Need a good Home Defense gun!

Huntingtrc

Inactive
I am looking to get a home defense gun that my wife can handle with out any issue. I currently have a 38spl colt revolver and a 45acp 1911. The colt fits well but I have a 2 and 3 yr old in the house and would like something that she can load quickly when needed. She can handle and shoot the 1911 very well but the slide sping is heavy and it has a lot of recoil for a follow up shot so I am looking for somthing in either 9 or 40. I have looked over both the M&Ps and the XDs. Does any one have an opinion on either of these or any others. I would love to get some feed back
 
If you have a good colt, and your wife can use it, and likes it, the answer is SIMPLE. Get a trigger lock, have her practice unlocking it.

ITS SAFER.

Its easier for a small child to load a clip in a gun then it is for him/her to work the trigger lock, especially if the keeper of the key, has the key on a chain around her neck like a neckless.

Personally I carry a 642 in my pocket, its pretty tough for my grandkids to get to it without me knowing it. Plus its always available.

A SD pistol/revolver isnt a SD pistol/revolver if its not available.

What good is a SD pistol/revolver setting on the night stand in the bedroom if you are setting on your couch watching TV during a home invasion?
 
Get a speed loader for your .38.
Many years ago I came home with my wife watching tv with my Model 27 in her lap, saying someone was looking in our window. I have a speed loader for it and it just took about 2 seconds to load. At that time we had small children in the house too.
 
Have a couple of speed loaders handy. If you're worried about the kids getting the revolver, swing the cylinder out and put a padlock around the top strap.
 
M&P's and XD's are ok .....not great in my opinion.

In a single stack gun ( slim, like a 1911 ) - I like the Sig 239 in a 9mm for a shooter with smaller hands. Its a very good DA/SA weapon ...

A 1911 can be a good choice / but if its on the edge of her comfort level with .45acp / then you can look for a 1911 in 9mm. Springfield, Colt, Kimber etc all make 1911's in 9mm - and the 1911 in 9mm is a great option / but not really inexpensive. On a budget, for a 1911, I would look at Sprinfield probably.

No matter what / if its really intended for her to use --- try and get her to the range for some monthly practice and encouragement.
 
CCW permit + small pocket carry auto or revolver.

That is really the ideal solution.

I know, most folks react with disdain at the idea of carrying a gun in their own home. But... if you're going to have a gun for home defense, then leave it unloaded and locked in another room, is it any use at all in a defensive situation?

I think it is not.

I'm not a parent, but I carry my gun all the time, even at home. When I have children, my only modification will be when I go to sleep, the gun will go into a finger-pad quick access safe rather than on the nightstand.

Smith aluminum frame J-frame revolver, 642 being one I own. That's a good option. Ruger LCR is another.

For autos... the tiny ones get tricky to rack the slide, so I'd recommend one of Beretta's tilt-barrel autos. The Tomcat in .32acp would be a LOT better if kept in the pocket, than a locked and unloaded .38 or .45 in another room.
 
I know, most folks react with disdain at the idea of carrying a gun in their own home. But... if you're going to have a gun for home defense, then leave it unloaded and locked in another room, is it any use at all in a defensive situation?

I agree with that, I think its out right silly for one to have a SD Pistol/Revolver and have to hunt it up, get it out of a locked safe, hunt up the ammo and load it, all in the few seconds it takes for someone to kick in your front door.

Look in the paper for crying out loud, hardly a day goes by that you dont read or hear about a home invasion.

Heck I dont have to get off the couch to discourage bad behavier, I just reach in my pocket.

Many years ago, there was a cop on our dept, that, like many cops (w/children) came home, and tossed his duty gear and service revolver on the top shelf of his bedroom closest. He got robbed (home invasion), poor sucker caught a lot of flac from his peers. All because he couldnt get to his service revolver. He was lucky that he lost a few bucks and some worthless items.

Like a said, a SD pistol/revolver isnt a SD pistol/revolver if you dont have access to it. A little snubbie isnt the biggest, baddess gun out there, but its Available.
 
Personally, I'd just look into a good lockbox and store whichever gun she likes best fully loaded inside of it. A lockable pistol safe would be sufficient to keep small kids out of trouble and can usually be had from WalMart for $30-40.
 
The colt fits well but I have a 2 and 3 yr old in the house and would like something that she can load quickly when needed.

A trigger locked or unloaded gun is a spendy set of brass knuckes, and an unwieldy one at that. It is only just slightly more useful than a gun locked up in a safe. If it's not accessable to you _right now_, it's not accessable to you in an emergency.


Your 2 and 3 y.o. kids understand that stoves are/can be HOTand ARE NOT TO BE TOUCHED? Then they should understand that daddy's and mommie's guns go BANG!, and ARE NOT TO BE TOUCHED. (exits, grumbling 'bout the bubble wrap generation.....)
 
I agree with jimbob86.

To the OP:

The Xd is a GREAT gun. Go with the 9mm. IMHO (and many others) the .40 is snappier than the .45acp round. The M&P is nice as well but the trigger feels "chintzy" to me.

However, there isn't a magic gun.
 
She can handle and shoot the 1911 very well but the slide sping is heavy and it has a lot of recoil for a follow up shot so I am looking for somthing in either 9 or 40.
It's been said, but the answer is obvious. Get a 1911 in 9mm. When you shoot a 1911 very well, you seem to go back to it again and again. This from experience.;)
 
[QUToday, 11:55 AM #1
Huntingtrc
Junior Member


Join Date: January 27, 2009
Posts: 12 Need a good Home Defense gun!

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I am looking to get a home defense gun that my wife can handle with out any issue. I currently have a 38spl colt revolver and a 45acp 1911. The colt fits well but I have a 2 and 3 yr old in the house and would like something that she can load quickly when needed. She can handle and shoot the 1911 very well but the slide sping is heavy and it has a lot of recoil for a follow up shot so I am looking for somthing in either 9 or 40. I have looked over both the M&Ps and the XDs. Does any one have an opinion on either of these or any others. I would love to get some feed back
[/QUOTE]

Under the circumstances you present, a great choice would be the Beretta 92F. 15+1 up top of .9mm should be enough to handle things on the home front. The biggest plus that you may like, however, is that it can be rendered very safe simply by disengaging the slide mounted safety. It won't fire until that saftey is manually pushed back up into the "Fire" position.
 
Trigger Lock

I would disagree with the trigger lock. It is fairly easy engage trigger on a pistol with trigger lock enabled. Or atleast I can shoot a pistol with a trigger lock on it. I did not believe it at first, but it can be done. I think a better choice is the lock that folds over entire pistol where you cannot contact trigger area. IMHO I can't remember name but they are common.

And I vote for the shotgun, even if you have to go with a 20guage. I am a 1911 fan, but I will take a shotgun over the pistol any day of week in defending the home.
 
45 acp revolver

Get a 45 ACP revolver and keep the ammo in moon clips.No 3 or 4 year old will know what the moon clips are for or how to load them,but your wife can load up much faster than with a speedloader.S&W makes the regular 22-4 and the Nightguard-I have the 22-4 and switched out the grips for Pachmayrs-makes a great difference in recoil control and saves wear and tear from the skimpy Thunder Ranch grips.
 
Terry A said:
Under the circumstances you present, a great choice would be the Beretta 92F. 15+1 up top of .9mm should be enough to handle things on the home front. The biggest plus that you may like, however, is that it can be rendered very safe simply by disengaging the slide mounted safety. It won't fire until that saftey is manually pushed back up into the "Fire" position.

The Beretta 92FS probably wouldn't be a good choice.

First off, it is very large, especially in grip circumference and trigger reach. Many women (and a lot of men) find it too large to properly fit their hand.

Second, the safety operates in the opposite way as the 1911 she is familiar with. On the 1911, up is safe and down is fire. On the Beretta, down is safe and up is fire. You don't want her fumbling with the safety when fractions of a second could mean life or death.

1. If she's able to shoot the 1911 well, but has trouble working the slide, she is probably using the wrong technique. Many women simply can't muscle the slide like many men are able to because of the difference in upper body strength between the two sexes.

http://www.corneredcat.com/RunGun/rack.aspx

2. If she has difficulty with follow-up shots with a .45 ACP 1911, the money would be better served by several boxes of ammunition and more practice.

I don't see the need for another gun here unless those two steps fail.
 
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