What Kind of Hand Gun Do You Recommend?

a reply to: IAMTAT

Apparently, it can stream long distances...and when it hits the intruder's eyes it can blind them is they don't go to the hospital for the antidote immediately.

Then you will be sued and they will win. Not worth it.

originally posted by: VashTheStampede

originally posted by: SPECULUM
Green pen Lasers will Blind anyone not wearing eye protection. Makes no noise and are under 5 bucks on Ebay

They say they are 5mw, they are until you fire it, then it ramps up to 15 or 20mw...5 mile or better range

Or they could get a wicked lasers 2,000mW+ laser and blind the bad guy and set him on fire at the same time.

True

originally posted by: Domo1
a reply to: IAMTAT

Apparently, it can stream long distances...and when it hits the intruder's eyes it can blind them is they don't go to the hospital for the antidote immediately.

Then you will be sued and they will win. Not worth it.

Not if you blow a tunnel through his head after you blind him

originally posted by: IAMTAT
a reply to: sg1642

Thanks.
I have cleared, landscaped and cut back the back and sides. I've also installed solar lighting around ost of the perimeter of the back and sides. But, you're right. There is more I can still do.
The dogs....well, they're just little yappers...bark worse than bite...but when the FedEx guy comes to the door...it sounds like a pack of rottweilers.

Well sometimes the bite doesn't have to be any worse than the bark

You sound like a pretty sensible person I'm sure you'll be more than fine. If there is one piece of advice you take away from here, it should be getting yourself some time in safety lessons and getting on the range (you and your partner). Untill you have got the firearm in your hand and you've fired it you don't know if it's for you or not. Once you have some trigger discipline you can't go wrong with a glock or sig. The only thing that's more important than the weapon is the brain of the person holding it, so get yourself confident and comfortable using them and let your own mind decide from there. You never know it may become a big hobby for you both and you may have some hidden talents.

Failing that, get some claymores.

GOOD GRIEF!! I always cringe when I see a question like this on a non-gun website.

As an avid firearms enthusiast and shooter for the past 45 years, I can tell you you've been given some really great advice...and some really horrible advice!

Good advice:
- Get some instruction (Safety and marksmanship)

- Research

- PRACTICE!

- Don't consider anything smaller than a .38 / 9mm for personal defense.

- First time owners should probably avoid semi-autos (both double and single action). The main reason why here is not what most think either. Any type of a deadly force incident is HIGHLY stressful and emotional mentally. Immediately following such an event people collapse mentally. Most semi-autos remain "in battery" (condition zero, code black) meaning they are ready to fire. Just touching the trigger in this condition will often result in a discharge. After an event people are often shaking and unsteady leading to possible accidental discharge. Non-combatants such as family or bystanders could be hit. Revolvers have a much more positive and conscious trigger sequence and are therefore safer for less experienced users.


Bad advice:
- Aim to wound. Whenever you point a firearm at something you should very much plan on killing it...because you very likely will. If the situation warrants the use of deadly force, this what should be used, nothing less.

- The sound will scare an attacker. Patently FALSE. Racking a slide or slamming a magazine in will only slow you down and give your attacker the advantage.

- Put up a sign. The only thing a sign does is tell an attacker to rob you when you're not home, or to be ready to kill the first thing he sees moving.

On the subject of shotgun vs. handgun; this is the subject of much debate. On the one hand shotguns require less accuracy, but the tradeoff is size, weight and maneuverability. On the other hand pistols are lighter and easier to handle in tight quarters, but the tradeoff is they require more accuracy. In the end it really comes down to what you are the most comfortable with.

One final thought, regarding lights and lasers; while a matter of personal preference, always remember a light goes back to its source. They illuminate your attacker, but also give away your position in the process. In a self defense situation requiring a light you would always be well advised to illuminate your attacker and then immediately move after you extinguish the light or laser.

Lastly, like vroomfondel, please do not hesitate to ask call upon me if you would like to know more or have questions.

OP:
Have read the responses so far (some great, some not so much).
My 2 cents: Ultimately your choice(s) in weapon selection needs to come down to what works best in YOUR hands.
Some considerations must include not only the 'feel' of the gun, but accuracy (in YOUR hands, not someone else's comment); ease of readying the weapon to fire (in the dark, scared s***less, and half awake, etc.
I totally agree with multiple posters that you need to test as many firearms as possible, with multiple calibers if available in each weapon. Remember - bullet size is less critical than accurate placement, and if you are anticipating (flinching) from "too much gun", a cannon won't help if you miss your target.
Formal training is essential for safety's sake, but after that, the most important thing you can do is practice, practice and then practice some more. Learn not only how to consistently fire the weapon, but how to quickly load/reload. If you decide on a semi-auto, learn how to clear a jam, misfire, etc. Practice with 'dummy loads' (non-firing rounds that are readily available.
SA vs. revolver: pros and cons to each, and should be personal preference.
Full size vs. compact: if you are not going to carry concealed, then I would choose bigger - the more distance between front and rear sights, the easier it is to aim accurately. (Before I get yelled at by the other 'pros' on the site, remember - these are novices, and not relying on more advanced targeting techniques).
As far as caliber and bullet selection, the debate has been going on since the days of flintlocks/percussion guns, but my opinions: from your description of your location, you are not near other houses, so if a round exits the home, there may be less danger of inadvertent collateral damage.
That being said, the ultimate goal is to stop the threat as quickly, efficiently, and as safely as possible. Unfortunately, theoretically, the best way is to kill the attacker (Please, no legal arguments.).
With that, the most effective single projectile option is a hollow point bullet, with several styles available from various manufacturers, often labeled for home defense, self defense, etc. Most of these are designed to either expand or fragment, in order to transfer as much energy as possible to the target, causing massive tissue damage, preferribly without exiting the target.
Without getting too long winded (and before I nod off - it's 2 AM here) I have multiple HGs in my 'collection', and would feel very confident defending my home and family with most of tehm. But for the novice looking for a versatile weapon for home defense, I would recommend that you and your wife take a serious look at the Judge by Taurus, with a 'personal defense' load (PDX) consisting of 3 disc projectiles followed by 12 "BB" shots.
My wife's is loaded within easy reach as follows:
1st round is a .410 shotgun round with #12 shot that delivers a cloud of lead at 10-20 ft range. Reason for this: if you aim close to the attacker's face, you will cause massive non lethal injury, including probable blindness, temporary deafness (.410 rounds in a short barrel gun is LOUD), severe pain, and severe bleeding from up to hundreds of tiny puncture wounds.
2nd and 3rd rounds: PDX rounds or .410 with 3-0 buckshot, providing good penetration, decent internal damage, and a pattern of multiple projectiles in case aim is slightly off.
4th and 5th rounds: .45 Colt semi wadcutter hollow points, if the intruder persists on continuing his advance.

My favorite at bedside is a full size Kimber 1911 loaded with 230 grain fragmenting hollowpoints.
Notice that I stated the weapons are loaded - trying to locate, load and use an unloaded weapon in a crisis situation is nearly impossible otherwise. Your state/local laws may impose restrictions on storage, locking of the weapon, mag. capacity, etc. , so be sure to check up on the regs.

Remember though, weapon/bullet selection is ultimately your choice, based on a myriad of factors, so find the weapon(s) that fit your needs best in your situation, practice, practice, practice, and above all be safe.

originally posted by: Domo1
If you're going to carry buy a Glock 19.

If you want a bedside gun buy a Glock 17. Everyone should own a Glock 17.

Spend the rest of the $1,000 on a good set of night sights and an attachable flashlight and have another flashlight so that you're not aiming the gun at stuff to see it.

I'd say skip the flashlights. The only thing they do is tell someone EXACTLY where YOU are.

Couple years ago I heard a window break at 11pm in my house. I was right near the breaker panel so I cut power to the whole house and my wife and I waited in the corner. After a few minutes of silence I checked on the window and it turned out the wind had blown a ladder over and broke the glass.

Had someone come in the house though, they would have been in total darkness in a strange home where I KNOW the floorplan, not them. Upon entering the room where we waited, they would have been dead before they knew what hit them. If they used a flashlight, it'd be like fish in a barrel.

A couple other random thoughts which I hope will be helpful...

Recoil - There are a lot of myths about felt recoil, or 'kick' as some people call it, but it's really not that much of a mysterious subject. It really all comes down to basic physics. As Sir Isaac Newton observed, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. However, in order for this to make sense in the context of felt recoil, both of Newton's other two laws of motion come into play:

- An object at rest will remain at rest unless acted upon by an unbalanced force and...
- Acceleration is produced when a force acts on a mass. The greater the mass the greater the amount of force required

Consequently, felt recoil basically boils down to the weight of the projectile (mass), the powder to accelerate the projectile (force) and the mass of the firearm to resist this force (opposite reaction). Any unbalance in this equation is transferred to the shooter in the form of felt recoil. So you see, there's no real mystery here. No one firearm magically has more recoil than another without following these basic principles. A heavier firearm is going to have less felt recoil than a lighter one with the same charge and projectile mass. Increase the charge (force) or the projectile weight (mass) and the felt recoil will increase proportionately in both firearms.

Cartridge Size - With the above in mind, a thought about cartridge size; new shooters will do best starting off with a firearm with very little felt recoil and working their way up. Starting off with a 'Super Magnum' (such as a .454 Casull, .50 S&W or even a .44 Mag.) can cause new shooters to "flinch". This seems harmless enough at first glance, but in reality it is a VERY bad habit to develop, one which severely compromises accuracy and is very, very, difficult to un-learn (impossible for some). The "flinch" (anticipating the shot) reaction is mental, but it manifests itself in a very real way. The shooter, anticipating the felt recoil, will instinctively lurch forward and push down immediately prior to the shot. It doesn't take much imagination to figure out what is going to happen to the shot placement when this happens. There's a great way to test to see if you're doing this. Load a dummy (snap cap) round randomly in a series of shots. When you attempt to fire this round there's no boom and no recoil (at all). Any flinching tendencies will be readily apparent.

So the bottom line here is; avoid letting yourself be talked into getting some sort of a super powerful 'Dirty Harry' type pistol because "it's the most powerful handgun known to man". Get what fits you (and your wife) best, get what you both are comfortable shooting and get something you look forward to practicing with (not something you're afraid of)...and practice often.

With all of the above said, get something which is large enough to stop a threat. Hence my earlier recommendation for not going with anything smaller than a .38 caliber / 9mm (which are very nearly the same diameter). However, know that not all .38's are the same. A 380 Auto is a much smaller cartridge than say a .38 Special and therefore has much less energy. (incidentally, I do not recommend a .380 auto for personal defense as a result).

Lastly, just to confuse everything I just said (but to explain something); a .38 Special is not really a true ".38 caliber". It's really a .357 caliber. (and I DO recommend this caliber, but this is because the case is much larger and therefore has more energy). One thing you might consider is getting a .357 magnum (but...but...didn't I just say to avoid super-magnums???). The reason is; a .357 mag pistol can also shoot .38 Specials (confusing, I know). Therefore, you kind of get two guns in one. You can shoot the lighter recoiling .38 Specials, and then work your way up to .357 mag rounds.

Hope this all helps.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
So the bottom line here is; avoid letting yourself be talked into getting some sort of a super powerful 'Dirty Harry' type pistol...

So are you saying the .88 Magnum is out?

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Heh, heh...yeah, kinda'.

a reply to: IAMTAT

9mm is good. That's what I carry.

Heckler and Koch usp. 40 caliber. 14 round magazine. Stopping power. Around 925.00.Excellent gun. Next to Sig. 45 best handgun in my opinion. Sigs will run you around 1200.00 american.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I like your thought process on this. I agree with you.

The shotgun/handgun choice is a tough one. In theory the shotgun should be the obvious choice but in real life that isn't always the case. If you consider the size of the average room in a house, and how many steps it would take to put two people face to face, it isn't hard to imagine an intruder getting inside the effective range of a shotgun. You could be face to face in no time at all. A shotgun will not help you much in that situation but a handgun will.

I also agree with you on the fact that having fired in self defense, possibly killing someone, is very difficult emotionally. That is why I suggest thinking that through ahead of time and getting comfortable with the idea of following through on the commitment to protect yourself and your family. I can still see the value of having a wheel gun in that situation though.

As for training and practice, of which I say you can never have too much, there are a couple of things I would add to previous conversations.

Get to know your range master. Explain your goals to him and he will probably work with you to maximize your efforts. When you fire a gun at a range you have eye protection on and hearing protection. The lights are right. Everything is as it should be. That is not how it happens in real life. As part of your training, I recommend simulating real life conditions at least once or twice to get familiar with what happens when you pull the trigger. Ask your range master to dim the lights simulating night time conditions so you can see the muzzle blast in all its glory. The first time you see how big and bright that flash is, and you stand there slack jawed in amazed wonder staring at it, should not be when there is an intruder in your home trying to kill you. Get the slack jawed amazement out of the way ahead of time. Same thing with the noise. A gun fired in an average sized room will be loud. Surprisingly loud. It might help to relax the hearing protection a little once or twice at the range to get an idea of how loud it really is. I don't recommend blasting away all day with no hearing protection. Far from it. Just get an idea how loud it really is so it wont shock you when it happens. Let the other guy be shocked and awed. That works to your advantage.

One other thing I like to do when practicing is to surprise myself once in a while, safely of course. When you shoot a .357 with a .380 load you know it is going to be weak compared to the .357. You are automatically more confident with the weaker load, and anticipate less recoil. What I like to do is put one or two .357 rounds in with the .380 every once in a while. I give the barrel a spin intentionally not looking at where the .357 rounds are. It might be the first round I fire and it might not. It taught me to approach the gun the same way every time, regardless of what load I was using. It is the variation in what we do that causes problems. Your actions should be consistent and you should train to make it that way.

People are different. What works for one may not work for another. I hope this gives you some ideas on how you can better prepare yourself for any situation you may find yourself in. As always, feel free to contact me if I can help.

One final thought, regarding lights and lasers; while a matter of personal preference, always remember a light goes back to its source. They illuminate your attacker, but also give away your position in the process. In a self defense situation requiring a light you would always be well advised to illuminate your attacker and then immediately move after you extinguish the light or laser.

This is a key point.

For home defense, YOU know your property....the intruder does not. So, you have this advantage in the dark.
But, invest in motion sensor lights. They will do the work for you (illuminating the target) without the added problem of tracing it back to your position.

As for signs, I'm in a rural area, tons of fencing, and beware of dog signs. To NOT assume I'm armed would be pretty silly....so we don't have to advertise it.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

A side point to your excellent point. Taurus makes a really nice titanium ported .357. The barrel porting makes the muzzel flash mostly go through the upper port holes, so the upward kick is minimized. The weapon itself is very light being titanium. It's priced low and is a very respectable quality firearm.

eta:
www.taurususa.com...