Firearm question

E

Eric006

Joined
Apr 5, 2006
Messages
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I am interested in getting opinions/impressions as to a first firearm for home protection/security. Is this an appropriate place for such a question? (I realize there are a number of other forums dedicated to firearms discussion, but I value the thoughts of the HI forumites and cantinistas and wanted to start here.) If it's ok to do so, I can provide more information. Thanks in advance.

Eric
 
It all depends.
where you live
your skill
local laws
and your own safety/ access decisions

"They" always say the shotgun is the best for the non expert....fairly quick to learn and understand, do well enough to hit, does the job, not overpenetrative.

A handgun is 'handy'. It requires some skill, though I wouldn't say you'd be defensless if you brought it home from the store the same day you were robbed.... then you get into wheel gun vs semiauto,

There is a great argument for a short, handy carbine. Like,,,the much mocked M1 Carbine, or Marlin Camp nine

IN the end, the weapon, the tool you are most comfortable with, the one that fits you, is the one to have. I've 'guarded' my famiily with everything.....double action 44's, 41's, 45's; single action too; SKS, Shotgun, 1911 45 acp and 10mm.. and probably a couple more, like the little snubby in my truck.


Hey, I had a thought; looking at what I just said, why not pick a arm that you will be more likely to use and practise with (other than in the home) ?? If you backpack, maybe a sidearm. Or maybe a rifle in the truck for the long trips...you should be familiar with this weapon, you should know what it does and enjoy using it well. Lot's of my firearms get double duty at all sorts of things...
 
Thanks, Munk. Yours are the kind of thoughts and impressions I am seeking. As I've gotten older, and especially since I have become responsible for others besides myself, the adage, "Better to have it and not need it rather than need it and not have it," has taken on more significance. Your comment about choosing an arm than I am more likely to use and practice with makes a whole lot of sense. Much appreciated.

Eric
 
HI!
Me personally, I've had handguns, 9MM,40,44,45ACP.
And shotguns...
I've stuck with the shotgun. Shoot skeet trap and hunt with it. LOTS of practice with it! Shotgun isnt quite so imperative on accuracy. especially in the dark. Get a good flashlight also! Hopefully you never need to use it.
There are tons of opinions about this topic could go on forever. IF I were to get a handgun .40 would be the smallest I would go... 9mm does not impress me. :)
 
It makes a very distinctive sound when you chamber it. For homeowners I wouldn't use any buckshot. Something smaller like BB or even #2 shot at pointblank will be more than enough. Think about an accessory light mounted on the weapon. Shooting a shadow in the dark could end up badly if you are spooked and don't know where your family members are.

Handguns are also effective. Use a small tactical light grasped in the non firing hand. .38 or 9mm would be the minimum you should consider. A home defense firearm isn't something you buy and then just expect to defend yourself with. Range time is mandatory so you know it's capabilities and how it's going to feel when you decide to shoot. Practice in lowlight conditions. The muzzle blast is so bright it might confuse or stun you when you first experiance it.
Make certain every household member knows you have it, where you keep it, how to use it or to stay away from it.
Choose a caliber and weapon that is easy to use, easy to master the basic tenets of marksmanship and projectiles that are designed for personal defence. Stoking a 9mm or .38 with roundnose or hardball ammo limits your ability to quickly disable or stop an attacker.

Just my two cents. I'm sure others can chip in with what guns/calibers work for them.
 
Eric,
Well speaking as a guy that keeps a chainsaw as part of his HD battery, I prolly can't add much to this BUT here goes...


I can only restate what Munk and Sutcliffe said...

It all depends on where ya are and what all ya want it to do...

Me?

I use several different guns for HD

My old faithful 4" Ruger Security Six is what I have next to the bed...It is also what I reach for to make sure I can get to my primary HD weapon

My Mossy 590 is my main HD weapon

My homebuilt Romy AK-47 (getting a reddot for X-Mas) is my secondary weapon

My Ruger 10-22 (red dot on top) with 30 round mag is my Third line of defense

All of the above are back-ed up by my .357 on a belt with my 15" AK on it ready to go

All of the above rifles have ONE purpose...Home and Area defense...that is all they do...

My .357 Mag is my "goto" weapon...Depending on what I load it with, I can use it for HD or animal worries when out field herping and I can knock the center out of a Ipsc target at 15yrds with it all day long...It and 3 speedloaders have road with me many a mile and a couple times into harms way and it has never failed me

All that being said...

what I would suggest is thinking about a "battery" of weapons for HD..

A nice pump shotty (maverick is nice for the $$$)

A decent semi-auto rifle (sks works here and is cheap)

A 4in .357 mag revolver (have several different loads for it) and is cheap and can also be used as a truck/fishing/camping/bump in the nite gun

Learn to set aside some time each month to practice with your battery of weapons and keep them clean and ready to go at a moments notice

And NEVER worry about what bullet does what to what kind of calibrated jello...It isnt up to YOU to decide what the bullet does, it is up to the goblin to decide whether or not it is time to go to sleep...

My .02 peso's
 
Ditto munk.

If you go handgun, I still say that a .38 K frame is the easiest to handle for someone that isn't going to practice regularly.
 
Many thanks guys. This is the kind of information I was looking to get. I am in the preliminary stages of this process. I have limited experience with any type of firearm. I have shot several different pistols over the years (.22 revolver, 9mm, .357 magnum) but all were isolated occasions. My brother picked a SIG-Sauer P226 as his first sidearm and says good things about it. If I go with a pistol, I am leaning toward a revolver. I have also thought about getting a 12 gauge pump action shotgun, then down the road look at getting a sidearm. Again, thanks for your thoughts.

Eric
 
I like 12 gauge pumps and semi-auto .45s myself. The new XD-45 is a great one to consider, it holds 14 rounds and the local firearms instructor here aptly described it as a "magazine fed revolver" in terms of simplicity. Basically all you need to remember is load, aim, squeeze trigger. No active safeties or other complexities to forget about in a time of crisis. Plus they're dead reliable. That said, I like munk's advice too. Pick what you like and what you'll practice with. You're far better protected using a small caliber in a platform you're familiar with that you are with a big one you aren't. Best of luck. :)
 
Not by any stretch of the imagination a "gunny" like some folks here...

But I'd agree with Munk. Its like they say "beware of the man who owns one weapon--he probably knows how to use it". Simple and effective--whatever that means to you. Then...Practice!

I know myself well enough to know I don't know myself well enough...what does that mean? It means my snub .38 with a fairly heavy double action trigger is more likely to be put into service in times of stress/danger than my Les Baer .45 with the 3.5 lb trigger---with which I'd probably put 5 rounds into anything that moved before my brain realized it wasn't a threat, and well it'd be too bad no one told my nervous index finger.... Fun explaining THAT to a jury of my "peers":rolleyes: ;)
 
If it is your first handgun and it is primarily for home protection I will make the assumption that you are also new to guns.

You would do well with a double action revolver in .38 Special for the following reasons:
Reasonable to buy
Easy to learn to shoot
Easy to tell if it is loaded or unloaded
Rather light recoil
Versatile cartridge, wadcutters to +P hollowpoints
Will stop and down a man in your home
Not so overly powerful that you need to worry about the bullet hitting an innocent party through a few walls

Above all else seek training from a professional not only in shooting it but also caring for it.

Hope this helps.
 
12 ga. pump or auto. Definately.
Versitile, effective, scary looking, not too likely to go thorugh walls, easy to hit the target. Perfect.

After having said that, I keep a .357 with .38s in it for several of the reasons enumerated above because I have a 3 year old toddling around the house and the shotgun doesn't fit in the thumb-print activated quick-safe in the side table.
 
If you are going to have a weapon for home defense then it has to be a weapon for everyone in the home. Consider the others in this selection they just may be the ones defending you.
 
If you are going to have a weapon for home defense then it has to be a weapon for everyone in the home. Consider the others in this selection they just may be the ones defending you.
Click to expand...

:thumbup: good, and often overlooked advice
 
I keep a Les Baer Concept VI 1911 in .45 loaded with Federal Hydro-Shock 230 grs as my first line of home defense. I am pretty good with it under 15 yds, and practice regularly. I live in suburbia, so a rifle is a lousy choice, the AR's and Socom 16 stay in the safe. Shotzilla, an 870 sporting an 18 in slug barrel, with Cav Arms M4 stock conversion, DGM front sight, YHM rear BUIS and Hakko Panorama would be my long arm choice in a larger house.

No matter what weapon is the right choice for you, PRACTICE!!
Proficiency is perishable, and safety requires proficiency.

Know the lanes of fire, and bottlenecks in your house an intruder will encounter, use them to your advantage and have a plan of fall-back positions for all family members.
Know what's on the other side of every wall for 300 meters, if a rifle is used, 100 for slugs, and 200 for handguns of high velocity. Shoot throughs and incidental casualties are very very bad.

Here's hoping none of us ever has to use weapons to defend our family.

DaddyDett
 
I've had a lot of handguns, but no more for a couple of reasons.
1) A guardian grandson with personality disorders.
2) My bi-polar disorder.

In younger years, I was visiting a girl-friend at her babysitting job when we heard someone moving around in the kitchen. She opened a closet and passed me a 12ga pump which I took to the kitchen door and chambered a round. There was a sound of broken glass and when I cautiously entered a window was broken out where the burgler had evidently dove through when he heard the pumpgun rack.

Another time I liven in the L.A. strip where the Sheriff's response time was in excess of 2 hours. The apartments had been burgled several times and one evening when I heard a woman screaming I took my 9mm Polish Radom (Browning HiPower design) into the parking lot where I saw a man trotting towards the rear of the parking lot. When I chambered a round there was a discharge, caused I suspect my my over-stoning the sear. The guy's casual trot turned into a mad dash and he vaulted over an eight-foot wall. I took the Radom to a gunshop the next day and got a good price for it. When he test-fired it he said it was "The best trigger pull" he'd ever seen on a Radom.

When I move, I might consider getting a long gun.
 
I would never recommend a handgun of any caliber as a "first gun" for home protection. Look in pawn shops or gun shops for a pump shotgun in 20 gauge. The 20 has nowhere as much recoil or muzzle blast as a 12, and is easier to learn to shoot. Take out the plug, load it with # 8 shot, and you and all other adults in the home practice as much as possible. A 20 with birdshot will stop anything that moves at 15 feet. After you are comfortable with the shotgun, look at a Ruger 10-22 rifle. These are very affordable and reliable and are also excellent for home defense, as well as being fun and cheap to shoot.
 
Lots of good posts here! But I would have to say not to go with the sks/AK-47. IF you would ever need to use it you dont want to be shooting people in your neighbors house or 3 doors down. Also Ruger 10-22 are very reliable but How much stopping power does a .22 have? If someone were high they have a tendency to not even notice getting shot. This has been documented.
Pump Gun!! Benelli nova is a slick unit.
I have also had Springfield XD's! VERY GOOD and reliable!
I have to be honest though I have also had ruger P series handguns, they are built like tanks and have shot anything I put through them. Good luck.
 
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