Thread: Best Home Defense HandGun Cartridge

Originally Posted by LX_Emergency

This reminds me. My parents lived in Texas when they were just married. They're both dutch but my grandparents (and therefore my dad) had moved to Utah for a job my grandpa had gotten at IBM at the time.

Anyway, my dad was a busdriver for Trailways so he'd be gone for longer periods of time. They didn't live in a very good neighbourhood and he wanted my mom to be safe so he bought her a buckshot gun.

One time he'd forgotten (or lost) his keys. It was the middle of the night and he was just coming home from a long drive, my mom was pregnant with me and he'd also bought her a dog. Since she was pregnant (and his wife) he didn't want to wake her up in the middle of the night so he figured he'd climb through the window.

Unfortunately the dog didn't recognize him somehow and started barking. As he was trying to shush the dog my mom burst into the room and almost shot my dad.....they decided to get rid of the gun not long after (they moved to a different neighbourhood anyway.).

I just thought that might bring a smile to someone's face. I think I'd get something like that as well though (if I ever live in a place where guns are allowed). Something loud that hurts like hell when you get shot with it. But doesn't penetrate a lot of walls or hits any organs. besides....you can always hit them with it.

Conclusion: dont (sell) leave arms in untrained people!

Originally Posted by LX_Emergency

This reminds me. My parents lived in Texas when they were just married. They're both dutch but my grandparents (and therefore my dad) had moved to Utah for a job my grandpa had gotten at IBM at the time.

Anyway, my dad was a busdriver for Trailways so he'd be gone for longer periods of time. They didn't live in a very good neighbourhood and he wanted my mom to be safe so he bought her a buckshot gun.

One time he'd forgotten (or lost) his keys. It was the middle of the night and he was just coming home from a long drive, my mom was pregnant with me and he'd also bought her a dog. Since she was pregnant (and his wife) he didn't want to wake her up in the middle of the night so he figured he'd climb through the window.

Unfortunately the dog didn't recognize him somehow and started barking. As he was trying to shush the dog my mom burst into the room and almost shot my dad.....they decided to get rid of the gun not long after (they moved to a different neighbourhood anyway.).

I just thought that might bring a smile to someone's face. I think I'd get something like that as well though (if I ever live in a place where guns are allowed). Something loud that hurts like hell when you get shot with it. But doesn't penetrate a lot of walls or hits any organs. besides....you can always hit them with it.

My hunting instructor told me a story like that, but his wife was outside their house in the garden or something like that, and for whatever reason, he thought she was a burglar and nearly shot her. That story, in addition to the fact that he kept loaded firearms lying around the house whenever his grandchildren came around convinced me that he was CRAZY.

Originally Posted by Howard Newell

My hunting instructor told me a story like that, but his wife was outside their house in the garden or something like that, and for whatever reason, he thought she was a burglar and nearly shot her. That story, in addition to the fact that he kept loaded firearms lying around the house whenever his grandchildren came around convinced me that he was CRAZY.

Or untrained in handling guns!

Straight&l.i.:
Ya, the Kimber is a very accurate and reliable take on the commander version of the 1911. I've fed magazines with a mix of factory and handloads without a malfunction in that little beauty. It wasn't cheap, but it was worth it. Mine is the Compact Carry model, btw.


Wayne

First off, I don't have a gun, but have owned guns in the past and have been in the military, so am familiar with a variety of long guns, pistols (not to mention machine guns and other restricted weapons).

If I were to buy a weapon for home defence, the only thing I would consider is a shotgun - either pistol grip or the shortest factory-produced stocked model.

I would use either slugs or 000 buckshot.

I second (or third) the comments about being more likely to hit something in a panic situation with a shotgun than a handgun. Also, the sound of a shotgun being racked will tell any intruder that you mean business (there's a line in the movie Roger and Me to that effect) and that you've got a big a$$ piece of artillery in your hands.

Also, as others have mentioned, a shotgun (especially with a stock) makes a good club if it gets to that.

I would go with a Mossberg 500 or Remington 870 (both come in several variants) - as both have a long history of military and law enforcement use.

I also completely agree with the statements above to the effect that unless you are willing to pull the trigger, you have no business using a gun for home defence. You can't assume that a gun will scare an intruder off or that a warning shot will do the trick.

Finally, training is a must both to make sure you can properly use whatever weapon you purchase and to deal with potential liability.

Just my $0.02.

Originally Posted by LX_Emergency

I think I'd get something like that as well though (if I ever live in a place where guns are allowed). Something loud that hurts like hell when you get shot with it. But doesn't penetrate a lot of walls or hits any organs. besides....you can always hit them with it.

There really isn't any such gun, the shotgun sure isn't it!!

Never kid yourself about the lethality of self defense situations. Heck! a guy near here was killed with a tazer recently.

Originally Posted by Wildtim

There really isn't any such gun, the shotgun sure isn't it!!

Never kid yourself about the lethality of self defense situations. Heck! a guy near here was killed with a tazer recently.

Yeah - it works both ways --- don't kid yourself over the absolute "stopping power" of a particular cartridge or the lack of a particular rounds ability to kill. I believe the .22 long rifle has killed more people than any other round --- this might be for several reasons but anyway don't kid yourself --- might not stop a criminal in his tracks but he has a good chance of dying eventually.

I think most will agree that shot placement is the key --- but you might have a little bit more leeway with certain rounds ( maybe a lot more leeway).

Justin

I've just read the entire thread and find the comments refreshing and entertaining. The keys points to me are as follows. Don't aim any firearm at anything you are not willing to destroy. The best form of gun control is being able to hit your target. The best ammo to use, in what essentially is a hand-to-hand combat situation, is something large in diameter, heavy in weight and slow moving. Small fast moving bullets make small holes going in and coming out. Big heavy bullets make bigger holes going in and, if they come out, even bigger holes. Hence my choices of the .44 Special or the .45 ACP. Any make of pistol will do, as long as it is reliable. I would prefer a relvolver over an automatic for reliability. But, my first choice is a short barreled 12 guage with birdshot. It won't penatrate most walls (windows, yes). The sound of locking and loading is as scarry as a rattlesname. If your lawyer needs to argue, he can claim that it was your quail gun, not something you got with the hope of shooting a bad guy. And, it will turn that portion of the bad guy you hit into unrepairable hamburger. Any wound in a critical area of the body will be debilitating or fatal.
- - - my two cents worth.

When I used to have a shotgun, I used to keep a couple of boxes of SG cartridges in strategic places around the house. I'm not sure what (USA) size buckshot English "SG" corresponds with, but each of the shells had 9x 9mm lead balls inside.

I used to shoot 9mm and other handguns when I was younger, and if it was still legal to own them in the UK I'd probably have something simple and reliable like a Browning High Power or maybe a CZ-75. I was always more accurate with a Ruger 0.357 Magnum but I think for defence I'd prefer a semi-auto. As far as rounds go I'd use the target rounds we used to use at the range, FMJ with slightly bigger loads so we'd rarely get stoppages.

Of course the "ultimate round" is clearly the ones Chief Brody uses in Jaws 2, some sort of hollowpoint 0.38 with Sodium Cyanide injected into the tips and sealed with hot wax.