Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Protection handgun - ideas?

Hi folks,

Been more than a few random forced entries around my area over the past 6-8 months in addition to the increase in home burgleries. I have 3 women living in my house and need to dream up a suitable firearm for them to use in the event I'm not around.

I have a Smitty 357 in my sock drawer and a 25 semi in the night stand. The issue is the 357 has a 8" barrel - not exactly handy, and the 25 auto........well I think I could shoot myself and have to look if I got shot.

I'm thinking a 9mm in a Taurus (PT series) or a Ruger (P95). I want something fairly light, handy, that won't recoil into next week.

Ideas?

I would go with a 20 gauge tactical shotgun. Under stress a handgun is hard to control, unless the women in your house practice with a handgun on a regular basis.

Pump shotgun


Mike

That's really good advice in my book. You can get a Maverick 88 (Mossberg 500 spin off) for around $200 or a little more. Different models are available but there's one that has a seven or eight round magazine and 20" bbl. Since you mentioned handguns and two in particular, of the two you mentioned I'd go with the Ruger P95.

Pump 20 gauge, and a S&W Model 10 .38Special.

A Glock 17 or 19 wouldn't suck, either.

...everyone worries about the "hardware"..worry about the "software" first....as in the ladies attitudes and abilities. Guns are not a "one size fits all" proposition...and either is defending oneself. If these women don't first get a survival mindset the house could be full of guns and it would do them no good.

Do these women even know how to shoot? If they have no clue and they really are interested in protecting themselves with a gun tell them to go get a basic pistol course under their belt and they see if the police or the NRA have a self-defense class like the Personal Protection in the Home course in your area... Then "they" can choose the mode of self-defense that is best for them...not you...

Bob Makowski

Can't do better than a good old Smith & Wesson Model 10. The very definition of simple, safe, and effective (loaded with modern ammo), and very few women find it too big or powerful to handle. You can find them cheap, too. A nice set of after market grips, and you're set.

Some good advice here.

I am concerned with a shotgun for defense purposes. How handy is a shotgun when reaction time is measured in seconds? I have several shotguns within reach and it wouldn't occur to me to reach for one if someone was in my house or about to be. My 357 is within reach of my bed, my 25 is in the top drawer of my dresser sitting at the door to my bedroom. I can have either within seconds if need be. I honesty believe I could get to a handgun even under duress of someone demanding cash/valuables/etc. Give me 5 seconds and you will have a hole in you in my house as things are currently set.

Which brings us to preparation of the women. They have shot handguns but I would not call them "able" - especially if under duress of the moment. I have committed to teaching them to shoot - they are willing - and have found a local handgun course.

My first thought was a 38 revolver. I've tried both double and single action simulating an intruder situation. I'm not overly deadly beyond ~ 20 feet with a small revolver. I'm sure my womenfolk couldn't hit the inside of the house - from inside the house shooting double action. A friend of mine just went through this same analysis and bought a smallish 9mm. He reports his wife and kids are pretty darn capable and accurate with it - hence why I'm considering a similar choice.

Why the shotgun approach?

In close quarters where I can be stationary, I'll take the shotgun everytime. If someone comes into my house I doubt I'll go out to search for them.

Only the self disciplined and well taught should consider a semi auto for self defense especially when awakened from a deep sleep. The 38/357 in revolver format is the most viable of all defense weapons. Just point and shoot.

Shotguns are great for real stopping power in a home defense situation, but they must be used like a rifle up close. Not ideal in many situations. E

A couple of things.
Whatever you get them, it must not be availiable to the break in artists. During the day, don't leave it in the bedroom. That's where they look first.
Second, they must be able to shoot it well. Even if all they can shoot well is a .22 rimfire, that's alot better than nothing.
Something simple and very straight forward to use would probably be best. Based on my understanding of such things, a Glock pistol or a good DA revolver would be it. Or something very similar. Probably nothing bigger than a 9mm or a .38 Special. E

Be advised that all my advice is based on the weapons being secure from unauthorized use. ie no kids in the house and the women at least know not to fool with them if they can't themselves handle them.

Two schools of thought. One is that when you wake up you are disoriented and unable, for a few moments, to think straight. Folks that subscribe to this like autos such as your Taurus, because they have to have things done to them, when kept in a sensible mode anyway, before they will shoot. This gives the shooter time to adjust to being awake and actually identify his target, making sure it should be a target.

The other school of thought is that if you need it you need it fast and it should be instantly available and easily manipulated. The latter is true because as in the former scenario, you lack fine motor skills upon awakening.

I think the two schools both have merit and it depends on the person. I awaken pretty fast and am good-to-go. My wife and kids many times are groggy for a long time after waking up. They seem to have no "instant on" setting, being similar to the old timey TV's that had to warm up before getting a picture. For this reason, and some others, I think you need warning systems and blocking systems in place so you aren't awakening to somebody standing over you. A dog, thorn bushes, possibly not bars on the doors and windows, but at least the holes in your house should be secure enough that you will hear somebody breaking in. For this reason, some of the other decisions you make regarding potential invasive scenarios may be much more important than gun, caliber, etc.

There are a lot of weapons that will do. The Taurus you mention is a fine choice. Do you have much experience with semi-autos? Do you want it? If you are comfortable with the .357, it is a great choice. It was king of the hill in one-shot stops on the Marshall Index for a long time. Stoked with decent ammo, you just can't do any better. A Smith 686, Ruger GP-100, Security or Service Six, Smith 66 or 27, Colt Python or Trooper-any of these with a 4-6" barrel would be excellent. I wouldn't rule out the long barreled one you already have either, though it's not optimal. Several Taurus and Rossi revolvers are good ones too. I would not choose a brand-new Smith due to the internal safety which is both unneeded and prone to failure at the most inopportune time. Stick with a used Smith.

Yep.

Cole - good well thought out post, much to consider.

When I started this process I was looking at the Ruger Gp100 series - nice, short, balanced, etc. I thought dang near perfect.

As to the prevention strategies other than weapon, I agree 100%. The glass break sensors are located in areas that cover every window in my single story house. I also have bushes around my house and elevated windows. I doubt someone could simply break the glass and crawl in - it would require assistance or a stool of some sort. Then there is the issue of the 75 lb barking maneater (sounds ferocious but isn't). That dog barks at anything outside - especially if my motion lights go off.

I feel pretty dang secure but I don't see any way around a forced entry in one form or another. I had a forced attempt when I was young - it is a bit disconcerting to know someone is trying to get into your for nefarious purposes........

Dudeman was shot 3 times with a shotgun from ~ 60-75 yards but made it to his house and the hospital. He was simply charged with Criminal Trespass.

My school of thought: An accessible, idiot-proof handgun of sufficient caliber... to buy you time to get to the scattergun. YMMV

Great minds Sir. Would make one good to go.

Women can be kinda funny about what they like in a gun. It's usually better if they pick it (from a set of viable alternatives) than you pick it for them. See if you can get them to a rental range or some other place they can try various choices out.

I'm no expert by any means but I've been around the block a bit. My feeling is simple is better, especially when things get stressed. That's why I endorsed the pump shotgun as a HD tool. A pump SG is used for many types of hunting as well as trap shooting and so on. The more you use something, the better you become with it. Getting a firearm that you can use for many tasks only gives reasons/excuses to use said tool. Same thing with a DA revolver. The last handgun that I bought (and maybe the last one I'll ever buy) was a S&W M19-4 in .357 magnum. It fits my hands like it gets paid for it, it's VERY accurate, and I never knew what a smooth DA trigger pull was until I got this guy. It sits at arms reach at night with a speedloader and Maglite next to it. I also keep loaded and ready to go a SIG P220 45 auto that is reasonably accessible next to a loaded spare 8 round magazine and my Remington 870 with reduced recoil no. 4 buckshot. Have an immediate action response. Have a remedial action response. Remember, when you're backed into a corner nobody can sneak up behind you!

Look at it from the bad guys perspective, would you want to be looking down the barrel of a shotgun, that would have to be pretty intimidating! I agree with Reloader28, keep it simple by using a quality revolver, nothing to have to remember except pull!
I teach a ladies only handgun class 3 times a year & even when they get pretty confident & know their gun quite well it can all go out the door in a hurry when you put them in some sort of stressful situation, actually thats the case for men also, but as a rule the men shoot more often than women. When we ask the women to hurry & load the mag into the gun, rack the slide, make sure the safety is off, etc & tell them they are being timed, they can fumble unless they get lots of practice.
I've said before, back when most law enforcement agencies started making the switch from revolvers to semi autos it was a huge learning curve to be able to quickly & confidently run the controls on the semi's.....for a long, long time, many of the old timers could never make the adjustment, they stuck with what worked.
I guess the main thing is, you need to know your gun, that & don't try to get by with a 25 auto or some of the other small guns, unless you don't have a choice.

Dick