Home Defense/Minimal target shooting.

A shotgun is an excellent home defense weapon. If you begin to lean that way, I would recommend a shorter barrel, for obvious reasons.

If you have your sights set on a pistol, a lot of good suggestions have been made. One brand that hasen't been made is Bersa; and the 9mm ProCarry would be a great start. Not as many used ones, though, I guess folks hold on to'em.
 
For HD pistols, I tend to lean more towards revolvers. Nothin like a S&W 686 with .357 mag HP's in the night stand. No fussing with safeties, slides, magazines, etc. Its always ready to go, grab it, and pull the DA trigger. Bang. Heck, the wife hates guns and she can shoot the thing without using any brain power. Just pull the trigger. I think there is a very low percentage of cases where a 15+rd magazine would have been any benefit in a HD situation. I still like shotguns better for their penetration properties, fear factor, and firepower.
 
Most of the above mentioned pistols will serve that capacity just fine.

Accurately shooting a handgun under stress is a highly perishable skill. If you are not willing to practice at least once or twice a month, I would question whether it is the wisest choice.

For the person who does not practice often, I recommend a shotgun or rifle. Why? Even if you are not very accurate, you can still usually make hits out to 15-20yards without much effort. The inherent length makes them easier to get on target without actually shooting correctly. Just something to think about...
 
sirsloop, Squibb, and raimius +1, you should get a shotgun.

A handgun is not a particularly good defensive weapon, but they are easily kept convenient, hence their popularity. A shotgun is the opposite; it is a particularly good defensive weapon, and while they're too large to carry everywhere, it's HOME defense, so why settle for less?
 
Sirsloops said:
"For HD pistols, I tend to lean more towards revolvers. Nothin like a S&W 686 with .357 mag HP's in the night stand. No fussing with safeties, slides, magazines, etc. Its always ready to go, grab it, and pull the DA trigger. Bang. Heck, the wife hates guns and she can shoot the thing without using any brain power. Just pull the trigger. I think there is a very low percentage of cases where a 15+rd magazine would have been any benefit in a HD situation. I still like shotguns better for their penetration properties, fear factor, and firepower."

+1 Good response, as well as others who have mentioned revolver and/or shotgun. When the adrenaline is flowing is not when you need to think safety on or not?, is a round chambered (indicators being next to worthless in low light and high anxiety)...or am I going to jam? etc.

Among revolvers - Used? S&W K-frame -- M65/66 3"-4". The 3" especially can double as a carry piece fairly effectively. Naturally, oddly the fewest made and as such are hardest to come by and pricier as a result. New? S&W 686 3". A little less carryable than the K-frames, but can shoot the nasty 125 .357s all day long--if so inclined. The 3" will help pare the weight back a smidgeon, and to optimize (and feel better about the negative trade-offs) to get the most out of the extra weight and $ (over a used K), go for the "+" (7 rd) model. For HD I might stoke it with warm +P .38s anyway, so my nod goes to the slightly handier/lighter K-frame.

Among the autos--Used? Smiths of prior gen. New? +1 on the Ruger SR9C. With its ancillary 17 rd extendo-grip/mag can go from carry piece to hi cap HD or range gun in a jiffy. XDM9 does this magic change act too (and maybe a few others?), but is a little pricier--so whatever fits you best in budget and hand. Carry not so much a factor and can spend a few more dollars? Smith M&P 9.
 
Last edited:
I had a reply I think in the shotgun forum about how I load and store my 870 at home. Basically clear the gun, close the bolt, safety off, pull the trigger, load the tube to capacity with 00 Buck, store.

If you ever do have to use it, you grab the thing, rack it once, and its ready rock-n-roll. By pulling the trigger before loading it you disengage the slide lock... and there is no screwing around with the release under duress. Hope to god the sound of the thing racking convinces the bad guy to turn tail before you have to shoot their ass. That sounds is +1 pump shotgun... effin terrifying sound if you are on the business end! :eek:

edit* if you have minors in the house this DOES NOT APPLY!!!
 
Last edited:
I know you've already mentioned that you've tried revolvers and didn't like the feel, but I'd give them another look. The same revolver can feel either hideous or fantastic depending on which grips it has installed. A lot of gun shops have displays to show you what grips made by Hogue and Crimson Trace feel like.

Revolvers are good if you want something that isn't finicky and doesn't take a lot of practice to keep proficient with. Plus, a good one will stay in the family for a hundred years and still work well.

That said, autos generally have an upper hand for home defense, so they say. They do take a lot of practice to operate them at the reflex level. If you're really serious about home defense and only shoot once in a while, I'd suggest a shotgun. They're easier to get good with, they have better stopping power than either autos or revolvers, and #4 buckshot will stand less chance of overpenetrating than a handgun round.
 
I'd go for either a used CZ-75, or Beretta 92FS

Both have nice lines, 15 round clips(clippity doo dah) 9mm,

and you can find them for @ 400$ if you look around.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top