Best house gun?

[CW Spook]

It sure is... it can give an armed intruder your exact location.
I have a 12 gauge coach gun on my side of the bed... backed up with a 1911.

+1 on the coach gun next to the bed. Clint Smith had a column in this month's American Handgunner ratifying the double-barrel coach gun as a good choice for home defense.

 

[Capt Steve]

I agree that a 357 revolver is an excellent choice but would not necessarily load 357's. Unless you live in a single family house that is heavily constructed and a a long way from your neighbors many 357 loads could be problematic. In an apartment building they are a disaster waiting to happen. There are lots of 38 loads, I like JHP's, that will get the job done without taking out the neighbors and their kids. Look at the construction of most apartment buildings, you can put your fist through the wall (try to miss the studs), and a hot 357 will go through a couple of walls before it is expended. As noted, practicing with 38's is cheap, easier on the hands and therefore you are more likely to do it and thus you will get better, quicker with the new gun. Just another 2 cents worth from a guy who keeps two 357 revolvers (loaded with 38 JHP's), handy. (o;

 

[Reevolvers]

Revolvers are a great choice. Shotguns are a great choice. Semi autos are a fine choice as well. I say go for what your most comfortable shooting. As to which will be a one stop shot nothing is guaranteed to stop on the first shot. Though as my older brother is fond of saying " A lot of decisions are made when the first round goes off". I expect once you fire a round they aint gonna hang around to ask about your choice in home defense weaponry.

 

[649 Bodyguard]

A friend of mine asked my advice on buying a house gun - basically for protection at home; he has not had a lot of experience with guns, although he's an Army veteran.

Here's what I suggested for him. First, I'd recommend a revolver for several reasons. 1) Not a whole lot to remember such as condition of readiness, safety on or off, cock it or not, etc. Just point and pull the trigger. 2) When loaded, there are no severely compressed springs to go bad. Load today, use it five years from now. It will still go bang. 3) Almost total reliability. The only malfunction drill is to pull the trigger again.

So the question boils down to which revolver would probably be best for him. Some criteria here: 1) Not overly heavy. 2) a powerful caliber, but also able to fire easier loads for practice. 3) Relatively maintenance free. 4) Barrel length not to exceed 4" so an opponent cannot grab it away easily.

Here's what I recommended for him: This is a Model 66-1 4" stainless revolver, chambered (of course) in .357 Magnum, and able to use .38 specials for practice. I think it will fill the bill for him as a nightstand gun. He and his wife live alone together, and there are no children to worry about in the house - of course, when the grandkids come to visit, I've advised him to secure it by opening the cylinder and padlocking the topstrap. Then he can put it away knowing it cannot be fired by anyone without the key or the combination.

We'll be trying to find one for him locally at the next gun show.

Any other opinions on the ideal gun for this guy?

I held two of these in my hands on saturday at the gun show. Its a very nice gun.

 

[GRIZZLYBEAR]

I live in a rural area, the only people in my home are myself & mama so I'm not worried about over penetration or doing any harm to the neighbors, so

IMHO you can't beat the Road Blocker backed up with a Colt Delta Elite.


oracle

 

[Grog]

For the price of some mid-higher-end new guns, I would recommend someone get two J&G M64s and a 12ga pump.

 

[Cyrano]

I keep a Colt Series 70 with night sights in one of those holsters I got from the NRA store that has an arm that slides between the mattress and box spring. Cocked and locked, of course. In the workroom at the other end of the hosue is a Glock 36 (45 ACP) also with night sights. Next to my recliner in the living room is an end table with a little drawer, housing a S&W 625 in 45 Colt. It's for people who might come in the back door to the living room from the back yard. Next to the computer in the study is a 638. I go with Speer Gold Dots, mostly.

Long arms are awkward inside the house. Try going out of a hall into a room and engaging a target on the right (if you're right handed). And they're too easy to grab if your assailant is close.

 

[Evil One]

My coach gun is very short, compared to a non nfa pump or semi auto.
If you practice, the length is NO issue.
I invite an intruder to grab the muzzle of my double barrel 12 gauge.
The CG doesnt stick out any further than a pistol at arm extension... and I have MUCH more leverage with it than I would with a pistol if someone grabbed it.
They wont be able to grab it and push it out of battery, hold the cyl so it wouldnt be able to be fired DA... block the hammer...
I can see many ways that the short coach gun is a better choice than a hand gun.


Jim

 

[mlk18]

Don't forget to add a flashlight

 

[Out West]

+1 on the 12 ga. Mine is a Mossberg 930 semi auto. I can see merit in the coach gun as well.

oUt
WeSt

 

[GatorFarmer]

Some type of carbine, an AK if you're going to let it sit around, an M4 clone if someone is used to it and willing to clean and lube it every so often.

Lights are easy to attach, hit probability is better, and you can either fix a bayonet or else use the muzzle as a strike device. Helps to have ear protection handy though.

AKs are easy to learn. Suarez will sell you a DVD of idiot simple procedures. If a ten year old African boy soldier can figure one out, most well fed American males can.

Pmags - if one has an M4 clone - can sit loaded forever. Just keep the cover snapped on. AK mags, steel ones anyway, can sit around loaded for a long, long time too. If anything fails, then strike with the muzzle, the butt, or the bayonet.

 

[truckemup97]

While I have an 870 at the ready, I usually pick up the 681 next to it to investigate strange sounds in the night. The J&G 64 was also a good suggestion. Stainless steel, fixed sites, already beat up a little.... Just load it up, put it in a safe place, and it's always ready to go.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Home defense includes operating in dark conditions. When choosing a firearm and ammo for home defense, what consideration is given to muzzle flash?

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

+1 I get the shotgun and wife follows with 357.

Bad tactics...ALWAYS send the wife out first.

 

[G.T. Smith]

I am totally confident with the accuracy and effectiveness of a .22. I keep a beretta U22 loaded with CCI mini mags by the bed. On the way through the house there are three other weapons as well, one being a m65 4" loaded with .357 mag 158 grain JSP's stashed between those two is a mossberg 500 loaded with S&B 00 buckshot. An in the pants .25 auto for contact shots. Only one way in and one way out of this old shack. I just think a well placed .22 LRHP round is all a person really needs. but that is just my opinion. The thought of shooting that .357 in the house is scary as hell to me, but I guess I would to protect my wife and myself.
Have a good one,
BTW, that is a beautiful gun in the original post.
gordon

 

[dryrider]

I have 66 4" nice gun...but I use a model 60 pro in the night stand feels smaller and lighter for the house.

 

[rjroberts]

Home defense includes operating in dark conditions. When choosing a firearm and ammo for home defense, what consideration is given to muzzle flash?

It's essential, as well as level of sound. That's why I use a .357 5" with .38 s in it. If one uses a short barrel with magnum loads there will be a flame ball that will blind you and a deafening blast which may even cause permanent hearing damage.

I have a 12 ga. as well. Only real reason is I only want one shotgun. Otherwise a 20 ga. has as much power as a .44 mag.

 

[srgvaz]

I think any gun would suffice but I prefer any wheel gun available for the job, but you can't beat the sound of a pump shotgun in a dark quiet surrounding echoing off the walls.

 

[mlk18]

If one uses a short barrel with magnum loads there will be a flame ball that will blind you and a deafening blast which may even cause permanent hearing damage.

Ammo selection resolves the blinding flash and the deafening blast is not an issue if one uses electronic hearing protection. I keep a set of Peltor Tac6S's next to my HD shotguns. Electronic muffs afford you very keen hearing with no bang. If I don't have time to put them on then it is a life or death situation where I would rather be deaf than dead.

 

[GatorFarmer]

Home defense includes operating in dark conditions. When choosing a firearm and ammo for home defense, what consideration is given to muzzle flash?

Modern flash hiders on carbines are better than nothing, some actually work quite well. They don't eliminate muzzle flash, but they don't light up the room either with a giant fireball the way something like the naked snout on a Combloc M44 tends to. If worried about it, an old trick - for those with the presence of mind to do it - is to keep one eye closed tight whilst firing so as to preserve night vision in that eye.

Of course you could also just turn on the lights, have a bright light handy (weapon mounted or otherwise), or buy a nice PVS-14 like I did and invest in the sacrificial kill filter thingies for it. Most people don't do that though. Stil a neat gadget though.

Premium handgun loads have flash suppressed powder these days, though it is still an imperfect solution. A .357 mag will flare up worse than a .45 with standard pressure 230gr ammo, but with the right ammo shouldn't kick out as terrible a fireball as even a decade or so ago.

One option, where legal, is to pay the 200 tax and fit a suppressor. Takes care of the flash and manages the noise quite nicely.