We’ve had a rash of burglaries and attempted burglaries in our neighborhood. I called the cops last night because I heard suspicious sounds outside the house, and it took the cops over a half hour to respond.
Shotguns are usually recommended for home defense. They’re much more powerful than a handgun, and any shoulder arm is much, much easier to aim than a handgun.
I strongly recommend you take the time to get trained and proficient in the use, care and storage of any gun you end up choosing.
Having a gun and not knowing how to use it, is more dangerous than not having a gun.
Please ensure you comply with local laws.
Jim
I’ll do that.
Can you recommend a gun in the meantime?
How much experience do you have with firearms? It makes a huge difference - I prefer a 1911 with specific sights and ammo, but I’ve had a lot of training and practice with that particular firearm.
Shotguns can be complicated to someone who’s not used to them (pump action, particularly) and don’t put out a wide spray of pellets like some people seem to believe. You’ll need some practice with the thing, but the stopping power of a 12 gauge can be most impressive. Several companies make fairly inexpensive and compact models that are affordable and not as unwieldy as a sport gun.
Double action revolver in .357 would be a good choice if you can devote some time to it.
Believe it or not (and I still have a hard time with this) the AR-15 in .223 is said to be an excellent home defense weapon.
Are you in an apartment? Any kids around? What type of firearm are you most comfortable with? How much time do you have to devote to it? Do you have wide hallways and a big, open house or narrow halls and small rooms? Are you big enough to be comfortable with the punishing recoil of a big shotgun or handgun?
IMHO, all these things matter in making a recommendation.
12 gauge shotguns are the standard answer. You can get them at Wal-Mart. However, people that aren’t familiar with guns except from the movies are usually amazed at how LOUD they are in real life and 12 gauge shotguns HURT when you shoot them as a newbie. You have to be willing to shoot it many times if you get one to gain proficiency and the power of such a beast is likely to scare you the first time you pull the trigger. No competent self-defense firearm is going to be gentle so find someone that can teach you to use it safely and without fear. OTOH, guns can be lots of fun once you gain proficiency so you might find some other hobbies centered around shooting.
Shotguns
Mossberg 500
Remington 870
Benelli
The Mossberg and the Remington are industry standards, and Benelli makes excellent semi-automatic shotguns.
Handguns
Glock 22
Ruger GP100, 4" .357 Magnum
All of those are relatively inexpensive and do the job quite well. For the ultimate in home defense you’ll have to wait a while, though:
Good luck, be safe, and whatever you get (if anything) master it so you don’t hurt yourself or people you care about.
And, sight unseen, let me recommend a few -
Winchester Defender 1300 (or 1300 Defender) in 12 gauge. Under $500 last time I checked, it has a short barrel and is fast-cycling. Use FBI tactical loads or equivalent.
Smith and Wesson .357. Find one that’s comfortable and feels balanced to you. You don’t need a short barrel for home use, and longer barrels improve accuracy (sight radius is longer, too)
Ruger GP100 .357. One of my favorite double action revolvers, less expensive than S&W but still well built and trustworthy.
Bushmaster in an M4 configuration (short barrel and collapsible stock). 20 round magazines work best for me, so I wouldn’t waste money on anything bigger at first.
There are many great semi-autos out there, but if it’s only for home defense I can’t recommend any without more information
Sorry, actually my knowledge on this is sparse enough that I will not even offer a WAG. I would suggest you PM or Email Silenus, **Crafterman ** or Martini Enfield. You already have some great opinions.
Another vote for the shotgun. Get a Mossberg 500 or Remington 870 w/ field barrel (shorter the better) and synthetic stock.
You can teach yourself the basics by doing the following:
- Read and understand the gun and self defense laws in your state. (Pay particularly close attention to the laws governing the transportation of a firearm in a vehicle.)
- Memorize Jeff Cooper’s Four Safety Rules.
- Read the owner’s manual that came with your gun.
- Go to the range and practice shooting your gun. ( Be sure and wear ear and eye protection.)
- Religiously abide by Jeff Cooper’s Four Safety Rules.
After that, it’s up to you if you want to take a class on “self defense with a shotgun.” Taking such a class would be a great thing. But it would not be an absolute necessity.
Crafter_Man is a Good_Man.
Thanks. I’ll do exactly as you say.
Hey, Crafter_Man, did you mention Jeff Cooper’s Four Safety Rules yet? I think it’s important enough to repeat and emphasize Jeff Cooper’s Four Safety Rules numerous times until nobody forgets about Jeff Cooper’s Four Safety Rules.
Old fashioned double barreled shotguns have a minimum of parts, and thus less to fail at a critical moment.
Keep it loaded with triple ought.
Yea yea yea… 
Something to think about is how you plan on using it. The layout of my house makes it complicated to use a long gun. From the bedroom the hall runs to the right and I’m right handed. This means I have to expose far too much of my body to cover the hall if I’m not using a handgun. Either that or spend a lot of time practicing left handed and since I don’t enjoy shooting them, I don’t choose to do that.
But, if you don’t have kids and you plan on sitting tight in the bedroom on the phone with 911, there’s nothing better than the shotgun.
If your place is a lot of small rooms and tight halls, and you’re thinking about clearing the house shotguns might be difficult - Hold a yardstick to your shoulder like a gun and give it a try.
Again, this is only if you choose to risk your life by going to the intruder. Sit tight, and the layout of your house doesn’t matter, just what’s beyond your target.
Also, there’s this guy named Copper or something that came up with some safety rules - 3 or 4 of them, I think. Always good to check those out. I’m surprised no one has mentioned them yet.
- All guns are always loaded
- Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy
- Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target
- Always be sure of your target (and beyond)
Another vote for the Mossberg 500. Although my first suggestion would be: Get a dog.
ETA: Read up on Geoff Coopere’s “Foure Rules For Saf Bow Use.”
I thought #3 was “Hi Opal!”
Something else should be mentioned:
If you hear something go “bump” in the night, and you think it’s an intruder, only investigate if you absolutely have to. You will be at a severe disadvantage if you investigate; the bad guy will simply ambush you. Your odds of living are *much * better if you simply stay put and wait for him to come to *your * room (i.e. *you * ambush him). And of course, dial 911 and all that stuff beforehand if you have time.
As mentioned, some people are in situations where they *must * investigate. As an example, if you have children sleeping in another room with unlocked doors, you may want to go and investigate.
A really good book on this subject is In The Gravest Extreme by Massad Ayoob.
Again, learn gun safety. Before you even think about purchasing a handgun, go to a range that can provide you with supervision. Rent a gun and fire a few rounds. Some people are not comfortable firing a gun. Try it before you buy one. Fire it while you are being supervised by a staff member on the range. Most ranges would rather spend the time to watch you fire for the first time than have you shoot the hell out of yourself or the range.
I have a Taurus .357 revolver, stainless steel, with a 6 inch barrel. I read up a lot before I made my decision. According to my research this is a good choice for home defense. I got it used for about $200. My choice of a revolver is that in a pressure situation there is less that can go wrong. It is point and shoot. Also, you are shooting to end the situation. With six rounds, you should be able to disable the intruder, make him change his mind and find an easier target, or escape the situation. Your should not go into this with the attitude that you are out to kill bad guys. You should train so you can, but when the time comes, all you need to do is ensure you and your family is safe. As far as I am concerned, I hope that the sight of a gun pointed at someone is enough to make him reassess his priorites.
Oh, and there is this guy who wrote rules of gun safety. Look him up and learn his 4 rules.
SSG Schwartz
12 gauge shotgun. The shorter the barrel, the better. Under (US) federal law, a shotgun barrel must be at least 18" long (or else be completely illegal or subject you to massive paperwork), so there are several home defense shotgun models that have 18.5" barrels.
I would go for those. Handguns require a lot of training to be accurate. While I would still recommend training for a shotgun, it is basically point and shoot in a life or death struggle…
Not only that, but if you’re going to have a gun next to your bed, why settle for a handgun? Any long gun will be more accurate than any handgun. And most long guns are more powerful than most handguns.
[mini rant]
I have never understood this fascination with handguns. Go to any magazine rack and there will be 6 magazines dedicated to handguns and (if you’re lucky) one or two dedicated to rifles. This makes no sense to me… a handgun is a very inaccurate and (usually) underpowered weapon. As such, a handgun is always inferior to a long gun in almost all situations. The only reason to have a handgun is for convenience while on foot; it is a tool to have on your body when you’re not expecting a fight. Other than that, I see no use for a handgun.
[/mini rant]