# Intruder in the house - Life or death- What firearm do you want at the bedside? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 11, 2008, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-the-house-life-or-death-what-firearm-do-you-want-at-the-bedside/467436 "2008-10-11T05:13:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-the-house-life-or-death-what-firearm-do-you-want-at-the-bedside/467436/21 "2008-10-11T08:55:09Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Got a S&W .357 right by the bed. I load 6, not 5, and they’re hollowpoints. What I came in to say. Large revolvers sound plenty intimidating when they’re cocked; copper-jacketed hollowpoints have plenty of stopping power; and you have more speed and freedom of movement than with a shotgun. Also, who knows how many intruders there are? Fire a blast or two with a shotgun and you’re done. With a six-shot revolver you still have ammo left to deal with other intruders if necessary. Also they can be kept under the mattress. Far easier and quicker to get to (and less obvious to an intruder) than reaching into a nightstand or trying to drag a shotgun out from under the bed or out of a closet. ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-the-house-life-or-death-what-firearm-do-you-want-at-the-bedside/467436/22 "2008-10-11T09:17:09Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > What I came in to say. Large revolvers sound plenty intimidating when they’re cocked; copper-jacketed hollowpoints have plenty of stopping power; and you have more speed and freedom of movement than with a shotgun. Also, who knows how many intruders there are? Fire a blast or two with a shotgun and you’re done. With a six-shot revolver you still have ammo left to deal with other intruders if necessary. > > Also they can be kept under the mattress. Far easier and quicker to get to (and less obvious to an intruder) than reaching into a nightstand or trying to drag a shotgun out from under the bed or out of a closet. A word of caution, never ever cock a revolver. Practice with it double action. Massad Ayoob > **[Massad Ayoob](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massad_Ayoob)** > > Massad F. Ayoob (born July 20, 1948) is an American firearms expert, self-defense instructor and security advisor. He has taught police techniques and civilian self-defense to both law enforcement officers and private citizens since 1974. He was the director of the Lethal Force Institute in Concord, New Hampshire, from 1981 to 2009, and now operates his own company. Ayoob has appeared as an expert witness in several trials. He served as a part-time police officer in New Hampshire since 1972 an has written a few articles about this, but basically there have been cases that a person has been prosecuted for “accidentally” shooting an attacker that they legally shot in self defense. The prosecutor in these cases went after the shooter saying it was an accidental shooting because of the lighter trigger pull from the cocked weapon because he knew he couldn’t get a conviction on a deliberate self defense shooting (you can’t accidentally shooot someone in self defense.). I wish I was making this up. With a double action there is no doubt what happened. ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-the-house-life-or-death-what-firearm-do-you-want-at-the-bedside/467436/23 "2008-10-11T11:51:35Z")
A lion. All self-respecting adults who are serious about protecting their family from intruders should have a lion. It’s in the Constitution. The lion would be tame around me and my family, of course, but spring into ferocious action even while the family are all sleeping peacefully. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-the-house-life-or-death-what-firearm-do-you-want-at-the-bedside/467436/24 "2008-10-11T12:32:00Z")
We’ve done recommendations many times before, so I’m going to skip the generalities and qualifiers and just go to what _I_ want. I keep a lightly customized Springfield 1911 in my bedroom. I ditched the factory magazine and replaced it with a Pachmayer. My ammunition of choice is a hollowpoint load from Federal. I also keep a very bright LED flashlight nearby. I have AR-15 variants, AK-variants, shotguns, and other long guns at my disposal, but those things are too clumsy to use indoors. ---
**Author:** ![CWN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bc79bd/32.png) [@CWN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CWN)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-the-house-life-or-death-what-firearm-do-you-want-at-the-bedside/467436/25 "2008-10-11T14:06:58Z")
Ex cop here, I carried a Colt 38 detective special for 20 years (retired just as the 9mm came into favor) So that is and would be my choice [http://www.gunsandammomag.com/cs/Satellite/IMO\_GA/Story\_C/Colt+Detective+Special](http://www.gunsandammomag.com/cs/Satellite/IMO_GA/Story_C/Colt+Detective+Special) ---
**Author:** ![unclviny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e274bd/32.png) [@unclviny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unclviny)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-the-house-life-or-death-what-firearm-do-you-want-at-the-bedside/467436/26 "2008-10-11T14:39:31Z")
Close by my bed: Mossberg Cruiser, 20G, # 7 1/2 bird shot, mini-Maglite hung under the bbl with a switch on the forend. Several Beretta handguns (locked in a fast access safe, a Gunvault) Unclviny ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-the-house-life-or-death-what-firearm-do-you-want-at-the-bedside/467436/27 "2008-10-11T14:45:28Z")
Without neighbors, my AR-15 ‘room broom’. I’ve got a Bushmaster “AK Shorty” that I feel _very_ comfortable with. I’ve mounted my muzzle light, and if I don’t blind the guy first with it, I can at least make use of it as a poking stick, or swat him in the face with it (thank Army training for these ‘non-lethal’ options). I say without neighbors because _any_ round from these rifles is going to overpenetrate. But for a sidearm, my wife bought me a lovely Sig Sauer P6 (9mm), which has become my carry weapon of choice. Tripler IMHO, it’s all about what you feel comfortable with. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Krebbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@Mr.Krebbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Krebbs)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-the-house-life-or-death-what-firearm-do-you-want-at-the-bedside/467436/28 "2008-10-11T14:52:08Z")
I keep a 12-gauge (w/ 00 buck) at my bedside and a Smith and Wesson 442 (J-frame, 5-shot .38 with Speer Gold-Dots) on my nightstand. My only worry about these firearms for home defense is over-penetration; I live in an apartment complex with thin walls. Honestly, I think a 5.56/.223 carbine is the ultimate indoor weapon aside from the fact that they’re fricking LOUD without hearing protection. But of course, pretty much any firearm indoors is going to be way too loud anyway. What the 5.56 really has going for it is (comparatively) light bullets and high velocity cartridges. With frangible bullets (or those designed for self-defense, like Hornady TAP FPD) the bullet will break up inside a wall, drastically reducing the chances of hitting an unintended target. One day, I’ll replace the shotgun next to the bed with an AR. (The 442 gets to stay for the forseeable future, though.) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Krebbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@Mr.Krebbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Krebbs)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-the-house-life-or-death-what-firearm-do-you-want-at-the-bedside/467436/29 "2008-10-11T14:57:56Z")
> [@Tripler](#): > > I say without neighbors because _any_ round from these rifles is going to overpenetrate. I’m not trying to sound like a Hornady shill, but they have the home defense ammo I am most familiar with. They talk about 5.56 TAP on the second page of this [link](http://www.gunsandammomag.com/cs/Satellite/IMO_GA/Story_C/TAP+The+Power). Not that it sounds like you need to worry about over-pentration or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-the-house-life-or-death-what-firearm-do-you-want-at-the-bedside/467436/30 "2008-10-11T15:23:45Z")
THIS. [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi\_m3197/is\_n3\_v37/ai\_12462187](http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3197/is_n3_v37/ai_12462187) Mossberg .410 - features shortened stock, shorter grip to trigger length, and laser sight (more scare tactic than practical application), more stopping power at close range than a .44 Magnum, but less likely to go through a wall than a heaver gauged shotgun. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-the-house-life-or-death-what-firearm-do-you-want-at-the-bedside/467436/31 "2008-10-11T15:46:43Z")
> [@Mr.Krebbs](#): > > Not that it sounds like you need to worry about over-pentration or anything. Well, at this house, I _do_ since our houses are so close together (sorry, I should have been more clear in my earlier post). I’ve loaded a .40SW with the Glaser Safety Slugs (in my Charles Daly DDA), but I tend to like P6 now 'cause of the sentimental value. Tripler But, most of my personal/practical “gun time” has been with an M-16/AR-15. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-the-house-life-or-death-what-firearm-do-you-want-at-the-bedside/467436/32 "2008-10-11T15:51:49Z")
Two [Smith & Wesson Model 500s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_&_Wesson_Model_500) fired like [this.](http://i-love-cartoons.com/snags/clipart/Looney-Tunes/Yosemite-Sam/Yosemite-Sam-1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-the-house-life-or-death-what-firearm-do-you-want-at-the-bedside/467436/33 "2008-10-11T16:02:37Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Other factors: Children? Pets? Single family home? Space to neighbors? People advocating 00 buckshot should consider this. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-the-house-life-or-death-what-firearm-do-you-want-at-the-bedside/467436/34 "2008-10-11T16:09:19Z")
Well, I have a 20 gauge shotgun and a 357 - my boyfriend nabbed that one for his side of the bed and frankly I’m much more comfortable with the shotgun. I’ve practiced with the handgun, of course, but the shotgun feels more natural to me, and I feel I can handle it better in a stressful situation - it steadies itself more. Of course, it’s also more intimidating, can be used as a bludgeon, etc. (There’s the racking noise, but I assume we’re past that by the OP.) I have no children, although I do have cats, and I live in a detached house. ---
**Author:** ![Merhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Merhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merhouse)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-the-house-life-or-death-what-firearm-do-you-want-at-the-bedside/467436/35 "2008-10-11T16:10:04Z")
I think I’d prefer going the pepper spray route – I just don’t like guns. However, if I were able to get out of bed, I’d just show them my naked body, and if they don’t run away from that, they have absolutely no fear and pepper spray wouldn’t really have any effect anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-the-house-life-or-death-what-firearm-do-you-want-at-the-bedside/467436/36 "2008-10-11T16:27:11Z")
Current Option #1: My Taurus 689 .357 magnum with the 6" barrel and 5 rounds of semi-jacketed hollowpoints. About 6’ from my bed. Current Option #2: Because I’m currently working armed, my Taurus PT-99 9mm with 15 rounds of semi-jacketed hollowpoints, in my work bag across the room. Current Option #3&4: Highlander Sword on the desk across the room or the replica Mace in the closet. I can quite literally go medieval on someone’s ass. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-the-house-life-or-death-what-firearm-do-you-want-at-the-bedside/467436/37 "2008-10-11T16:43:04Z")
S&W model 15, loaded with 158 grain SJHP. ---
**Author:** ![puppygod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@puppygod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puppygod)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-the-house-life-or-death-what-firearm-do-you-want-at-the-bedside/467436/38 "2008-10-11T18:09:35Z")
If I could, that would be [this](http://www.nosc.mil/robots/images/robart3e.jpg) (from [this page](http://www.nosc.mil/robots/land/robart/robart.html)). You don’t even have to wake up. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-the-house-life-or-death-what-firearm-do-you-want-at-the-bedside/467436/39 "2008-10-11T18:12:34Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > Easy answer: A shotgun. 12-gauge, pump-action, short-barrel. With a laser aiming device. With flecshete rounds, if possible. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-the-house-life-or-death-what-firearm-do-you-want-at-the-bedside/467436/40 "2008-10-12T01:44:43Z")
I own an 1853 Enfield civil war musket. It is far from ideal for home defense in so many ways (too long to maneuver around in cramped quarters, takes FOREVER to reload, etc), but you have to admit that having someone point a 55 inch long .58 cal. rifle at you has to be at least a little intimidating. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-the-house-life-or-death-what-firearm-do-you-want-at-the-bedside/467436.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-the-house-life-or-death-what-firearm-do-you-want-at-the-bedside/467436.md?page=3)