Hey guys my name is Bryan and im a 25 year old male. I was wondering if any body had good tips or suggestions on how to be tactical in situations such as someone breaking into your home. Would you clear with a shotgun or pistol or maybe both? btw i have a winchester 1300 defender with 4 OO buck shot in the tube next to the bed and a sw9ve with 11 in the mag. any suggestions tips would be great.

Thanks,
Bryan P

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Aim small miss small

Bryan,
Welcome to the Forum.

My go-to House Gun is a Remington 870 loaded with #1 Buck, but I suppose the situation at hand would dictate exactly what weapon I would use and how I would proceed. All things being equal, there's nothing like a 12 gauge for clearing a house. If you had the time to grab the pistol as well, I suppose it would be very nice to have a BUG too.

Chief38

Hey Chief38!

the only thing i fear with using my 12 gauge winchester 1300 defender(18 barrel) is that if i had to clear rooms im afraid that if the bad guy is waiting for me he could with ease grab the barrel of the shot gun, i do have my 9mm sw9ve pistol on the night stand right next to my bed in a fobus HK1 holster....you think roll with shotgun at larger areas of house and when coming into close quarters switch to pistol and throw shotgun on my back. (has a sling)

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Aim small miss small

Whatever my wife wants to use I'll provide it. Actually, when I mentioned this to her I got "The Look". Pity any intruder who gets that.

If someone broke into my home I would not go looking for them, I would let them find me, that way I have the element of surprise.

I have both a shotgun and semi-auto in the bed room.

Bryan,

you are always in a danger clearing a house. No matter what kind of weapon you use. We also have both hand- and shotgun available. I'm working on getting a M134 Gatling so I can clear our and the neighbors front- and backyards as well j/k

But don't you get good training as an LEO?

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Jorge

Bryan,
That is why I said that it would depend on the individual situation & circumstances. The way your home is laid out will also have a bearing on what king of weapon you use. My GO-TO Remington M870 would be my primary choice UNLESS I had to go where space restrictions, door ways, etc. dictated that a hand gun would be better off used.

My home is a two story home and if an intruder entered, it would most likely be from down below. My vantage point is at the top of the steps and I would be waiting there with my M870 at the ready and a handgun as a BUG. That scenario is ASSUMING that we were already upstairs. If I was down stairs and could not get upstairs before the intruder entered, the situation could be totally different. That's why it is important to be able to think fast and make good decisions for all different kinds of scenarios. Bottom line here is there is NO one best way 100% of the time.

Chief38

One thing, when walking with the shotgun hold the barrel downwards, then the barrel isn't sticking out around the corner. Known as low-ready I guess. Same with the pistol, you don't go around the corner with your arm straight out ready to fire- you hold it in low-ready. There's lots of tactical reading on the internet, try and find stuff by Mas Ayoob, several others out there are extremely experienced. Takes time, for sure.

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No work? No eat. 2 Thes

Sorry for double-post here- one important thing I left out is practicing secnarios in YOUR house with unloaded weapons. Think it thru, like if someone broke in the BACK door and you were in the kitchen- or back door and you're in the den, bedroom, then think about front door and where you are when it busts. The more you think, consider options, the more ready you will be- not so much to kill an intruder- but to be safe, including not shooting your neighbor who was drunk as a dog.

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No work? No eat. 2 Thes

An attacker that grabs the barrel of my shotgun would find he is holding the wrong end.

First come the dogs and them me ,If they get past me they will be introdced to my wife a red dot and a 380 . But until faced with a situation, who knows how it will work out . At any rate they will be leaking quite badly.

Buy a copy of Ayoob's "In the Gravest Extreme" and read it several times. Be aware some of the weapon recommendations are 30 some years old and aren't real relevant.

Those who suggest forting up and waiting for the intruders to come to you are right. Clearing houses is a task for multiple, trained individuals-or one good aggressive dog.

If you have family in your home secure them, call the police, and wait somewhere with a vantage point.

Like others have said, I really don't understand why anyone would want to go looking.

Staying in one place, door locked, armed, on the phone with the police seems to me the most sound tactical decision one could make.

Having other folks, especially children in the house, introduces other variables, but but if you go looking for someone you present them with the opportunity to lie in wait for you...instead of you for them, and you give up a big advantage.

I think most importantly, have a plan everyone in the household understands, and practice it.

That's the point. I'd rather die instead of hiding and not protecting my kids!! W.T.H.!!! Period!!!

Get out there and practice. Stop wining and hiding.

The person breaking into a house does not expect you to go for him/her/them. They think everybody is either not at home or afraid if home. Wrong!

There is only "the one" chance to life or die. Don't gamble. Don't be a victim. Don't be dead.
Do it right and do it with all your heart. Don't hesitate.

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Jorge

#1:Carry at home.Regardless of the legalities of carrying concealed out of the home, within one's abode its usually legal to be armed and carrying. Some might consider this paranoia, but the facts on the ground are that if an armed crook kicks in the front door they won't politely wait in the den while you run upstairs to unlock your gun safe.

#2:Practice "clearing" your home. Being a single man, my ideal response would be to hole up with the bad guy coming to me. But crooks don't send warning emails. Just like a crook could bust in with me in bed alone in the house, they could bust in with my girlfriend in the bathroom and me in the kitchen. Or they could kick in the door with my extended family over. Ive been in a self defense incident where I nearly had to clear holster, and trust me there won't be time to debate tactics. If you've had some practice clearing "YOUR" home, its a skill set which may save your life if the situation won't allow retreat into a safe area.


Three,mind your own business. Being a LEO this may not be as much of a worry, but if the neighbor's getting his home broken into its better to call the cops and wait instead of going outside playing Chuck Norris.

I think Cooter Brown's point is that there isn't one single response to an intruder scenario; it depends on several variables, one of them being whether or not there are loved ones in the home you have to get to in order to protect.

If there are, especially children or elderly, sweeping en route to them becomes an unfortunate necessity, in which case your approach applies.

But if you have your loved ones with you behind a locked door, or no one to protect other than yourself, it's foolish in the extreme to sweep. Arm yourself, stay behind that locked door, and call the police; for a host of reasons legal, logical and tactical, this is the way to go.

Couldn't agree more.


I also agree on that and after reading Cooter Brown's post again I have to admit I overreacted a lil bit

Still love you guys

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Jorge

As for firearms choice, the gun with which YOU feel most confident is almost certainly your best gun. I'm mostly a 1911 guy, so obviously that's what I choose for all self-defense situations, including everyday carry.

As for tactics, there are two scenarios I have planned for. One is someone attempting to smash into my home. If circumstances allow me to be prepared, firearm in hand, to confront the individual immediately at time of entry, that's what I'll do. Legally, I would not feel safe with shooting through a door/window ... I would want the individual to have clearly forced his way into my home before I fired.

Otherwise, I have a planned, designated (for me) retreat area that is far from any entrance/window. With a flick of a switch (at night), the lighting level in that room becomes zero ... but the rest of the house is softly illuminated. You also want to be able to fire while looking around the right side of a wall/barrier (if you're right-handed); I've provided for that. And there's a tritium-sighted 1911 ready, in Condition One, in this area. And I do practice and time myself, so that everything would be virtual reflex reaction.

Added thoughts: A person's plan should be made with due consideration for your own state's laws. They're not the same among states, so this is important. I've also noticed some advice above to call the police. If you can do so before an intruder enters your home, that's great. However, I would first want to be prepared to defend myself before taking the time to call the police, give them my name, my address, my telephone number, the nature of the risk ... and then inevitably being asked to repeat everything a second time, etc. Realistically, I doubt that I would have time to effectively summon police assistance before the intruder directly reached me. Talking on the telephone, with an intruder already in my home, would basically tell the intruder exactly where I was ... not a wise thing to do in my opinion, unless one's home has soundproof walls.

Talking on the telephone, with an intruder already in my home, would basically tell the intruder
I have thought seriously about dialing 9-1-1 and setting the phone down as close to the action as possible. Could be excellent evidence when the cops show up. Haven't thought that completely thru, but it has some appeal early in the process. Of course, if I get stressed and yell "I'm gonna blow your brains out" it may not be such a good idea.

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No work? No eat. 2 Thes

To the OP's original question:

Ideally, three lines of defense for home protection:

1) A security system to alert you and police of an intrusion, and deter intruders.

2) A medium-to-large, loud dog(s) with a protective instinct to alert you of an intrusion, and deter intruders.

3) You, armed and having rehearsed likely scenarios.

As far as which weapon, there is no perfect platform, only a series of compromises based on a series of variables.

How large the home, condo or apartment? How narrow or wide the passages? How many points of entrance? How many inhabitants? Are there acres between you and the neighbors, or are there homes on all sides, or families living above, below and on either side separated only by thin walls, floors and ceilings?

As a rule, any round that will penetrate deeply enough to do damage will go through walls, doors, etc., and possibly people you weren't intending it to, so unless you live alone in a rural place there's always that risk. But what a .44 Magnum round nose will go through versus a .38 Special hollow point are two very different things, whether you hit the target or not.

Given that shot placement has more to do with stopping a threat than caliber does, I think smaller, more controllable calibers on a trusted platform paired with quality defensive ammo is the best compromise between power, user friendliness and the risks of extreme overpenetration. I like .38 Special and 9mm with proven hollow points (with an admitted weakness sometimes for .45 ACP).

This means, of course, that in the debate between shotguns and handguns for home defense, I prefer handguns. This doesn't means that shotguns aren't excellent tools and viable for self defense, they are both. I simply prefer the capacity, maneuverability and easier realoadability of a handgun for home use.

At home defense distances, a shotgun's spread offers no meaningful advantage, has limited capacity and is difficult to reload in a self defense situation compared to a handgun; it's also more cumbersome in tight spaces, moving loved ones, carrying children or using the phone.

Does the shotgun generally hit harder? From .410 bore to 12 gauge, using buckshot, you bet. But I'll trade that for the advantages of a handgun in a close-quarters, non-combat situation.

Your question is a good one, and also a can of worms. There are no perfect solutions, but many options, and an endless amount of opinions, most valid, some quite impassioned.

Read a lot, think a lot, draw your own conclusions and put your plan in place.

In PA, we have the Castle Doctrine working for us. That said, my strategy to deal with a home invasion (that occurs while I am at home) is: A) Arm myself; B) Identify where the threat is; C) Find a safe location (with family members) to lie low and play defense; D) Contact law enforcement immediately. As long as the BG knows less about my home's layout than I do, I have the tactical advantage. No need to play commando and start clearing rooms ...

If I walk into my home and am alerted to an intruder, the strategy remains similar. Rather than go looking for the BG, I get my bearings, and take a defensive position, which may simply include backing out of the house and putting in the 911 call.

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I'm with the banned ...

In reading over this thread, I have received sound advice. I had not considered what to do if 1] in kitchen or den and door is broken in 2] in kitchen or den with child and door is broken in.

My main goal is to try to make it upstairs to bedroom where I can hold up with gun and take defensive action while waiting for police. I think I will have to practice some new strategies.

I would like to add one thing more that I do that others might wish to consider. I try to keep my keys on me at all times. My key has a button that causes the car horn to sound. If someone breaks in, I hit that button. The noise might annoy neighbors enough to cause them to check and might also get the bad guys to run away.

As others have said, the last thing you should do is go looking for trouble because odds are you'll find it.

The word "Tactical" is thrown around too much these days. Some people don't realize that "Tactical" can mean offense or defense. But moreso "Tactical" means using your brain.

Putting yourself in harms way doesn't take much brains. But lying in wait for someone does.

Clint Smith has a great video in which he shows his method of clearing a house. And in it he states several times that clearing a house is the last thing we should do. But he shows how it's done for those that just have to do so. The video is "Defensive Thinking".

The only two things in my house worth shooting somebody over is my wife and myself. No kids anymore so that makes it a lot easier to defend.

At night, no issue, bedroom has limited access and easy target if they get in the entry to the bedroom.

During the day, They better be quick to get in, because, given any time, I will have a pistol in my hand.

Night or day there is a hand gun with in a few steps no matter where I am. My dads house was the same way, people may call it paranoia... but hey the bad guy isn't going to knock before kicking in your door. I would rather be walking by a cupboard with towels and a gun in it rather than a cupboard with just towels

But of course hiding guns around the house is not wise if one has children

Massad Ayoob gave the best advice I've heard. If there are other people in your home (i.e. children or guests) in other rooms, get to them and secure them using the handgun so you have a free hand should you trip or need to grab something. Once you've secured them, get to your chosen "safe room", and stay there with the shotgun leveled on the door.

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Just the opinion of a kid

I would want to be able to have a handgun in a holster that would attach to my PJ's, to back up the shotgun.

Also I would want a high quality light attached to your shotgun, so you can Positively identify who you shoot.

Also I would prefer to wait for the suspect to come to me.

If I had kids I would want to put myself in a position to protect them, and again let the suspects come to me.

And as others have suggested practice in you house, and involve anyone who lives in the house in the "practice".

I highly recommed a good alarm. Just be sure you turn in on EVERY NIGHT.

OH, and while you might be young [compaired to me], you are not Dumb, as you are preparing, and asking the right questions.

I think it was Teddy Roosevelt that said, "Make preperations in Advance, for then if you have Trouble, you are ready for it..."

I was a Boy Scout, "Our" Motto is, Be Prepared...

I still Live by that Motto, in all aspects of my life...

It has Never Failed Me.

I strongly doubt that your neighbors will even hear your car horn. If they do, they're likely to look at the car and take no further action. (Watch the reactions of folks in parking lots to car alarms.) Now, if you could install a really loud outdoor siren that worked off a keyfob panic button, that might be another story.

Aggressive home invaders can kick your door down and be in the middle of your home in a couple of seconds. Retreating to a sanctuary isn't a real likely possibility in that time frame.

BTW- it's especially important that you not be wandering around armed in your house if the LLEA is on the way. Those aren't the circumstances you want to meet the local patrol cops in. That's not the way to get your fifteen minutes of fame (and be talked about as "that dumb***" afterward).

I had mentioned reading Mas Ayoob's advice, someone else mentioned Clint Smit- just wanted to +1 that, Smith is great, too.

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No work? No eat. 2 Thes

Whew! Glad to hear I'm not a whining hider! I was starting to worry!

Hapworth summed things up nicely with regard to my post.

A good discussion, and as I said before, something you need to talk about and have a plan for if there are others in the house.

I'd like to think I would hunker down after getting the kids... We have upstairs bedrooms. We have a killer attack Chocolate Lab, at least she barks and growls like she would put up a fight.

The problem I have with hunkering down, and maybe this is never the issue, but what if the BG douses the lower level with gas and sets a fire? That would destroy his tracks, create a huge diversion and maybe give the dirtball some satisfaction.

Otherwise yeah, set yourself up in a safe place, dial 911 and be ready to act if necessary.

If you have time, dialing 911 is one of the best options you have, even if its just dialing 911 and sitting the phone to the side. If you are hurt help will be coming. If you go rambo you could end up with your throat slit lying there until someone wonders what happened to you. Dont rely on the police but having them on the way and aware of the situation would be good if someone happens to get a jump on you.

Another thing to remember... people may have a general lay out of your house. Do you leave the lights on at night with your curtains open? Just about everyone has been on a walk at night or drive where you can look at a house see everyone who lives there and what they are doing just because they forget that when the lights are on at night you can see in but cant see out.

where Im from some of the scum bags were driving around at night looking for people who left their curtains open so they knew where valuables were and then broke in while the home owners were at work. The same thing could be used for a nighttime break in.

LOL i would never agree to going Rambo in any situation lol. first of all i dont a 50 cal machine gun that i could whip out and go all crazy haha b nice but i dont have one

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Aim small miss small

[QUOTE=Poodle Soup;136486885]If you have time, dialing 911 is one of the best options you have, even if its just dialing 911 and sitting the phone to the side. If you are hurt help will be coming. If you go rambo you could end up with your throat slit lying there until someone wonders what happened to you. Dont rely on the police but having them on the way and aware of the situation would be good if someone happens to get a jump on you.
\who lives


LOL i would never agree to going Rambo in any situation lol. first of all i dont have a 50 cal machine gun that i could whip out of the closet and go all crazy... haha b nice to have one but i dont have one

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Aim small miss small

IMHO first and foremost whatever you decide to use to protect your home make sure that you are intimately familiar with it, whether that's a shotgun, a semi, a revolver, or a freaking frying pan. If you choose to keep a firearm for defensive purposes then practice firing it from odd positions that you may encounter when being forced to use it in your own home.

I keep a revolver in the nightstand beside me because there is a large window in my bedroom which someone could potentially jump in without giving me time to grab and ready a shotgun. I have a bit of a funny looking set up, a 686-5 7 shot with a 5 inch barrel with a Streamlight TLR-2 light/laser combo mounted onto a scope rail and operated with a pressure switch. I prefer this because it allows me to positively identify a threat as well as keep a "chest ready" carry. This style of ready in combination with the light and laser allows me to fire without coming to a full presentation. One of my biggest recommendations though is that if you do mount a light/laser to your home defense firearm is that you do not turn it on and keep it on unless you have identified your target/intruder. Turning on your light without having something to see will only serve to tell the intruder exactly where you are.

As others have stated here practice clearing your house, but in addition to that have an idea of where your bullet is going to go if you miss or if it passes through a bad guy. If you live in an apartment building you might want to buy Glazer ammo for your handgun and use a bird load for your shotgun. Either one of these will have less overpenetration so that you won't have to worry as much about harming an innocent person in an adjacent domicile. For those of you who swear by buckshot for home defense bear in mind that when you have 1 1/8 ounces of lead flying at 800 FPS it will knock an intruder on his can and then some.

But as I previously stated the absolute most important thing is to be intimately familiar with your defensive firearm. Make it jam so that you know how to clear it and do this until you can do it with your eyes closed. Shoot it enough so that you know that you can hit a target within 7 yards just on pointing. The absolute worst thing that can happen when your life depends on your gun is it going down and you not knowing how to get it back into action to get back into the fight.

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Son of a Gun...Smith

Kill All Intruders. Then theres just one side of the story. YOURS

If possible would you not consider taking them alife? Thats what i would do...unless intruder or intruders are armed then all bets are off and will take them down as quickly as possible.

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Aim small miss small

That is the SAFEST way to handle an intruder situation...provided you cam get all family members in one spot where the intruder can't get behind you. Call 911 and wait! Let the pros do the "clearing" JMHO.

I think putting any kind of a light on a gun is a terrible idea. It says, "Shoot here!"

Bryan, I mean no offense to you and others who responded and advised you with suggestions, but your best course of action is to take a course from a reputable certified instructor. Many are available where I live, in fact my LGS, AG Guns and Ammo/Instructional Shooting Inc. provides progressive instruction on this and other topics. The main instructor is a LEO instructor, local, state and fed, and teaches at a local college as well. I even took the DEA Shoot/Don't Shoot course with them and it was, well, eye opening. Training by the right professionals is always the best course.

Good luck

None taken MassLiberty, im a younger guy just trying to learn the ropes, I was told by several superior officers to come here and ask away and most advice would be worth hearing. Ive had some training in sweeping and clearing but thats with other officers and im always in the back. i made this thread to see if there were any little tricks or dos and donts on how to on your own at home, as far as the job goes we never go alone unless no other choice.

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Aim small miss small

If you have other people in the house a light is a must. Shooting a family member would be a little more terrible than giving away your position.

Ahhhh.....I dunno,Pood. I've got some kin that...well....you know.

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Blessed be the Lord,my Rock

As a private citizen, you are under no obligation to take people into custody. That doesn't mean shoot first, that means there is no reason to place your life at enormously increased risk in order to restrain intruders without backup. Let 'em run if that's their choice.

The person you quoted has just placed themselves in a choice position for a first degree homicide charge should they actually do so.

Lol well then just blast through the walls and let god sort them out

Unless you have kids on the other side of the house like I do, going out looking for the dirt bags is inadviseable, even by the well trained. If you have kids(I don't know if you do or not, I didn't read your long posts with no paragraphs) come up with a plan to get to your loved ones and take the proper steps to ensure their safety.

If that means hunkering down in your kids bedrooms and dialing 911, or escaping out through another door or window, do whatever is best for those in the home, not what sounds good on the internet.

Ive said nothing about "what sounds good on the internet" i was simply asking to see what most people would do if such thing was to happen and to see if anyone had any interesting methods or ideas on how they would approach the situation. My Apologies if that offended you. You learn by asking and listening to those that have lived longer than you.

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Aim small miss small