home defense gun choices?

[bonz_d]

Just so it's clear was also thinking of this as a range gun. Close range targets.

Wife has seen a Sig P238 that she likes. If I was to go to a 9mm I still like the Browning HiPower or the Beretta 92 which still may be a possibility.

 

[gm280]

Even in a huge home, the shots in such a place are very close range. So most anything is light-years better then nothing. And if you are thinking the sound of cocking a revolver's hammer, or sliding a slide to chamber a round in a semi-automatic pistol or even pumping a shotgun is enough, I would say you could yell that you have a gun and will use it. If a burglar still wants to attach, follow through with your promise with any gun. But understand that in a home, a bullet will most likely travel through every room before exiting the home. Standard sheetrock board is not going to stop even a little 22 rim fire round.

Usually in such situations you want high velocity with a light weight bullet. Preferably a hollow point design so that when it does hit a wall, it fragments, and doesn't travel through the entire house. I know for absolutely certainty that a 22 rim-fire round can travel a 1/4 mile and still have enough energy to easily go through a 3/4" piece of plywood. JMHO!

 

[jbcurt00]

Bonz, check your PMs

 

[Redfred1]

Agree with both the 410 and the 380.; and would not change!

 

[bonz_d]

My thought on the 380 round and some of the bad rap that it gets as a dense weapon is because most of these gun are very small with short barrels and the low muzzle velocities and pressures they produce. With the right powders and bullets the 380 can reach the same velocities in a 4" barrel as some of the 9mm rounds with a 100gr. bullet from what I've researched. Could probably do the same with a 115gr. w/o much trouble though from the assortment of factory rounds I'm seeing for the 380 are firing 85 or 95gr. bullets.

 

[MTboatguy]

Agree with both the 410 and the 380.; and would not change!

Nobody asked you to, we all use what we use because of certain things we have learned in life.

 

[aspeck]

Not a fan of HiPoints ... got to be one of the ugliest guns around ... and I don't care for the way they shoot. Have a Ruger LCP .380 auto with a Crimson Trace laser sight that is an almost daily carry. I like the .380 auto because of its size and easy carry and collateral damage isn't as great a concern as larger a larger caliber. My wife likes her Taurus Judge. It is loaded with 6 shot, 00 Buck, and a couple .45's. The closer the perp gets, the bigger the hole. Not as worried going through a wall.

Have .38's, .45's, .357's, .44mags, etc. All are fun, all have a purpose.

It all comes down to what YOU and YOUR wife are comfortable with. A gun is no good if you are afraid to shoot it, or can't shoot it accurately. Get something you and the wife like and practice. But practice is important. Have fun with the process and get what is comfortable for the two of you.

 

[NYBo]

People are surprisingly inaccurate with a handgun under stress. My vote would be a shotgun of the largest gauge she can handle, loaded with something like #6 shot or smaller to prevent hitting someone in the next room/house.

 

[MTboatguy]

I always find it funny, when people talk about what a gun looks like, that is the least thing I think of when I am looking at guns, I am a pretty big guy, so the HP doesn't bother me at all it fits in my hands and with a little smoothing, it shoots pretty good, but again, looks don't really affect me at all with guns, I don't thing the M16 is pretty but I now own three of them and I know they will do the job when asked and the new AR, my wife keeps telling me it looks like a bug! LOL

 

[roscoe]

The Colt 1911 is still basically the same gun today and many more were designed around it. Same goes for a DA revolver so modern isn't necessarily better.

I've been reading many discussions between the 9mm and the 380 and have even been watching ballistic videos so the question to me is between stopping power and deterrence. At 20' a 22 cal. rim fire can kill a person. A 9mm will still pass thru 6 sheets of drywall with ease.

Way back then we used to load 357 with 158gr. lead hollow base wadcutters and load them upside down with light charges. What a load! We also used to take plastic bags like from the grocery store and pack them full of newspaper and then soak them in water until they'd swell and the plastic bag would stretch tight. That's what we used for ballistic testing as we didn't have gel. That wadcutter was easy to shoot and had a horrific impact. As I recall it was only traveling at about 650fps. Granted at 50' it had zero energy left, but at 20' or less, WOW. Same could be done with the 44 mag.

I think more important than ballistics is the ability to get the weapon quickly on target and accurately control multiple shoots.

By modern, I mean safe-trigger, no exposed hammer, no de-cocking, no safety to fumble with.
Close quarter high adrenaline situations call for easy/simple weapons.
You want something easily fired and controlled.

.22 can kill someone, yeah, so can a rock, or a screwdriver.

There are plenty of light 9's on the market, made for home defense, that can be controlled with ease.

Taurus Millenium G2 is one of them.

You want a 380, fine, but it will still shoot through sheetrock.

Maybe a long barrel 22 revolver with birdshot ?

 

[WIMUSKY]

People are surprisingly inaccurate with a handgun under stress. My vote would be a shotgun of the largest gauge she can handle, loaded with something like #6 shot or smaller to prevent hitting someone in the next room/house.

Completely agree. A lot of people will be shaking like a leaf knowing they have to pull the trigger. A shot gun lets you just get close to your target and will do a lot of damage. A pistol, you will have to be much more accurate. Shot gun hands down. And as mentioned, there's something to be said about chambering a shell that may put the shiver in the perps timbers..... A 12 gauge with #6 shot should do the trick. Yeah, it will kick, but in the heat of the moment she won't care nor will she feel it....20 gauge will work too and is much lighter and will still pack a good enough punch to mess the perp up....

 

[fhhuber]

just a wild guess, but you do have a flair gun in your boat? Bring it in the house, better than nada. And it is a 12ga slug of sorts, with what recoil? ha Light, legal without a permit, and will leave a nasty wound if nothing else. PLUS, you can see if you hit 'em!!!! ound:

If you need to shoot... you need to kill... not just make em mad.

 

[MTboatguy]

.22 can kill someone, yeah, so can a rock, or a screwdriver.

I wish my brother in law would have used a rock or a screwdriver, if he did my sister might still be here, but he used a .22 and she is no longer with us...

:blue:

 

[MTboatguy]

Completely agree. A lot of people will be shaking like a leaf knowing they have to pull the trigger. A shot gun lets you just get close to your target and will do a lot of damage. A pistol, you will have to be much more accurate. Shot gun hands down. And as mentioned, there's something to be said about chambering a shell that may put the shiver in the perps timbers..... A 12 gauge with #6 shot should do the trick. Yeah, it will kick, but in the heat of the moment she won't care nor will she feel it....20 gauge will work too and is much lighter and will still pack a good enough punch to mess the perp up....

My little 16 inch 20 gauge single shot shotgun is a nasty little gun, I would not want to be on the receiving end of it if my wife got mad at me!

 

[bonz_d]

I for one really do not want to shoot and kill someone because when it is all said and done I still have to answer to myself and live with myself. On the same hand my older brother, he is a clinical psychologist, and I have many times had the conversation and one that I believe is that under the right set of circumstances each and every one of us is capable of taking another human life.

If it were just me that I was arming it would be a 44 mag with a lead wadcutter. I have shot this round and am comfortable with it and pretty accurate to 50'. Inside a house it is pretty confined and I doubt there will me more than 15' between you and the attacker. At least that would be the case in my house.

I have heard the 380 round as being described as a "go away and leave me alone" round. Yet I still believe the flight than fight is the best stance.

Lots to think about besides the legal question of what happens if I do shoot.

 

[MTboatguy]

I have been in the life and death choice situation to many times, sometimes, flight is the best course of action and sometimes fight is the best course, and I hope NONE of you are ever faced with that choice, even killing a sworn enemy of your nation who is trying to kill you, is not easy and you will remember it for the rest of your life, I don't want to have to face that choice again, it is not fun, it is not cool and you will be affected for ever.

I will always till the day I die, be prepared, but I NEVER want to pull that trigger again.

 

[bigdee]

.22 can kill someone, yeah, so can a rock, or a screwdriver.

I don't underestimate the .22. In a tense situation a .22 will let you get off 10 rounds one handed. I would not really want to kill someone unless necessary and I think any gun would scare an intruder. 10 little holes = one big hole!

 

[Seahawk170]

I realize it'll be for your wife but a short barreled 12ga/20ga shotgun with #6 birdshot gets my vote too. Some time back I read that #6 birshot will incapacitate or kill an intruder, but the bb's will lose their effective energy after 2-layers of sheetrock.

That said, since we have no children at home I do keep my 9mm with defense rounds in my nightstand. If your wife is truly set on a hand gun, then a .380 she is comfortable with, and loaded with defense rounds should give some security.

imho, for anyone with children at home or people visiting with children, then guns should be well secured in a safe. There are several good, inexpensive, small handgun safes readily available. (this last part was not directed at you, but for others thinking about buying a gun,,,'safety first')

 

[southkogs]

Y'know for some reason I've never liked either the Berettas or Brownings.

Terrible as it may sound - because I know people like both types - I've never shot a Browning pistol or a Beretta that I liked. The actions have just never felt right to me. And I'm beginning to think that's a real key. I think if you find a gun that you like the action on, and is comfortable in your hand, the larger rounds can be just as comfortable as the smaller rounds.

 

[RGrew176]

This is not what you are looking for but my home defense handgun is a 9MM Smith and Wesson M&P Sheld.

And for more emphasis I also have a Mossberg Model 500 12 gauge pump action shotgun.

The 9MM is also my conceal carry weapon, just in case.