Colt detective special enough for home defense?

[640ALEX]

It's serious question I have three guns a browning hi-power, 642, and colt detective special. My current home defense gun is the dick special, is it enough. I'm less attached to the colt should I trade it for a auto with more rounds and a rail. The only the reason I'm asking is because I had an attempted entry in my home with my wife and I inside a couple of weeks ago and all I had was the colt and a surefire in hand. Am I overreacting?

[alwslate]

I love my two BHPs but a revolver makes more sense for home defense
due to being an always loaded grab and fire powerfull weapon. Since the older colt revolvers bring high prices these days I would sell the
colt and look for a nice 4" S&W md. 28 .357 mag. Hard to think of a
better home defense handgun.

[ContinentalOp]

I see nothing wrong with using a Colt Detective Special for a home defense gun, presuming both you and your wife are confident in your skills with it. A larger gun, like a S&W 64, might be better as it's usually easier to shoot than a snub.

I'm currently using my 2" 64 loaded with standard pressure Buffalo Bore 158gr LSWCHP as my carry and home defense gun. If I don't have the gun on me, it's close by. I am confident in my ability to deliver rounds to center mass quickly out to 10 yards, even though 10 feet is about the farthest I'd have to shoot in a home defense situation. I also do dry fire drills nearly every day (drawing, reloading, moving to cover, awkward positions, etc.). And I don't live in the nice part of town.

It's about what you're confident in and have sufficient training with that counts, not the gun itself. If you think you need a higher capacity semi-auto, then make sure you get one that both you and your wife can shoot well, get the necessary training, and practice. Have a plan and rehearse it.

Just my opinion, for whatever it's worth.

[J.P.60]

It's about what you're confident in and have sufficient training with that counts, not the gun itself.

All the capacity in the world means nothing if you have not honed your abilities. If you can shoot the gun well, The Detective Special is more than up to the job. My opinion is that if you cannot dispatch an intruder with 6 shots, at in-house distances, you'll not do it with higher capacity. All the Hi-Cap will do is give you a false sense of security.

[s&wchad]

Scary that someone attempted a home invasion, I’m glad you and your wife are OK. I suggest you put a lock on the bedroom door and buy a shotgun instead of another handgun.

[walnutred]

Considering one of the loaded firearms in the house is a 3" M37 caliber and capacity wise I think we're in the same camp. Howver for the last few years my Bump In The Night firearm has been a Hipiont 995 TS carbine. Where I live the BITN is most likely going to be caused by a coydog in the trash cans.

[PeterCartwright]

Most of us reading this forum wouldn't be here if we weren't handgun nuts, but the earlier post stumping for shotguns makes a lot of sense. Used, completely dependable shotguns can be had on the cheap. Whack off the barrel if it's too long (CAREFULLY measuring to comply with all Federal regs, of course!) Buck loads in either 12 or 20 ga. will certainly handle up close threats. Our handguns are just icing on the cake.

PC

[Old cop]

The bottom line is use the gun you and your wife are most familiar with. During an emergency your fine motor skills go out the window so if that is the Colt, than depend on it. Any good .38 will do the job but you both should practice as often as possible.

[LoboGunLeather]

While I always keep a couple of handguns handy (with a strong preference for .45 caliber), my primary defensive weapon at home is a Remington 870 12-gauge cylinder bore 20" loaded with 2-3/4" magnum loads of BB shot (about 65-70 pellets of .177" diameter). If an intruder is foolish enough to advance after hearing the slide racking the first round into the chamber I am pretty confident in the stopping power at close range, and I don't have to worry overly much about bullets/slugs/buckshot flying around in a residential area.

For what it may be worth.

[MotorCityGun]

Originally Posted by s&wchad

Scary that someone attempted a home invasion, I’m glad you and your wife are OK. I suggest you put a lock on the bedroom door and buy a shotgun instead of another handgun.

Chad, I agree with your locked door recommendation and your choice of home defender (Moss 590?). However, the location of the shotgun in the picture may not be ideal. Can you think of a better location or let us know why you decided to place it where you currently have it?

[MotorCityGun]

Originally Posted by LoboGunLeather

If an intruder is foolish enough to advance after hearing the slide racking the first round into the chamber I am pretty confident in the stopping power at close range

For what it may be worth.

My questions/comments are related to your "racking the slide" as a perceived deterrent. I don't doubt that this MAY/MIGHT deter the BG from advancing on you, however, from a tactical pov:
- do you maintain your pistol/gun with an empty chamber or cylinder?
- do you want to audibly give away your location to the BG?
- do you want to waste or give away the time it will take to rack and draw down/aim?
- will you remember to rack/chamber the shell in your sleep-induced haze?
- can you provide any data/statistics which indicates the BG was, in fact, deterred from a racking slide? TV/Movies don't count

[cmort666]

A Detective Special is a perfectly adequate firearm for home defense, although I'd prefer something bigger in size, even in the same caliber.

Regarding shotguns, they CAN be effective, but not in all situations. In my home, a shotgun is about as useless as a naginata or a longbow, hopelessly unwieldy.

[cmort666]

Originally Posted by MotorCityGun

My questions/comments are related to your "racking the slide" as a perceived deterrent. I don't doubt that this MAY/MIGHT deter the BG from advancing on you, however, from a tactical pov:
- do you maintain your pistol/gun with an empty chamber or cylinder?
- do you want to audibly give away your location to the BG?
- do you want to waste or give away the time it will take to rack and draw down/aim?
- will you remember to rack/chamber the shell in your sleep-induced haze?
- can you provide any data/statistics which indicates the BG was, in fact, deterred from a racking slide? TV/Movies don't count

You couldn't be more correct.

An unloaded firearm is worthless.

I would NEVER assume that I won't be surprised by an intruder, or that having done so, he'll allow me to load my weapon when it should have been loaded in the first place.

[J.P.60]

Having some small experience and expertise, I will go further. If your sidearm is not kept in condition one - give it away. It will only kill you.

[S&W forever]

I own many Smiths, but my nightstand gun is a Browning Auto 5 with a 18" barrel loaded with 3" 4 buck. You can't go wrong with a 100 year old design.

[photoman]

Originally Posted by 640ALEX

It's serious question I have three guns a browning hi-power, 642, and colt detective special. My current home defense gun is the dick special, is it enough. I'm less attached to the colt should I trade it for a auto with more rounds and a rail. The only the reason I'm asking is because I had an attempted entry in my home with my wife and I inside a couple of weeks ago and all I had was the colt and a surefire in hand. Am I overreacting?

Where was the 642 and the BHP when this happened? When the gunfight starts, no matter what gun you have, you're not going to feel like it's enough.

[walnutred]

Originally Posted by S&W forever

I own many Smiths, but my nightstand gun is a Browning Auto 5 with a 18" barrel loaded with 3" 4 buck. You can't go wrong with a 100 year old design.

You must have a very large nightstand ;-)

[ldp4570]

At one time, all I had for CCW/HD was a Walther PP in .32acp, and due to practice, and still to this day a strong will to survive, I never felt out gunned or under gunned. The firearm is just a tool, its the person behind it that matters!!

[s&wchad]

Originally Posted by MotorCityGun

Chad, I agree with your locked door recommendation and your choice of home defender (Moss 590?). However, the location of the shotgun in the picture may not be ideal. Can you think of a better location or let us know why you decided to place it where you currently have it?

It’s just a picture, that‘s not where we keep it. I won’t discuss our specifics, but everyone need to determine what methods are right for them. I do understand the need to insure that firearms are not accessible to unauthorized persons. I also know that it won’t do us any good if we can’t get to it in time.

[IvanW]

The Colt is a fine HD weapon. As others have said, use what you have the most experience with and confidence in.

[gaucho1]

Shotgun with light. Handgun as backup.
Never take only a handgun to a possible situation if you have a rifle or shotgun.

I love my Colt DS, handy size and fits my abbreviated hand.

Time, distance and cover are your friends
Consider some more bright lights, alarm that makes noise at your command, and some robust portal securing devices.

[irishjig]

hold on to your colt its not in the way and it will take care of business when needed !

I have a colt that was my grandpaws, then my dads, and now mine. Was customize by my Grandpaw. Its a 190945LC

[Lost Lake]

I agree a shotgun is a darn formidable weapon! But I think I would use #7 birdshot. I think it would still make a heck of a mess on human being and be a little less likely to go through too many walls. Also have a better spread at short distances.

As for handguns, I'll stick with my .40 auto instead of my .357 wheel gun. I don't feel undergunned with either, but I do like the 15 rounds in my .40 and the ultra fast reloading ability. Maybe if my auto ever fails to cycle properly I will feel differently.

I should move my 870 with the slug barrel from the safe to the bedroom. In fact I have a lightweight 870 20 gauge with a slug barrel I could put there.... My wife would feel at ease with it because that was her deer gun for years.... Thanks for the suggestion.

And yes I think if I was a prowler sneaking into a house and I heard the slide on an 870 rack back and forth I'd be pretty dang terrified!!!

[S&W forever]

Originally Posted by walnutred

You must have a very large nightstand ;-)

yes... It is

[David LaPell]

Do you shoot well with that Colt? As the old saying goes, a hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a .44. All those extra rounds in the magazine won't amount to anything if you can't hit anything and just dump the rounds into who knows where. I was wondering when we got to a point where we started to tell ourselves that a revolver can't do the job. Those extra rounds are nice, but how often in the real world are they needed?
Our department issue gun is a Glock, but even in our qualifications we don't bang away with anything more than five rounds at a time. Most often it is two rounds at a time. I have been carrying a revolver for years, now a Model 10 2-inch, and I have no problems with it or fears of it failing when needed.

[Steve in Vermont]

Something goes bump in the night I'll send my wife to investigate with whatever she's comfortable with. If she wanted a Colt I wouldn't object. When it comes to protecting the home nothing is to good for the Little Lady.

[MotorCityGun]

Originally Posted by Lost Lake

I agree a shotgun is a darn formidable weapon! But I think I would use #7 birdshot. I think it would still make a heck of a mess on human being and be a little less likely to go through too many walls. Also have a better spread at short distances.

And yes I think if I was a prowler sneaking into a house and I heard the slide on an 870 rack back and forth I'd be pretty dang terrified!!!

Based on much research and data, #7 shot is NOT an optimal load for a HD shotgun. Will it make a mess, you bet; will it stop the intruder...?

Also, reference my previous post about maintaining your HD shotgun with an empty chamber. YOU might be terrified by the sound of a racking shotgun, but by racking your shotgun:
- you may have just warned/alerted the intruder and eliminated the element of surprise.
- you may have now "forced" the bad guy to use lethal force on you if given the chance.
- if he has a similar weapon, I guarantee he will NOT rack/chamber a shell/round in order to scare you. His will most likely be in Condition 1.

[J.P.60]

MCG is dead on, here. Believe me, if your intruder is armed and prepared to kill you - racking any gun is simply directions for him to fire in. In most homes, your walls and doors are just an inconvenience. The same can be said for the intruder. If he racks his gun, I will kill him thru the wall, if necessary and won't stop shooting until he's dead.

Just my two cents...

[walnutred]

Many years ago, when I was in the Army and gone for long periods of time, my wife lived in a townhouse apartment in Columbus, Ohio. She decided she wanted a firearm specifically for home defense so I found her an old SXS 12 ga with hammers. I cut the barrels down to 22” and installed one of those orange, hi viz front sights, shortened the stock and put a thick recoil pad on it. The bedroom was upstairs and I told her if she heard someone downstairs stay put and call 911, explain you had an intruder and you were upstairs armed. Get on the opposite side of the bed from the door and aim the shotgun at the doorway. Yell as loud as you can that you’ve called 911 and were armed. If the doorway filled up empty one barrel, if it fills up a second time empty the second barrel. Don’t investigate, everything downstairs was insured. Pick your defensive spot and wait for help.
The sxs had no safety and was easy to load/re-load in low light conditions. Even if she'd had a third intruder in the house I doubt the third would have climbed over the bodies of the first two to get up the stairs. B y then she would have reloaded anyway.

[CelticSire]

If I may..

The advice to put a lock on the bedroom door is sound advice. Let me add to that, having some small experience in physical security, crime prevention through environmental design, etc etc etc. The vast majority of interior doors in homes are hollow core. You can cut through them with a pocket knife. My suggestion is to take the money you would spend on a new weapon and invest in a solid door for the bedroom, PROPERLY installing a deadbolt, and strengthening the door frame. If you're even remotely handy it can be done in a matter of a couple of hours with basic handtools. It won't stop a determined intruder who is willing to dismantle a door, hack through a wall, etc, but it will slow them down substantially. (Most burglars are not Jason Voorhees and do not carry chain saws or axes) It will deter the basic home intruder/burglar/thief from entering your bedroom. Every "thing' in your home can be replaced, your loved ones can't. Also, make sure you have a cell phone in case the burglar cuts the phone line.

Here's one link that offers additional information.

Safe Room – How to Build One On a Budget

[J.P.60]

Celtic Sire has a very good point. My house has old plaster and lath walls on top of 2x4 studs. The plaster is more concrete than anything and the walls are, thus, +8 inches thick. I also have the old oak doors on and they are very heavy and very hard. Hadn't thought about a dead bolt - but, sure a good idea. I have a friend who has "armored" a spare closet in his home, a few doors down. He used fireproof insulation over fireproof treated dry-wall-kind-of-stuff and then mounted 1/8th inch steel plate to the studs. The door and frame is steel over fireproof materials, as well. All shelves and hardware, inside, are coated wire units. Voila: a damned nice gun safe and it hides well as all his doors are painted white.

[longaction]

In an answer to the original question. Yes. A Colt Detective Special is a .38 Special caliber revolver. That cartridge has worked for over a hundred years.

[jimmyj]

My Bump in the night-go to gun is a Remington Model 870 12gauge with a 18" inch barrel loaded with #4 Buckshot. I rack the slide when I picked it up. The BG will get negative warning. The last thing BG will see is a muzzle flash and the last thing he will hear is his head blowing apart.
P.S. Keep the Colt 2" but buy a shotgun.

[Buford57]

I don't have any statistics to offer on the psychological effects of a racking shotgun slide, no White Labs studies, just street experience. I carried an 870 with an empty chamber and unlocked slide (because my department told me to) and can think of several occasions when pulling it out of the rack and chambering a round convinced people with bats, bricks, knives chains and bottles that the fun was over. Having been on both ends of that sound in the dark of night, I promise you, it gives one pause.

I still keep my home shotgun in that condition because that is how I trained. If I started keeping a round up the spout, in the dead of night I would eject the first round as soon as I picked it up, or stand there struggling with a locked slide, wondering why it wouldn't work.

The OP had an attempted "hot" burglary for sure, a home invasion maybe. I'm not sure I saw where the attempted intruders were known to be armed. A burglar who is there only to steal and armed only with a prybar or knife will likely not stick around to locate and engage a homeowner he knows is armed with a shotgun. Now its my turn to ask for statistics to the contrary not found in movies or TV.

All the advice about reinforcing the bedroom door and buying a shotgun is sound IF he and his wife are prepared to practice with the new addition. Practicing getting the shotgun out and into play; practicing disengaging and reengaging the safety; practicing working the action properly.

That is the beauty of what he has now: as the least complex option (except for a ball bat) it is the most foolproof and most certain and therefore the best option for the person who is not committed to drilling and practicing monthly at least and preferably more often.

[J.P.60]

Buford, your experience speaks for itself, without question. In those situations, it worked for you. Do you think it would have had the same magic had the gang of punks been members of an MS13 or MS18 initiation group?

Speaking for myself, only, I simply do not want to make noise or give away my position by racking a shotgun or 1911 - especially if I am cornered in my bedroom and being stalked by an armed intruder. For the same reason, I don't use gun mounted lights or lasers. That's all.

I hope you can see the difference and also hope you know I am not questioning your veracity. I, too, have seen what a yard full of Level 4 inmates, hell bent on killing each other and anyone else they can get do when they hear guns being racked.

[MotorCityGun]

Buford, ditto what JP stated. BTW, I stand by my decision to maintain my HD and SD weapons in Condition 1 readiness. It's obvious you've trained, and therefore, are naturally habituated to automatically rack your shotgun. However, comparing how a trained LEO reacts and what s/he does on the street vs how a frightened armed homeowner reacts to a late night intruder, is kinda' apples and oranges. And I'm not going to bet my life and that of my family's, that the BG "is there only to steal and armed only with a prybar or knife." Also, I'm not even going to attempt to prove a negative/opposing situation. Quite frankly, it cannot be logically done.

[Armyphotog]

If you can hit what your are aiming at, I don't see that it makes much difference. Of course, if you are expecting a home invasion by a gang, I would vote for a shotgun.

[jimmyj]

Make your bedroom a "Safe Room". Thick/heavy door with stong lock. A cell phone with charger, flashlight, loaded short barrel shotgun, and a handgun. "Bump in the Night" take your pre-arranged defense position with "At Ready" firearm, call 911, and stay PUT! Let the BG come to you.
P.S. Your parked car alarm is an addition alert after you press the button on your key chain that should be hanging on the wall hook in your bedroom.
*** Taking prisoners is not an option!

[white cloud]

I love old Colts and S&Ws. I have not a bit of doubt that the Colt is up to the job but my vote is "get a nice used 12ga riot gun and take a class on how to fight with it". One trip to the range with the riot gun convinced me that under stress one needs a shotty. Seeing nine+ holes appear in your target with one squeeze of the trigger is VERY confidence inspiring. I like lights on a fighting shotgun as one needs to KNOW what one's target is.

I am not getting involved in the shot size debate. There is lots of info on that topic. Just search a little bit. Try shooting a 2x6 with a 12ga load of BBs.

[coltgun]

Originally Posted by alwslate

I love my two BHPs but a revolver makes more sense for home defense
due to being an always loaded grab and fire powerfull weapon. Since the older colt revolvers bring high prices these days I would sell the
colt and look for a nice 4" S&W md. 28 .357 mag. Hard to think of a
better home defense handgun.

Thats very good advice..But over the years i have never handeled a home invasion, without at least 3 bad guys, a 12 or 20 ga shotgun would be a goos option, the 20 ga having a lighter recoil...in addition to the above. and i much prefer a 357mag to a 38. if i shot an intruder or 2 i want them DOA, and not coming after me with some lightweight ammo in them, as there is not as much room to escape,for me, inside as there would be outside..ive seen several folks wiped out by these punks, they are not to be taken lightly....IMHO