Home Defense

[H3Hrly]

Well, it's time to get armed up. Had a great day on Friday. Took kids out of school early and we all went to a gun club in town to learns out safety and basics of pistols. Afterwards we all shot some rounds with a 9mm. Had a blast, and let me say how PROUD of my family I was. Son (12), daughter (24), & wife, and me, put all our shots dead center. It was their fisrst time shooting. But the executed everything so well, from grip, to stance, to site alignment!! Soon I will be getting a S&W MP .40, and Kel-Tec KSG. And some time next summer I'll start shopping for a rifle. Just wanted to share.

Any inputs/suggestions on pistols, shotguns, rifles, safes, feel free to let me know. Primary use is home defense, followed by fun, then zombie killing, and maybe some huntin.

 

[deserth3]

I like my Springfield XD. No active safety, There's one in the backstrap and one in the trigger. So it has to be properly held in your hand, and your finger has to be on the trigger before it will fire.
If you want a small one you can carry. Take a look at the Sig P938.

as for caliber. You'll get all kinds of "expert opinions". But the 9mm is cheaper than most (unless you go to 22) and will still take someone down.

 

[deserth3]

Also take a look at this thread.
http://www.hummer4x4offroad.com/forum/showthread.php?3694-What-Ammunition-to-Carry

 

[3Hummers]

Many gun ranges have pistols you can rent. If there are any like that close to you go and try a number of them. Pick one that fits your hand well and that you can control. Do you prefer a single or double stack mag pistol? .45, 40, 9, 380, etc...what caliber works best for you and the rest of your family? Pistols and calibers are like ice cream...everyone has their own favorite flavor. There is only a what is right or wrong for you. I carry a Sig P220 .45 and a Beretta PX4 Storm subcompact 9mm for back up for what it is worth.

 

[Paladine71]

Interested in hearing your review of the KSG, been looking at that one.

 

[alrock]

Shotguns are very good for home defense. You don't need as good as aim as with a handgun to hit the bad guy; if you get a pump shotgun the pumping noise definitely gets everyone's attention, and if you are using shot (vs. slugs) you are less likely to put any rounds through walls into family member rooms or neighbors houses.

 

[bigbadt]

Home protection

I agree with Alrock, nothing says get out like the sound of a pump action. I myself have a couple of home protection pieces. lol

 

[3Hummers]

When I owned my wholesale ammunition business I sold 12ga rounds that were filled with hollow aluminum balls. Tremendous knockdown power but would not over penetrate. Not sure if they are still available. They were made by Blammo Ammo which I believe is now out of business.

 

[58Bisc]

With the exposition of concealed carrying and pocket pistols, there are many great full size, compact, sub compact and pocket hand guns on the market. If you like the polymer frames (just to name a few) Springfield, Glock, Sig, Kaur and Ruger all make a coupe of models each. You did not state if you were intending on concealed carrying (CC) or not. I like the Rugers for new gun owners and first time carrying. They are built with the consumer market in mind (not police or military). I'm a personal fan of the SR9c in 9mm. It is my choice for CC. There are many safety features (chambered round indicator, manual thumb safety, trigger safety, won't fire chambered round with no magazine, double action trigger and no exposed hammer) that help a newbie feel safe. It can be used with either a 10 round or 17 round magazine, plus it holds one in the chamber. Use of the 17 round magazine turns the sub compact into a compat with a grip extention. Of course you can't go wrong with any of the 1911 models in .45 caliber. Tried and true design. Even in the the pocket pistol caliber of .380 the 1911 (technically 1908 for the .380) design works.

As is already stated, you will get many opinions on this subject. Read up on what's out there, go look at all the models and try them in your hand. Pick the one that feels right for you. Think hard about where and how you are going to use your guns. .45 ammo is a lot more expensive then .380 if you are only going to the range, but will stop anything that you need to defend against. A rule of thumb often used is don't pick a caliber for defense that either the police or military don't use. This normally means nothing smaller then 9 mm.

 

[Reloader]

Can't go wrong with a Glock. One of the safest semiauto handguns out there. Although I carry a Ruger SR9C or my G36 or my M92C or my G22 or my G20. Depends on the day of the week. Still haven't figured out how carry my Rossi Ranch hand 44mag lever action pistol concealed yet. I need to work on that. Got a Mossberg Defender set up all tactical like for the home. 7 in the tube and 1 in the pipe and 20 on the sling and side of the sliding stock. All 00 buck, same as the Popo use. Be sure you get a big enough safe so there is room for lots more toys.

 

[Ed's06h3]

Many gun ranges have pistols you can rent. If there are any like that close to you go and try a number of them. Pick one that fits your hand well and that you can control. Do you prefer a single or double stack mag pistol? .45, 40, 9, 380, etc...what caliber works best for you and the rest of your family? Pistols and calibers are like ice cream...everyone has their own favorite flavor. There is only a what is right or wrong for you. I carry a Sig P220 .45 and a Beretta PX4 Storm subcompact 9mm for back up for what it is worth.

How is the Berretta Px4 Storm?.....i've been looking at one for a while now.

 

[3Hummers]

I have the sub compact and I like it. The full size PX Storm is considerably larger including having a longer barrel. The mags on the subcompact have a flip down extender on the front which makes it work for me. Without that the grip would be too short. This way it works for both the wife and me even though she usually carries her Ruger. Accuracy is very good at the ranges I would use the Storm at.

 

[abearden]

As mentioned above, what works best will be what fits you best and you can shoot well (practice practice practice). Personally, I prefer an all-metal pistol so I have a Sig P229 in .40, but the snappy recoil of .40 might not work for some shooters and .45 might be a better option, or .38, or .357... While I would suggest 9mm, .38spl, .357mag, .40sw, .44mag, or .45acp as they are common and powerful enough to do some damage, any round you can shoot well will work. Don't fall into the 9mm vs 45acp debate, what counts is shot placement because it gets significantly worse under adrenaline. I'm not a fan of the Glock because of the grip angle and safety, but there's a reason they're one of the most popular: cheap, reliable, and offered in almost every caliber.

Shotguns are very good for home defense. You don't need as good as aim as with a handgun to hit the bad guy; if you get a pump shotgun the pumping noise definitely gets everyone's attention, and if you are using shot (vs. slugs) you are less likely to put any rounds through walls into family member rooms or neighbors houses.

With all-due respect, let me call BS.

First, with any legal barrel length the spread on a shotgun at distances in a normal home will only be 3-4 inches. Aim is still paramount.
Second, penetration is an issue with any shot you'd use on people so please know what's beyond your target. http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot3.htm

That said, I've got an 870 at the foot of my bed with 6x 00 buck in the tube and 5 more on the stock. I'd like to keep one in the chamber to keep deployment silent, but I don't trust the floating firing pin if the gun is dropped. If I really need silent, that's what the P229 is for; a suppressor would be nice for home defense, but CA doesn't like them. Ye old pump gun is a tried-and-true classic for home defense, but it does have downsides when in a home. Namely someone can control the gun by grabbing the barrel that sticks out in front of you, and they're not quick to reload (though, the average gun fight is 2-4 rounds at 15 feet if I remember correctly).

 

[3Hummers]

I do keep an 870 with LE folding stock within easy reach at home. It is loaded with a variety of "interesting" rounds.

 

[H3Hrly]

WOW!! Thanks to you all for such great inputs/advice! I plan to shoot a few different guns to figure what I really like. 58Bisc, not sure about CC oyet. Here in Cali it's not easy to get from what I hear. But, I'm only here 2-3 more years (I move a lot in my job). I went to the local shop I know of to shoot but they were closed today. I got my eye on a Loki AR. I saw this "torture" test on YouTube: http://video.search.yahoo.com/video...promptu+torture+test&c=0&sigr=11acm4l52&&tt=b

Ill keep y'all posted. Til then, happy huntings

 

[Steve #1]

Any inputs/suggestions on pistols, shotguns, rifles, safes, feel free to let me know. Primary use is home defense, followed by fun, then zombie killing, and maybe some huntin.

Everyone will have their opinions on what gun is best. My advice (take it for what it's worth) is that whatever firearm you choose for home defense fills position #3 on your home defense strategy behind an alarm and a GOOD dog.

 

[JGBB04]

FWIW the dog should be # 1, the alarm only tells you & the bad guy a door/window has been opened, the good dog should have told the bad guy he was in the yard already & you to call EMS for a dog bite

 

[deserth3]

IMO a dog in the yard is worthless. Unless the dog has acess to all parts of the outside of the house. Dog in the house is much better.

When I walk Hans at night you'd be suprised how many dogs go nuts and no one even looks out so see what's going on. Just like a car alarm in the city. Totaly worthless.

 

[ReconH3]

870 by the bed with trijicon ghost ring sights. 8 in the mag (first 2 bird, next 6 buck. Six slugs in the side saddle. 50 rounds of buck on a bandoleer that sits right next to shotgun. In the closet next to bed sits the AR with countless rounds and mags as well other goodies that give me an edge in the darkness.



Ex Umbris Venimus