best self-defense caliber

[tobnpr]

Sure. And that's why snipers at anything below long range go for head-shots.

Try again.

And your average homeowner, who spends an average of zero time at the range every year training, is being compared to a trained sniper?

How about YOU try again?

I guess you prefer a .22lr pistol for your HD weapon.
Your comment makes no sense.

 

[plumbernater]

I still like my spot to shoot. Bet a goblin would stop what he is doing.

 

[BillCA]

Let's try to interject some realism here.

Assumptions:

• The intruder in your home is a "typical" criminal - looking to score money or valuables.
• The intruder is not the 1% highly motivated killer or a drug-crazed psychopath.
• The defender has modest training & shooting skills. More than a one-time range trip & something less than a 2-day defensive course.
• The defender has "adequate" time to obtain their firearm and prepare to defend their home. As opposed to "turn on the lamp, you pick up your reading glasses..."
• We are not talking about abnormal circumstances -- i.e. the intruder wearing level III body armor or carrying a class III weapon. Nor are we talking about a squad of thugs toting long arms emulating a Normandy invasion.

Most common criminals do NOT want to engage in a firefight. Typical is the experience of a 78 year old woman in Northern California who verbally warned an intruder to leave. The intruder opened her bedroom door and grandma opened fire with a 50+ year old Smith & Wesson M&P .38 revolver. Despite missing 3 times, the intruder fled.

But we don't train to miss or use a "warning shot" in reality. We must presume that warnings and threats will be ignored and the sight of the victim holding a firearm does is not a sufficient deterrent to the intruder. Now what?

For the defender, there can be any number of choices of firearms and calibers that will suffice. The "best" weapon system depends on the defender's comfort level with the weapon/cartridge combination, their own skills and the dynamics of the incident as it evolves.

Incident Dynamics effect on your choices
Many of you might be comfortable and skilled with the 12-gauge + buckshot combination for home defense. However, if you have others living in the home, the moment the thug seizes the opportunity to take your 12 year old hostage, that choice of a shotgun as "best" is negated. A moderate skill with the AR/5.56mm platform suddenly becomes the superior choice for its pinpoint accuracy.

If your home is a "modern" style home or condo with tighter spaces and many twists and turns due to a tight floorplan, even that 5.56mm carbine may be too unwieldy. Substituting an 18" pistol-gripped 12-gauge could be better unless you have to fire whilst ushering your child to your bedroom. Then my choice might be a semi-auto handgun for one-handed use.

Handguns remain the most popular choice because they can be operated with just one hand, can be quickly accessed, are easier to use in CQB and most are just powerful enough to incapacitate.

Criteria for home defense
We will all agree that any weapon used for defense should be reliable, accurate, and accessible. Beyond that, we can disagree. But my criteria are ...
- Lightweight: Fast handling in tighter quarters is a must.
- Powerful: Powerful enough to be rapidly fatal with proper shot placement.
- Capacity is sufficient; minimum 6 up to a 30 round magazine.
- Balanced power: The power is balanced to the gun for fast follow-up shots.
- "Compact" for indoors work

I'd consider any of the following long guns:
- .30 M1 Carbine: Light, powerful as a .357, 15-30 rounds, light recoiling, fast follow-up shots.
- Pistol Caliber Lever carbine: Light, powerful, modest recoil, 6-8 shots.
- AR Platform: 5.56 or 6.8 SPC
- Mini-14/30: 5.56mm or 7.62x39 - preference is for the 5.56mm indoors.
- FN FS2000: 5.56mm Bullpup design, compact, powerful, large capacity
- FN PS-90 : 5.7x28mm Bullpup action, low recoil, compact, large capacity
- Steyr Aug 5.56mm - Bullpup action
- Semi-Auto 20ga 18-20" barrel w/folding stock and #2 buckshot
- Pump action 20ga 18-21" barrel and #2 buckshot
- Pump action 12 ga 18" barrel, #4 or #00 buckshot

My middle-of-the-night-grab-and-go gun is a S&W .357 Magnum loaded with .38 Special +P Gold Dots. The .38 +P loads give me sufficient power and fast follow-up shots. I'd rather make a hit with the .38 +P than a pair of misses with a .357 Load.

The ready long gun is a 21" Remington 870 20-gauge with #2 buckshot and open choke. The buttstock carrier holds 3 buck and 2 slugs.

 

[Picher]

I've read that the pelvic girdle area is a good place to shoot someone attacking you from close range. It will put someone down very quickly and if multiple shots are fired very quickly with a magnum or heavy-caliber semi-auto, subsequent shots tend to rise, so by the third shot, POI may be in the heart-lung area. Also, the person shot will be on the way down, so subsequent hits may not be so high as to miss. Not a bad philosophy.

One cop was pointing at the pelvic girdle of a perp and the perp gave up quickly, thinking he was aiming at his gonads. Apparently, he was willing to take one in center-mass, but not where he lived!!!

 

[Art Eatman]

BillCA's comment is a good closing for a thread that's gone wandering way away from the opening question...