Advice #2

knife hunter said:
I would first suggest getting a couple of dogs, some lighting, alarm etc.

I keep the 20 gauge double barrell ready to go for my wife when I am not in town. I grew up shooting it and its real short along with a high end light. THe wife likes it and is comfortable using it.

If an intruder gets past the dogs, alarm, locks etc they will not be happy with what greets them on the other side:thumbup:
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Unless you're looking for a companion. Please don't buy dogs solely for the purpose of guarding your property. Too many animals are raised exclusively for this purpose, live crappy lives, and are neglected and even abused. Not suggesting anybody here would or could, neglect or abuse a dog. Just that, protection should never be the primary reason for getting a dog.
 
adrock1978 said:
A .22? You wouldn't need to be hopped up on much more than sharpie markers to withstand a shot from that. :D
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dont doubt .22's they kill more people than any other bullet.
lethal up to 100 yards, small, cheap, silent and no recoil.
I would much rather get hit with a 9mm or .45 ACP than a .22 as they have enough power to go into the skull but not enough to go out, so they just bounce around inside you and really F^&* you up.
 
+1 on a .357. Ruger GP100s are fairly inexpensive and will outlast you and your wife. For some reason, this is my wife's favorite gun to shoot at the range, even with full bore .357 rounds, though .38s are cheaper to practice with.

A shotgun can be unweildy indoors and the report will be deafening inside a small room or hallway. It's also easier for a bad guy to wrestle away.

Also- an unloaded firearm is a really lousy defense weapon! You do not want to be trying to load when you actually need to be shooting- and that's not even talking about your dexterity going away due to the adrenaline dump.
 
Baseball bat. I preffer ash, but aluminum works too. I keep guns locked up after a break in at my old house resulted in a stolen pistol.
 
M84 flash bang 170 db about 5 feet away.
.410 150 decibels; less than 3' from your head?
.45 157 decibels arms length
.22 120-80 decibels.
Sound isn't the issue per say, more like the brutal attack on your equilibrium.

I think the probabilty of actually getting off an accurate follow up shot is much much better with a .22, and you never know if your going to need a follow up shot. so firepower per say isn't necessarily the answer to your question.

Temporary wound cavities are approx. 10 times the size of the caliber, so while you laugh at the little low power .22 the actual wound the perp is gonna feel is about 2.2" wide and several inches into his body cavity, that gets larger with hollow points. your family will be much safer with a .22 missing the target than a shotgun blast or a .357 which both have enough energy to cause death on the other side of the walls in your house.

Its something to consider regardless of wether you follow the firepower solves everything train of thought or not.
 
There are some AOW's which are sort of like short barreled shotguns, except they are factory built and therefore cheaper and easier to get (then SBS not necessary cheaper the regular shotguns). Shotgun would be the easiest to obtain and probably the hands down most effective for HD.

For hand gun revolvers are hard to beat.

considering you have moabs and KZ I'd say look into Korth Revolvers.

Flash light is a good idea,
If it was up to me I'd get the torch, not only will you see him like its a hot summer day you will also have a chance to burn out his eyes.

Still a sight of a dude with two oversized blades is probably traumatizing.
 
I don't know... I'm not doubting a .22 in an ideal situation or from a ballistics standpoint. Most situations are rarely ideal though and I'd rather have a weapon that performs "better" in most situations than a weapon that performs well in some.

You have to consider your surroundings and what is beyond your target for any weapon used, whether its a .22 or a 12g. I wouldn't shoot at a perp who's standing in front of my sons bedroom door or other people.

The weight of my 686 .357 combined with the length give it great accuracy and ease of follow up shots.

I'm by no means an expert so I wouldn't try to negate the opinions on .22s but I'd be willing to bet the top 5 most agreed upon home defense firearms don't include a .22
 
Volk said:
There are some AOW's which are sort of like short barreled shotguns, except they are factory built and therefore cheaper and easier to get (then SBS not necessary cheaper the regular shotguns). Shotgun would be the easiest to obtain and probably the hands down most effective for HD.

For hand gun revolvers are hard to beat.

considering you have moabs and KZ I'd say look into Korth Revolvers.

Flash light is a good idea,
If it was up to me I'd get the torch, not only will you see him like its a hot summer day you will also have a chance to burn out his eyes.

Still a sight of a dude with two oversized blades is probably traumatizing.
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I think most are really missing the point here.

IF someones gonna break into your house as in home invasion unless you have gun in hand you are screwed and likely dead before you can react, sorry but that is real life, not some movie...

Anyone who has been professionally trained in home invasions etc like me will tell you that, unless they are looking to make money off you. ;) Sadly there are a lot of those experts out there you are out to make money on you so they give bad info to do so making people think they really need all these gadgets. All that will happen is you will be dead, the experts will be spending your money and the killers will have your nice new toys.


Reality Check. ;)


Now under the more realistic situation you would likely be asleep and hear a break in so all you would have to do is sit and wait until they come to you. In that situation it ain't gonna matter if you go the latest high tech stuff on the market or an 50 YO 12 Gauge. At 10 or 15 ft you will never be able to tell the difference in a $2000 Shotgun and a $100 Single Shot Shotgun on a Human. DEAD is just DEAD and they aren't gonna be any deader with the High Tech one than with the Hunting gun.

I know people like to have the newest toys and that's great, but for Home Defense all that stuff isn't needed in the real world. Grandpa's shotgun will work just fine.
 
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You sound like your wife could be the one who has to learn about a gun. A revolver or shotgun is with out a doubt your better choice with a 20ga. at the top of the list, as it will be easier for her to learn it. In a situation that she should have to use it she needs to have confidence in her ability, K.I.S.S. rules can save lives, whatever you choose practice...practice...practice. Good Luck!!!
 
I'll take a crack, although the problem is that you've got a number of somewhat contradictory criteria. If the question were simply best home defense gun, I'd be inclined to go with some kind of 12 gauge pump shotgun and OO buckshot, particularly since you live in a rural area, so over-penetration is less of an issue. Otherwise loaded with #1 #2 birdshot. Mossberg 500 or 590, or Remington 870 are your best bets.

Unfortunately, this is not the best choice if you wife also has to shoot, as recoil can be pretty stout. Also, not really a gun for target shooting, unless your targets are ripe watermellons about 10 yards away.

Getting an HK94 clone or similar semi-auto carbine type weapon that shoot a 9mm pistol round would be a fun, and tacticool alternative. You will be more accurate and better able to make follow up shots than with a pistol. Recoil will be light, so no problem for spouse. Will probably come with a 20 or 30 round mag, so you shouldn't have to worry about running out of ammo. And a lot of fun at the range. The problem is the cheap requirement. A real HK94 will cost you $2,500 or more. A clone, if you can find one, will still be about $1,000. Not sure what some of the other alternatives (I think Berreta makes something like this) will cost, but they won't be cheap.

Moving to handguns - larger calibers equal more stopping power, but also more recoil, which will make it tougher for spouse to shoot. Honestly, your best bet is probably a 9mm semi-auto, particularly since you plan to keep the gun unloaded and loading a revolver, in the dark, with an intruder trying to knock down your door, may be problematic. You have a lot of choices here. Glock 17 is a very popular, reliable and easy to operate choice. Sig 226 is a great gun, but will be on the pricey side. Berretta makes a nice gun. So does Springfield. And Smith & Wesson. Honestly, it's hard to go wrong unless you either cheap out and buy a no-name gun, or you choose something that's very small and very light, which will make it harder to shoot.

Finally, you could go with a semi-auto rifle of some kind. Ruger mini 14 might be a good choice for what you want. This would also make a great plinking gun if you wanted to go to the range. And could be operated by wife pretty easily.

Of course there's always an AR15, which would make a great plinking/range gun, but would probably not be the best choice for HD. Also going to be more $ than you want to spend.

Finally, you could go crazy and get a Garand, an AR10, or an FAL. But that assumes you plan to take out that pesky intruder while he's still a couple of hundred yards away from the house.:)
 
Ankerson said:
I think most are really missing the point here.

IF someones gonna break into your house as in home invasion unless you have gun in hand you are screwed and likely dead before you can react, sorry but that is real life, not some movie...

Anyone who has been professionally trained in home invasions etc like me will tell you that, unless they are looking to make money off you. ;) Sadly there are a lot of those experts out there you are out to make money on you so they give bad info to do so making people think they really need all these gadgets. All that will happen is you will be dead than the killers will have your nice new toys.


Reality Check. ;)


Now under the more realistic situation you would likely be asleep and hear a break in so all you would have to do is sit and wait until they come to you. In that situation it ain't gonna matter if you go the latest high tech stuff on the market or an 50 YO 12 Gauge. At 10 or 15 ft you will never be able to tell the difference in a $2000 Shotgun and a $100 Single Shot Shotgun on a Human. DEAD is just DEAD and they aren't gonna be any deader with the High Tech one than with the Hunting gun.

I know people like to have the newest toys and that's great, but for Home Defense all that stuff isn't needed in the real world. Grandpa's shotgun will work just fine.
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Crap, I agree with all of that...sucks that you are quoting me. I said shotgun is the most effective.

Seeing how the guy has MOABs and KZ I figured he'd have money to spend. I don't say he'd need all those bells and whistles, but its not like anybody needs a MOAB. I figured I'd throw a few choices. And I didn't say get something tacticool, I was leaning toward high end, engraved, gold inlaid, semi/full custom work of art kind of guns. It doesn't mean that an old Remington will not get the job done, but its nice to have those. Craftsmanship is art, I'd rather have gun for HD that would double as a work of art, then a gun for HD that would double as a toy.
 
I should have paid more attention to OP he said not expensive, then a shotgun is the best bet.

houndoggy said:
Will probably come with a 20 or 30 round mag, so you shouldn't have to worry about running out of ammo.

Finally, you could go with a semi-auto rifle of some kind. Ruger mini 14 might be a good choice for what you want. This would also make a great plinking gun if you wanted to go to the range. And could be operated by wife pretty easily.

Of course there's always an AR15, which would make a great plinking/range gun, but would probably not be the best choice for HD. Also going to be more $ than you want to spend.
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California man, no more then 10 round mag, still should be more then enough.
There are ways of getting AR15 legal here, but it's still California.
 
Volk said:
Crap, I agree with all of that...sucks that you are quoting me. I said shotgun is the most effective.

Seeing how the guy has MOABs and KZ I figured he'd have money to spend. I don't say he'd need all those bells and whistles, but its not like anybody needs a MOAB. I figured I'd throw a few choices. And I didn't say get something tacticool, I was leaning toward high end, engraved, gold inlaid, semi/full custom work of art kind of guns. It doesn't mean that an old Remington will not get the job done, but its nice to have those. Craftsmanship is art, I'd rather have gun for HD that would double as a work of art, then a gun for HD that would double as a toy.
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I really wasn't picking on you. :D

It was the last post so I quoted it. ;)

This thread started going in the same direction as most of those threads tend to go in so I posted some reality.

I don't even go near and of those Defense forums because they aren't based on reality, it's all the latest and greatest and all that macho fantasy BS.

Truth is I start laughing when every time I read any thread like those because it's all pure BS.

Facts are that a Standard Short Barreled Shotgun is the best HD weapon and that has been proven in real life so many times in the past 100+ years that I really don't see the point in ever questioning it.

All that newest Techno cool stuff is great for the range and Competitions and bragging rights, standing around at the range looking cool etc, but it won't do anyone anymore good in a real life HD situation than a normal Shotgun will.
 
There are some good points here. Lets look at the individual. First, inexperienced with firearms. Second, looking for Home Defence firearm. Third, needs wife to shoot.

A pistol, no matter what caliber or configuration (semi or revolver) takes range-time to master, or just get the hang of it. A scatter gun is quite devastating at close range. Think about it, 12 ga with 00 buckshot, that is 9 - .38 caliber pieces of lead being unleashed at one time. Additionally there have been "studies" / scenarios showing the difference of shooting through a drywall wall and the round hitting a loved-one in the next room if the shot misses the perp. The buckshot loses energy fast while a 9mm, .40, .45, .357 mag, etc keeps on going.

Also, the deterrent of a shotgun being racked is quite scary in the dark if you are not the one holding it. A double is good if it needs to be kept unloaded, quicker to load.

The most important things are to get range time, become comfortable with the firearm, and know your target and what is behind it. I am not a firearm expert, just experienced with them. That is my 2 cents.
 
Have you added security lights such as motion sensor lights that should be cheap? Not sure if you could plant thorn bushes and such. Trying to think of things as deterrents that might help. No idea what the landscape looks like, etc. I've heard of some break in's ending up in the owner being killed by their own weapons.

No experience, just thoughts that occurred as I read. :)
 
And for the Alaskan approach... Just buy some BIG bear traps, the kind with nasty teeth and cover them under your windows. Just don't use the windows in case of fire and put up fences so you don't catch your dogs by mistake. :D:foot: kidding of course
 
KnifeAddictAK said:
Have you added security lights such as motion sensor lights that should be cheap? Not sure if you could plant thorn bushes and such. Trying to think of things as deterrents that might help. No idea what the landscape looks like, etc. I've heard of some break in's ending up in the owner being killed by their own weapons.

No experience, just thoughts that occurred as I read. :)
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Yeah that's true, mostly the stupid ones that go looking for the invaders...

That is the fastest way to end up dead.

NEVER ever go looking for them, wait for them to come to you. ;)

Best thing is to wait like I said and while on the phone with 911, have gun in hand just in case you really need to shoot someone.

BUT STAY PUT AND DON'T FREAKING MOVE!!!!!!!
 
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