AR with self defense ammo will punch through multiple walls and kill someone 3 houses down. While it MIGHT happen the chances are better that I will the Power Ball. And I don't play...

give them an old peppering of the rear end with a shotgun and bird shot and send them on their way.

Because shooting someone in the back, or buttocks, as I assume they are retreating since they have their back to me, is soooooo much better than using a rifle to defend myself or my family. Where I am from that is attempted murder or at best assault with a deadly weapon.

 

[herrwalther]

Something a long time LEO, Govt agent, investigator, etc told me about home defense was the best home defense weapon is a baseball bat. you wont have to live with possibly shooting someone unarmed because your adrenalin is pumped up and most don't have the training to engage an intruder and know if he truly is armed or not.

That is really poor advice. Why risk how armed your assailant is? Are you going to ask if they are armed when they kick in the door? You could easily be beaten to death with the crowbar they opened the door with or even their bare hands/feet. There are also opportunistic crimes that happen during what starts as a simple robbery of a dwelling such as attacking the occupants on what was "supposed" to be an empty dwelling.

To answer the question, my HD firearm is my carry weapon during the day. I plan on getting a 12ga again at some point for a more bolstered HD role.

 

[Midwest]

1.Pump Shotgun
2.Small but easily concealable handgun carry all the time
3.Semi auto handgun or revolver of some fairly large caliber
.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Currently produced?

Glock 20

Suppressed SBR AR-15 in 5.56

Ithaca 37 Defense 12 ga.

 

[Furncliff]

M1 Carbine
1911 .45

 

[22-rimfire]

A baseball bat is a handy item to have available for home defense. Nothing fancy. Just basic short bat.

Home defense guns.... three guns..... today.... Ruger LCRx in 38spl, 12 ga Remington 870 police, and a Glock M23. All would stay loaded and be "handy".

What do I use? Glock 23, 12ga Remington 870 Police, and Ruger 3" GP-100. Occasionally will keep a Colt Detective Special loaded or Ruger LCR in 22LR for this purpose.

 

[jon86]

What's the budget? Are we playing make believe here?

Sig MPX SBR suppressed with subsonic 147 grain ammo.
Smith and Wesson M&P 340.
Ed Brown Special Forces Suppressed.

I can't afford any of those.











Yet.

 

[rlj174]

Honestly, if you are in my house in the middle of the night the absolute last thing I care about is if you are armed or not. You are in my house, where my wife and kids are sleeping. You made a series of bad decisions that lead us here. That is on you. Now, if you retreat then all is well and I will give a good description to the police of the individual who left a puddle in the hall as he ran away. If you advance then you can explain it to the medical staff at the hospital or to the coroner. I am not trying to beat my chest or be a Walter Middy, but that is the reality of things. If you are in my house in the middle of the night I assume you are not here to bake me cookies and I will deal with you accordingly using whatever amount of force is necessary to remove the threat, you, from the situation.

I may steal that for my sig on some other non-related firearm forums, perfectly said!

 

[Ranger Roberts]

Something a long time LEO, Govt agent, investigator, etc told me about home defense was the best home defense weapon is a baseball bat.

I'm a long time LEO, investigator, etc. and I would never give someone that advice. But it's your life, do with it as you want.

he also said if the guy is unarmed which he stated 95% of the time they are just trying to steal a tv or something you hit or chase them with the bat and all is well and now you don't have to hire lawyers and possibly face jail time because you thought you knew the law about shooting someone in your house armed or unarmed.

Nonsense. What about the Castle Doctrine or Stand Your Ground Laws? Around 35 states have laws like that. I admit that many B&E's are unarmed and it's usually a doper looking for something to pawn, but I'm not willing to take the chance. Never underestimate what a drug addict will do to get his next fix.

My choices:
Glock 23 or 22
12 gauge (Benelli M4)
Barrett 50 BMG haha just kidding

 

[TruthTellers]

While I don't think it requires three guns, the best guns for home defense are the shotgun and any pistol 9mm and up or revolver .327 and up. Generally, I don't think rifles are good for inside the home because of they're really not made for tight quarters and the loud noise and blast make them uncomfortable to shoot unless you're wearing hearing protection and if you're shooting at night, you're likely to be blinded by the flash.

Home defense is a short range situation and doesn't require rifle precision. If you're shooting at someone outside your home on your property over 100 yards away, you're going to have a lot of questions to answer as to why you used lethal force on someone a football field away from you who wasn't armed.

 

[Axis II]

his point was a lot of states don't have that and a lot of people don't know exactly what that law states and just go by what someone else told them or what they read on the internet.

not being a jerk I was just giving a small tid bit of my advice. I do however have a loaded m&p9mm with light and 38spl at close reach.
my comment about peppering them with birdshot in the butt was a joke.

 

[HOWARD J]

I have an M 1 Carbine with 15 rd mag in bedroom
Glock 26 in living room
Ruger 45 ACP in basement
If they get thru the door-- they will be carried out the door