Primary Home Defense Weapon System

home def

After much thought and experimenting with guns and loads I have gone to the following for in the home weapons;

1.12ga. pump with "bb" shot, full bandolier hanging from the wall rack (weapon is put on a wall rack and returned to safe in morning). Tactical light is attached to mag tube.

2. .38 sp./3" barrell, first 3 chambers are shotshells, last 3 +P 158gr. wadcutters.

The .38 is primarily the wife's. The shotshells are as close to point and squeeze as you can find for the average size room. The pellets will most likely blind any attacker across the room and at closer distances an upper body hit will cause massive damage.
She and I have practiced with this gun and load for several years, and the pellet count on 20' and less targets is very good.
 
I'dd prefer a .410 shotgun like the mossberg homedefender with a pistol grip if possible. I'dd also suggest a double action .38sp revolver.
 
12 gauge 00 magnum Buck

Fire first ask questions of the corpse.

12 gauge 00 magnum Buck

Oh, my all new Winchester Defender in politically correct fluro-orange day-glow green.

I defy ANYONE to hold their "super-duper weapon system" of choice stand in the door way of my bedroom and try to return fire after I have nailed them with a "magic death dealing thunderbolt" from Winnie.

Regards,
HS/LD
 
No kids in the house, just the little woman and myself. Bedroom has a reinforced oak door and turn bolt with a steel frame. Cell phone, Surefire Executive and a Gunvault with a S&W 686+ .357 and ammo make it likely no unwanted intruders will make it in before the LEOs arrive. If things get real bad the padlocked footlocker under the bed with the Maadi ARM AK and a few loaded mags will further deter entry. All the other firearms are in the safe.

Being in the burbs I don't have too many fears that once help is called it won't be too long before it arrives. Most B&Es will take off ASAP if they realize the cops are inbound. Home invasions with more nefarious intent (aka Wichita Massacre) are the primary concern for armed response. I've considered keeping a hidden small handgun (J Frame or Makarov) somewhere around the house as well I can get to quickly if needed.
 
Shotgun is most effective in terms of terminal ballistics (overpenetration issues are easily resolved by different choices of ammo). It is also most reliable and easier for most people to use. That said, I think that if I had small children I would use a handgun. This is because if I had to move them from one area of the house to a safer area I could still operate the firearm fairly easily.

Jeff
 
HS >>12 gauge 00 magnum Buck

Oh, my all new Winchester Defender in politically correct fluro-orange day-glow green.

I defy ANYONE to hold their "super-duper weapon system" of choice stand in the door way of my bedroom and try to return fire after I have nailed them with a "magic death dealing thunderbolt" from Winnie.<<

Who says you will fire first? If you get it hit first with 3" #4 Turkey Load you ain't gonna fire anything again -- ever!

Michael
 
First line of defense is a 25Lb Maine Coon cat that always likes to "play" with guests by pouncing from the fridge top. Goes by the name "Muishelovka"

Second: A big easily opened back door for us to haul butt out of. Call me a wuss, but there's nothing (breathing things excepted) in my house worth dying for.

After that: Mossberg 590 Defender loaded with Buck. Python with Glasers.

Room mates with guns and phones of their own.
 
HD System?

Mindset,
Planning,
Low crime rate community,
Know thy neighbors,
Well lite exterior,
Locked windows and doors,
Dog,
High speed low drag tactical illumination device,
Cell phone,
12 Gauge with double ought buck,
Backup (wife) with revolver (.38+P Gold Dots).

Comforting.

Sleep Well.

-LeadPumper
 
Good Lord people

I don't know where you live but I feel that if anyone got past my 3 Amigos I could handle what ever is left with Spoon. Ok, really I always have my Security-Six .357 next to my bed just in case, but my gosh what some of you people say you have at the ready by your bed is crazy. You talk like you live in Bosnia or some place like that. I'm all for self-protection but come on! The only time I have ever heard of a multitude of people breaking in a door and swarming a house is when SWAT does it, or it is a drug related gang thing.

(On a side note: I think it was about 5 years ago that a drug bust gone bad in kali where the home owner was woken up by the door being broke down, I belive he grabbed the handgun next to the bed and the Cops saw him raise the gun and shot him. The bad part was they had the wrong house.:( )
 
The only time I have ever heard of a multitude of people breaking in a door and swarming a house is when SWAT does it, or it is a drug related gang thing.
Click to expand...

A guy I used to work with moonlighted as an alleged bounty-hunter. One night he and 4 other so-called bounty-hunters decided to go after what they thought was drug money, and assaulted a house. they rounded up most of the occupying family in the living room, then kicked in the door of the master bedroom. The guy who happened to be in the bed managed to wound 2 of them with a pistol despite their kevlar. They then hosed the bedroom with rifle fire, killing the man and woman occupants. My wonderful coworker is now on death row, and the rest got life. There were no drugs or apparent drug money on the premises.

2 doors down from me 3 gangster invaded a home in the middle of the night, probably also looking for a drug dealer with cash. All they found was a working class family with nothing to appease the thugs. The shot the husband in the head, then raped the wife and beat her into a coma. This was in front of the 3 kids.

Not only the cops raid the wrong house.
 
I have (and would ALWAYS prefer to use) an assortment of baseball bats, golf clubs, axe handles, crowbars, mag-lites, etc. If you supplement the bludgeons with pepper spray, you've got yourself a good ol' fashioned beat-down, guaranteed.

As far as I know, most home invaders in their right mind don't carry guns, since the punishment for armed burglary is quite a bit harsher than unarmed. Most decently heavy, blunt objects will usually give you the advantage, unless your new friend is actually armed. :eek:

If I'm feeling extra paraniod, I'll grab my pistol-grip 6+1 18" Remington 870 and whatever shells are close by, hopefully 00.

If I'm feeling frisky, I'll pop a 10-round stripper clip in my Yugo SKS and flip out the bayonet. Can you say shishkabob?!?! Four times fast?

The AR-15 is all fine and dandy, but can it really stop an assailant in one shot? Somebody please convince me. Don't get me wrong, I love my AR, (especially with the 30-rnd clip) but I like the security of having something a little (or a lot) bigger than .223.

Of course, the closest gun (and the loaded gun) is usually a pistol, which makes it my first line of defense in most cases. I like to sleep with my Ruger P-944 next to my pillow, loaded up with 135-grain Federal hydra-shocks.

Knives are cool too, but I would think of them last. I don't really want to stab anyone and they're probably the least effective in confronting or scaring off an invader. Of course, if you have to tangle with someone in hand-to-hand combat, a knife is probably your best bet. I keep a couple of sheath knives under my bed just in case the boogeyman jumps through my bedroom window.

I've got a Katana sword, but it's really just meant as a display piece. However, the blade is plenty sharp and I wouldn't hesitate to go samurai on a burglar's ass if it was the closest weapon. :mad:

I also used to have a telescoping steel baton, but it cracked after several bouts of abusive misuse. Damn tree stumps. I'd buy another, but it turns out they're illegal to carry concealed and if I'm at home, I'd rather just use a crowbar or a tire iron.

Hmmmm... what about a plain ol' knuckle sandwich? I'm a pretty big guy at 6' 220lbs, but my brother (who is also my roommate), is 6'4" and plays rugby for UW. I think he's scary enough to send most trespassers packing. We got in a little argument/scuffle last month and accidentally broke the computer desk, a lamp, a potted plant and a couple of bar-stools. That's us going easy on each other. (Don't worry, we made up right after he dislocated my shoulder.) Lord have mercy if we really wanted to hurt someone, they'd end up in the hospital, at best.
 
I usually use a Glock35 loaded with a 15 round high cap with an M3 light and extra mags beside the bed. I wouldn't want to fight someone at O dark thirty with clubs, knives or such. There have been many cases in Vegas of home invasions where there have been more than one invader. Shotguns and AR's are all good choices and I have these as back ups but for now I will use a pistol.
 
Some of these old posts are very interesting - like finding "treasure" in the attic

"One night he and 4 other so-called bounty-hunters ... assaulted a house... rounded up most of the occupying family ... kicked in the door of the master bedroom. The guy ... in the bed managed to wound 2 of them with a pistol despite their kevlar. They then hosed the bedroom ... killing the man and woman occupants. "

"2 doors down from me 3 gangster invaded a home in the middle of the night ... shot the husband in the head, then raped the wife and beat her into a coma. This was in front of the 3 kids."


While reading through the individual defense arms and plan scenarios, I couldn't help but think, what about the BGs with vitamin K?

I am from SE Florida and believe me, they have multiple HIs. Further, FL has a "home is castle" law, which means that most BGs know that they have a good chance that, if they don't turn and run faster than Mach 1, they are gonna get carried out.

I drifted up the firepower chain from handguns in .40 S&W & 10MM to a shotgun. Did a lot of shopping and listening to my trainer. I took him to a gunshow on a shopping trip looking for a semiauto shotgun, ended up with a super deal on a Remington 1100 with a 24" bbl. Don't laugh now - it is fully compensated, has a full mag tube for 10 +1 and is a preban with a pistol stock. I have trained shooting it in a number of ways, which include single-handed rapid fire with the stock tucked under my arm and slow fire with the stock jammed back and a tight cheek weld. It works. A semiauto SG is a fantastic weapon, allowing you to use your weakside hand for a number of tasks, like transitioning to your sidearm (learn to shoot weakside!).

I load my SG with 5+1 reduced recoil, 12 ga. 00 buck. They are followed by high velocity, sabot slugs - Brennecke or Win Partition Gold. The former is for effect at ranges of up to 10 to 12 yds - I get some fist sized spread at that range. Up to that range, 9 x .31 caliber lead balls @ 1,400 fps - don't forget the packaging - will do some serious damage just about anywhere you hit on the torso. I get 8" groups doing double and triple tap routines under stress at those ranges. The sabot slugs are simply there because I guess that if they are still moving after getting sprayed with buckshot, they may be packed in Kevlar. Unless they are wearing plates, I think they will notice a sabot slug. I also have a 10 round bandolier (5 x 00 buck & 5 sabots) and a 5 rounds (5 sabots) on the side. I wear the sidearm (10MM) in a crossdraw holster with thumb-break. I am not very worried about over penetration in my main defensive position, at the top of the stairs in front of the safe room. I am planning to install a lockable, high strength steel gate that will allow me to shoot through but keep BG at a distance. Maybe get some kevlar curtains to frame it ;)

I have also set up remote switched lights - three sets inside the house that can backlight the BG. I have one set that casts shadows against a doorway in a room where a person could seek concealment - about 30 feet from my firing position.

The whole home defense thing is predicated on being able to react fast enough to counter a threat. Home invasions are usually very fast - smash and dash. I don't think that I would want to clear a house on my own, at least not until I waited a while - those electronic ear protectors have a great advantage in that they amplify non-destructive sound.

Finally, the next weapon on my shopping list will be a AR style weapon - just waiting for a nasty piece of Clinton's legacy to die on Sep. 13th. Good weapons system with a lot of room for enhancement and making serious adjustments easily. Different ammo will do different things.

Last but not least, the closest of all the weapons is my Sig 239/40 - my first modern handgun. Great shooter.
 
IMHO, THE #1 BURGLAR DETERRANT: Leave a t.v. or radio on when you leave your house or when you go to sleep. That really does make it seem like someone's home. Leave a light or two on as well. If your house is decently lit and sounds busy, a BG is much less likely to intrude unless he has violent intentions.

My little house in North Seattle has fairly good visibility from windows on two sides. If I can see who is on my property and can rationally assume they are unarmed, I will pack a loaded pistol and carry a mag-light and pepper spray to check them out.
I remember one incident when an old, drunk guy came up to my front door and asked if my house was the hospital. He needed to check in to the Betty Ford Clinic, but fast. I was tempted to pepper spray his sorry butt for being stupid, but I managed to resist the temptation and told him to get lost.

If I hear a noise on my property that happens to be somewhere out of my vision, I will pack a pistol and grab a longarm. Chances are it's someone sneaking around where they know they shouldn't be.

Of course, if I should actually hear a noise inside my house, I will grab the closest weapon to investigate. That's usually a pistol. Since I'm the one with the guns, my brother likes to have an axe handle or at least a golf club by each door, in case of rabid Jehovas Witnesses or a prank pizza delivery. :rolleyes: I live on a fairly busy street and my neighborhood can be a little bit seedy sometimes, but it's not bad enough to constantly worry about having to shoot some tresspasser. Hey, I'm at least as paraniod as the next gun owner, but I do like to let my guard down sometimes. I would like to think I can solve most situations without resorting to the use of firearms, but I suppose one can't be too careful nowadays.
 
Used to be shotgun.

Now, handgun (1911 with 10 round mags, to be exact)

Why? Because I decided that maneuvering around corners, bringing the weapon quickly into firing position, and retention of weapon (all weighing in favor of the handgun) were more important for home defense than unparalleled firepower and ability to buttstroke a BG (weighing in favor of the shotty). Going around corners with even a short (18" bbled) shotty, you're at a considerable disavantage for a moment until you can swing it around on target. For me, ideally, grab the handgun, sling the shotty over the shoulder for backup, and starting clearing rooms...
 
I have four ranch-raised cowdogs that stay inside at night (can you say force multiplier?. By the time the land sharks get through with someone who tries to break in, I'll have time to reread this thread, and make a decision over a cup of coffee.

Denny
 
As far as I know, most home invaders in their right mind don't carry guns
Click to expand...

Maybe in your part of the country... Not that I've heard of, but I'll assume you know your area... :confused:


I have a healthy respect for a 12 guage (it's my primary HD weapon), but some of you folks seem to have TOO much confidence in it.

I recommend to EVERYONE to read through all of John Farnam's Quips and Quotes. There is a lot of good information there on real gunfights, and the results. It might surprise some folks to learn that a solid hit with a 12 ga slug isn't a sure stop.

I'm not suggesting that the 12 isn't a good choice! But having realistic expectations is much better than living in a fantasy land where a blast from a 12 guage will throw a man across a room.


Some folks might also find that using double taps and triple taps isn't recommended practice for good reason. (But much better than shooting once and looking to see how the BG is doing!)


It's not the only good information available, of course, but it's there and it's free and it covers a lot of ground. Comes from multiple sources, too.
 
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