best ammo for home defense??

I feel , as long as your not using pure junk ammo,it doesn't matter which round you use.(as long as it functions properly in your gun) Putting rounds on target is the important part. If you cant hit your target,it doesnt matter.
 
Best ammo for home defense?

I've always thought highly of the axiom, "Your bedside handgun is to get you to your closet shotgun". Rifles, Shotguns, and Handguns all have their place in home defense depending on one's own living situation. I don't have an AR/AK type rifle, but there would be some circumstances that I might like to have one. Nothing is more instantly incapacitating/deadly as a shotgun in close quarters. Handguns offer better mobility, ease of action, and ability to use the other hand for other purposes. As is often stated, shot placement is key, but great ammo never hurts either...and it's fun to dissect and banter about what everyone uses. :D

Therefore, I keep my SIG P226 Tacops 9mm close by the bed. I use it instead of the P220 45 simply because of laser/light combo that I have on it, and I also like the high round count. The .45 is more of an "answer the front door in the daytime with it behind your back" type of gun. I have long used Winchester Ranger T's in these handguns, but I have grown weary of trying to hunt them down to buy online. I have one box left of each, so I won't be shooting them at all at the range for a long time, so i've purchased some others that I have enormous confidence in. So this is what I've decided on recently with some of my handguns.

SIG P226 Tacops: Underwood 9mm 124gr +P+ Gold Dots at over 1300fps.
Nasty stuff! The 9mm Ranger T's move to my KahrCM9

The Various .45's: Ranger T 230gr+P and Federal HST 230gr +P

Ruger SP101: .357 CorBon 140gr and .357 Underwood 125gr at more than
1450fps out of the short barrel.

The shotgun is loaded with Federal #1 Buck, which has been shown to have up to 30% or so more wound trauma than the rest. I keep 00 Buck in the sleeve for subsequent shots if needed.

My situation is that my wife and I do not have any children, so we shouldn't be getting kids sneaking back in the house late at night... or something along those lines. We live in a countryish community with roughly 2 acre wooded lots, and no soliciting, so there is not a lot of normal activity at the doorways.
 
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I also believe in a shotgun, say an 870, over a pistol for home defense. Loaded with #7.5 or 8 shot along with a 6-8 round capacity and you’ve got all the stopping power in the world. Specially for multiple targets which tend to run the norm in home invasions.
 
If I were going to use a shotgun, I agree with the #1 Buck thought for closer range use. Bird shot is for birds.

For home invasions, unless youre wearing that shotgun, you wont have it when it occurs. A handgun is much more likely to be on you every waking minute (Even then, many if not most probably arent likely wearing one anyway. Are you wearing yours right now?), and much easier to get into action quickly.


the next best thing for HD work IMHO is a .357 magnum loaded hot.
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Try this next time youre at an indoor range. Get them to turn off the lights, take out your ear plugs, and then shoot multiple targets quickly.
 
I like my GP100 loaded with my reloaded all lead 158g SWC with 3 grains of Trail Boss. It is not a heavy load but will stop any intruder in my home. It hopefully will not go through too many walls to get too many people that I can't see. Plus I am not interested in killing anyone, actually I hope he runs away when he hears me. Oh did I mention that my GP has a red dot Crimson Trace for the dark. If he's still there, he's insane and carrying a few of my SWC's.
 
Try this next time youre at an indoor range. Get them to turn off the lights, take out your ear plugs, and then shoot multiple targets quickly.
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Oh so I guess your shotgun loaded with #1 buck isn't going to make some noise too huh? :rolleyes:

ALL firearms WILL be loud when fired indoors. I keep my magnum loaded with 125 grain hollow points and it sits on my counter two foot from my bed. That round has the highest recorded stop power of any handgun bullet. That and the revolver's reliability make it tops for an HD handgun IMHO. If 6 rounds doesn't get it done, then I'll go for the shotgun which is a few feet away in the corner, but as others have mentioned during a home invasion there may be no time to ready a long gun. A "grab n' shoot" gun like a revolver or DA/SA pistol right next to the bed is a great idea.
 
Whatever hollow point ammo you chose, buy two or three boxes, and burn up two and a half boxes right away to see how it functions in your home defense pistol. You don't want to be clearing a stoppage at 3:17 AM in a dark hallway.

If you jam up with the brand you bought, go get another brand and try that.

Dedicate some time and money this month to working on this aspect of home defense. You need to put about 250 to 500 rounds through your pistol before Christmas, just for familiarization, practice, breaking it in, and gaining skills. No point in waiting, it's for self-defense. You made the decision to get the pistol, now follow through with it.

Order a spare magazine if you don't have one, and keep it with the pistol, so you always pick up pistol and spare when you have to pick it up. Do get a good D-Cell flashlight and keep it with the pistol and magazine.

At the range, put your target at 5 feet or so, and shoot at it without aiming. Instinct point shoot. Fire in two round 'bursts'. If you can consistently put your shots into the torso-sized target area at that range, quickly, and without delay for aiming with the sights, you are better than most.
 
I think I solved the 124gr vs 147gr debate. I just use 155gr in my .40...lol.
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A 155 grain .40 bullet is roughly the equivalent of a 122 grain .355 cal bullet. So technically that 155 grain is lighter for caliber than a 124 grain 9mm

;)
 
Model12Win,

I hate to write this, but a .357 Mag with mag rounds is not a wise idea for home defense. The muzzle blast alone in a confined space; e.g., your bedroom, will disorient you. Muzzle flash will light up a room and leave you temporarily blinded.

But it might work better for you. Were it me, I'd load a .357 Mag with .38 Special 158 grain LSWCHP +P for home defense.
 
try to hide? im sorry but when the pile of feces hits the atmoshperic aerator at 2 am, the last thing youll want to do is HIDE your rifle or shotgun or trusty carbine.
 
But you might want to hide your gun until you've determined whether it is a criminal or your house guests in the kitchen at 2am.


I honestly think most of these discussion shows a marked lack of reality in people's planning. Every scenario seems closer to zombie apocalypse talk than an honest discussion of how to make day to day life compatible with firearms.

Normal people don't live in isolated castles with everyone in the family going to their well armed bedrooms at 10pm sharp. They have kids and friends that come and go at odd times, spouses that work the night shift and neighbors that get locked out at 2am. If you think you can react to every funny noise in the yard by either hiding under the bed or running around with a shotgun, you'll find how limited your imagination is when you either don't have the gun or embarrass yourself with it.

If you think a long arm is the best possible primary weapon for home defense, then the same principle probably applies to the street.

Handguns are compromises. But really, all firearms are compromises. They don't make you invincible and all have some pretty severe limitations. You need to be honest with yourself when you pick which set of compromises you're going to live with.
 
Normal people don't live in isolated castles with everyone in the family going to their well armed bedrooms at 10pm sharp.
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Well, 10's a little late (but hey, the day starts early this time of year, and 3:30am comes quick), but the rest you described is pretty "normal" around here.

Out here in the hinterlands, things are isolated, pretty much everyone is armed, and you hear shooting all the time, day and night, on "normal" days, so its by no means, an uncommon sound.

Police response can be a half hour or more, unless youre lucky enough to have a Trooper in the area.

If you arent prepared to take care of things by yourself, then youre not being realistic in your planning.

And while I agree about the lack of planning part with some people, from what Ive seen, that tends to go down and become more of an issue, the closer you go towards civilization, where more reliance on, and the expectation of others to take care of you, seems to go up.

Guns are just a part of a pretty broad plan, and generally, towards the bottom of it in the progression of order, if you arent normally wearing one all the time.

Around here, if they make it past the electronics and various "alert" critters, they have to deal with the dogs, (250 or so pounds of very family protective Rottweiller), who live in the house, and go with you everywhere. You dont get close, let alone in, without them knowing (we knew you were here, long before you got close to the house), and if by some chance you did, we will know just where you are, and by the way things are going, who you are.

Next to good, reliable weapons systems, and the practiced familiarity of their use, good dogs are really your best bet. They are a proactive alarm system that responds instantly, giving you time to decide and deal.
 
Why answer a general request for home defense information with suggestions that are directed to less than 20% of the US population?

What you describe is only normal for a tiny portion of US residents, US gun owners and forum members. Most of us live in the city or the 'burbs. And those of you living in the country have the lowest expectation of a home invasion.

This is what I mean about the fantasy world that so many gun forum members seem to occupy. That's great if you have an M-60 to defend the safe room in your mansion and the 10 acre killing field that surrounds it, but the rest of us don't live anything at all like that.


It would be great if realistic questions about defense revolved around realistic scenarios - neighbors, kids, sidewalks, townhomes, apartments, street parking, students doing door-to-door fundraising, no dog residences, etc.
 
Why answer a general request for home defense information with suggestions that are directed to less than 20% of the US population?
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How is it really any different for the other 80%? Do you respond to a threat or perceived threat, any differently?

Ive lived in a lot of different places in my lifetime, from very rural to large inner cities, and most other places in between, and really havent changed the base security measures taken. Things are adjusted somewhat for where you are, but they still fit a basic set of parameters. And as I said earlier, weapons are simply one part of the equation.

What you describe is only normal for a tiny portion of US residents, US gun owners and forum members. Most of us live in the city or the 'burbs. And those of you living in the country have the lowest expectation of a home invasion.
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I see you dont get out of the city/suburbs much. ;)

Believe it or dont, but crime exists everywhere, and occurs all the time, even here in the country. About the only real difference here, is who is likely to have to do the responding.

We are moving up to big boy pants though, as most of us got 911 service a couple of years back, and an actual street address, instead of a RR # and a fire tag. Good I suppose in one respect, bad in that you can now be located on a map at the press of a computer key, by anyone.

It would be great if realistic questions about defense revolved around realistic scenarios - neighbors, kids, sidewalks, townhomes, apartments, street parking, students doing door-to-door fundraising, no dog residences, etc.
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Ahhh, I see. Because we dont fit "your" reality, or scenarios, ours arent realistic, eh? Do I sense a hint of the elitist? :rolleyes:

Again, the base parameters are the same, regardless where you are, and are simply augmented or adjusted to fill your needs, where ever you are.

I had dogs and answered the door wearing a gun when I lived in the city and suburbs, just as I do here now. No one was the wiser about the gun, and only one boy needed a lesson on raising his voice to my wife, while trying to open the screen door. The dog took him into the front yard and discussed it with him until he understood. No other lesson was needed. It also had a dramatic effect on the number of people coming to the door after that. :)
 
I had dogs and answered the door wearing a gun when I lived in the city and suburbs, just as I do here now.
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Was the gun you were wearing a rifle or shotgun?

That's what we're arguing about, BTW.
 
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