In need of better home defense firearm

The guy that ran 2 15 round mags empty needs to learn to shoot, but his results vividly show what can happen when one counts on capacity rather than accuracy.

Exactly
Anything you are considering is a step down from what you have. Firepower is nice but I don't see how, as mentioned above, that 5 rounds of 00 buckshot is ever going to let you down. The guy shooting 30 rounds sounds like a clueless LEO rookie "spray and pray." Here is an idea for you - Dixie Slugs Tri-Ball which is three .60 caliber buckshots weighing 315 grains each at arount 1,100 fps - That is over 800 ft lbs per "ball" and they pattern great out to 40 yards or more. The results are awesome.
http://www.dixieslugs.com/products.html Like you, I live in the "sticks" so I have unlimited lines of fire. Best defense is dogs, lights and a shotgun with some large buckshot.
 
Skans,
You hit that nail on the head. Thanks
Basically u summed it up. I was only wanting to know about sub machine gun/assault pistol (small gun for rapid fire with firepower) for home defense.

But I want to say thank you all for the well thought out and cencerned replies.
 
Home Invasions and Break Ins

A next door neightbor told me, after several HOME INVASIONS by armed individuals wanting money that his 12 gage shotgun was right at their front door.
If they are broken in at another location, in the house and you can not get to the gun, then what?
 
I dont know what you plan on encountering inside your home, maybe you have monsters in the closet, but a 5 shot benellli tactical shotgun is the best home defense firearm you could need. I agree that getting a handgun as a better home defense firearm is downgrading. If your really that concerned see if you can buy a longer tube for the benelli to hold more shells.

But I was thinking a bigger rd so if they are in my house tiring to kick through my bedroom door or if I need to shoot through the wall.
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Thats a good way to turn a home invasion into a murder charge on your part. Shooting through doors and walls even at an attacker in your own home is a big no no. This was specifically used as an example in an NRA CCW/home defense class on what not to do. Keep the benelli, take some firearm classes.
 
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The XDm has 19+1 capacity in 9mm. The 9mm is a good round. Especially with the use of hollowpoint ammo. If you switch to .45acp you sacrifice capacity. IMHO the use of AR-type rifles for HD is often overkill. Your shot gun is plenty powerful enough for HD. A 12ga packs alot more punch than anything at close range. If you want higher capacity buy an 870 or Saiga. Since you already own a Glock (leaving it in the car is whole other debate) and like it bring it inside or buy another one. It will save you money on magazines. Standard high capacity mags are more convient and balance better than extended magazines.

IMHO the most versatile solution is to keep your shotgun AND pistol next to the bed. Be sure to keep a cell phone in the bedroom too.
 
Geez... you have some real needs...

First get yourself a Great Dane... They will give you time to arm yourself.

If a tactical Benelli 12ga. and a High cap pistol with several mags don't do it....

You seem to be expecting quite the shootout.
 
Bear in mind, any time you have both of your hands occupied with a firearm, whether it is a shotgun or tactical rifle or even a pistol, it means you can't have your other hand on the phone to 911. That may not be the highest priority, of course, but it's something to consider. Keeping them on the phone with you during an assault can definitely bolster your case.

As in, the phone is also a self defense weapon if you know how to use it.

Rifles and shotguns might be plenty difficult to manage with one hand so a pistol might be preferable.

Of course, living out in the sticks, perhaps it doesn't matter all that much in terms of police response time, however, it might matter a LOT by the time the 911 call is being played in a court room in front of a jury.

--Wag--
 
dont know what you plan on encountering inside your home, maybe you have monsters in the closet, but a 5 shot benellli tactical shotgun is the best home defense firearm you could need.
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+1.

Unless you are expecting Columbian drug lords or the ATF to come kicking in your door, I think your 12ga is pretty good option. Keep a few extra boxes of 00 buck around and there isn't much you can't defense yourself against.
 
Kel Tec PMR-30

The Kel Tec PMR-30 holds 30 rounds of .22 Magnums in one magazine. With one in the chamber and an extra mag you could have 61 rounds at your disposal. A .22WMR cannot be compared to a .45acp in terms of "stopping power", but that can be an asset in a home defense situation. The softer recoil can make it easier for follow-up shots, as well as for those who are recoil sensitive. It also has a rail for a flashlight/laser.

Some might say they'd rather be shot with a .22mag than pepper sprayed or other such nonsense. The truth is burglars don't want to be shot, and aren't asking what caliber you're firing. When they see that gunblast they're either running or falling.

http://www.keltecweapons.com/our-guns/pistols/pmr-30/

p.s. You could still keep your 12ga as backup.:D
 
My HD shotgun is a Remington Wingmaster with a four round tube. If you do need more than 5 rounds of 12 guage you have major trouble. I would recommend an extended magazine tube, a defense caliber handgun, maybe a defensive carbine, and major tactical training. Using a shotgun inside a building will be quite an experience. The blast will be unbelievable. You may wish to get a good set of electronic earmuffs. The training is a major point that cannot be ignored. I don't have any idea what you believe may come your way or why it is coming but you need to train for it. I did armed security for 15 years and have been a police officer for 16 years and have trained for indoor and outdoor shooting situations. I have been a security firearms instructor and now am a police firearms instructor. Believe me the more quality training you get the better you will be. Several have recommended deterence ideas. Go for them, create as many rings of warning as necessary. The earlier the warning the more prepared you will be when trouble knocks on the door.
 
rifles for home protection....

The member's desire to get a patrol type or M4 type rifle seems a bit off base. It may seem like a good concept on the surface but I'd see a lot of flaws or drawbacks with using it. Noise, muzzle flash, over-penetration, recoil, etc could all be major factors, :(.
Now a large machine pistol or maybe a FN P90 5.7mm or a HK PDW could fill that home defense role but in all honesty, a well made .357magnum, a .357sig or .45acp duty pistol(with a laser aimer or white light) can do great.


Outlaw zombie bikers from Hell may show up and reek havoc but like many have posted here, a 12ga with 00 buck or tactical loads plus 16-21 rounds of .45acp or a .357sig/.40S&W should be more than able to protect a home owner.
It's not about killing people or acting like a combat soldier, it's about defending yourself IAW state/local laws or ordanances.
;)
 
ace4059 - Do the non-firearm related thing around your house concerning safety (locks, lights, dog, door braces, window bars...etc). If you're seriously worried about home invasions, then start carrying at home. A Glock 17 with 17 rounds and a spare 33 round will do the trick. You might even stash extra mags throughout the house.

BTW, might be time to move...
 
Why go with "an assault type handgun" when a 12 gauge shorty will fire 9 shots with a single pull of the trigger, and an uber reliable one can be had for around $200?

From Chuck Hawkes, nonetheless:

I recommend the Federal "Classic" (F127-00), Winchester Super-X (X12RB5) or Remington Buckshot (SP12BK-5PK00) as the best double-ought buckshot defense rounds. One of these rounds is virtually equal to a nine-round burst from a submachine gun, with every round hitting.​

http://www.chuckhawks.com/ammo_by_anonymous.htm

Of course, you may want to temper risk of overpenetrating walls and such in dense, urban areas with birdshot, and that will also work under the same principle.

From the same link:

I keep my home-defense 12 gauge loaded with two #4 birdshot rounds followed by 00 buck. Birdshot is much less likely to penetrate thin interior walls and kill innocent people on the other side, and has lower recoil than buckshot for faster follow-up shots....The stopping power of birdshot should not be under-estimated: at ranges out to thirty feet or so, birdshot is virtually a solid column of lead.​
 
Summed up: you want a high capacity, . . . heavy caliber, . . . short, . . . easy to handle, . . . firearm.

You plan to use it to check out your house.

Please think about your idea. And if you decide that you, . . . alone, . . . will clear your house of 4 or 5 meth heads, . . . in the middle of the night: you have to understand that there is no weapon made for this scenario, . . . it does not exist.

1st: get your house fixed so it is much harder and much noisier to get into, . . . alarms/lights/dog(s), . . . etc.

2nd: have a cell and a land line you can reach with no fumbling at the first noise, . . . AND PRACTICE DOING IT, . . . just don't dial the last "1", . . . don't nead the cavalry doing dry runs.

3rd: re-arrrange your bedroom so you have some sort of shielding from anyone coming armed into your bedroom, . . . personally, my gun safe door will be between me and the bg's. They'll need at least a .308 to penetrate that door.

4th: have a butt stock or fore arm shell holder (or both) on your Benelli with extra ammo, . . . AND GO OUT IN THE YARD AND PRACTICE SHOOTING AND RELOADING. Get yourself trained that you are: a) shooting, b) reloading, or c) moving, . . . because when you become static, . . . you become a statistic.

5th: the other thing, and this is something I will most likely be doing before the winter is over: disguise an exterior motion sensor light to look like a battery operated emergency light (like in schools, churches, hospitals, etc.). Put a switch for the power to it in your bedroom. Turn it on when you are safely in your bedroom. Any grub head that trips it, . . . becomes instantly bathed in twin 75 watt floods. At $30 apiece, . . . it is not that expensive.

May God bless,
Dwight
 
SHTF scenario... maybe not.

While the situation the OP is talking about is not too common, it does seem to make the news in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, and in the Orlando Sentinel, at least once every 7-10 days. Normally, the 3-4 man teams are hitting houses where drug activity goes down. Every so often, they seem to hit the wrong houses, looking for drugs that are not there.

Multiple BG home invasions on houses in the suburbs are still extremely rare.

In my neighborhood, I'm not all that worried about it.

In my parents' neighborhood, they don't have much to worry about, but a mile or two from their house, all bets are off.

So, I'd say this isn't such an outlandish concept. It's not one I personally worry about, but there are people for whom it's a reasonable worry.
 
Great advice on this thread. Wag really hit the nail on the head. I won't repeat what's already been said.

Change from 00 to #4s. That gives you 40+ pellets per shot instead of 7 or 8.

You might check with your local gun people and find out if your state allows sawed-off shotguns with a FFL permit. In some states it's easy, in other states it's not worth the hassle. If it works out, you can get an FFL and take another 6 inches off of that gun barrel. 40 pellets spread out in a 3 foot circle at 15 feet is one helluva weapon.

Still, I agree with some other posters that if an 18" 12 gauge isn't adequate, you're living in the wrong place, or something.

A dog can be a good idea, IF you're a dog person. Remember a dog's not just another piece of equipment. It has to be taken care of, exercised, played with, it might bark all night, etc. etc.

Motion-sensitive floodlights are often a good idea, but remember that in rural areas like yours, you can have varmints turning them on every 5 minutes. Coons, possums, skunks, foxes, feral cats, etc. That being said, one option that can be helpful is to have really bright floodlights around your house with an on/off switch of some kind next to your bed, NOT across the house in the laundry room. Hear something outside, hit the switch and the place lights up like daylight.

Along with the lights, you kick it up a couple more notches by having one of those "This property protected by Smith & Wesson" stickers by the front door (e.g. http://tinyurl.com/23u9nga ). Some others have a picture (the picture's important - many thugs can't read) of a gun pointed at you and a caption like, "If you come through this door you will die." Or "I don't call 911." Seriously, think about it. Most intruders would be VERY reluctant to fiddle with a doorknob with that sticker next to it, especially after the floodlights have already come on.

- Ruark
 
I'm just not a big shotgun fan - at most a pump shotgun holds how many rounds.....6, maybe 8? Then if you need more you yell TIME OUT and take 15 minutes to find those spare rounds and another 3 minutes to load them before you get to go "cha-chink" again.

Second problem with a shotgun is that there is a good chance of some of the 00buck missing and damaging your house - more so than a stray bullet will do. I also don't feel that 00 buck is as lethal as a high powered heavy handgun round, unless at close distances, in which case it's devastating.

I prefer .45 ACP, .357 or 10mm in a home setting. Heck, even a Desert Eagle .44 magnum would be fine. Over penetration is the last of my concerns. So, if some guy wants to use a semi-auto version of a .45 subgun or even a full-auto subgun - I say either can be at least if not more effective than a shotgun.
 
I would take the 5 shot 12ga over any semi auto hand gun even if they could hold 1000 rounds.

The reason is most gun fights only last a few shots.


but I agree with others the best defense is things like a good lock, a watch dog, motion sensory lights and a cell phone.

I know for a home defence gun my father used a SBS (leagel) double barrel 10 ga with a pistol grip. He nick named it "wrist breaker". It only held 2 shots.
 
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