Need advice on PDW for home.

[Smoke]

It must be nice to be omniscient.

I would much rather be wrong and prepared than right and unprepared.

Good God man, I was trying to point out that I never called you a liar.

It is entirely possible too be 100% sincere and 100% sincerely wrong at the same time.

I'm also going to reiterate that if you really believe that your former employer is a Mafioso who you suspect may want to retailiate against you and you're still living in the same house (that he has the address to) you were when you worked for him then you really aren't all that interested in your own security

 

[Springfeildkid585]

I suggest going to your local gun shop. Tell them about your needs. Not the full story, but what your needs are. I recommend 9mm, .40, or .45. I say this because they are accessible and competent calibres. There is no magic bullet or magic gun. I'm told Hipoints are reliable, and I know they're cheap. Either way, your best bet is a local gun shop, they'll let you handle afew pistols and help you get one within your budget and feels right to you.

 

[Springfeildkid585]

*edit: Timn8er, I have trouble maneuvering a rifle around because of the odd floor layout, so I don't think a shotgun will be any easier.

Are you living alone? If so, you shouldn't have to maneuver at all. Don't go looking for trouble if your door gets kicked-in, let trouble find you and your gun in a defensible position (your bedroom).

 

[B.O.F.H.]

$500 could buy a maverick 88 and a ruger p95.

 

[WR Moore]

I once read a management book where it stated that everyone should be fired at least once. You'll find the sun still rises, your dog still loves you and life goes on. Consider it a learning experience.

If you seriously think you've come upon a RICO type situation, relocation is a good idea. As in, find another city, not move across town. While the guy with suggestive gestures is most likely a blow hard, there's no reason to be stupid.

Hardening your residence is good advice. For firearms, on a pistol stay in the .38 Spl/9 mm range. Where you put the bullet is far more important that the size of velocity of same.

 

[sac-gunslinger]

If you do all of that you'll essentially stop anyone who isn't there looking for you long before you even need a gun.

I have to agree with Smoke on this one. Better to scare an attacker away long before you realize he (or she) is even there. Lights turning on, especially several sets of lights, robs your would-be attacker of cover.

Even better if you could hook an alarm in the house to ring whenever any of the lights turn on. Have them aimed so the neighbor's cat is below the sweep of the light sensor or you will never get a full night's sleep.

 

[Murdock]

$500 will also buy you a good used 12 gauge or K-frame .38 with enough left over to take an NRA Personal Protection in the Home (PPITH) course from a certified instructor. The NRA lists courses and instructors on their web site.

I respectfully offer that the opinion above about bird shot being poor for self defense is mistaken. In your home the range is going to be 3-5 yards or less. A shot cloud opens at about 1 inch per yard after leaving the muzzle.

Bull moose in rut in a stomping mood have been killed with birdshot at that range by bird hunters.

Also, there are purpose-made door alarms for travelers and home owners available on line for $20 or less. You won't have to jerry-rig one.

 

[wildenout]

I am so sorry to hear your plight! I would have to agree though with a lot of what some other members have said and tell you to reconsider the shotgun. A Mossberg 500 or Mossberg JIC is a great home defense weapon (what I keep handy in fact) and it is in your price range. I was told in a defensive handgun course that a 9mm can travel through 6 standard construction walls and a .45, 8. So if you think about it, that is putting a lot of your neighbors at risk. Whereas a shotgun will surely go through the first wall, it won't travel much farther than that. Even a slug would tumble off course and stop pretty soon. There is a reason for scatter guns like that, and there is a reason that (in Utah at least) if you hunt with one you are allowed 1/4 mile radius from urban areas.

 

[hotrod150]

My accidental discharge (yes, we all have one who carry a great deal) ......

I question this statement. That's like saying "there's them that has and them that will" when talking about landing a retractable-gear airplane with the gear up--it ain't necesarily so. I think there's plenty of long-time gun-packers who've never had an AD. There's a reason why sometimes they're called a "negligent discharge" nowadays. No offense.

 

[WR Moore]

I see a lot of Bidenesque "Get you a shotgun" advice here. While the shotgun does have impressive terminal effect, assuming proper shot placement and appropriate ammunition, it didn't get that rep with birdshot. I'll also note I've seen some gruesome results from stray shot, BTW, birdshot penetrates drywall with sufficient engergy to cause death or serious bodily injury.

The shotgun can be effective but it's long, heavy and cumbersome, making it difficult to contact 911 while handling it. It also has substantial recoil with appropriate ammunition. If you decide to go this way, look at the 20 gauge, especially if you're new to firearms. At home defense ranges it's a good choice.

Finally, one of the ways you prevent-or minimize-the dangers is to practice so that misses are unlikely at the ranges within the home. Another is to examine your home -or have someone with proper knowledge do so-with a eye to figuring out where you have lanes of fire and where you are best advised to hold your fire lest you do a neighbor a mischief.

 

[venomballistics]

I see a lot of Bidenesque "Get you a shotgun" advice here. While the shotgun does have impressive terminal effect, assuming proper shot placement and appropriate ammunition, it didn't get that rep with birdshot. I'll also note I've seen some gruesome results from stray shot, BTW, birdshot penetrates drywall with sufficient engergy to cause death or serious bodily injury.

The shotgun can be effective but it's long, heavy and cumbersome, making it difficult to contact 911 while handling it. It also has substantial recoil with appropriate ammunition. If you decide to go this way, look at the 20 gauge, especially if you're new to firearms. At home defense ranges it's a good choice.

Finally, one of the ways you prevent-or minimize-the dangers is to practice so that misses are unlikely at the ranges within the home. Another is to examine your home -or have someone with proper knowledge do so-with a eye to figuring out where you have lanes of fire and where you are best advised to hold your fire lest you do a neighbor a mischief.

correct in many cases ... in this instance, the OP indicated that his focus of gun familiarity lies in long arms, While a transition to a pistol is in order, it takes time he may not have. Upgrading to a larger rifle would cause collateral damage, even if he placed his shots, which brings the shotgun into play as the most logical next weapon to depend on while he learns the care and feeding of a handgun

 

[Murdock]

I see a lot of Bidenesque "Get you a shotgun" advice here.

Bidenesque? Really? Uncalled for, sir.

 

[Lost Lake]

I never landed gear-up, after over 1800 hours of flying time.

Yet.

You'll know when you land gear up... The landing is much noisier and the roll out is shorter.

I never landed gear up, but my instructor's words still ring in my head... LOL!!


Get a shotgun. Any reliable pump will do. I bet I could find an old Remington 870 for under $150 this afternoon.

For a handgun, which I depend on and practice with, I'd choose an old revolver if I was strapped for cash, or any used (or new if you can afford it) M&P. I would recommend a third gen but they are getting so hard to find as folks realize how dependable they are. Maybe your local gun shop has a 5906 for $300, take a look. These were police issue 9mm's.

An M&P in any caliber is a proven gun. The .45's shoot like a dream, the .40's hit hard and kick a bit more, and the 9's are easy to shoot. All will do the job reliably.

Glocks are reliable but I don't like their grip angle.

Good luck! Barricade that door and be ready with whichever weapon you choose.

 

[walkin' trails]

My first suggestion would be an M&P 9 or G17 or 19, however, if you can't find them right now, consider searching for a distributor that offers police trade-ins for sale.

 

[flagman1776]

There are very inexpensive door wedges that include intrusion alarms. Even in a rental, no excuse for not having several.

I agree with barricade. NO reason to go looking for an intruder, make him come to you. Stay behind a locked door. Several is better.
If your final bedroom door is breached, you want to behind the most solid protection available. There used to be articles out about undercover stolen property stings where the counters & wall (behind which the back up officers were stationed) had steel plates covered with paneling. But it was a place of protection.

Personally, I have a simple shotgun (I've had Mossberg 500 20" with rifle sights, also a double 12) with spare shells on the gun in a carrier. At across the room distances, bird shot is just fine. Bird shot makes what is called a rat hole would track... one ragged hole... at most the space between 2 shirt buttons. The afore mentioned is backed up by a K frame with 38+P HPs and a 9MM for my wife & myself.

Ayoob on opening the door https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YD3zIA6vJkQ

 

[WR Moore]

Bidenesque? Really? Uncalled for, sir.

Not really. I've been an instructor for over 30 years, I long ago lost count of the number of times I've seen people either short stroke or forget to stroke a pump gun to reload it. And this was with allegedly trained people on a training evolution, not under the stress of a deadly force encounter.

Without sufficient training to turn the reloading action into a habit pattern, a pump shotgun sets the user up for failure.