Home defense, questions....

[jesseb]

Primary night time would be my colt detective w/+p .38 special hollow points at my nightstand when i am home, its like clockwork, i leave, it goes in the safe, i come home, first thing i do is unlock and place on nightstand. Reason: my most reliable weapon + ease of use + decently powerful. Only downside is lack of capacity. Accuracy also sucks (probably me) but at 6ft or less i seriously doubt i would miss.
Or i have the mossberg 500 18" barrel w/6 buckshot loaded. OR if things are really bad then i can pull out the ar, but with surplus ammo fmj its a killer for the neighbors. It would be my last choice to fire indoors.

Training? I feel confident with my home clearing ability. There have been a couple times where i woke up to a noise and was convinced someone was in my house.

I think a .40 mid or full size glock w/flashlight and night sights would be ideal. If you cant see the sights/target thats not good.

I have also read this: "pump or auto, name your poison. The ultimate home defense weapon is a 12 gauge shotgun"

I just find it easier and more pratical to grab, aim and fire a pistol in a seconds notice. But if time allowed theres no substitute in my mind for a 12 gauge w/buckshot.

[GearHead]

I got a dog that barks at the sound of crickets, and a 9mm close by.

[Hoodyhoo21]

I have a ruger p-89 loaded with 124gr +p gold dots in the night stand. I also have the AR in the closet but it isnt loaded, I do have loaded mags for it (Q3131) but I would have to grab them and then the rifle so the AR would really only be used if I knew a threat was comming. But I believe the 25 rounds of gold dots will fend off any atack I will face personally. As for training, I have none. :cry: I can however shoot well, but I know that probably means little in a stressful situation.

[cheapo]

pump or auto, name your poison. The ultimate home defense weapon is a 12 gauge shotgun"

Although I agree that a shotgun can be a very effective home defense gun, I am just not ready to give up my hearing discharging a shotgun in close quarters with no muffs. Other rounds from hand guns or carbines can get the job done without sacrificing your ears.

[newracer]

It would be loud but I doubt it would be loud enough to cause permanent hearing damage.

Plus everybody knows with a pump shotgun go don't even have to shoot. Just rack the slide and the BGs go running. [wink]

[Mule]

That would be loud, but as one LEO pointed out;
"most criminals have either walked away from or had a friend walk away from a pistol hit, none have done it with a shotgun, it scares the hell out of them"
The permanent cavity and blood loss is what gets them (per FBI paper I read), pistols just don't always have what it takes. The FBI paper said 90% of pistol victims live.

Greg

[Asha'man]

Although I agree that a shotgun can be a very effective home defense gun, I am just not ready to give up my hearing discharging a shotgun in close quarters with no muffs. Other rounds from hand guns or carbines can get the job done without sacrificing your ears.

Not sure I'd rather fire an AR or SKS in close quarters than a 12ga. You'd have the extra sound of the sonic boom from the bullet to deal with too. Plus, your body bypasses minor things like deafness with adrenaline in that kind of situation, so I highly doubt you'd even notice the noise if you were truly faced with a shooting situation.

Brian

[BadShot]

I get asked a lot by friends and co workers about what gun they should look to buy for home protection and without fail I ALWAYS recommend a 12ga pump. I tell them exactly what has been said here... the sound of the slide racking back is unmistakable in American culture and will stop just about anyone breaking into a house!

[Colorado Osprey]

The reasons I don't like a shotgun for home defense:
You can not dirrect every pellet out of it. Sure at very close range they act like a single mass, but in my house there are open areas 60ft across.
Next, if you rack a pump (unmistakable by the way) and the perp is now afraid for their life, you are now NOT in jeopardy for your life and could possibly get crusified in court as the make my day law doesn't protect you anymore; at least that could be argued.
Lastly, I've used an AR in 9mm for years for house clearing, and trust it with my life. Those 32 rounds in a single mag help too. Mind you I don't trust a 9mm handgun with a single shot, but I don't ever plan to shoot someone with one shot. You shoot until the target no longer presents itself as a threat...which is incapacitation.

The following Officer's report would read like this,"Sir, why did you shoot the victim 32 times?" Response from shooter, "I'm the victim, he was in my house and every time a bullet hit him he would move so I would shoot again. I stopped at 32 bullets because my weapon was empty and he didn't move while I reloaded."

In all seriousness; shotguns are great for unskilled home defense, but with proper training there are better options.

[Artyboy]

A dead perp won't be telling anyone that you made him fear for his life and he tried to escape. If he (or she) is in your house and doing something illegal then you can kill them. They don't have to represent themselves as a threat to you.