Regarding the arguments about hearing loss when using a gun indoors I once had to shoot a bad guy in a motel hallway three times w/a .38 +P and never heard a thing. My ears did not ring afterward and no ill effects all these years later.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

A biometric safe in every room with a loaded 45: lots of guns, or very few rooms!

I wonder if in high stress situations the body protects itself
Be curious if a study has ever been done

Kind of an old thread, but I'll throw my words in the mix.

In my opinion, for home defense, there's no point whatsoever to anything less than a full size grip that a person can get all their fingers completely on. Concealment just doesn't matter. As long as the cartridges ballistics are respected, short barrels are fine, but not at the expense of reliability (3.5" 1911s need not apply.)

More important than caliber or gun size, though, is familiarity and comfort. An old lady with a .32 revolver she knows how to use is much better equipped than a 21 year old man with an unused .45 who gets his shooting lessons from TV and movies.

But, when the chips are down, and we're talking about home defense, I'm not reaching for a handgun...

HEY HEY HEY....I only use a 50 ROUND DRUM!

This:

or this:

model 58 41 mag. 20ga shortened 1100 in the closet.

AR "pistol" recoil of a 22. With 124 grain + loads it has clocked at 1200 fps - more than my S6W Model 19 shooting 125 HP magnum. I think of it as my 7.5 inch barrel 30 plus shot 357 magnum. White light has a small black out in the center. Whatever is in the center is going to be hit within 50 feet. Red dot sight for whatever. One hand if needed but with the sling easier.

Model 69 five shot 44 magnum loaded heavy. 45-70 Marlin Lever barrel smithed to 16.5 inches and loaded with heavy Hard cast as I have shot and stopped a grizzly that woke us once. Out hundreds only one I ever had to drop. The Marlin has a rail and light based on that experience.

This is Alaska and your choices may vary. Second pic is my friend after her first shoot with the AR pistol. She liked it enough she now has one of her own. She is very good.

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	AR 9mm.jpg (131.3 KB, 73 views)
	BellaAR.jpg (25.0 KB, 105 views)

I don't think there is one best choice for all situations, but If you have to choose only one firearm for home defense, I would choose a handgun over a rifle or a shotgun and If I could only choose one, I would likely choose a high capacity semi-automatic. For me the choice was a Glock 17. Actually two identical ones for me and the Wife. I don't think there is anything wrong with a revolver here and love my snubs , but admit that I would feel a bit under gunned in a home defense if limited to 5 or 6 rounds despite the stats saying it will be enough for the majority of circumstances.

For answering the door, I really like an enclosed hammer snub revolver for it's effectiveness in a close quarters i.e. weapon retention, ability to fire at muzzle contact distances etc. and a conflict in this scenario will resolved very quickly.

For any bump in the night scenario or the likely need to have to move through the house, a handgun still makes sense(ability to operate doors, lights switches, move to or retrieve family members etc.). In these scenarios, I would prefer more than 5 rounds onboard and will usually grab a Glock even though I still often simply grab a snub. Which really just depends on the specific individual circumstances.

If taking up a fixed position such as in a safe room and if limited to a handgun, I would for sure want a high capacity semi-automatic(a Glock in my case), but in these situations a long-gun also makes a lot of sense sense and is probably going to be the more effective tool even though I don't really feel a handgun is anyway inadequate. Plus, should the need to flee or escape the home with family arise, it would much easier to be quick and mobile carrying a handgun compared to a shotgun or rifle.

Best home defense handgun? If your an enthusiast, well trained and you know your stuff then the sky's the limit. If your an average Joe, or happen to be an enthusiast with a family that isn't, and you want them trained to some degree to be able to protect themselves, then a 6-shot all steel revolver with a 4" barrel loaded with 158gr. .38spl JHP's is what I believe to be the best compromise. Totally reliable, easy to operate, easy to see that it's loaded, manageable recoil and muzzle flash for most, with enough velocity that most quality JHP's should expand. It should get the job done.

S&W M500 4" barrel stoked with 300 grain HP slugs loaded to at least 2,000 lb-ft of KE.
The .500 revolver will deliver greater terminal impact than any 12 gauge and will do so from a MUCH smaller package.
Anyone who shoots "shot" at an intruder in the dark is a fool....SLUGS are the only reality, and the S&W .500 shoots half-inch, one-ounce slugs every bit as good as or "gooder" than any 12 gauge, yet does so from a MUCH SMALLER, more compact package.

I keep a Glock 23 loaded with Gold Dots or Critical Defense on the nightstand with a Fenix light & auto opening knife. I have a Talo 686+ 3" on order so I may be changing. I was going to switch to a G35 with a light until I read the article in this months American Handgunner. My son has Browning BDA .380, and I have the Black Lab burglar alarm :-)

Amen to that brother!

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

I thought one ounce was like 437.5 grains? I have one more question...How strong are you? My 500 was heavy as a real warm place and muzzle swiped the milky way every time it went off loaded with 440's. Perhaps a 75mm pack howitzer would be a better option? It has wheels.

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This≠DodgeCity&You≠BillHickok

I have a Sig P228 on my bed head board and an AR-15 loaded with a 30 round clip right next to it. Not quite sure yet which I'd grab but being a Vietnam Combat vet it would probably be the AR. I would have no need to worry about counting rounds because 31 should be plenty.

This firearm is AMAZING. I alternate with .410 shot shell and Lehigh Defense Xtreme Penetrator...of course I don't have neighbors close by to worry about.

Must be a hell of a lot of "fools" around.

Speaking just for me, I see people on this forum with whom I disagree, but actual fools are in very short supply. And I wouldn't call them that if I thought they were.

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Oh well, what the hell.

Here is mine. 686 plus night sights

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Kevin
NRA Benefactor Member

Have you been peering in my back window?

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"Sacramento" Bruce Conklin

No, I wouldn't do that. I wouldn't want to be found dead on your lawn in my super man T-shirt, Tactical Tiara, stealth slippers, and apocalypse proof bathrobe.

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This≠DodgeCity&You≠BillHickok

If you're 'into' guns, then shop it to death, overthink it, etc. If you just want something you can't go wrong with then get a used 4" model 10 'LEO trade in' from Bud's for 300 beans. Load it with some good self defense ammo and be done with it.

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But then, what do I know?

Even though I'm a wheel gun guy, I have a sigpro sp 2022 40 with crimson trace grips. But if I get a FTf I have a model 19-4,with 158 grain hollowpoints.i have plan c and d also. Which would mean that my alarm didn't get the cops around and the perp got past my two dogs.that being the case and I have the time during all the comotion the wife will break out the 29-2

Thewelshm

This is some really good advice.

I would add that after the purchase of gun and ammo, spend a few bucks on training and practice.

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Freedom isn't free.

A model 10 with +P ammo will do the job. I go up a step and use a 686 with low end .357 loads. Full .357 is ear blowing loud inside a house. Our range was in the open but when they put a roof over the place it got really loud.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Wow, someone woke this thread from a 2 1/2 year nap. I came back to it when I received a "like" notification.

Studies have been done- Lots of books out there- Dave Grossman's "On Combat" is one of the best.
In short- Part of our "Fight or Flight" response dumps Adrenaline and several other compounds into our CNS that cause our body to protect itself- one of the effects is a feeling of time slowing down and suppressed hearing.
I once testified that I was in a 30 second fight for a gun which was pointed at my partner's head which got the defendant acquitted by jury because the communication tape showed it was only seconds. Also, when you are in condition white or even yellow- while at the range or screwing around in the back yard, everything will be real time and loud. In Condition red- your body is on auto-pilot and will more than likely revert to training or lack there of.

I really have no opinion on the tool for your home defense- I would stress however to have a plan, or several- PACE comes to mind (Primary, Alternate, Contingency, Emergency) Discuss it with family members and work out the details while the home is calm, not when bad guys are storming the gates.

Waking up from a dead sleep, in a dark house when the "Night Stalker" is standing over your love one's bed contemplating how he's going to rape and kill her is not the time to formulate a survival plan.

Some golden rules to live by:
On Dangerous ground- run, on deadly ground-fight...
train, train, train-
I rather be tried by 12 than carried by 6
Dogs, real dogs- not rats w/ hair are truly man's best friend.

Peace, or as a wise man once told me," Stay safe! But if unable to stay safe, be victorious.

Mike

That was a good post^

Here is what sits on my nightstand. In a week or so I may be moving to an area much less safe than where I'm at now so I'll probably invest in much more training as well as a shotgun or AR and I'd grab those first if possible. But talking specifically handguns I know I can trust my life to my 1911.

*Also off topic but if someone can explain how to make pictures upload as part of the post and not a little attachment I'd appreciate it*

Attached Images

1911 boondock prayer grips.jpg (71.6 KB, 350 views)

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M&P 15-22
1911

Ruger Redhawk.

A near miss is still lethal.

Here it is a little bigger:



The way to include a larger picture from the small thumbnail is:

1. RIGHT click on the thumbnail picture.

2. Select "Open link in new window"

3. When the picture pops up, go to the top of the browser window and select the URL and "Copy" it.

4. Then paste the URL into your message.

5. Surround the URL with [IMG] on one end and [/IMG] on the other end.

Click "Quote" on my post and you will see what was in my message and hopefully with the above discussion it will be clear what I'm saying.

Thank you Cal44!!!

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M&P 15-22
1911

Don't have a safe in every room, but do have a sig ultra with CT grip loaded with HST, a shorty 40 loaded with HST, a model 65 Ladysmith with reduced recoil hydra shok, a judge loaded with 3-45 long colt pdx and 2-410 pdx and 2 sig 938's with HST,depending on where they are at over night (no kids, just wife and I ). If that doesn't work, hopefully I can get to AR.

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God, country, family.

MY Ithaca Model 37 Deer slayer with 18" barrel from 1969 with double 00 buckshot It was my deer gun when I was young. The short barrel makes it a great house SD gun.
And for Hand guns..my wife uses here Sig p238. She is accurate with it left or right hand. I like a simple DAO model 64 with a 4" barrel or my SW 4516-1

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John 1:17
NRA Life Benefactor

How about a M25-5 45lc 4"

Ooooooh, I like that......

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"Sacramento" Bruce Conklin

I have been harassing my wife lately with the idea of getting four Chihuahuas and running them through a good, solid guard dog program. Can you imagine being pursued by four of those little rodents-with-attitude?

(BTW, I am not posting this as a joke, I do really think that breed could excel as a guard dog)

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"Sacramento" Bruce Conklin

I think that anything that makes noise is probably a good idea, but I'm not really a dog person. I wonder how much more work the size of the dog creates for you as a defender. Obviously a larger dog is a big deterrent when you are not home during the day time. Several smaller dogs might be a really rude awakening in the dark. Lots of noise coming from various angles and not being able to see them magnifies their effect. Of course I'd rather have four Rhodesian Ridgebacks...they are left off the prohibited list in most places...smaller and less ferocious looking.

Personally I keep two black cats around. If someone ever breaks in, I'm certain they'll be really creeped out when they are greeted by not one but two sets of curiously beady eyes. Hopefully any potential thieves are highly superstitious. It worked very well for me when I lived in less fortunate areas.

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This≠DodgeCity&You≠BillHickok

I'm not a lawyer, but I definitely would not have those grips on my defensive or carry gun. Boondock Saints was a good series of movies. While the idea may have its appeal, any association with you and vigilantism, however loose, is probably not a good thing when you face a "jury" of your "peers". I'd also avoid Punisher grips or anything else that makes you look like you're living out a fantasy or anything more than poor Joe Blow who was attacked by those evil, animalistic excuses for human beings.

Cool grips indeed though. Buzz kill over.

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This≠DodgeCity&You≠BillHickok

I stand corrected- skinned rats can make a lot more noise than one hairy mutt that wants red meat in it's diet. If you're man enough to be seen with those "rodents-with-attitude", God Bless You.

Mike

Glock 23 on the nightstand.
Enough rounds for multiple intruders.
Powerful enough to get the job done.

Hmm, never thought of that but I guess it's a possibility. Guess I gota put my plain black hogue grips back on and leave these grips just for show

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M&P 15-22
1911

With the FBI reporting that the avg. number of home invaders is 3, are you concerned at all that the 1911's capacity might prove insufficient?

I'm not him, but I feel 'qualified' to answer as my previous reply in this thread has me pegged as trusting in a shotgun with 4 rounds.

Goblins often, but not always, flee at the sight of the lead-goblin being blasted. They don't know how many rounds the defender has on hand, and they don't want to stick around and find out. In fact the confidence of an armed defender may well be enough. May not either. I've made my choice and I'm sticking to it.

I know this wasn't directed at me but as a 1911 guy I don't feel this is a big concern. What if your 2-4 shotgun rounds dont take down all the intruders? I have 2 loaded mags plus one inside the gun in arms reach from me right now as I lay in bed for a total of 23 rounds. 2-3 rounds is all that is fired in the vast majority of scenarios. If you have other firearms like a shotgun or AR15 then the mag capacity in your pistol becomes even less of a concern, and those are the weapons you should be trying to get your hands on anyways if the BGs want to fight it out and not leave you alone.

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M&P 15-22
1911

Do you have a cite for the claimed FBI statistic of an average of 3 intruders? Since for years I have read that the average rounds fired in a home defense situation is 1 to 3, I find it hard to believe that multiple intruders are really the norm. The endless discussions of how many rounds are needed for home or personal defense seem often based on guesses by people who are using their imaginations rather than any real data. Generations of off-duty LEO's carried 5-shot snubbies and we certainly are not awash in true stories of these LEO's running out of ammo during a violent self defense incident.

Since most of us who carry a concealed weapon, or have a loaded firearm ready and accessible for use at home will never in our lifetimes actually use the firearm for its intended purposes, I think that any firearm with any amount of rounds is probably sufficient precaution against such violence. Even a 2 shot derringer is probably enough. Whether I reach for a revolver with 5 or 6 rounds, or a semi-auto with 7 to 15 rounds will not likely make a bit of difference should I ever actually need to fire a firearm at an intruder or intruders. I am actually more concerned with being mentally prepared and not overly affected by the adrenaline rush that will certainly take place than if my gun has sufficient capacity.

You are correct in your comment that most often the thugs don't stick around once a guns presence is known - and especially not when the shooting starts. It's the "but not always" part that I want to be ready for. Most likelly won't ever matter...but it's worth considering.

This video illustrates my reason for the question to Rastoff.
MB Studio Productions High Capacity Magazine PSA - YouTube

You can google FBI crime statistics, or go to their site and find it there.

I agree with you about mental prep. That will be the deciding factor regardless to the number of threats.

Mount a Smith alexander magwell and practice your reloads...Then who cares. They keep coming....they keep getting hurt.

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This≠DodgeCity&You≠BillHickok

Sorry, didn't see this 'til now.

No, I'm not concerned. The 1911 has 8+1 and the M&P has 10+1. In a perfect world that would be enough even if there are three invaders. If they come in one at a time like the video, each gets two. Assuming a failure to stop (the bad guy keeps coming) one more to the head should finish him.

Of course we don't live in a perfect world. How will any of us react in a real situation? We just don't know. Hopefully, we have trained and practiced enough that our reaction to deadly threat is automatic. Muscle memory kicks in and we do what we practiced.

From the video, why didn't he do a tactical reload after the first four shots? (Loved the trigger click sound on a locked back slide. Classic!) This is why I hammer the value of training.

A question, why is only the father armed?

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Freedom isn't free.

Those are good questions.

Because if she was blazing away with a twelve gauge the round count point would be lost on the intended audience...as the evil monkey casualties took a grand spike. Standing there horrified is far more effective to the point.

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This≠DodgeCity&You≠BillHickok

The guy in the video is most likely the typical "home defense" handgun owner - buys it and puts it away until needed. No practice, no spare mag., and he even closed his eyes when shooting the first guy. Should not have needed so many rounds to put him down permanently.