The way I see it, there are a few very different home defense pistol philosophies. Personally, I do think a carbine is ideal, when you can get to it. However, for me, a handgun is my primary home defense gun in that it is the one I'm likely to get to first (on me much of the time, next to my bed when I'm asleep). Even just concentrating on handguns, like I started, I see there as being several different mindsets around the handgun for home defense, and I'm curious where THR stands.
Here are the main options as I see them (I'll try to be quick, but if you've read my threads before...):
A full sized or compact service pistol for home defense has some definite advantages. 10-17 round capacity, full grip, long (for a handgun) sight radius, quick follow up shots due to more manageable recoil, etc. The main disadvantage seems to be maintenance. A range gun will regularly be cleaned since it gets fouled at the range, a carry gun should be since it fills with lint and is exposed to sweat and dirt. It is too easy to forget a gun set in your nightstand or quick access safe, but they should still be somewhat regularly disassembled, cleaned and re-lubed.
While it has a lower capacity than an auto (6 to 8 rounds in a medium or large framed revolver), it does have some advantages. You generally have a broader choice of ammo than an auto (i.e. you can more reliably change between mild target loads through much more powerful rounds, or some "interesting" shape bullets in your rounds than with an auto), and it can be more reliable. If you forget to re-lube them periodically, they are far less likely to be adversely impacted than an auto would. Just like a full sized or compact service auto, a medium or large framed revolver in .38spl, .44spl, .45LC or even .357mag will have some of the same advantages: longer sight radius for easier sight acquisition, longer barrel for less muzzle flip, heavier weight to better soak up the recoil (I find even a 3" K-frame pleasant to shoot up to most .357mag loads) for quicker follow up shots.
This will have a few disadvantages to the above. They are usually smaller and lighter autos or J-frames. These will recoil more strongly for slower follow up shots due to the lighter weight, the shorter barrel usually means more muzzle flip (even compared with a larger gun of the same weight), and the shorter sight radius may mean a fraction of a second longer for sight acquisition and slightly less precise aimed shots.
On the other hand, this gun is easy to keep on hand as you can just keep your carry gun in its holster until you retire for the night. Always on hand is better than put away in a quick access safe or a drawer nearby if someone invades your home. You also don't need to worry about needing to grab something if you decide to take an unplanned trip out.
Maybe you don't care about the easier accessibility of a handgun. A long gun is more capable, so you will always keep one nearby. Of course, how many actually pick it up and move it whenever they change rooms so it is always only a few steps away?
