Home defense recomendations

Looking for opinions regarding the "best" gun, handgun or rifle, for home defense or any breakdown of law and order.

Important criteria:

Cost - Must be reasonable for the avarage consumer, i.e. lets aim for "around" the $500 mark so nothing for collector purposes "four figures" and up.

Ease of use - Nothing to complicated or with "excessive" recoil. We want something that an "avarage housewife" with no gun experience (or interest in guns) can pick up and use.

Reliability - Something with a good record for not jamming or malfunctioning.

As the boyscouts say, "be prepared", so what is your opinion on a good first/second gun for defensive purposes.

Please include Make/Model etc. for the thread to be as user friendly as possible.


[edit on 10/19/05 by redmage]

How about a Sawn-off shotgun?
You wouldn't be looking for accuracy, just stopping power.

My 2 cents...



[edit on 19-10-2005 by Netchicken]

Well, in that price range i'd forget 5.56 or 5.45mm rifles which would probably be ideal for men and women.

Ideally an AK clone in either above mentioned calibre's would make excellent rifles that are easy to use and reliable.

Perhaps an SAR-2? they are pretty rare these days though.

otherwise i'd go with an AK clone in 7.62x39 or simply a 12ga.

Originally posted by GrOuNd_ZeRo
Well, in that price range

Price is flexible, just trying to make a point about practical vs collectable.

Lets say $100 to $999 to keep with the under $1000 flavor.

Great suggestions though.



[edit on 10/19/05 by redmage]

Originally posted by GrOuNd_ZeRo Perhaps an SAR-2? they are pretty rare these days though.

otherwise i'd go with an AK clone in 7.62x39 or simply a 12ga.

Where the hell does the guy live, Compton?
I thought he would be after a .357 Magnum revolver or something.
Do some of you Americans buy assault rifle clones (In semi-auto I presume) just for home defense?

Originally posted by Netchicken
How about a Sawn-off shotgun?
You wouldn't be looking for accuracy, just stopping power.

My 2 cents...

[edit on 19-10-2005 by Netchicken]

Any peticular Model or gauge (keeping with the recoil and reliability criteria).

I am techincally not American, i'm born in the Netherlands and I live here for the moment with my wife.

I've been a gun fanatic since the new millenium, a friend got me crazed about guns...lol

But the AK is a fine weapon for home defense IMO, the only problem might be the penetration of the round being excessive for civilian use, but for something more "any breakdown of law and order"-ish situations, the AK will be an excellent weapon...yes in Semi-Auto.

a 12ga or a decent .40~45 caliber pistol would suffice as home defense IMO but the AK is a more all-round choice.

Originally posted by GrOuNd_ZeRo
"any breakdown of law and order"-ish situations, the AK will be an excellent weapon...yes in Semi-Auto.

I could see that.

Originally posted by GrOuNd_ZeRo
.40~45 caliber pistol would suffice as home defense

I always thought recoil might be an issue with these. Have they improved or are there suggested add-ons to help.

Fair enough, seeing as I am from a worthless dingy little Town in South-West England it seems like overkill to me.
Of course If I lived in Easton I think I would be more than eager to grab an AK!

Back on topic, would the 'average housewife' involved be able to handle something large calibre such as .357 for a handgun or 7.62 for the AK?
As others have said you can not go wrong with a 12 gauge shotgun for close quarters, plus maybe a 9mm Pistol for the bedside table.

I'm assuming by "home defense" you mean a break in or something, since you drew a distinction between that and a breakdown of law and order.

For home defense, I'd say you need something small enough to manuver (sp?) with inside your house, preferably pretty quickly in case there's more than one individual and you need to swing around fast. I'd recommend against a rifle or shotgun (even sawed off) for that--go with a handgun. While a big gun like a .45 or .357 Mag might make you feel better, you wouldn't really need it. A .22 will take someone out--hell, if you get a great shot in, a BB gun will take someone out.

You don't have to necessarily kill the intruder, just incapacitate them until the cops arrive. And if you take out their kneecap and they still want to play, you've got more rounds. I'd recommend a 9mm or a .38 if you want something light enough to where the missus can handle it, but with enough power behind it to take someone out. Just make sure you guys take it to a range, so no matter how hard it kicks (or doesn't), you know what to expect.

If you're looking at protection against looting, lawlessness, something like what happened after Katrina, I'd say go with the AK or a similar assault-style rifle. A situation like that, you'd probably have a bit more room to work with, and probably more warning before someone gets in a bad spot. Just make sure you get a few good-sized clips to go with it just in case.

Then again, I'm not exactly a weapons expert by any stretch of the imagination, so I could be completely off base with all of this...

Let me just say I'm no where near being a gun expert, but I've picked up a bit of knowledge from my dad who served in the Army and was an avid hunter, so I think I know a little bit about weapons.

Now, to choose the right firearms while sticking to your criteria...

For home defense, I'd skip getting a rifle and head for a nice 28 or 20 gauge shotgun. These are easy enough for most people to handle and they don't have much recoil. The only problem I see with these is that some are single shots, but a good 20 gauge pump action could take care of having to reload after every shot. They aren't heavy (around 6 or 7 pounds for a single shot) and don't cost much either. Ammo should be pretty cheap and readily available (I haven't checked lately for shell prices). I think that with larger gauges, like a 12 or 10 gauge, the recoil might be a bit much for a person who has never fired a weapon.

For handguns, I'd prefer a nice .38 revolver because they don't jam very easily. The aren't very pricey (last I looked) and ammo is easy to get. Many women get a snub nose .38 for self-defense. A .380 wouldn't be a bad choice either.

Anyways, this is just what I think would be good for the criteria you provided. If you can find a used gun in good condition, they should be at a pretty good price. The reason why I didn't include a rifle is because a rifle takes more skill to use than a shotgun or a handgun, mainly do to the range. Even though, I did see a program where they took a woman who had never fired a gun before, gave her a mauser 98, showed her how to load the ammo and use the sights, and let her go at some targets. Didn't do too bad if I remember correctly.

Now, if the topic were what I would choose for myself for home defense/breakdown of the law, I think the firearms would be a little different.

[edit on 19-10-2005 by TheSaddenedElf]

I mentioned the 40+ caliber handguns mainly because they can be used for Self Defense as well if you have the priviledge to carry concealed.

I fired a 12ga my self and I find the recoil to be in tollerable levels, it did leave my arm a bit sore though!

Without a doubt the best Home defense weapon IMHO is the shotgun with * Buck shot * (000 buck if you can get it )with a tactical flashlight. Home defense comes down to close quarters combat (CQC) In most every home defense scenario your going to be fighting inside a house. Shotguns are idea in these cases for a few reasons.

1) to minimize wall penetration to reduce the danger to innocent third parties in case of a missed shot, This is one reason to stay away from rifles for home defense they penetrate the weak walls of a house far to much. You could hit love ones in other rooms or even neighbors across the street with a stray shot

2) to maximize wound trauma to stop a vicious assailant as quickly as possible

3) because a shotgun does not require as much skill as a handgun to put lead on target. With 000 buck in a shotgun you can just stick the barrel and pull the trigger and chances are your going to "CLEAR OUT" the hallway.

Since cost is a factor I would suggest a Mossberg #500. Its a fine shotgun and you can pick them up for $200-300 easily. Plus its easy to find any accessories you want for them.

If cost and training was not a factor at all I would say go with what the pros use for CQC a HK MP-5. But most of us dont have the $10k-$15k a transferable one would cost.

In a breakdown of law and order scenario factors are much more broad. In those cases I would suggest a variant of either AK-47 or FAL. Both have great body armour piercing stopping power. Both have great reliability the AK more so. PLus both can be picked up often for half of what a AR-15 variant would cost.

Thanks to all for all the suggestions.

Yes I agree, anyone who uses a gun should have some range experience and I would highly reccomend it to all.

In many cases though, such as wives/mothers, they won't have much experience due to lack of interest or dislike of guns; so we don't want anything too complicated simply for memory purposes.

Any peticular brands, makes, or models to recomend or avoid?

^question written before ShadowXIX's post, Great post exactly the kind of info ppl need.

Originally posted by ShadowXIX
If cost and training was not a factor at all I would say go with what the pros use for CQC a HK MP-5. But most of us dont have the $10k-$15k a transferable one would cost.

Very true on all levels.


[edit on 10/19/05 by redmage]

Heres our home defense

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[edit on 19-10-2005 by ShadowXIX]

Originally posted by ShadowXIX
Without a doubt the best Home defense weapon IMHO is the shotgun with * Buck shot * (000 buck if you can get it )with a tactical flashlight. Home defense comes down to close quarters combat (CQC) In most every home defense scenario your going to be fighting inside a house. Shotguns are idea in these cases for a few reasons.

I agree with you there. An intruder comes through the doorway, all you have to do is point the shotgun without hardly aiming and you are almost never going to miss. Buckshot and other types of shells is like a wall of stopping power and are going to knock an assailent down or at least mess them up long enough for you to put some more shots in them.

MCory1, I've always been told that if some one is in your house and is threatening your life, that you should shoot to kill. I've even been told this by police officers. If the intruder is threatening you with a weapon and you kill them you most likely won't be charged with anything because it's self-defense. I don't know if this is particularly true everywhere, but if someone busts up in my home and are endangering my life and the lives of my family, no questions asked, I'm taking them down any way I can.

I'd have to say a .38 revolver, or 12 Gauge shotgun. Like Shadow said, the mossberg is an excellent weapon.

Have you considered...getting a dog? I mean, it seems idiotic, but most home invaders don't want to deal with dogs. Put up a few signs, get something big a loud -not neccesarily mean, but loud- and it makes an excellent complement to home defence systems as well as an excellent companion.

DE

Originally posted by TheSaddenedElf
If the intruder is threatening you with a weapon and you kill them you most likely won't be charged with anything

True, however, saddly I did hear of a case where an intruder was trying to flee the scene and was shot in the back to stop him.

He won the lawsuit against the homeowner because in fleeing he was no longer considered a life endangering threat and thus the shot was considered "excessive force".

Originally posted by DeusEx
Have you considered...getting a dog? I mean, it seems idiotic, but most home invaders don't want to deal with dogs. Put up a few signs

Also a good suggestion and not idiotic at all just not always as practical for some. My brother's dog probably saved his life last monday in Minneapolis.

As a heads up, avoid "beware of dog" signs and get "dog on premises" instead. The first, in some areas, is considered an admission that you have a "vicious" animal that is considered a threat.

[edit on 10/19/05 by redmage]

Ban all guns except for Police and Forces.
Get a dog that barks a lot.
No one gets killed.
How easy can it be.
I seriously dont envy you guys in America having gun weilding idiots roaming the streets.
Complete ban - the only way forward.