is there an alternative to getting a gun? i want something small, and was thinking of getting a high powered?

Question

pellet gun? but, then i actually saw one and talked to a guy about it and it wouldn't deter anyone from trying to harm me. my husband said to get a glock and use rubber bullets? i want something to protect my family, but want an alternative. i don't want to shoot a real gun with a real bullet and have the bullet go clear through my house and into my neighbor's house, you know what i mean? is there anything out there that you all know of that fits what i'm looking for?

edit: i don't want a stun gun or tazer and i already have pepper spray.

Answer 1

Taser.

Answer 2

Look into a .38 revolver with hollow points. Or, a 9mm or .40 with hollow points. As long as you hit your target, they shouldn't go through. Another alternative is a short-barrelled 12-guage shotgun with buckshot. Basically any semi-auto pistol loaded with Corbon B-Safe hollow-point ammo will work. It's good that you're thinking about over-penetration. Most people never consider it. As far as alternatives go, there aren't many. A dog will give you early-warning of any threats, but you need a gun to protect your family. Also, if you get a gun, YOU MUST LEARN HOW TO USE IT!!! You have to practice and get comfortable with it, so that you can grab it and use it effectively in the dark, when the adrenalyn is flowing.
Don't even think about using rubber bullets or other non-lethal means. They are not reliable, and will only make an intruder more angry.

Answer 3

If this is just for protecting your family at your home, and you don't want a gun, the first thing I would get is a well trained, big ol' dog. My black lab/german shepard mix is a great dog. Easy with the family and other animals in our house (we just got two kittens that are 4 weeks old and he will stop the other cat from even getting near them). But if anybody tries to come in the house or even on the property, he will run to the door and bark. If they come any closer without one of us telling him it is okay, he will not let them come to the porch. Lord only knows what he would do if someone tried to get in.

The first poster had good suggestions with the lights and security system.

If you had to go with a gun, I would suggest a Remington 870 Express shotgun. Ultra reliable and you don't have to worry about over penatration* with buckshot (*I meant that you won't have to worry about it going out of your house. It will easily go through drywall at close range.) This is also cheaper and more powerful than a pistol.

But the number one reason I reccomend the shotgun is because of it's deterence factor. No body in their right mind would keep coming into a room if they heard the sound of the action be racked. Many people have not even had to fire because the criminals told the police they heard the shell being shucked into the chamber.

If you want a pistol, the rubber bullets are not what I would choose. If you really want to use them, just use three rubber rounds and the rest real rounds. If they keep coming after those first three, then they need to be stopped.

But, go with a revolver in .357, that way you can shoot .38 Special out of it also.


I really hope this helps keep you and your'e family safe!

Answer 4

For home defense a shotgun with a barrel of about 18.5 inches is the best. If you use pheasant shot it will stop a intruder but will not penetrate wall's easily. I have a collection of rifles, pistols, and shot guns. The few times Ive felt the need to "check" out my house with a gun I have always grabbed my Ithaca model 37. Its easy to operate. Another advantage to a pump action shot gun is the noise it makes when you chamber a round in a quite house the sound carries and everyone knows the sound of a pump action. The sound alone could be enough to scare of an intruder. The Two most important thing's to remember is One its better to not own a gun if your not going to be willing to use it. So forget about rubber bullets. Although the suggestion about frangible ammunition was good. Second if you do buy a gun dedicate your self to learning the safe and proper handling of that gun, and practice with it.

Answer 5

Yes, but forget the pellet gun and use real bullets. Look for the ones that turn to powder after they hit. I think they were developed for the air marshalls.

You are much more likely to become a victim yourself if you believe that a gun is sufficient deterrent without intending to use it .Same for rubber bullets. You shouldn't have a gun at all unless you are willing to use it if you sincerely believe that you or another member of the family is about to be harmed or worse!

I usually advise people who are willing to use a gun for defense in the home to get a pump action shotgun with buckshot. They are unlikely to penetrate the walls and the use of the gun doesn't require nearly as much practice as does a handgun. The best, affordable brands are probably Winchester 1200 and Remington 870. Look for sales at chain sporting goods stores.

Also, the sound made by working the action is unmistakable and often enough deterrent so that the no-goods flee. The guns also have a very convincing large hole in the end of the barrel.

Answer 6

Get a gun, but buy Glazer(sp?) safety slugs instead of regular rounds. They are designed to fragment inside the robber/criminal/bad guy and not go through them and into walls/neighbors houses/etc. They have good stopping power, and are designed specifically for what you are talking about.

I would recommend a .38 revolver, but the safety slugs are available in many different calibers. Revolvers are generally more reliable than semi-automatic pistols.

Rubber bullets are no good, neither are pellet guns. You want something that will drop the bad guy immediately and make sure he doesn't get back up.

Hope this helps!

Answer 7

First of all, if you are afraid of guns, or won't shoot when you need to shoot, DON'T BUY A GUN OF ANY SORT!!!!!

Second, unless you purchase one of the super-magnum airguns in 9 mm on up to 28 gauge, it won't have enough power to use for any sort of defensive use.

Third, put rubber bullets out of your mind. If you shoot someone with a rubber bullet, and you are not justified in pulling the trigger, you will be charged with assault with a deadly weapon anyway.

Fourth, there is no such thing as a "dum-dum" bullet. "Dum-Dum" is nothing more than an old-fangled name for hollow point bullets made a Dum-Dum Arsenal in British India. These bullets were outlawed for use in warfare under the Hague Convention, and some US states even forbid the use of hollow-point ammo in handguns used for defense.

Fifth, if you are not a firearms enthusiast, and you don't intend to do lots of practice, including malfunction drills, DON'T GET A SEMI-AUTOMATIC PISTOL.

If you decide to get a handgun, and I think you should, get a revolver chambered for .38 SPL. You can load it with very expensive anti-personel ammo like the Glaser Safety Slugs and you won't have to worry about over penetration. These are the so called pre-fragmented bullets that will create a devastating wound channel, but will not exit a bad guy's body, nor will it penetrate a wall.

I suggest you purchase a Smith & Wesson Medium or Small fram revolver, such as a Model 10, Model 19, Model 65, Model 60, or Model 49. Or similar revolvers from Ruger (GP-100 or SP-101) or from Taurus. You should get one with a barrel no longer than 4" and 2" or 3" barrels would be better. You can use any .38 SPL ammo, but I'd suggest you use a 158 grain Semi-Wadcutter since you are not likely to get enough velocity to expand anyway.

Lots of people will say the old .38 SPL is underpowered, but I've yet to have one agree to let me shoot them with a .38 SPL to test their theory. The .38 SPL was the STANDARD pistol cartridge for police forces for over 80 years. It can still get the job done.

Another argument in favor of a revolver is on truism: You can't miss often enough or fast enough to win a gunfight.

Get a revolver and practice.

Doc

Answer 8

Why would you take a toy gun to a real gun fight? Is your life that worthless? Mine is not.

Get your self a gun that is all there is to it. You can get the Glaser safety slugs which are made to fragment on impact with anything solid. I would opt for a 40 S&W or a 45 ACP with these rounds. Accuracy is not that much of a factor if you are within one room distance.

You could always get yourself a 20 ga shotgun and shoot some #6 shot.

Answer 9

rubber bullets can penetrate flesh at short distances, learned that the hard way on a richoete in the garage hurts like hell to, probaly not enough to deter a threat, threats need to stopped completely, a gun with rubber bullets is like a using a wiffle bat for defense, with proper bullet selection pass throughs can be stopped, also a shot gun loaded with birdshot will stop a person and not pass through walls (no matter what tv shows and movies show) in a pistol the taurus judge is a 410 shotgun and 45 colt pistol http://www.taurususa.com/. definately both you and your husband should seek training in firearms use. also a pump shotgun has the deter factor of nothing else sounds like a shell be pumped into the chamber, a laser site on a pistol is a detering thing also everyone knows that little reddot on you is trouble. your local gun shop police department can point in the direction for firearms safety training an use in self defense.

Answer 10

If you must train a gun on someone you must be prepared to pull the trigger and possibly take someone's life. Not every criminal is detered by the sight of a firearm, and even by being shot once, twice, or multiple times. Stopping a criminal may mean killing them.

There are products such as Glazer's "Safety Slug" which is not supposed to over-penetrate walls. The best thing to do is practice, and then invest in some of these loads for personal defense.

Answer 11

Bullets depending on the caliber/type wont necessarily go through your house into another. Rubber bullets are expensive if you want to go that route and wont necessarily deter a person either. Handguns, if you are untrained and don't practice with it regularly, can be difficult to hit the target. I've seen inexperienced shooters miss the target from 7 feet away. Whatever you decide, you need to learn its capabilites and be prepared to use it if the situation arises. Personnaly I suggest a shotgun for home defense loaded with buckshot, but that may be a little bit bigger than you are looking for, although it would be cheaper and an easier route to take.