What's your top 3 favorite handguns for home defense?

But 1911s only have a magazine capacity of 7 or 10?
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I always get a mental chuckle, then then a sigh, when I hear something like this.... "but it only holds ....."

How many times do you plan to miss??? :rolleyes:

If magazine capacity is your primary concern, get a Calico, if you can.

The OP stated "home defense" and to me, that means inside my house, or close outside it. SO, carry gun features and concealability are not relevant.
 
liv4spd said:
But 1911s only have a magazine capacity of 7 or 10?
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And your point is?

Anyway like I said a handgun is not my first choice. A short barreled shotgun is. 7 rounds of 12 gauge 00 buck trumps 8 rounds of .45 ACP or 17 rounds of 9mm.
 
I have a SW Model 65 revolver loaded with .38 spl. +P Golden Sabers in my basement. I usually keep two in my nightstand. It varies depending on what I am carrying, but right now I have a Ruger LCP and a SW Shield.

I also have a 12 gauge and an AR-15 in my bedroom closet. No grandchildren or other children in my house.
 
The OP stated "home defense" and to me, that means inside my house, or close outside it. SO, carry gun features and concealability are not relevant.
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Then my Ruger 9mm PCC with 32 round Glock mags comes to the forefront
 
To all the top shots here that fantasize about how they can end a gun fight with a couple of well aimed shots, I want to relate a little real life story.

My son has a friend from the police academy who was an army ranger close combat instructor and is a very competent pistol shot, both in accuracy and speed. We went shooting together a few times.

He and his partner happened to get into a gun fight, both were armed with Glocks with Hornady Critical Duty ammo. My son's friend shot the perp in the torso at about 12 yards eight times out of nine rounds that he fired in less than two seconds, his partner fired eight times at 9 yards, hitting eight times, also in about two seconds. It took those rounds for the perp to drop his gun and go down.

From my own experience I can only say that not two gun fights will be the same and I prefer to err on the safe side, that's why I have a fire extinguisher, road flares, and tools in my truck.
 
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Glock G34, despite the fact I don't like glocks in general. Reason? Reliability, accuracy, nice enough oem trigger, and I won't hate the government too much if it is seized after being used for home defense and I have to surrender THAT pistol. Meh- it was a Glock.

Rossi 951 .38special revolver. Goes bang all the time. Accurate. Smooth trigger. .38special 'fbi special' loads are not going to give me issues with overpenetration through my wall into my neighbors' unit, and my wife or I can fire it. Also, if the revolver is seized, it was a Rossi. yes, my father in laws, but everyone was surprised he had it, so it isn't a legacy thing to my kids.

Ruger P97DC. Accurate, reliable, eats any round and wants more. Only drawback? No light rail. Advantages? Smooth trigger with light pull: DA pull under 8 lbs, SA pull under 4lbs. Oh, and not going to be out a lot of cash or stress if I have to cough it up to the DA , despite it be a legitimate and legal use of force to protect my family.

BTW, I am in california- so how it will play in the eyes of the DA is a real concern here.


There are a lot more precise firearms out there, with better reputations. Yet, these three would save either my or my wifes' life.
 
He and his partner happened to get into a gun fight, both were armed with Glocks with Hornady Critical Duty ammo. My son's friend shot the perp in the torso at about 12 yards eight times out of nine rounds that he fired in less than two seconds, his partner fired eight times at 9 yards, hitting eight times, also in about two seconds. It took those rounds for the perp to drop his gun and go down.
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I think you're drawing the wrong conclusion. 16 hits in 2 seconds (or 4 seconds if they weren't both the same 2 seconds?). I wouldn't say it took those rounds to put the perp down, I'd say that was how many were used in the time it took for the perp to go down.

I am reminded of the comedian telling about getting tossed out of a bar. "I don't know how many guys it takes to toss me out of a bar, but they used 6!" :D

Maybe round #1 did the job and it just took a couple seconds for gravity to do its job, during which time he was hit 15 more times. Maybe it was round #5 or #11, or maybe it was the very last hit. We don't know. And I don't think there is really any way to know. Thinking it took all 16 rounds to put the guy down fits the observed facts, but it is an assumption I don't think ought to be made.

Knew of a guy who had to defend himself twice in SE Asia. Once with a GI 45 and once with a Browning Hi Power. FMJ ammo. Based on his personal experience, he rated them equal, as they performed the same. "I shot the guy twice, and he fell down." is what he said about their performance.
 
A primary home defense gun is not a handgun, it's a shotgun. Even a 20 ga with buck will provide a lot more knock down power than any handgun.
 
"Please don't show off your toys from WWII..."

:confused::confused::confused:

For many years one of my primary nightstand guns was a Vis Radom made during... World War II.

Another was a Smith & Wesson Model 1917 made in the late 1930s for Brazil.

Not sure what their age has to do with them.

These days my primary nightstand gun is a Smith & Wesson Model 410 in .40 S&W.

Downstairs in my living room I have a FN High Power in 9mm (another "WW II toy based on design, but manufactured in the 1990s).
 
liv4spd said:
Please don't show off your toys from WWII, or those $5000 Korth revolvers. Let's limit the list to things that are still in production and with a price tag of <$1500.

I'll start:
- Sig P226 Legion (DA/SA)
- Walther PDP Pro (striker-fired polymer)
- SW 686 (revolver)
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Glock 19, Glock 30 and Smith three inch Model 60 .38 Special with adjustable sights (pre-lock, of course).

Hard choice.
 
I should add that I find it odd that nobody is talking about using the .45 ACP with a suppressor.

How many here have popped off a full mag of .40 S&W indoors?

And a 12 gauge? FoGetAboudit!!!!!

Unless you like using sign language or, at least, hearing aids, you don't want to be in an indoor gunfight with a gun that is not suppressed.

And the .45 (being both powerful and sub sonic) is the best choice for that.
 
Well, I happen to have three handguns that are "in the rotation" for home defense but only one meets the criteria put forth, I guess I can only name my 4" S&W 629-6. The other two, while not particularly old or expensive, are out of production (one was made in the 70's and the other in 2013) so, as a consolation prize, I'll tell you what kind of ammunition my S&W .44 Magnum is loaded with: Remington HTP 240 gr SJHP.
 
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