Best caliber for home defense...?

S

simonrichter

New member
I'm not in favor of caliber discussions as far as penetration and stopping power issues are concerned. There is not too much difference between the major handgun calibers in terms of muzzle energy, after all. (I'm not using "major" in terms of IPSC or the like, just to comprise about everything stronger than .380 and weaker than .357.

Still, every caliber may have it's very special advantage for special needs and niches apart from the general performance in terms of fps and ft lbs.
When I'm thinking about the ideal gun for home defense, two things cross my mind:

1. While providing the stopping power one can await from almost every major round, one would certainly not want it to be penetrating walls, doors and the like more than absolutely necessary.

2. The same applies for the muzzle blast which is a greater problem indoors than on the street


Do you reckon there are calibers better suited for this special task? Or does the same as for the general performance apply - little difference after all, thus just a matter of personal preference...?
 
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You are going to get as many answers as you get answerers. There is no hard and fast rule and there is no such thing as guaranteed stopping power.

IMHO, you first pick the gun you like and are more comfortable with, and feel you can handle best in an emergency situation. If that is an old favorite .22 revolver, you are probably better off with that than with something like a .480 S&W that will blind and deafen you and wake the whole town.

Some will tell you that only a shotgun will do. But shotguns are awkward and long (with legal length barrels) and, in spite of a lot of nonsense in the gunzines, really do require aiming to hit anyone. Plus a shotgun under your pillow will be uncomfortable. Same is true of a rifle, again in spite of many articles saying that a.308 semi-auto, or an AR-15 will be just perfect and you need at least 50 loaded magazines.

My own "bedroom" guns are a Model 19 with .357 factory loads and a M1911A1 Colt, made in 1943. Both have been fired thousands of rounds and I know they will work.

Jim
 
410 ga--18" barrel--pump shotgun, you can even mount a light, laser or red dot and small shot for in house use.
 
I like my 4 inch model 64 S&W .38 in the nightstand.

This gets me to the Mossberg 500 Combat 12 gauge in my closet.
 
Same answer as always to questions like this. What ever can be shot best by the home owner, bigger is better, but hits are far more important than big bore misses. As for me there is a .38 K frame S&W bed side, 12 gage pump racked in the closet by bedroom door.
 
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After all is said and done a 9mm handgun is about as good as it gets. With the best loads it equals short barreled 357 loads with far less recoil and blast. Ammo is everywhere and cheap. Nothing at all wrong with 40, 45 or any of several others, but they offer marginal if any benefit. With increased cost, recoil and possibly availability.

Lots of good things to be said about 38 Special if you just want a revolver. It won't quite equal the best 9mm loads, but has a proven record. 357 mags, work, but with full power loads just have too much recoil and blast. While I'd suggest 9mm, I have no argument with someone who prefers any of the other common rounds.

I'll go against the grain of most and say a shotgun is a poor choice. Heavy,too long, hard to handle indoors, they overpenetrate with suitable loads and recoil at 300 Win mag levels. At close indoors ranges a handgun can be used in 1 hand and frees up the other hand and is harder for an intruder to take from you. A shotgun is better suited for outdoor use against hordes of multiple attackers at limited range.

A short barreled carbine (AR, or pistol caliber) is proving to be a far better option than a shotgun if you want a long gun. At close ranges a shotgun still has to be aimed just like a carbine. The carbines are lighter, shorter, hold more rounds and have around 5 ft lbs of recoil vs close to 30 ft lbs in a shotgun loaded with slugs or buckshot. And with softpoint ammo are less likely to overpenetrate.
 
General home defense....

For most home defense/property protection handguns, Id suggest the .44spl for DA or DA only revolvers & the .45acp or the .357sig for a semi-auto. The .45acp is slow & heavy but offers a good design for anti-personnel uses.
The .38spl +P or +P+ is decent but if possible a frangible or JHP .44spl.
Some license holders & gun owners dislike "exotics" or handgun rounds like Glasers/Magsafe. I think they are good for home defense in larger calibers like .45acp, .44magnum, .41magnum, 10mm.
I use Magsafe SWAT .45acp in my M&P Compact. I think it's a good design for my living arrangements & safer for bystanders.
A valid complaint with some lesser known frangibles is QC & uniformity which are valid concerns but I think Magsafe is a quality brand. Glaser Silver ammunition too.

Clyde
 
It kind of depends where home is. Someone might use a larger caliber, shotgun "00" or slugs on a rurual setting verses a apartment or trailer park. Then there's everything in between. For me sometimes its a 380, but mostly .45 cal & "00" buckshot.
 
5.56/.223 is the best for NOT over penetrating, yet inflicting the level of damage one expects of an HD cartridge.

Is its platform the most practical? meh that's a different question. But, you ask for the best caliber.
 
but hits are far more important than big bore misses
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Fact, which is why .22 that you can shoot accurately > .45 you stovepipe every time you shoot. Ideally you will also have formal training and go over scenarios that will allow you to be a bit more prepared should something go wrong, but a chest full of 32 or 22wmr is certainly a more favorable outcome to a .45 through the wall and the assailant charging you as you clear it.
 
Traditionally, the HD weapon of choice is a 12 gauge.

My only beef with that is some homes are just not set up for long guns. It could be that gathering the family in your defensable location is just not feasible with a long barrel.

There are also diffrences between rural and urban settings. I prefer a weapon that's good for "HD" outside the house as well as inside since some of my potential threats are animal rather then human.

The best cailber is going to be what you can shoot best, what fits in your lifestyle and something that everyone in the household is capable of handling.

Of course, the practical answer for this is whatever you use for SD can easily double for HD, but that would defeat the real point here which is "How do I come up with an excuse to buy more guns!?" :P
 
This poor horse is but a puddle now. There really isn't a huge difference between most of the popular center fire handgun calibers. Just choose whichever you shoot better and rather than worrying about over penetration, worry about what's behind your target. A lot of people have taken to using book shelves and the likes in places where it is likely or exceptionally dangerous for the expelled bullet to travel through such as a child's room.
 
Form follows function. There is no best caliber. Chick cop gets shot in the HEART with a .357 and still kills the perp and lives to tell about it.

.22 can be stopped by heavy clothes.

Gov't says best pistol caliber for killing is a .45 ACP 230gr FMJ.

Statistics say 380 is most lethal round in US over a 10 year study with .22 coming in second... 9mm came in last.

Besides calibers you also have bullet design and selection.

Shotguns are longer than pistols and have heavy recoil; while carbines are extremely loud indoors and also less handy in close quarters.

In the end it's whatever you got, whatever you can shoot and whatever you've trained with.
 
Nomenclature

Best caliber or best cartridge? They are not the same.
For HD, I like bullets in .452 caliber; I like them to be loaded as part of .45 ACP cartridges.
I reload most of my own cartridges. For HD, though,
I use factory ammo. When I buy it, I don't ask for a box of calibers.


.22 can be stopped by heavy clothes.
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Well.....they would have to be REALLY heavy. I have shot .22s at a Gov't issue flak vest and gotten full penetration.
Pete
 
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The operative word here is HOME.

There is far more to consider than hitting power - just go with a 44 Magnum, and be done with it.

But it's not that simple.

There are several things that I think many fail to consider: In a home defense situation, you can't lose control of the situation. Your family is counting on you. If you must discharge a round, you need to keep your faculties for possible follow up shots. Muzzle blast, recoil, and tremendous report ("bang") are all working against you.

I'm a big fan of revolvers - so don't get me wrong. But revolvers are loud and give off a lot of flash - due to the cylinder-barrel gap. And in the case of magnums, they're just LOUD - no matter what. Frankly, a 357 or 44 round is just too loud to discharge indoors. You will experience complete hearing loss for many seconds; followed by partial permanent loss. So that's out.

So now that we're down to the semi-auto's, what do we have? Well I personally would like something with a little more heft than a 9mm, or even a 40 Short-n-Weak. 10mm is a good choice, but we're back to being unacceptably loud, and the recoil of a 10mm is fierce. Remember: we don't want to lose control of the situation. This includes your firearm, and recovery time for a possible follow up shot.

Guess what that leaves us:

That's right - the .45 ACP. It's loud, but it has a distinct lower pitch that is much easier on the ears. Its recoil (in a full size) is firm, but very controllable. And hitting power? I'm good with it - to say the least. The 45 ACP is a very effective round. It makes a big hole - even when it doesn't expand. And even bigger when it does - and it usually does.

Yep, it's the .45ACP.
 
Shotgun. The .24 caliber no. 4 buckshot is a good choice.

Although what I have by the bed side is old lead goose shot.
 
After the first school tragedy when began to test different bullets in school settings. It was found that pistol bullets penetrated more barriers than rifle bullets inside buildings. The lighter high speed .223 rounds lost momentum or broke apart. When I load a HD gun I think about where the misses will go and also where the hits will go if they go through. For me the 357 Sig is out due to it's ability to go through stuff and the muzzle blast. I like slower 38 spl and lighter 9mm, even a decent 45acp. All the hype about 12 inch minimum penetration is mainly do to angle shots and such. Back in the day the optimal level was 6-8 inches. Now we see defense loads going through denim and then 16 inches of gel! You shouldn't count on sheet rock stopping rounds but some advanced planning is worth it. For that matter you should be able to tailor what ever caliber you purchase to the environment you plan on using it in.
 
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