What are you using for home defence? Rifle, Pistol or shotgun?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Yes, all 3.

My wife and I both shoot as does our 11 year old daughter. Our daughter doesn't run a handgun yet, beyond the basics, but has her own .22 AR and has the manual of arms on the 1100 20 gauge and doesn't mind shooting it. My wife prefers and AK and her CZ.

I'll just let the ladies make the mess and I'll run the cell phone and the Surefire and do cleanup.
 
All the above. Plus 2 attack trained yorkies.That makes 8.5 lbs of pure whup-a$$. :rolleyes:
 
You should have all three and know when it is appropriate to use one over the other.

I use a pistol with a light attached when investigating noises in the middle of the night. It lives in a quick-access keyless safe bolted to my headboard.

I keep a shotgun loaded but not chambered, with a light attached, in a safe in my bedroom to use if I know someone is in the house and I need to barricade my family in a room to wait for police.

I also keep a semi-auto .223 with 1x red dot scope, unloaded but with the mag nearby, in the safe next to the shotgun. It is only for home defense in the far-fetched and ridiculously rare scenarios where I would need to fire at someone outside of my home from a window. I mean 'invading zombie hordes' far-fetched.

I do not recommend the use of a rifle that fires rifle-caliber ammunition for most home defense uses as over-penetration could endanger family members, neighbors, and other innocent bystanders.

I also advise against long guns for situations where you need to move around or clear a building, as they offer more leverage to an intruder who may surprise you and get his hands on the muzzle, preventing you from using it effectively.

Obviously, if you're sure there is someone in your home you need to access an appropriate HD weapon, secure your family, and call the police. Don't go looking for the intruder.

All of my weapons are locked up when not on my person for the safety of my children.
 
I like the shotgun because its flexible in that I can load it with shot or slugs, and a pistol is a secondary not a primary.

I can recount several articles from american riflemans armed citizen page where a suspect was shot several times from a handgun and was not DRT.
 
At the moment, a Beretta PX4 Storm 9mm with 18 147-grain Remington Golden Sabers in a Fobus holster on my hip. Within easy reach is a Beretta CX4 Carbine loaded with the same ammunition. Wife has a Browning BDA .380 with 14 102-grain Remington Golden Sabers and a spare mag with 13 more rounds in her nightstand safe. She unlocks it at night and relocks it in the morning.

Carry gun changes. All guns not "on duty" are secured.

Because of the layout of our house a shotgun isn't a good choice. The CX4 is short enough to maneuver and, due to angles of fire, I don't need to worry about over-penetration.
 
I sold my 12 gage Pump Shotgun

because i decided that i didn't want hearing damage if i actually have to fire it inside my house.I have three pistols,two Sigs and a C.A.'s Bulldog .44 Special revolver.If i have to use anything it would be the Bulldog loaded with MagSafe Fragmentation Bullets.Plus i have two Speed Loaders with Speer 200 gn. Gold Dot Hollow Points as reloads if things become " ghetto riot " in my house ! :uhoh:

P.S. I also have a Ranger Special Forces Tomahawk and a nice Cold Steel Tanto Knife with a heavy duty flash light under my bed.I may choose to use this combonation if that's all i need.........
 
I use all three. I have policy of being armed whether I am in the upstairs or in my basement workshop. I have a shotgun for upstairs, and often a pistol. In the basement it's generally an old Smith and Wesson revolver, or a Hi-Point Carbine. And that's pretty much a matter of chance. Ask me tomorrow, and it could be different.
 
Lol. All of the above placed around the house. All of mine loaded but not chambered. I keep a G21 with an LED light on my side of the bed. Wife keeps her cute little XD9 on her side (turns out, she ain't half bad at shooting that thing either!!). Just past the G21 is my SIG 556 with an Eotech 512. Staggered around the house are three more handguns and a pump shotgun. There are other things that I could use (Knives and bats and the 10' bullwhip I got my 6 year old), handguns are backup and get me to the rifle. I do not doubt though that either of the 'first choice' handguns would stop someone.
 
Since I live in an apartment, I choose to secure my home with a 9mm Hi-Power loaded with 115 gr. non-toxic frangible Fiocchi. My backup is a GP-100 with Golden Sabers in .357 magnum. My wife likes to have our Gerber 15" saw-toothed Machete close at hand. :neener:
 
I have a mossberg Maverick with 1 round of 00 rubber buck and 5 rounds of 00 buck.

I have a Bandolier full of 00 buck and slugs hanging next to it just in case...
 
Claymores.
:evil:

Notice to BATFE: The comment above was a joke. I do not use boobytraps for home defense.
 
...Marlin Camp .45acp w/10 rd mag...
Click to expand...

Whoo hoo! Yeah! Around here we call the Marlin Camp 9 "Grandmom's gun"... 'Cause that's what it is. Perfect fit for her, near zero recoil, twenty-round factory mags. It's all properly internally up-fitted now, and I wouldn't want to be any poor sucker threatening her grand-babies...

Les
 
Put away the rifles, the high power pistols and the 00 buckshot. All those guns could pass through several walls and kill an innocent bystander. Half asleep in the dark, in the heat of the moment you fire and miss and that slug pass through several walls and kills your neighbor, or more likely you child in the next room. Or the slug could even pass through the intruder and into a family member.

The best gun choice for home defense is a 12ga shot gun with small shot.
Believe me at point blank range it has the same stopping power as 00 or even a slug. If you shoot someone in the chest with a 12 gauge at point blank range the body is not going to know the difference. However, the bird shot will become almost completely non-lethal after passing through the first wall; this keeps this awesome killing power contained in the room in which you are using it, keeping your family safe. Automatics are not good to have around most people, because of the tendency toward accidents caused by forgetting about the one in the chamber when the gun is unloaded. The best choice for home defense is a 12 ga pump or side by side, with small shot.
 
Last edited:
Safety first, not mochoism
Click to expand...

I don't actually think you'll find an excessive amount of mochoism at THR. I see this thread as a discussion about different tools for different situations, and I think most people here think a lot about which tool is appropriate, and study to refine their choices.

Les
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

S
  • Locked
Pistol-caliber carbine for home defence.
2
Replies
36
Views
2K
browningguy
B
I
  • Locked
A challenge.....
2
Replies
46
Views
3K
jamz
jamz
S
  • Locked
The inexpensive firearm for defence line of reasoning....
2 3
Replies
66
Views
3K
wgaynor
W
X
  • Locked
Home Defence shotgun advice
2 3
Replies
59
Views
2K
bubba in ca
B
B
  • Locked
What got you into owning guns??
2 3 4 5
Replies
100
Views
3K
IZinterrogator
I
Back
Top