Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Looking for home defense pistol, Glock???

But you gotta use two hands to do it!



You know I'm just messin' now, eh?

Mossberg 12 ga. Persuader with a pistol grip, #1 Buck.

MM

In reading everything down to here, I have to agree with several points.

1.) From Jim in Idaho

2.) From Tod

3.) I think that both The Real Hawkeye and RJM52 are right. One basically says having a gun prevents the crime, the other says that proper training is crucial. Pertaining to home invasions, I lump the bad guys into 2 categories.

The first group, which comprises the majority of encounters (and therefore stats), is where the bad guy either thinks that no one is home or thinks that they've found any easy mark (elderly couple/ single female/ etc). When the homeowner presents a gun, they either run or comply.

The other group knows that someone is home and is ready & willing to take their chances. Who knows their motivation? Maybe they're high, performing an initiation to join a gang, there to take revenge on an ex, or just desperate for what you have. Whatever the reason, with this group you better have a clue what you're doing and the more training the better because you're going to need every bit of it.

You presented a cartoonish version of what I said. The more training you have the better. I only object to the claim that one hears so often that if you have not completed one of these courses, you cannot possibly be prepared or able to defend yourself against crime. Regular Americans have been using their personal firearms to capably defend themselves, their families, and their property, against miscreants of all stripes since the founding of our nation and before.

I can see right off that not many at all have ever had to deal with a home invader or ever been awaken at 3 o'clock in the morning after being at a party during the night.

Now the noise wakes you up and you reach for your glasses and pistol at the same time, only the glasses get knocked off the nightstand and you hear the invader coming up the steps. Now tell me you want a pistol in your hands instead of a 12ga pump shotgun!!!

I have a shotgun near my side (590 Mossberg cly choke) that has ghost ring sights on the gun. I keep it loaded with #6's and I can assure it will knock any invader down for the count at 40ft. It also will not be as likely to shoot through the walls of the house like a pistol bullet will. You got any kids that stay in your home? Perhaps an extra guest or Grandmother etc. sleeping in another room! I'll take that pumpgun any day over any of the pistols in my collection period.

Tonk - no argument from me about the effectiveness of a shotgun and it's lesser danger of wall penetration.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot3.htm

But the shotgun doesn't always have the tactical or practical advantage. For some, the shotgun will make more sense, but for others, not so much. The OP asked about pistols. Therefore, most of our answers centered around handguns.

To get more specific, we would have to know all kinds of stuff like sleep habits, layout of the home, manual dexterity, and a bunch of other stuff. Personally - I'd leave it up to the individual to know his own situation and decide which (long gun or handgun) will work best for him.

I want a handgun and a flashlight instead of a 12-gauge shotgun. If I've been partying the guns get locked up.

Hope you found your glasses before using that shotgun, BTW.

I really couldn't let this slide. Unlike JOG, I didn't assume right away that "party" would mean "drunk". But if you're expecting to wipe the nightstand clean in response to a noise, maybe I should make that assumption. I awaken in the middle of the night to a noise all the time (comes with my job). I have no problem picking up the cellphone without knocking everything off the nightstand. Furthermore, I expect my dog to alert me before anyone is close enough to make the time frame that short. If I'm on the ball enough to use a shotgun, I can use a handgun just as well or better.

And, BTW, I see a lot of guys posting about the shotgun's superior effectiveness for home defense, but how many actually practice close range defense shooting and retention with one.

The finest home-defense weapon is a pump shotgun, any gauge but preferably a larger one. End of discussion.

I'll see your shotgun and raise you a carbine.

http://insightstraining.com/blog/index.php/tag/home-defense/

You'll get a lot of folks to bet against you on that:

http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=109958

Great link, Rufus.

Very good Rufus, THANK YOU.

The Springfield XD's are pretty sweet. Easy to operate, just pick it up and pull the trigger, very reliable, and in my case very accurate. The less you have to think about to operate the gun the better.

That "whifff" was not the point going over my head, it was the "whifff" of something else.

I'm not a Glock guy. I have wheel guns, 1911's, and "safe action" type pistols.

If you read the posts prior to my first post, you will notice that the guys who commented, made this statement: "if you buy the Glock--get a 22." No one said if you buy a revolver--get a 22.

I can gather from your post, that you feel that it is advantageous for one to practise with a 22 reguardless of the type of weapon they choose. And that is a fair statement.

My position is that, it no harder to learn how to safely handle and accuratly shoot a Glock, or M&P, or any other striker fired pistol than a revolver. Their triggers are simular enough (in the stroke) to a double action trigger that training with them offers no higher degree of difficulty. One could argue that a striker fired pistol has a double action trigger stroke (though much less smooth)--minus the relvolving cylinder.

GB

the one you have and know how to use. I'd rather have a shotgun too, if I am in a house with low light conditions. I don't need 12" of penetration as is recommended by some tactical schools of thought. Right or wrong my thoughts are close-quarters takes into consideration the structure of the human body. It might be best to hit center mass, or at least aim center mass, but if I hit someone in the face with only a handful of pellets I'm likely to blind them. If I hit someone in the neck, again, with only a handful of pellets I'm likely to incapacitate them. My thought is I want a handful of pellets traveling only a few inches in a soft tissue area and I don't care how well they travel 12" through gelatin.

I do believe that 40' if pretty long range for a shotgun, but in my house I'm not likely to be shooting that far. I agree that #6 are likely to do fine in my house and is more likely to hit a target, especially in a low light situation. I don't like the semi-auto rifle idea, not in my house. I've got kids and a very small house. I'd rather have the shotgun. During daylight hours I'd like to use my 1911, but I'm probably better trained with it and likely to hit my mark if I can see it well.

Before you bet your life on birdshot, read both pages.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot3.htm

I would be fair to say that I put more importance to the 22 conversion for an auto than a 22 understudy for a revolver also. And of the autos, I think the Glock trigger is one of the more difficult to get comfortable with if you are already a long-time shooter of SA autos or DA revolvers. At least - that's been my experience.

Free Me......Well, my goodman just to let you and others know, I don't drink alcohol or get drunk, perhaps a little tired from ballroom dancing with the wife. Now I drink coffee with several Leo's during the week in my neck of the woods, including the past Sheriff of 30 years.

The idea of using #6 shot in my shotgun for home protectioin, was expained to me by some of these gentlemen. It is far to easy for a member of the house, to become shot by bullets flying through walls or buck shot pellets. I trust these men's words and information!!! My 590 12ga pumpgun has a pistol grip and is very short and easy to move about with in my home. I practice a lot with this shotgun and have been to a couple of training sessions using the shotgun.

Now several years ago, I did have Triple-000 Buck in that pumpgun but some of our local law enforcement had been to a couple of those LEO seminar's and their out look on using Double-00, 000 Buck etc had been changed because of what can happen in homes with drywall for walls.

Now as far as my glasses goes, I can see close up enough to know when my wife is not in the same bed, or walking around the house. However, you can do things your way and I will continue to listen to those that are on call 24/7 and have the education and knowledge to back up their words of wisdom. Now after all, they do this for a living.

I am sorry for the type misprint (40ft) it should have been "30ft" as my hallway in the house is right at 30ft to our masterbed room. Nonetheless, a couple of headshots at 30ft is bond to have a good effect on any home invader. Now try shooting a pumpkin or watermellon at 30ft twice and see what happens next. I rest my case Gents!

Thanks for the shotgun sites...

Tonk...I did 30+ years in LE and PI/Security work and can tell you straight up that 95%+ of the LEOs have little to no clue what they are talking about when it comes to firearms, ballistics or ammunition performance. Many don't even know the brand, grain weight, velocity or expansion characteristics of the ammo they carry let a lone something they have never even fired.

Go read the books from the LEOs who have been there and done that...not the local yocal who has never even has drawn his gun...

Bob