Time to get a handgun for home protection........?

Question

I want to buy a handgun that will be legally registered + training in use of same. I don't want the Mercedes model or the Yugo model, but the Buick model will do just fine. Can you give me some suggestions of best model(s) to look at? Thanks.

Answer 1

I believe Mossberg makes a home protection shotgun called the Persuader. It has a shorter barrel for use in close quarters. A little more than $200 will get you the Legacy Arms Escort Aimguard pump, while another $100 to $300 will buy various models from Benelli, EAA, Fabarm, Mossberg, Remington and Winchester. And for $600 to about $1,200 you can choose among several completely tricked-out Remington 870s from Scattergun Technologies, with every modification necessary for home defense.

Answer 2

The best thing to do is to go to the gun shop and actually hold the firearm. You want one that fits well in your hand. In the Navy, we typically use the Sig P226 and the HK 2000. Both of these are very fine weapons and would serve you well in both target shooting and home defense. However, both of these are what you would call "Mercedes" models. As for Yugo models, there are S&W and Taurus...don't even bother with these. You might consider the Beretta 90, Glock, or Ruger P Series. As for calibre, I would reccomend a 9mm for target and carry, but would go with a .40 or .45 for home defense. If you can afford $700 for a sidearm, give the Sig a look.

Answer 3

I would say a Glock either 9mm or .40 cal. Models 19-23 are all good. Its a relatively cheap, extremely reliable handgun. Ive had malfunctions with the Smith and Wesson as the extractor pin broke a few times, and Ive know others that had malfunctions as well. Dont get me wrong, the S&W is nice gun, but not as relaible. You also have Taurus, Sig, H&K, etc but if youre looking for something you might drop, forget to clean, let it get rusty, and still need it to shoot, the Glock would be the right weapon. Ref shotguns as home defense. Good choice of home defence as the shot pattern in spread out therefore you have more chance of hitting the target, but they can be bulky and if you arent great with it, youre more libel to shoot the ceiling with it than someone else.

Answer 4

Go with a shotgun. If you are just looking for home protection, handguns in the home are more of a danger than the threat you are trying to protect yourself from.
1) It takes consistent practice to be a good shot with a handgun, and even then the chances of you missing under a stress situation are pretty good. Shotguns don't need to be aimed. You just point it in the direction of what you want to hit and pull the trigger. You have a better than average chance of hitting the target. And even if you do miss it's going to scare the hell out of any intruder and they'll run away. Either way you win.
2) It's harder for an adversary to take a shotgun from you in a struggle. You have the better grip on the weapon.
3) Shotguns have a much broader choice of ammunition to load into them. From the heavy duty slug down to small pellet birdshot. If there are other people in the house, you may want to consider loading birdshot. You still have to consider what's behind your target but the lighter load will be less likely to penetrate walls and inadvertently strike a loved one.
Whatever you decide to go with make sure you practice with it regularly and keep it secured when in the house. Besides a child getting hold of it, it would really suck to get shot with your own gun.

Answer 5

my suggestion would be to buy a few guns
one would be a Glock for sure, the police and I believe the FBI have switched to Glocks because of their forgiveness..they keep working when others do not...plus you can get extended magazines so you do not run out so fast...now if it were me, seeing your in a fairly small area, I would go as large a caliber as you can handle, the 45 will STOP just about anyone you can hit with it...the 45 usually will not go straight through an attacker compared to the smaller 9mm sometimes goes right through if it does not hit a bone...this is a bad thing...because you want to STOP your attacker...not just let them continue or leave...
also you may think about getting more than one, adn have them in tow or three different areas of your home, so you do not have to run and try to get to your protection...it will be much easier if you have two or three ...
plus the old stand by is..the shotgun, you can get them with extended magazines.. again so you do not run out....plus now you can get something like a semi automatic shotgun so you only have to pump it once to get the shell into position and the gases expelled buy the shell removes the old shell and puts a new one in place and all you have to do is pull the trigger...
a shot gun makes a much larger pattern adn easier to STOP an attacker...with a hand gun you HAVE to hit your target exactly to STOP them, with a shotgun, you aim towards the attacker and several balls come out at one time and they will more than likely stop the attacker..
if you do buy more than one handgun, I would buy the exact same kind and type, so there is no mistakes in time of excitement, because you want the least detractions as possible to stop this attacker..
and go to the range and practice, practice....
you can also go to several gun shops in your area and they WILL help you in your decision making...

good luck

Answer 6

okay for home protection if your thinking that only one or two guys are gonna invade then go with a Colt M1911. it uses .45 caliber rounds so it can take the guy out pretty easily if he isnt using kevlar or something of the manner. if you want a gun that will not really kill the guy but make him hurt get like a glock19 or a P99 that shoots 9mm rounds. also there is the matter of the .40 caliber rounds. the guns that shoot those rounds are very efficient because they will carry more round per clip and they still pack some power. also there is the desert eagle that is kinda too much if it is a guy with no kevlar or anything like that cause it can shoot a 50 caliber round that will instantly kill the guy if you hit him a good place like the lung or stomach or in the head or in the chest. i would suggest getting a S&W military and police or a gun that can shoot a .40 caliber round because they are more efficient and still carry power.

Answer 7

I have a Smith & Wesson Model 19. A good, sturdy revolver (don't trust automatics), .357 caliber, not too expensive, good weight and balance and simple to use.

Also have a Colt Trooper Mk4, brushed nickel, .357, same as above.

And Kam makes a good point.

I have a Mossberg Maverick 88, with a modified barrel (18 inches), a drum loader and I use an alternating load of 3 inch magnum load slugs and 1-0 buckshot. Total of 19 rounds ready if needed. Easy to handle, light and sturdy and almost guaranteed to hit what you almost aim at.

Answer 8

For home protection, stick with something simple. NO RIFLES OR SHOTGUNS!!!! Too hard to maneuver inside a residence. Automatic handguns are good, but complicated! Get a good revolver, either .38 or .357 mag caliber. S&W or Colt are best.(Smaller calibers do not have the stopping power, larger calibers too hard to handle:[recoil, muzzle flash, etc.] ). Get a good ammunition, with a lower velocity and higher expansion (Hydra Shok makes a good round). The most important thing is learn to use the weapon!!

Answer 9

relies upon on your position protection desires. If all you want is something low priced and affective then flow with the .38 particular. - not undesirable at close decision both. once you may be in regulation enforcement i imagine maximum officials get the glock 17 (they could have an as a lot as date version by now). yet its, gentle, sturdy, strong, actual maintained and contains a respectable quantity of ammo contained in the clip (i imagine 13 images, consisting of the chamber). even as a .357 deffinately has preventing potential, i don't believe of its very functional. yet thats purely my opinion. It nonetheless a funky gun to have and that i intend to get one for my series. A .40 5 or 9mm might want to be extra effective, in my humble opinion. A shot gun will almost honestly take care of your position (and its what I have lower than my mattress) yet in case you do not stay on my own you may injure more effective than purely intruders. it really is a probability of having any gun commonly although.

Answer 10

OK... time for a reality check.

First thing: learn the law. It varies from state to state as to what is and what is not considered a justifiable use of deadly force. There is no referee that comes in and calls you "safe" after a defensive shooting. The district attorney either does or does not choose to prosecute you. There will be no certificate or letter of adjudication stating that your case was examined and that it was judged to be a justified killing. (There SHOULD BE such a letter!!) There may be informal communication to that effect, but the law states that there is no statute of limitations on murder. Should new evidence arise that casts a new light on the case later in the future, the district attorney will still have the capability of prosecuting you. The killing will hang over your head for the rest of your life. Additionally, I would recommend you learn the lesson of OJ Simpson. He was tried and acquitted of murder, but then he was successfully sued for wrongful death. Even if you are not prosecuted for shooting an assailant in your bedroom, the assailant's family can take you to court! The use of deadly force leads to a series of events that plays out over many many years. You may save you or your loved one's life, only to find life forever altered by the experience.

Next: invest more than a few quiet moments to do a serious self evaluation. If you think that it would be comparitively easy for you to quickly and decisively choose to use deadly force in the correct situation, then you may be a good candidate for possessing a defensive weapon. If your character self-exam reveals the POSSIBILITY that you might have a hard time making the split second life or death trigger pull decision, then strongly consider NOT obtaining a weapon, because the statistics show that it would more likely be used against you by an assailant than as a defense against one. That's just the way things are.

THEN!: throw away any illusions that OWNING a gun increases your safety level. POSSESSING a firearm instantly puts you and your family into a higher risk category for firearm related death. The statistics are unquestionable. It is not the ownership of the weapon that makes you safer, it is the WEAPONS TRAINING that does. (This is the other side of the coin which reads, "guns don't kill people, people kill people" which is absolutely true. The good side of that coin reads, "weapons can't defend you, only well trained armed citizens can defend you!") Weapon training is actually fairly involved. Although it represents a significantly lower requirement for athletic skill than does karate or aikido, it DOES require repeated ongoing training sessions with experts and self disciplined practice. It takes more than the ability to punch holes in paper at a distance to be able to defend yourself! If you buy a gun and shove it under your bed, you've completely wasted your money. I would recommend taking defensive shooting courses, other defensive tactics courses NOT involving guns, and doing at least a couple sessions at a shooting range every month if you want to entertain the idea that your gun might be a defensive weapon. Personal defense doesn't need to be the central theme of your life, but it should be on your priority list somewhere that isn't low.

As to the fantasy argument about whether or not a shotgun or a pistol or an assault rifle is the best home defense weapon, I have just one thing to say: "SHOT PLACEMENT". There is no statistical data to support that a scatter gun takes down home invaders more efficiently or safely. The fact is, it just doesn't happen often enough that someone defends life and limb with a gun that statistics start to be meaningful. If you don't believe me, google the "uniform crime report" and read for yourself. There are only a couple hundred (non police) defensive shootings a year in the US against a background of thousands of murders. Most people kill eachother with pistols just fine. The key with any weapon is that it be part of a comprehensive weapons system. The system includes the weapon, it's support equipment, the defender and his/her training. If you own a weapon and train with it, and if you learn it's strengths, weaknesses and techniques, then you will become a formidable adversary.

FINALLY: if you are going to become a gun owner, anticipate that like many gun owners (including myself) you will eventually own multiple weapons. I would strongly suggest you consider the "Mercedes" up front, so that you don't spend the considerable amount for the "Buick" and then have buyer regret, and still get the "Mercedes."

Glock is the police pistol because it is reasonably dependable, rediculously simple to operate, and it's inexpensive. If you look closely, this is NOT a nicely made piece of machinery. I personally don't care for Glocks for a number of reasons, including the above, but a very wise ex-cop once responded to my anti-Glock comments by saying, "It's a GUN! What more do you want??", and I had no meaningful retort.

Personally, I like H&K, which is an absolutely indestructable weapon. I own two, and carry either. They're more expensive, but they're made much better. Quality means something to me. There are weapons that are absolutely art-in-steel, but I want something that is a top quality shop-tool of killing, not a fashion accessory. If you want to see some nice metal work, look at Kimber. I would recommend that you not spend less than 700 dollars for a pistol. There are plenty of decent weapons for less, but I'd suggest that you buy those later when you are a more discriminating customer with a specific goal in mind. Also, buy extra magazines, good cleaning equipment, and do NOT buy a cheap holster. Spend a bit on gun leather, especially if you plan to carry concealed.

As to caliber, I will say this: I'm a surgeon, and I do trauma. I've seen kills with very small caliber bullets and I've saved people shot with .45's, so caliber isn't the end-all-be-all measure of lethality. Shot placement really counts. Personally, I carry a .45, but I'd be equally safe with smaller bores. Whatever you get, buy lots and lots of ammunition. Stockpile it. The price of copper continues to rise, and bullets are going to become prohibitively expensive!