Best Weapon for Home Defense is

**Maxor** · 09 Mar 09,, 18:57

Originally Posted by highsea

You'll pay more for 16 guage factory ammo though, or components if you are reloading. You can use 12 G target loads, same FPS as your 16 G so no more penetration, just more shot leaving the barrel.

My vote for best home defense is 12 Guage semi-auto. I would never rack a pump shotgun to try to scare an intruder- why give up a tactical advantage by announcing your presence? If you have to shoot, shoot.

Incidentally, I have used a gun to defend the home one time. That was a warning shot from a .44 mag, and fortunately it did the trick.

I'm ok with the idea of the racking of a shotgun, Its not so much because I like the idea of noise as an intimidation factor but more because I don't want to keep a chambered round in a loaded gun in my house.
Especially one in a semi-auto with the hammer ready to fall save for the safety.

**highsea** · 09 Mar 09,, 20:00

I don't have any kids in the house, so my guns are loaded all the time. I only unload them for transport.

I understand your point on the loaded chamber, I guess you could keep a semi-auto on an empty chamber with the bolt open and the mag loaded, then just trip the bolt release to chamber a round. This would about the same as keeping a pump on an empty chamber, though you have probably have a higher possibility of a jam.

Pumps are the most reliable, I like them just fine. I just don't like the idea of announcing my presense to an intruder.

**gunnut** · 09 Mar 09,, 20:43

I firmly believe in a 357 Mag revolver with 4" heavy barrel chambered with 38 Spl +P defensive loads.

**Maxor** · 09 Mar 09,, 20:50

highsea how much quieter volume wise is the bolt closing on a semi-auto shotgun versus the racking?

Less noise overall, and not quite so distinctive but I think the overall volume is probably similiar just not as long.

I don't have a handy semi-autoshotgun to try this with. Also interesting are all of the semi-autoshotguns I've worked with had a tubular intergral mags that got loaded one shell at a time, then you charged the weapon for the first shot. I have seen adds for magizine loaded tactical shotguns just haven't ever played with one.

I think I may be weird in that I don't keep most of my guns loaded. Just seems like it would wear out springs faster always having them tight. I also keep most firearms and the majority of my ammo locked away. I've got fast access to an SKS and some stripper-clips, and a couple of cheap Kel Tek 9mm with the magizines out. they are also guns that I shoot alot because ammo is cheap.

**highsea** · 09 Mar 09,, 21:22

I would say no difference in noise levels, or if there is it's marginal. No appreciable difference in speed either.

All semi-autos I've ever shot held the bolt open on last shot, but you either have to cycle the bolt or reach in and release the shell to drop it onto the carrier. In this scenario I think a pump might be easier to handle, in that you could load the tube and just cycle it closed and then open to get a shell onto the carrier. Less complicated.

**Proyas** · 09 Mar 09,, 21:52

I agree with the first person that the best defense against home invasion is to have stuff like good locks that you actually use, sturdy doors, lights on at night, and a home alarm system with the sign in the front yard. Get all that stuff before you start thinking about what gun to buy for home defense.

**Red Seven** · 09 Mar 09,, 22:00

Originally Posted by Gun Grape

I agree with Red 7 on this. For a couple of reasons.

Recoil slight enough so that you can shoot 1 handed means that your wife and older children should be able to handle it also. You are not always going to be in the right place at the right time.

Also for reason beyond your control you may be limited to 1 handed shooting. You may have been injured by your attacker on your way to retrieve your gun. Or because "Life Happens" you may already have a broke hand/arm or other injury caused by your favorite sports or job. On a silly side argument. Have you ever woke up from sleeping on your arm? Its numb and you cannot do a thing with it. Although that feeling may go away in a few minutes, I would hate to trust my life on a weapon that I needed 2 hands to operate when 1 isn't working.

For a 3d reason. 1 armed shooting allows you to shoot from cover and concealment. Same with practicing weak handed shooting. I can find a place to shoot from and provide a much smaller target.

My 12 year is scary good with my S&W .38 M&P...and it's the gun I keep as my emergency go-to. It can be fired one-handed. The kick is easy and manageable, allows you to re-acquire your target instantly, (the ranges we are talking about here are across the room or down the hall) and the caliber is large enough to provide sufficient stopping power.

**Officer of Engineers** · 09 Mar 09,, 23:52

Originally Posted by Proyas

I agree with the first person that the best defense against home invasion is to have stuff like good locks that you actually use, sturdy doors, lights on at night, and a home alarm system with the sign in the front yard. Get all that stuff before you start thinking about what gun to buy for home defense.

I met a Sergeant from the Toronto Scottish Regiment who lived in a bad part of town. Everybody had locks up the ying yang but a determined thief will get in.

Some even had BEWARE OF DOG but unless the thief heard barking, they go in. However, his was the only apartment not broken into. He had a BEWARE OF SNAKE sign and as an added bonus, he a large rubber snake that you could see the tail from the window.

**citanon** · 10 Mar 09,, 01:10

Originally Posted by omon

^^^ lol, true.

thou my dog has zero value as a deterrent, he almost never barks, if he is home alone, he sleeps, sometimes when i come home, open the door, put the lights on, he keeps sleeping, like nothing happened, than his tail starts wagging(all 2 inches of it). only than he gets up and runs to me.
few times my friends rang a bell when i wasn,t home, they would've never guess i have a dog. my friends call him an oversized cat.

Haha, my last dog barked a lot and was about 40 lb. However, late at night when it's dark and we are checking out disturbances out in the yard, she's usually hiding behind my legs and whimpering. Not exactly the hero K9 one needs to defend the home.

**Red Seven** · 10 Mar 09,, 13:46

Originally Posted by Officer of Engineers

I met a Sergeant from the Toronto Scottish Regiment who lived in a bad part of town. Everybody had locks up the ying yang but a determined thief will get in.

Some even had BEWARE OF DOG but unless the thief heard barking, they go in. However, his was the only apartment not broken into. He had a BEWARE OF SNAKE sign and as an added bonus, he a large rubber snake that you could see the tail from the window.

I agree. Dogs are indeed the best defense. Locks and even some alarm systems are nothing for professionals.

**Proyas** · 10 Mar 09,, 18:11

Originally Posted by Officer of Engineers

I met a Sergeant from the Toronto Scottish Regiment who lived in a bad part of town. Everybody had locks up the ying yang but a determined thief will get in.

Some even had BEWARE OF DOG but unless the thief heard barking, they go in. However, his was the only apartment not broken into. He had a BEWARE OF SNAKE sign and as an added bonus, he a large rubber snake that you could see the tail from the window.

A determined thief will be able to get through any security system just as a determined assassin will find some way to kill you in your home, even if you are armed. The point of having the locks, security system, motion sensitive lights, etc. is that they "raise the bar" on breaking into your house so that only that small percentage of professional and/or HIGHLY dedicated criminals will be able to do it.

**Maxor** · 10 Mar 09,, 20:35

Originally Posted by Proyas

A determined thief will be able to get through any security system just as a determined assassin will find some way to kill you in your home, even if you are armed. The point of having the locks, security system, motion sensitive lights, etc. is that they "raise the bar" on breaking into your house so that only that small percentage of professional and/or HIGHLY dedicated criminals will be able to do it.

Now you are talking about the difference between a targeted attack versus a home invasion. Home invasion I'm fairly well protected from, I don't really have anything valuable enough in my home to warrent the effort for somone who wasn't specifically attacking me to go through the hassel of getting through my security measures. If someone wants to hurt me or mine then theres really not a whole lot I can do to stop it.

Then again really at that point throwing a couple of molotav cocktails on my roof pretty much does it.

**~~SnowLeopard~~** · 11 Mar 09,, 12:37

USP, Sig Sauer, AR-15, AR-10, etc....

Catch is, even with home defense, that's a wide open subject. Do you live in an apartment or a house? Do you live in the city or on a ranch? Is he trying to come thru your bed room window or has he rammed thru your gate a quarter of a mile away.

Wide open and one won't do it for all situations.
___________________________________________
("Excuse me, Sir. The Security Police are here and they're surrounding the house. What times would you like lunch?"--robot butler, (w,stte), "Sleeper")

**Red Seven** · 11 Mar 09,, 18:32

Originally Posted by Chaobam Armour

As a rule, one handed shooting is for movie stars and gang bangers...

Respectfully disagree.

I trained two-handed and one-handed for 30 years and anybody I train myself learns both. And not just with their good hand. Right-handers get trained with their left until they become proficient.

If somebody ends up in a firefight with only a handgun then something's gone terribly wrong, and if he loses the use of one hand, he's going to be able to use the one he has left.

**bonehead** · 11 Mar 09,, 19:21

The best weapon for self defense is to have a plan of action. Once you have that everything else falls into place. The best firearm depends on many factors.