What is a good handgun for self/home defense?

warthog1984 said:
And you and the other poster will likely find yourself behind bars if that ever happens.

Even in the free states, there is a limit. Ersland's idiocy shows that.

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2011/05/aaron-jossie/self-defense-tip-stfu-2/#more-45161

Validate and Shoot to Stop- Now. If it is a perp, and he dies- oh well. If he lives, he can get stitched up on the way to jail. BUT, if they are down and out, you cannot execute them and expect "Stand Your Ground" to justify it or protect you.

Not even in my native state of TX, where seeing somebody brandish a gun at a cop is justification for using a 30-06 on them.
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http://www.wsbradio.com/weblogs/nealz-nuze/2012/nov/28/what-do-if-you-shoot-intruder/
 
Capt.Crash'n'Burn said:
:yeahthat:

except I'd say a semi-auto 12 Ga is superior to the pump becase it can be operated with a single hand if the intruder fires at you and incapacitates one arm.
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Concur, I use a Beretta 1201FP with pistol grip, it is a very good close quarters defensive gun. For carry concealed I love my Springfield XD-9 sub in a smart carry, open carry it is the Glock 21 in a Blackhawk Serpa level III.

http://www.papadeltabravo.com/blog/?p=630
 
ateamer said:
California Penal Code section 198.5. Any person using force intended or likely to cause death or
great bodily injury within his or her residence shall be presumed to
have held a reasonable fear of imminent peril of death or great
bodily injury to self, family, or a member of the household when that
force is used against another person, not a member of the family or
household, who unlawfully and forcibly enters or has unlawfully and
forcibly entered the residence and the person using the force knew or
had reason to believe that an unlawful and forcible entry occurred.
As used in this section, great bodily injury means a significant
or substantial physical injury.
------------------
So, basically, California does have a castle law, and it's been in place for many years.
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Many states do, including the liberal bastions of Minnesota and Maryland. Still, if you do something stupid, you are going to be in court. Your house is never a 'free fire zone', rules still apply. In MN, most shootings in defense of a home don't make it past a review of the case file by the district attorney. Still, when Byron Smith in Little Falls shot two teenage burglars he caught himself a conviction for two counts of first degree murder after the evidence established that his intent was from the start to kill them. In MD, we had recent case where a homeowner ended up going to trial over a self defense shooting. It didn't help him that he knew the intruder (they had an ongoing dispute) and was yelling racial slurs at him before he shot him. He got extremely lucky in the lottery of the circuit court judges and got one assigned to the case who skillfully used his power to grant various motions to dismiss the case 1/2 way through a jury trial.
 
Doggtyred said:
One I will recommend against is the Ruger LCP9.
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Truth. While they're reliable, they have the long heavy trigger pull from hell that makes them almost impossible to aim with any accuracy... and with 9mm, shot placement is crucial.
 
bullwinkle said:
Glock 19 if the ergonomics work for you. They don't fit all hands, but they are accurate, reliable, and safe pistols at a reasonable price. 80% of police issue duty weapons are Glocks for a reason.
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G19 is an excellent choice, so is an SW M&P9c.

If you'd rather have a .45, the Glock 36, slim compact single stack 45acp is virtually the exact same size as the 19 and fully loaded weighs a little less since it's only 6+1 rounds. I carry the G36 and like it a lot.
 
+1 Glock 19.

Ive had several "home duty" guns and have come back to this one as an all-around useful gun.
 
I'm partial to an XDM45, very soft shooting 45, but concealment takes work.

Buddy of mine recently used his carry gun on a bad guy. He was surprised, and knocked to the ground by a whack to the side of his head with an unknown object in a robbery attempt. Despite being quite disoriented he was able to react and the bad guy didn't get a second whack. Single shot stop (bad guy was hit, ran away, collapsed, and expired). The M&P Shield 9mm loaded with Hornaday Critical Duty did its job. It's going to be a while before he gets it back.
 
M1911! I love it! It will take someone down. Very accurate too. It has more parts than others but is very reliable. Over 100 years in military use. That should say a lot. Just because it's a 45 don't get discouraged or afraid if you don't shoot much handguns. Its not bad recoil. Just use both hands unless its an emergency or you feel awesome. A 9mm will certainly send someone to the er. But a 45 acp will make sure they don't come back with their own gun.
 
madtrader said:
I'm partial to an XDM45, very soft shooting 45, but concealment takes work.

Buddy of mine recently used his carry gun on a bad guy. He was surprised, and knocked to the ground by a whack to the side of his head with an unknown object in a robbery attempt. Despite being quite disoriented he was able to react and the bad guy didn't get a second whack. Single shot stop (bad guy was hit, ran away, collapsed, and expired). The M&P Shield 9mm loaded with Hornaday Critical Duty did its job. It's going to be a while before he gets it back.
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Great stuff IMO.
 
madtrader said:
It's going to be a while before he gets it back.
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If you have a carry weapon that you really like, it might be a good strategy to have a second copy stashed in the gun safe.
 
madtrader said:
Buddy of mine recently used his carry gun on a bad guy. He was surprised, and knocked to the ground by a whack to the side of his head with an unknown object in a robbery attempt. Despite being quite disoriented he was able to react and the bad guy didn't get a second whack. Single shot stop (bad guy was hit, ran away, collapsed, and expired). The M&P Shield 9mm loaded with Hornaday Critical Duty did its job. It's going to be a while before he gets it back.
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Good for him - he deserves a medal. One more dead scumbag off the streets.
 
Henning said:
That's not medal worthy, it's just plain sad for everyone involved.
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It would have been sadder if the guy getting attacked was injured or killed by the now-dead guy, don't you think ?
 
B350ATP said:
It would have been sadder if the guy getting attacked was injured or killed by the now-dead guy, don't you think ?
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Oh, I bet he's still injured. Regardless it doesn't really make a difference to the point.
 
Here ya go:

http://www.doubletapdefense.com/

9mm or .45 ACP. Like a derringer, it's a two-shot break over action. It's very small and perfect for a pocket gun or purse gun imo. :redface:

They make it in aluminum and titanium.

doubletap-660x287.jpg


DoubleTap_edited-1.jpg
 
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jhausch said:
Scattergun
Handgun
Get a Taurus Judge or S&W Gov and have both :)
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Took about 50 comments for the Taurus Judge to get mentioned.

Just alternate the 410 shells and the .45 long Colt so that the offender is kept guessing which is next out.
 

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Late to the thread but here's the real answer... Just like in aviation...

Find a qualified instructor and get serious training. And rent until you know what works for you.

Agreed that "home defense" is a completely different firearm than "carry". It also makes a world of difference if "home" is a 230 acre ranch or a city apartment.

Anyway. There's no point in suggesting specific firearms at all, without a lot more info, and after you've shot a number of them.

A good instructor will say similar. One of the many ways you can weed out bad instructors.

Proficiency also requires continuous training just like flying. Committing to a purchase is the least of your concerns at first. Committing to train, is.
 
mikea said:
I was told by a weapons specialist (guy who builds huge guns) that you want a shotgun because you'll miss with a pistol at any moderate range.
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And he thinks a pistol grip shotgun is any easier to aim :rolleyes: ?
 
weilke said:
And he thinks a pistol grip shotgun is any easier to aim :rolleyes: ?
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Yeah, I'd like to see some Training quals on that guy.

Used to teach small arms to the local SD - first day of shotgun was always the funniest. There's a LOT more air out there than target :goofy:
 
Rather than 00buck, I have #2 duck load, (they won't get lead poison). Still plenty of stopping power, and a couple more pellets than 00. And you'd be surprized at the short range (2-4 yds) pattern width with a 12" barrel. Just point and squeeze. After those two shots, I can reach for the Mossberg pump. But it's a full length barrel, modified choke. (dove gun) Which puts that #2 shot into about a 4"-6" pattern at close range, (2-4 yds) Which would be every pellet center mass.
 
Old Fart said:
Yeah, I'd like to see some Training quals on that guy.

Used to teach small arms to the local SD - first day of shotgun was always the funniest. There's a LOT more air out there than target :goofy:
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There is a video floating around on liveleak of some guy turning his leg into minced meat with a pistol grip shotty. He had noticed someone taking hand tools from the bed of his pickup and ran out pistol grip shotgun in hand, in the excitement of the moment, he let go of the foregrip, gun swings down pivoting around his hand and fires right into his calf.

Short of a grenade launcher, a pistol grip shotgun is about the last implement I would chose for a limited practice home defense setting.
 
weilke said:
There is a video floating around on liveleak of some guy turning his leg into minced meat with a pistol grip shotty. He had noticed someone taking hand tools from the bed of his pickup and ran out pistol grip shotgun in hand, in the excitement of the moment, he let go of the foregrip, gun swings down pivoting around his hand and fires right into his calf.

Short of a grenade launcher, a pistol grip shotgun is about the last implement I would chose for a limited practice home defense setting.
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He didn't say to get the pistol grip. I found that.

The guy in that video says in a tight space you can aim it down the hallway easier.

You only convince me to not get anything. I have my length of rebar behind the door.
 
Henning said:
That's not medal worthy, it's just plain sad for everyone involved.
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Indeed. He's had a hard time with it. There were a lot of personal "what if" thoughts. He has spoken with his priest and a therapist to try and work past it. He's not taken taking a life easily, but from his descriptions of what happened, it sounds like he did what he had to do. He was told by the responding police that the bad guy was armed (and he assumes by more than whatever he was hit with). He was also told the guy had a long rap sheet of similar crimes, but he had none of that info in the moment. He shared this because he wanted me to think about the aftermath, of the the do's and don'ts based on his experience.
 
madtrader said:
Indeed. He's had a hard time with it. There were a lot of personal "what if" thoughts. He has spoken with his priest and a therapist to try and work past it. He's not taken taking a life easily, but from his descriptions of what happened, it sounds like he did what he had to do. He was told by the responding police that the bad guy was armed (and he assumes by more than whatever he was hit with). He was also told the guy had a long rap sheet of similar crimes, but he had none of that info in the moment. He shared this because he wanted me to think about the aftermath, of the the do's and don'ts based on his experience.
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As your friend has seen, even a justified shooting will have severe psychological repercussions for 99% of the population. But, therapy is cheaper than a funeral or prolonged hospital stay, and easier to deal with.
 
I have a S & W 9mm and I use it for CC.

Wife has a 38 revolver.
 
madtrader said:
Indeed. He's had a hard time with it. There were a lot of personal "what if" thoughts. He has spoken with his priest and a therapist to try and work past it. He's not taken taking a life easily, but from his descriptions of what happened, it sounds like he did what he had to do. He was told by the responding police that the bad guy was armed (and he assumes by more than whatever he was hit with). He was also told the guy had a long rap sheet of similar crimes, but he had none of that info in the moment. He shared this because he wanted me to think about the aftermath, of the the do's and don'ts based on his experience.
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Yes. This is one of the things the local sheriff discussed in my CC class when he told us: "If you shoot someone it will ruin your life, one way or another."
 
airdale said:
Yes. This is one of the things the local sheriff discussed in my CC class when he told us: "If you shoot someone it will ruin your life, one way or another."
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Big difference between the world of the keyboard commandos and the real one.
 
airdale said:
Yes. This is one of the things the local sheriff discussed in my CC class when he told us: "If you shoot someone it will ruin your life, one way or another."
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Somewhat true. It will certainly change your life, and not for the better, however the alternative may not be having a life at all. Defend yourself, and your family from harm, but then have to live with the results of even a justified, and legal shoot. A decision I hope to never have to make.

With the Barbarian hordes at the gate, well actually coming through the gate, it may be a decision some of us must make sooner rather than later. I pray I am wrong.
 
Anthony said:
Somewhat true. It will certainly change your life, and not for the better, however the alternative may not be having a life at all.
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It could. In the great majority of cases, the alternative is the loss of a minor piece of property, a wallet, some tools from your garage etc.
 
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