Which to use when and why

[woolfam]

I live in a small, three-bedroom, one-level house in a suburb of Kansas City with a wife and a teenage son.

I typically sleep with a loaded, 12-round 9mm pistol and a very bright modified Maglite on my nightstand, and a Remington 870, 18", 3 rounds of 00 buck in the mag, an empty chamber, 5 slugs in a butt sleeve,with a flashlight mounted and it's leaning against the nightstand. I have a Hi-Point 995 carbine I could utilize as well and a 65 lb. boxer that sleeps at the foot of the bed.

I am comfortable with the reliability and function of each firearm. My question is, if I hear a noise at night that needs to be investigated, which firearm should I take with me?

 

[RNB65]

Which one do you practice with the most and are the most comfortable/familiar with? That's the one.
-

 

[mgregg85]

I'd take both if possible, holster the pistol and get the shotgun, best to have both available to you. If you can't carry both, train your wife to use the pistol and you take the shotgun.

Might as well keep the shotgun loaded if your going to keep the pistol loaded too.

 

[woolfam]

The shotgun is loaded.

 

[Nate C.]

Send the boxer to investigate. If he never comes back, grab the shotgun and flashlight. Give the pistol to the wife, in case you don't come back.

I'd be cautious about overpenetration with any rifle calibers (or even the shotgun slugs) in a residential setting. You don't want to knock a hole in your neighbor's house--or your neighbor.

 

[Biker]

RNB65 nailed it. What do you shoot best?

Incidentally, if you're able, you should take the plug out of that SG. Not only are more shells better, but the extra weight in the front end aids in recoil control.

Biker

 

[chris in va]

Not a good idea to 'investigate'. If you *know* there's someone trying to get in or rooting around in your yard, harden your defenses in a room and call the cops.

 

[loop]

Your boxer will disappear as soon as the first shot is fired.

You need something that will work quickly and effectively in close quarters. How well can you turn around in a hallway with a shotgun? With a handgun?

Settle on something, make it your primary, practice.

You'll be amazed at the change in the atmosphere once you fire a 9mm in the house. After the pictures fall off the walls and the full-body slap of concussion wear off you'll reassess.

Keep it to one gun, one scenario.

Count on no one but yourself. Predicting how someone else will react can only leave you neck deep in alligators.

 

[GhostlyKarliion]

best has been said, though I would probably grab the carbine for the simple advantage of the sight radius, I like maneuvrability in a close quarters situation.

unless that is the shotgun is one of the pistol grip types that is shorted than normal, in that case shotgun ftw

mass trumps mass, a shotgun just puts out more than anything else you have.

 

[Ozarks]

Ear muffs

Get a several pairs of electronic muffs too. If you actually have to shoot in your house, your ears will greatly appreciate them.

 

[TCB in TN]

Personally I would choose the Shotty, and keeping one loaded in the chamber. I would also do as Biker suggested and take the plug out to add to the capacity. I have a mossy 500 with an 18 in barrel and pistol grip beside my bed. I have practiced with it in this configuration and I very comfortable with it as is. I typically only use 2 3/4in 00 buck in this setup because at the ranges that I expect that I might need it, the extra recoil from the 3in isn't worth it. At 25ft a NON-armored assailant will be in just as much trouble from the 2 3/4 in as the 3in and my control is a little better. IMHO the shotty will give you the best bang for your buck at close ranges, w/o to great penetration and penetration will likely be a concern with your son else where in the house. Good advice on the muffs as well. Firing a gun in an inclosed area is bad juju for your ears. You might also want to keep your 9mm in a holster with a belt right beside the bed, then you can take it with you even sans pants! So IF your shotty runs dry you can transition to you pistol and keep in the game. That would then mean your wife would be left with the 9mm carbine in the bedroom.

 

[Sato Ord]

Not a good idea to 'investigate'. If you *know* there's someone trying to get in or rooting around in your yard, harden your defenses in a room and call the cops.

While that advice might be good for a single person, or a childless couple, and especially if the noise is coming from outside the house, it isn't the best option if you have multiple persons sleeping in different bedrooms. It takes a great deal more time to gather up your kids and move them to your room than it does to give your wife the pistol and send her to your kids' room, or to gather the kids in a safe place while you station yourself at far enough down the hall to make sure you are between your loved ones and an intruder. Once your wife has given you a clear signal that all is well in her area you can advance to the rear and take up a secure position behind a locked door with your family. By this time 911 should be activated.

Also, make sure the kids know to stay put until one of you comes and gets them if you can't get to them before the situation gets lethal. The last thing you need is one of your kids walking into the line of fire because the noises have him scared he comes looking for mom or dad to protect him. Teaching your kids how to react in such a situation is no different than teaching them how to react in the event of a house fire. You hope you never need it, but waiting until it is needed to teach them is poor planning and gets people killed.

By the same token, make darn sure that the noise you are hearing isn't one of your kids. The dog is your best indicator for that: if the dog is upset something is wrong. If the dog isn't concerned Jr. is going to the bathroom or getting a drink of water. Don't over react.

As for which gun to use, I'd go for the shotgun with 00 buck every time.

 

[dewage83]

+1 to whoever said take the plug out. you should NEVER NEED more than 3 but IF you do you might not have the opportunity to do thing different next time. also i would move toward the shotgun then handgun then carbine. the carbine would be optimal for your wife. thats what me and my girl friend do. she grabs the smaller of the bunch.(smaller but still adequet[sp.?])

 

[Kind of Blued]

I can't believe nobody has mentioned this yet, but the first and most important part of being prepared in a situation such as a home invasion is COMMUNICATION. Devise a PLAN that everybody in your house knows except for the intruder. Know that your kid isn't going to run out into the hall when he hears a gunshot causing yout o accidentally shoot him. Know that your kid is following the plan by sitting underneath some cover in a certain part of his room so that you know where to NOT SHOOT on which walls.

 

[hso]

Sato Ord,

Your post and chris in va's are not in conflict. His could be a shorthand version of yours.

Don't go hunting goblins in the night. Secure your family, fort up and call for help.

There have been plenty of threads on home defense with very good (and bad) advice given.

The best advice is to harden your house to keep BGs out in the first place. If you can, set up the bedrooms so that you're between the kids and the route of the BG and so that your field of fire doesn't put rounds through their rooms. Have an alarm to alert you to invasion (dogs + electronics are a good combo). Have a plan, like your fire evac plan, that you and the family practice on who's going where to do what when. Set up communications between you and your spouse and any other adult/adolescent in the house so that you know when the family is secure and the LEOs are called (cells can't be cut). Have a house key on a light stick to toss out the window to the Cops so they don't have to break the door down to clear the house and so they can see which room you've secured. Practice with your weapon so that you know how to run it in the dark. Secure the family, call the cops, stay put.

 

[Fred Fuller]

I am comfortable with the reliability and function of each firearm. My question is, if I hear a noise at night that needs to be investigated, which firearm should I take with me?

1) Good, you have dependable firearms with reliable ammunition available. That's important, but it's only one side of the equation. The other side of the 'equals' sign in the equation: how comfortable are you with your ability to run the firearm of your choice under pressure? Which one are you best with, more comfortable using?

2) How familiar are you with the laws regarding use of deadly force in self defense in your state and locality? The time to know is before you have to to exercise the knowledge.

3) Do you have a good set of family emergency plans, to include things like fires, housebreakers, power outages etc? Have you drilled these plans until every family member knows what to do in the event of an emergency?

IMHO all these things are more important than deciding what firearm to grab if something goes bump in the night. I'd suggest you go to http://www.nrahq.org/education/training/basictraining.asp and see if the NRA's Personal Protection In The Home is offered near you. Failing that, you can get the PPITH manual at http://www.nrastore.com/nra/Product.aspx?productid=PB+01781 , and the training DVD at http://materials.nrahq.org/go/product.aspx?productid=ES 26840 . Or consider Louis Awerbuck's Safe At Home video at http://www.paladin-press.com/detail.aspx?ID=1500 .

There's some good advice that's been offered here, I hope you'll give it some thought.

Stay Safe,

lpl/nc

 

[CWL]

If a threat is big-enough to have to shoot at, use the biggest load you have. That would be your 12ga.

I do agree with the others who have posted that practice in you SD/HD gun is important.

 

[woolfam]

Thank you all for your ideas, opinions and suggestions. Sounds like I have some thinking and practicing to do.

We do have some emergency plans, but not to the extent you've suggested.

I could use some more time with my 870. I, of course, have the plug out. It,s a standard mag, so it only holds 4. Someone on this forum made the case for downloading one round to give yourself the option of loading a slug if you needed to. I read through the pros and cons, and decided I thought that was a good idea.

The key(s) on the light stick was a great idea. Thanks.

One of my sons is getting married this July. After that, maybe I could look into some training.

I am very familiar with our self-defense / lethal force laws. That was a good suggestion, as well.

Again, I'll go back and read through you-alls posts. Great information.

 

[Pat-inCO]

First, engage brain.

This is not cook-book technology. Each incident will have its own unique set of circumstances and can easily require differences in YOUR action. Start by thinking.

 

[bruss01]

Unplug the shottie. You wouldn't tie one of your dog's legs behind it's back would you? It's easy enough to stick the plug back in when you're off to go hunting.

True, you don't go looking for a fight... if you KNOW a bad guy is in the house, hole up with the family as safe as you can and call 911 - that's what they get paid for. But if it's a NOISE and you don't know if it's the dog tipping over the garbage or WHAT? then you can't just roll over and go back to sleep, can you. You have to make sure the house is either a. secure and all can go back to sleep or b. invasion in progress and cops must be called.

I think the pistol for clearing while the wife is holed up in the bedroom with the shottie ready to point at the doorway is the best choice. Just remember to announce "ALL CLEAR" or "DON'T SHOOT IT'S ME" before you darken that doorway!

 

[Deanimator]

Depends upon the construction and layout of your home.

While I have two long guns for home defense, neither is my first line of defense. My apartment is layed out in such a way as to make a long gun virtually worthless under the circumstances under which I'm likely to need it. My first line of defense is my 4" Model 29 or one of my Glocks, firearms that can be easily maneuvered in close quarters if I need to see if the crash I heard in the living room was an intruder or a cheap book shelf collapsing under the weight of too many books (It's happened).

If I had the room, I'd use my CAR15 or my Ithaca 37DSPS. Unfortunately, I don't.