Originally Posted by Borderboss

My perspective is that I find the best self defense ammo that I can, because that's the first priority. After that, figure out how you're going to approach self defense in your dwelling so you know what's on the other side should you have to shoot.

I live in a two-story house in a Chicago subdivision, which means the houses next to me are within 50-75 feet of my house, and the house across the street is about 75 yards away from my front door. My self defense plan for nighttime intruders while we're in bed has always been to let the bad guys have the first floor. They can take what they want while the cops are on the way.

However, the staircase is the red line. If they take one step on the stairs, their *** is mine. Whether it's a load of #1 Buck or a few .223 Gold Dots, they're getting ventilated without a call, without a warning. If I miss, the round is either going into the floor, or will exit the house and explode on the cement front porch. No neighbor is in danger.

If they get upstairs before I know they're their, then the houses next door may be in play if I miss. I can't really think about that I'm afraid. Priority #1 is to survive.