EDC and HOME DEFENSE

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Jdl2

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Looking for sound, practical advice... Think Glock pistols only, please.

I'm bumping 70; have owned more guns than I can count; carry everyday (either a 1911 or Sig P938); live in NY State (mag capacity limited to 10 rds); past the you-never-have-enough-guns stage and have sold my collection of safe queens. I've got all the shotguns and rifles I need.

I'm moving from SAO to Glocks; have very small hands; want to carry everyday and want to have pistols, in safes, scattered strategically around the house that my wife, daughter and self can use.

I've decided on at least one G19 Gen 4 for certain... It fits my hand perfectly!

So, what "Glock Strategy" do you employ for EDC and home protection and what pistols do you recommend for my new arsenal. What-and-how-many is really the question.

Counting on you guys for some no BS practices you employ yourselves. Thanks for your time and interest in helping me. This is really appreciated.

All the best,

Jim
 
Scattering guns around the house does pose a problem - that of arming an intruder.
Are you planning on keeping them under enough lock and key to prevent it?
If so, will that prevent your own quick access?
Just some things to think about.
One of my Dad's close friends was shot and killed by an intruder who had found one of his own guns.
It does get ya' thinking.
 
I wear my 17 every waking moment, and its in its holster, in my pants, at night, by the bed.

I do have a couple of electronic "finger pad" lock boxes in the house, but they are simply back ups, or for family members who may not be armed at the moment.

I think always carrying is the best option though. No matter how many you have all over the house, the one always on you, is always the closest.
 
the safest place for a gun is loaded on your person. that's not just my 2 cents, see also Pax's website (corneredcat.com), where she also discusses this idea.

on my hip or on my nightstand.
 
This ought to be a good thread. I'm going down this same path myself so take my advice with that in mind.

I would recommend that you separate your needs for EDC and needs for HD, at least where other family members are involved. My only pistol is a G19 Gen4 so i think that is a good choice, and I'm getting reasonably comfortable and proficient with it (about 650rds so far) though I haven't carried it yet. So that might be a good choice for you, but I would not assume the same for your wife and daughter *unless* all three of you are willing to train with it.

With that in mind, you may want to rethink the "all pistol" strategy. What I am planning to do for my womenfolk is a medium sized revolver like Ruger GP100 or S&W 686 with .38 JHP. The operation is much more intuitive and .38 will be controllable for the novice (and you don't want .357 indoors anyway).

So that's my answer on "what". For "how many", it depends on how paranoid you are. ;) I'd recommend starting with one per person and add more if you think you need more. But if you do think you need more than that, you might want to think about moving. :)
 
A few possible advantages to an 'all-glock' pistol battery is that every pistol in the house would have the exact same manual of arms and could share the exact same magazines. Something to consider if you are looking to simplify, consolidate and standardize.
 
If you've already decided on the G19, a G19 or G17 with spare mags in each safe seems to be an easy decision. I assume a G17 will fit your hand as well or better than the G19, and you get the advantages of a heavier, more stable and softer shooting platform, a longer sight radius, and greater capacity. The larger size is not a deterrant for home defense. Use the G19 for carry.
 
I keep all my firearms high up in a fingerprint large 3ft x 3ft double shelved safe. When I get home I put up my glock 19/30s/27 (357 sig) and pull out my glock 21 with 10mm conversion barrel with underwood anmo. I also have my ar locked up in the bedroom. My thought is barricade and defend. Our future child's bedroom is down the hall 10 feet away. So I need to just go get and come back, while wife calls my homies in blue.

So at any time my gun is unlocked by my bed or on my boddy.
 
Also love the idea that the g27/26 will take mags from larger guns. It's why I am hesitant to get the g43. Especially when I already have a shield and a kahr cm9.
 
One is all you need. Find a good quality holster made specifically for the model you choose and a good belt to hold it in place. Then carry it. It's far quicker and far more secure than trying to stash guns around the house.
 
Regardless, a Home Defense Gun is not a Home Defense Gun if its not on your person.

Not by the bed, not in the closest but ON YOUR PERSON.

They also have to be secure from any children or other unwanted persons who may get access to the gun.

It takes about 3-5 seconds to kick in a door, it takes much longer then that for you to get off the couch, out of bed, or get away from the dinner table, to retrieve you gun which may (or should be) locked up to prevent access to others.

It has to be where you can get it instantly. That means on your person.

In the SD/CC classes I instruct I push this. And suggest the pistol/revolver and method of carry should take this into account.

I find a huge majority of my students opt for the J-frame style revolvers.

Granted, it may not be the best choice if you know you are going to be involved in a shooting, but if I knew I was going to be involved in a shooting I would find a way to be else where.

The gun has to be comfortable, and allow easy and fast access.
 
... So, what "Glock Strategy" do you employ for EDC and home protection and what pistols do you recommend for my new arsenal. What-and-how-many is really the question.

Counting on you guys for some no BS practices you employ yourselves.
Click to expand...

The first/best solution is to carry inside your house a high percentage of the time. If you and another family member(s) are both proficient, this is a incredible advantage.

Do not discount the value of getting professional instruction. You can have a lifetime of hunting/plinking experience, and still be blown away by what you'll learn in even a basic self-defense oriented class. If you need to, sell a gun to fund this ... it's that important. Seriously ... not even kidding.

Come up with a plan or two based upon plausible robbery/burglary/invasion scenarios. Your plan should generally tilt in the direction of avoidance/escape, rather than "room clearing" tactics. Practice this plan - without guns, and then decide what's the best course of action without guns. That generally ends up being the best course of action with guns.

The goal is to keep you and loved-ones alive, not to avenge the the theft of your DishTV receiver. ;)

I'd strongly advise that - if you are going to stash guns - that you do so in quick-access safes accessible only to trained family members. The bio-metric/finger print variety are unreliable in my experience, so opt for the push-button variety. Don't get fancy, some of these safes allow for up to 12-digit combinations. Keep it to no more than 4 digits.

Those stash-safes should be placed at destinations, not points-on-the-way. To be more clear ... the safe is located in the back-closet hiding space, not in the dresser or closet on the way.

Get some water pistols (or airsoft) and practice your plan. You'll very quickly find that "running the hell out the back door" is one of the best survival strategies. If that's not possible (others to protect, maybe?) ... getting everyone to hide is a very good strategy ... and hiding with a firearms at-the-ready has very good "just in case" survival value. The most dangerous scenario of all is having to go room-to-room to verify the safety of each individual, and possibly engage a threat behind every corner.
 
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I'm going to support the OPs plan as logical and realistic. He carries a lot. His wife and daughter do not carry, but would like to have something available. One gun on his person will obviously not fill those needs. I once lived in a place where I kept a gun on me, even around the house. I'll never live that way again. Yes I carry, but if I can't wash the dishes, eat dinner, watch TV or take a shower in my house without wearing a gun, its time to move. I focus where the likelihood is. Yes, bad people can enter an unlocked door in an instant. The ideas of locked doors is to slow them down enough for you to be able to properly greet them. I have guns stashed in differnt parts of the house, and one in the garage. They are not as close as being on me, but they are never far away, and I know where they are. A potential bad guy might be able to find one after searching, but I can find one a lot faster.

I'm not sure about any advantages of the all Glock strategy unless that is what your wife and daughter are proficient with. I don't limit my home defense guns to ones that are easily carried concealed. My wife hates shooting 9mm, and not very good with it either, but is very comforatble with the 6" GP100 with extra warm .38's and shoots it well. She knows where it is. I can shoot anything well.

I'm sure you've already thought about visitors with children, and take the encessary precautions to prevent a tragedy.

Yes, a gun on each of you is the very best protection, but its up to you to weigh the risks and decide what is practical for where you live, and your situation.
 
Here's a few ideas for you. People tend to be pretty creative when it comes to self defense situations they think they might experience. I personally don't stash guns around my home. I have a dedicated home defense gun (G17) at my bed, I carry a G26 and when at home I always pocket carry a P3AT.


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Getting some great ideas here. Thanks!
Do already have 3 Gun Vaults in master bed room, at front & back doors.
 
I like the Glock 19 as a home defense gun.
Keeping a 30rd mag in it or near by is a good idea, though maybe not an option in NY.
Carry a Glock 26 as others have said, because of mag compatibility.
 
... I once lived in a place where I kept a gun on me, even around the house. I'll never live that way again. Yes I carry, but if I can't wash the dishes, eat dinner, watch TV or take a shower in my house without wearing a gun, its time to move. ...
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With respect, I'd offer that this mindset focuses on the odds rather than the stakes. Fires are exceedingly rare, and although more common in some areas than others, they happen everywhere. The after-the-fact realization that the odds-of-occurrence don't mean squat, when the event actually occurs is not a pleasant place to be.

Crime, like fires happens everywhere. I live in a community where the crime rate is so statistically low that our nickname is "the bubble". That stat doesn't help anyone who has nonetheless been a victim.

The notion of actually carrying a gun on your person at all times can seem paranoid if you view the issues through the false filter of "the odds". If it's not practical to carry, it certainly makes sense to nonetheless have options available nearby.

With respect to a wider perspective, it should also be noted that you'll get significant value out of a simple security system/fire alarm, motion-activated exterior lighting and a "canine early warning device".
 
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