I live alone, except for a little rat terrier, in a one-bedroom apartment in a senior citizens' apartment complex. I'm nearing the end of my life and am not unduly troubled about the possibility of someone attempting a very un-lucrative home invasion.

I have an old double 12 gauge sawed to twenty inches and some #4 buck in my bedroom closet if the neighborhood is going up in flames, but my reliance is on a .38 Special K-frame in the head of my bed and my carry J-frame .38 in easy reach.

You may call me naïve, fatalistic, an ostrich or plain bloody stupid; but this is what suits me. I have only the mutt and my decrepit old carcass to defend, and nothing much worth stealing.

I just don't want to live on high alert all the time. At seventy-seven, DefCon 3 in my own little flat is fatiguing. When I leave home, even to walk the Mighty Moose, I'm armed, alert and observant. Home is where I relax, with a gun within reach but not on my person.

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Oh well, what the hell.

A rifle in general is a handy thing to have around. Not everyone can afford an AR, but some sort of rifle can generally be found affordable. They are easier to hit with than a handgun.

I taught one of my old girlfriends how to use an old Mosin Model 44 in short order. Close the bolt and chamber a round, pull the trigger, then run forward with that spike bayonet screaming.

The potential opposition in Lansing was such that no one was likely to stick around after that.

Many an old battle rifle can be handy in a tight spot. The Mosin is about my least favorite, I found them clunky. But a partially sporterized Lee Enfield or Krag can still be found reasonably and both are smooth and fast. If they still have the metal buttplate and that nice hardwood stock, well they work nicely up close.

There is an old point shooting method to work a bolt gun fast up close, I think Fairbairn and Sykes among others taught it. It works. You can get offbfive shots almost as fast a semi auto.

I have an AR mind you, but it is worth thinking about for those who don't. Any handgun is sort of a pop gun compared to an 8mm Mauser, .303, .30-40, et all. Even the old 7.65 essentially hits like a .308 with a heavy bullet.

Thanks for the clarification, Rick. As you know, I didn't have an opportunity to measure it, and it was called a "pistol" in the first post. Others have been known to get in trouble for a vertical foregrip on an AR-style pistol, and I didn't want to see it happen here.

More info here: Can you add a vertical fore-grip to an AR pistol? | The Law Office of John Pierce, Esq.

I shun firearms in favor of my Jedi Light Saber.

On second thought, if light sabers are anything like flashlights, every time I picked one up the batteries would be dead.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I read the AR article in the American Rifleman and I thought the author
made a lot of good points. I do think that like others who have been in
real combat situations that he tends to overestimate the firepower
needs for home defense. 30 rd magazines loaded to full capacity as basically a requirement. But for those who can make use of one the
lightweight AR carbine surely does have many advantages over a
handgun and would no doubt be easier to hit with. The AR wouldn't
be the best choice for everyone and he acknowledges that with his
closing comment that the right gun for many is what they are most
comfortable with.

Ear protection beside the firearm should be standard practice. Preferrably one of the sets with electronic hearing assist. That way your hearing is protected from gunfire, yet you can still hear-possibly better than you can without the muffs.

While I conceed the reduced penetration of 5.56mm ammo compared to most duty pistol ammo there's two downsides to the concept. One is cost, even if you use a stock firearm. The other is countering the widely held perception-even in the firearm community-that anyone who does so is at best a bit of a loon.

After Sandy Hook, the local rag did a series on the views of defensive firearm use by locals. Overall, rather fair. Not surprisingly, there was no one in favor of the EBR/modern sporting rifle, several against it and a few Bidenesque "get you a shotgun" opinions.

As time goes on and folks get used to seeing the police with AR15s, then the loon factor gradually may start to go away. For now, at least where I live, it is real - unfortunately.

I'm not comfortable sleeping with a long gun under my pillow, thus I will stick with a handgun as my first line of defense.

My apartment is 27X30. I live on the second floor and the outside wall is just a flat wall so the odds of some random burglar coming in a window are almost nil which leaves my defending the front (only) door

I can cover the only entrance and most of the apartment from the bedroom door and I feel that I can do that adequately with a pistol.

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Retired Career Security Guard

If you are shooting long range than 100yards and not worry about hitting something you don't want than a shootgun would be better under 80 yards.[IMG][/IMG]

If you are shooting 80-100 yards. That's not self defense, that's killing.

About that shotgun......one of the big disadvantages to the shotgun is the shot pattern. Shotguns will not shoot the same patterns with different brands of shell. Sometimes not shoot the same patterns with different products by the same manufacturer.

One of my lasting memories from a lecture by a medical examiner was a slide of an object looking like a small moldy loaf of bread on a sidewalk. It was the brain of the kidnap victim "saved" by the shotgun round that killed his abductor. One stray pellet avulsed the brain from the skull.

One of the other issues with the shotgun is recoil. Full power buckshot generates about 22 ft/lbs of recoil, reduced recoil/tactical about 18 ft/lbs. By contrast, the .223/5.56mm runs 3.5-2.5 ft/lbs. Buckshot is specified for good reason, don't bother with birdshot tales-it won't stop in drywall either.

Depending upon what the aggressor is doing, 80-100 yards could indeed be self defense-if there was no other way to avoid injury.

The thread is about home defense, my home is not that big.
I will let you try to beat that one in court.

If you want to be enlightened, do some Googling on the subject. A light, frangible .223 round will penetrate walls less than even a load of birdshot, far less than any centerfire handgun round.

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Pisgah

to be fair the article states "use what works for you" repeatedly

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Retired Career Security Guard

He used a hand gun of unknown caliber.

The bullet went through him, through a bathroom wall,traversed his bedroom closet and bedroom, through the wall of his bedroom and into the next apartment before coming to rest in a widow frame.

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Retired Career Security Guard

Perhaps.

I'm just not willing to have an AR hanging from my shoulder while I'm in and around the home throughout the day. Handgun pocket carry suits me better.

I've read n re read the article about AR being good home defense choice. I absolutely love having my M4 for a number of reasons but home defense really makes no sense for a firearm that is expelling a bullet .223/.556 out at 3100 feet per second. That is just a nutty choice n a nutty article. Any good high capacity handgun in at least 9 mm is going to be a far safer choice for home defense.....if you know what ur doing.... A nice 12 gauge could be a backup secondary choice... But an AR, come on the article is stupid.

Uh... that's exactly why the 5.56 carbine is an excellent home defense weapon. The primary risk to innocents is rounds fired by the bad guys and the huge step up in wounding potential and accuracy mean that the bad guys are incapacitated quicker. The second concern is stray rounds fired by the defender and the greater accuracy and more rapid incapacitation mean that the defender fires fewer stray rounds. (Rounds appropriate for self-defense in pistol, rifle, and shotgun all tend to penetrate building materials about the same.)

Compared to a shotgun, the AR is more user-friendly and the defender does not have to worry about the expanding shot pattern causing stray projectiles.

These scenarios always make me laugh. I am sure Kyle Lamb was a great soldier and knows his stuff, but now he, Clint Smith, and all the other "experts" make their living selling a product or a fantasy to willing buyers.

Home invasions happen in SECONDS. During the day, most of them are push in robberies. I keep my door locked and have a gun in my waist band if I don't recognize the person out there. The thought of belting on a handgun with extra mags or clearing a house with an AR is just stupid to me. Should I throw on a Molle vest with mags and smoke grenades too? The thought of me in my boxers and a weapon belt makes me laugh out loud.

Keep a gun by the bedside, make sure your door is locked, and hope for the best.

I don't need to clear the house. I just need to go to where the dogs are and apply the AR to whatever they're holding onto.

I never understand the thinking of being less prepared is better than being more prepared. I have an AR loaded along with several handguns. Never know what could possibly happen. One thing I won't be doing is digging around for the appropriate firearm.

I am prepared. But life is s trade-off. Do I want to live in a state of extreme paranoia and stash guns and ammo all over the house? No. My gun is in a quick open safe bolted to the floor. I have a couple of those throughout the house. One is always near. I carry while outside. Even mowing the lawn. When the doorbell rings, I look out my window from upstairs. I can see the whole porch. If I don't recognize the person, the gun is put in my waist before answering the door.

As for your plan to grab a gun and go see what the dogs have cornered, I believe that will get you arrested in Florida. I recall a guy in Florida who was being pranked by some kids. Got his gun and went outside to see what was going on. Kid in a Holloween mask jumps out from the bushes. Guy shoots him. Manslaughter.

Only way I'm leaving my house with a gun to confront something or somebody is if a person is in danger. Not worth the hassle of an arrest or at the very least a lawsuit. Let the dogs chew on his leg while you call the cops.

While I understand where you coming from I still have to respectfully disagree with you.

Yes, indeed, those "experts" like you call them do sell their very own products and tactics. But if you would browse the VTAC website you'd see that there's a lot of products that actually make sense and they are not just tacticool.

What you do during a home invasion/break in is 100% up to you. But please remember that not everyone lives in a single wide mobile home. In some cases it does make sense to either grab the AR and/or strap on a belt with holster and spare magazine/s, i.e. large homes, homes with a 2nd floor, homes with a large yard and you see people approaching which gives you time, etc.

If you clear your house, YOUR(!) house, after the event is again 100% up to you. In many cases it's not just one person breaking in and I wouldn't want another perp hiding somewhere and then - once everything has calmed down - to either trying to run and/or kill me/us. Hell to the no!

So before you call anything/-one stupid please consider the variables. Not everything applies to everyone. Do what works for you. I like having my Brokos belt in reach.

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Jorge

I have a J frame on me when I leave the house, nothing on me in the house most times. Hasn't been a home invasion here in my 20 years in this county.

And don't have a gun while going to the mailbox or putting out the trash.

Yeah I know....................just not worried much.

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Sure you did

When you need that AR in 2 seconds, it will only be 5-10 seconds away.

I drop an LCP or 642 in my pocket in the morning and that's where it stays.

Be sure you still carry that Northland Pro Hockey Stick with ya when putting out the trash and getting the mail.

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Doesn't hasta call me Johnson

I answer the door with that, ya never know if the UPS guy has rabies.
Seriously, if I need 10 guns strategically placed around my house, I need to move. Geez.

I guess someday when I move to one of those "free" states I may have to up armor.

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Sure you did

I would not presume to argue with anyone else concerning what he thinks he needs to be properly prepared for self-defense in the home. I will say this: I have never met anyone who has been involved in such a situation who thought he needed less in terms of firearms, ammo (either quantity or caliber) or related equipment.

I do not understand why people do not have a home defense battery?

I have a revolver (4: Mod 19 with 158gr HPT) for each side of the bed, an AR-15 as well for each side of the Bed.

The wife and I know to defend with the rifle from a prepared position if we are given time, if not grab the revolver and defend your self. Revolvers and rifles are loaded and ready to fire.

Ammo for rifle is 64 gr nosler bonded.

For those that think the 5.56 is lacking power, please take one deer or hog hunting and use the Win 64 gr Power point or Nosler 64 Gr bonded bullets. At 150 yds or less it is much more devastating than any defensive handgun round. The expanding bullet from 2800 to 3100 fps will stop any aggressor.

Here is an expanded Nosler bonded bullet from a deer, it penetrated both shoulders at 50 yds distance. Rifle was Colt M4 Sporter.

I live in a ground floor apartment in a security building. I keep a J frame on my nightstand.

You seem to be 147grain reincarnated. If you are going to simply post others info you might want to understand it. Your comment ... (Rounds appropriate for self-defense in pistol, rifle, and shotgun all tend to penetrate building materials about the same.).. is FALSE. The big advantage of the AR is the high velocity causes the projectiles to penetrate less in standard building materials than buckshot,rifled slugs or common handgun rounds such as 38sp,9mm etc. As far as your claim the AR has better stopping power... compared to what? You really think a load of 9 or 12 00 buck has less stopping power than a 5.56 or 223 round?
Second point 147 is I personally gave Evan Marshall shooting reports so your claim he has no data is another lie.
You should have just stayed away as you got run out of town before on every gunblog