Sw for home defense

2&1/2" Model 19.

Why? Had one with me for 33 years. It's ingrained into me. Pure instinct, and I trust myself to shoot it straight even if I get hit in the head and am down and half conscious. Only thing is if I'm half conscious, I'll reload and shoot him again six more times to make sure in case I pass out.

Oh, I could make do with another K frame - round butt preferred, but not totally necessary.
 
As much as I love my .44 mags I can't imagine firing one inside the house at night. The muzzle flash and muzzle blast would be devastating. You'd better hit the bg with your first shot.
 
Call me old fashioned, but I think the ideal home defense revolver is the plain old 4" S&W Model 10. You can pick up a good used one pretty cheap, its totally reliable, plenty accurate and the .38 Special is more than enough for across the room distances without going deaf or over penetration problems. JMHO ;)
 
S&W For home defence

I have more than a few handguns in my collection. But the one I like in the night stand and in the house is the 625 loaded up with Cor-Bon 200gr JHP +p and a spare moon clip near by. Here is why, The Big Bore factor. Power and control, fast reload if needed, no safety to work. And if it does not fit your grip change the stocks. This is by far the best gun for the money. Also they just feel right in the hand. Hope this helps.
 
Dusty Miller,

Police departments left the .38 special behind many years ago for good reason, they didn't get the job done.
Click to expand...

If you pop somebody with a 158gr LSWC-HP +P out of a .38 and he doesn't stop, then it wasn't what you hit him with, but where you hit him. Ballistically, on a human target, anything bigger than that is just whistling past the graveyard, anyway. Do I feel better with a bigger load or one appended with the magic "Magnum"? Sure, but I won't deny that the benefit is largely in my own psyche. The old +P lead hollowpoint, with its high sectional density and no jacket to slow down expansion, mushrooms reliably and penetrates purt' near all the way through a man, no matter what angle it hits from. What more can you ask of a load?
 
I'll say it again! The round is only as effective as the person shooting it. The only reason I can think of people using "Big Gun" is they feel safer which is I understand.
 
1917 S&w

I keep a US Army Model 1917 (S&W) nearby. I figure if .45 ACP was good enough to stop a charging a bad guy from WWI to Vietnam it's good enough for me today.
Plus full moon clips give me a quick reload, although if I can't stop them with the first six I should have a baseball bat instead.
Besides I'm a history teacher and the gun and cartridge have incredible stories!
 
What large(er) and magnum loads do is increase your margin of error. Train with whatever you choose and put the round where it needs to go and you might be suprised at how "little" can be gotten away with.
 
Hmm.. Cz75 and S&W, you have good taste in firearms.

The 610 would give you both bullet diameter and velocity.

Used with the Federal 180 gr Hydra-Shok. (The same load that
I have in my 10mm Witness) You would have a very effective
HD gun. The FED load is rated@ .40 S&W velocities and has
very low recoil for factory 10mm fodder.

With having all the CZs I want right now. There are no autos that
catch my eye, but I do lust for a 4 or 6 inch 610.

Should serve me well until CZ-USA to sends me a SP-01 Tactical:)
 
Cops left the 38 spcl years ago not because it was ineffective against human targets; but to get better penetration against vehicles. You will not be shooting through window glass or car doors within your bedroom. A 158g lead semi wadcutter hollowpoint +P from a 38 spcl will more than do the job. This is a very hard hitting round! No jacket, just pure lead to expand; and it does it very well. As others have suggested; a short barreled model 10, 64, etc. is almost perfect for the job for all of the reasons that have been stated.
 
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