Pistol or long gun-home defense

[kenny53]

I have always kept a pistol in the nightstand for home defense, but I have recently seen arguments for both shotguns and/or Rifles. Please tell me your preferences but also explain why ok? I have always thought 17 rounds and maneuverability were important but can certainly be convinced of alternatives


I keep a pistol on my nightstand as well. For many of the reasons mentioned above. Mine has 10 rounds of 45 ACP hollow points. If that doesn't stop the bad guy it will give the wife a good reason to remodel. What ever works for you works.

 

[2wheelwander]

I have a Springfield .45 XD and a Shockwave with light/laser in my bedroom. With loved ones in the house I do not feel a rifle round has any business defending the home due to over penetration. The same can be said for 00 buck, but for me, those extra pellets heading downrange outweighs this concern.

A pistol is fast and easy to manipulate, but easily taken away rounding a corner if you do it wrong. A short carbine with sling ties the weapon to me giving me an advantage. My home layout puts all bedrooms down one hallway creating a death funnel to whoever goes into it. I have line of sight to the front door and living room, but moving to the hallway and you are at the little end funneling bullets.

My job as Dad/husband is to protect my family, not ensure anyone who enters is killed at the risk of myself leaving my family defenseless. So long as I wake and get to my weapon before they get into that hallway my plan is to call 911, cover the hallway and wait for the Calvary.

I am former LE and Army. I've been trained in hunt/kill scenarios. Clearing my home by myself is a death wish. FAR too many hidden corners.

So, for me, given the opportunity I will grab my Shockwave. Besides the 00 buck, the audible message of a shotgun racking is powerful. But, it only gives me a few shots before reloading and as mentioned above fine motor skills free fall under duress. I'm not prepared to bet my families lives there is but one intruder or I won't need more shots.

For this reason I am considering going to a Scorpion with brace. Compact, sling, 30 rounds, easily mounted optics/lights, widely used platform in LE in other countries. Besides that, I'm a CZ slut.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

With loved ones in the house I do not feel a rifle round has any business defending the home due to over penetration. The same can be said for 00 buck, but for me, those extra pellets heading downrange outweighs this concern.

If your home is of typical 2x4/drywall construction, any round (pistol, buckshot, or rifle) that misses the target has the ability to injure someone on the other side of a wall (or several walls in some cases). Here is a recent thread on the subject with video: https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=599563

As that thread demonstrates, with proper ammo selection, rifles can penetrate less than pistol calibers or buckshot in some circumstances. Good ammo selection and training are key. As that thread also demonstrates, drywall is not bullet resistant. 5/8” of powdered gypsum and paper won’t stop someone behind it from getting hurt - so be aware of your backstop regardless of the weapon you choose.

 

[davidsog]

With loved ones in the house I do not feel a rifle round has any business defending the home due to over penetration.

Your thinking is correct but for some reason the message about wall penetration gets distorted.

Think of interior walls as concealment and never cover. While there is some variation in ability to penetrate, it is better to think/plan your defense as if they did not stop any bullets, which is not far from the truth.

Get something that is not going to penetrate your EXTERIOR WALLS and kill your neighbors. Teach your family to get down, take cover, and move to a designated "safest area" in their room. Essentially you should establish sectors of fire in your home. Not talking about making stakes or painting left/right limits. Be situationally aware of those safe areas when you make the decision to pull the trigger.

I personally use a pistol to defend myself on the way to getting my shotgun.

so be aware of your backstop regardless of the weapon you choose.

Very good advice.

rifles can penetrate less than pistol calibers or buckshot in some circumstances.

True but your then accepting other trade offs.

Personally I just skip the need to shop around for the "right" niche. There are other better tools in the toolbox IMHO.

 

[davidsog]

This paper contains the findings of an experimental evaluation on the behavior of
common exterior wall assemblies found in residential construction when impacted by
bullets fired from a wide variety of firearms of different caliber.

file:///C:/Users/Owner/Downloads/Resistance%20of%20Exterior%20Walls%20to%20High%20Velocity%20Projectiles%20%E2%80%93%20Technical%20Report%20-%20CPRC%20(4).pdf

If you live in an apartment or town home a shotgun with something like #4 buck shot is ideal. You can still shoot through a wall if needs be, but you are not likely to kill your neighbors. The shot pattern is also going to be very small at CQB distances, and it will have great effects on any intruders. Check this video out, covering it’s benefits.

https://youtu.be/w6cmGHz-4O4

If you have a single family home and live in a neighborhood you have a few more options depending on your location. You might choose a 5.56 caliber weapon for its superior ability to produce agonal wounding. However, you must be very aware what areas you may not shoot for fear of hitting loved ones or neighbors. If that sounds like too much for you in the heat of the moment, pick the shotgun.

Lastly you need to consider you interior layout and family type. If you have a large family in different areas of the house then over penetration is a very real danger. For the vast majority of folks, a 12 gauge with with an extended mag full of buckshot, and a light will be the ideal setup.

https://www.tierthreetactical.com/three-myths-that-can-kill-you/

 

[Cirdan]

I don't know why we keep these threads up. Endless arguments about over penetration and power, with unlikely scenarios driving our choices.

Last training class I took was from a guy who grew up the son of the local police chief. As a result, he spent his teen years playing the bad guy in all sorts of training scenarios.

Most interesting point he made is the average number of bad guys in a late night home robbery is 2.1. He then asked an intelligent question - do you really want to walk into an situation in a dark house where you do not know how many people you are up against and where they are? He's a single father with a daughter. His recommended solution is grab the kid and barricade yourself in a room. Call 911 and wait. If someone kicks in the door, that's a hostile act and you can start shooting. Sounds like a plan.

For me, Glock 19 with a light (no laser) and a cell phone. Light because most of these things happen after dark, and I like to see what I'm shooting at. No long gun, because they're awkward in tight quarters and the end of the barrel can be close enough for the BG to grab. At the same time, I'm pretty confident of hitting the target with a handgun at those distances. Might be different for you.

 

[vito]

I very frequently have young grandchildren in my home. I know myself well enough that I will not rely upon waiting to secure a shotgun or rifle when I know the kids are coming over. Handguns can be safely stored and immediately accessible in several GunVault safes that I keep in different parts of my home. I keep a Mossberg 500 loaded with 7 rounds of 00 buck in a ShotLock mounted inside my closet, which is fairly accessible but not for the proverbial "bump in the night" that wakes me and gets me to grab a firearm as quickly as possible.

And while I am not an expert shot by any means, I feel confident that in the close distances of inside my home that I can use my Glock 17 with a rail light to hit the target I am aiming at. In the extremely unlikely case of having a prolonged gun fight inside my home, I would retreat to the master bedroom closet and get the 12 gauge.

 

[L2R]

Your individual situation, dictates your needs.
Dwelling,property size and children are a huge factor.

I wanted:
*something that me or my wife could shoot accurately under duress and half asleep.
*something with more stopping power and accuracy than what an intruder would typically have in hand
*something to minimize flash and noise
*accurate to 50 yards (far fetched to think I would be under attack at edge of property but weird things happen)

I have no children at home so I have no plans to move about or clear the house.




A small carbine with suppressor fits the bill for us.
I just don't see anyone making it up the stairs and down the hallway.

I would hope that the red dot on the wall would discourage them from walking up the stairs.

 

[Kvon2]

His recommended solution is grab the kid and barricade yourself in a room. Call 911 and wait. If someone kicks in the door, that's a hostile act and you can start shooting. Sounds like a plan.

this is the plan in my household. No kids at the moment but if we are confident that someone is in the home lock the bedroom door, arm ourselves, call the police.

An overwhelming majority of the time they want your tv, laptop, etc... Home invaders almost never want to see the home owner.

Don't seek out the threat if you're confident its there.