What is Your Ideal Home Defense Combo?

[nynor]

my combo:

[sammyg2]

[ckelly78z]

"Using .410 in a pistol is illegal in some states." So is entering my house in the middle of the night uninvited !

[weseeeee]

Two English Bulldogs and a Glock 40

[Bill Douglas]

You guys are going to end up in court shooting at people.

Blast them in the face with the fire extinguisher then drag them outside and smash their head against a concrete wall in self defense.

[Rick Lee]

You guys are going to end up in court shooting at people.



Blast them in the face with the fire extinguisher then drag them outside and smash their head against a concrete wall in self defense.

What you suggest is not only leaving a living witness to testify and sue you, it's far more likely to get you prosecuted than just making sure the cops only hear your side of the story.

[Hydrocket]

Really most anything would work....it matters what you feel comfortable with and what you can put on target consistently and quickly.

I used to be in the "bigger is better" camp, but I would definitely not feel outgunned with 10+ rounds of .22WMR or a full mag of .410 loaded in the shotgun. Even these diminutive calibers with modern loads are deadly at typical home defense range (~7 yds).

[MotoSook]

All-in-one----> 10.5" barreled AR15 pistol with foam covered carbine buffer tune. Can still reach out and touch someone before they get close enough to harm you if it is a SHTF situ...and small enough to move down a hallway. if you don't hang all the tacticool gear on it it'll be very light too.

You can buy a receiver and build the lower, the. Buy the upper from any place and voila! Or build the whole thing yourself. It's like LEGOS.

If I had to have only one to to live or die by and go nomadic, I'd take it and as much ammo as I can haul on my back.

One you build your first AR...you will want to build more.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

Using .410 in a pistol is illegal in some states.

I'm not sure that's true.

Regardless, it's downright ignorant and ill-informed in every state. The Taurus Judge (or any .410 shotshell firing pistol for that matter) is just a bad joke played upon less than knowledgable shooters. It looks and sounds "bad ass" but it is, in fact, a ballistically ineffective combination. We've discussed this here before.

[targa911S]

Originally Posted by VINMAN

any 16" 12ga. pump. 870, mossberg..

16" would be illegal. 18" barrel 27" LOA is fed minimum.

[targa911S]

Originally Posted by vash

really great locks on the doors..3/4 inch sheet plywood, screws and a cordless drill fully charged.. opps..did i just type that out loud?

i like shotguns. i have a bunch.. i will get defense double barrel, for the "Get off my lawn" affect..i have a 870 and a 1100. i just need some shorter barrels.

i can help......

[Jim Bremner]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I'm not sure that's true.

Regardless, it's downright ignorant and ill-informed in every state. The Taurus Judge (or any .410 shotshell firing pistol for that matter) is just a bad joke played upon less than knowledgable shooters. It looks and sounds "bad ass" but it is, in fact, a ballistically ineffective combination. We've discussed this here before.

NOT LEGAL here in California.

[VincentVega]

some language, watch the volume

[sammyg2]

We were talking spoons at work one day, I mentioned to a co-worker that I had a goose gun.

he asked what kind, I said a 7 round 12 ga savage with 18" barrel, but I had to sneak up real close to get those gooses.

He kinda got it.

[Head416]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

...
So, in the end, the handgun is still the prefered in-home defensive weapon. It will work quite well to cover the door in the "safe room", assuming everyone made it. It will also serve to step out into the hall and go after the guy who is now dragging your daughter down the hall by her hair, after she couldn't make it to the "safe room". It can be readily deployed while in bed, should the intruder make it past all of your "early warning" devices. It's just a more versatile choice. Not as "bad ass", but certainly a whole lot more usefull than any long gun.

I think this is only true for somebody who is an expert with a handgun. (Which I'm pretty sure Jeff is.)

But for most of us, our performance with a handgun cannot be depended on. If I'm barricaded in a room, pointing a handgun at a door 20 ft away, I would like to think that I would take out anybody who came through that door. But the reality is that I shoot at paper a handful of times a year. My heart will be pounding out of my chest, all my muscles will be tense. As soon as somebody pounds through that door I'm going to go off like a bear trap, with no more finesse than a bear trap. I'll probably destroy the wall next to him and maybe catch him in the foot if I'm lucky.

To me, the biggest advantage of the shotgun in this situation is the long sight radius. (9 00 buck pellets is a nice assett as well.) It's very easy for me to aim a handgun at a door 20 ft away and miss; we hear of people doing that all the time, especially in high stress situations. But there's no way I'm going to aim a shotgun at a door 20ft away and jerk the trigger so hard that it pulls me off target. The buckshot won't spread any bigger than a baseball or a softball at that distance, so yes you have to aim. But for a novice a shotgun is easier to aim than a handgun.

For an average Joe Blow with no extensive handgun training, he'll perform better with a shotgun. (Of course, he better practice with that too.)

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

What you suggest is not only leaving a living witness to testify and sue you, it's far more likely to get you prosecuted than just making sure the cops only hear your side of the story.

Good point.

In that case my vote is for a nice .38 +p Smith revolver with hollow point type bullets. No safety to get confused about at the time, and goes off every time.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by Head416

For an average Joe Blow with no extensive handgun training, he'll perform better with a shotgun. (Of course, he better practice with that too.)

Plus if a zombie suddenly jumps in front of you it's really easy to make a quick thrust with a shotgun and take out half a dozen or so teeth.
It's also fairly easy to catch him in the temple with the corner of the stock.
My guess is that both of those moves, if done correctly, would smart. Maybe even leave a mark.

I 'spose you could try that with a hand gun, but I doubt you'd get the same effect.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by Head416

I think this is only true for somebody who is an expert with a handgun. (Which I'm pretty sure Jeff is.)

But for most of us, our performance with a handgun cannot be depended on. If I'm barricaded in a room, pointing a handgun at a door 20 ft away, I would like to think that I would take out anybody who came through that door. But the reality is that I shoot at paper a handful of times a year. My heart will be pounding out of my chest, all my muscles will be tense. As soon as somebody pounds through that door I'm going to go off like a bear trap, with no more finesse than a bear trap. I'll probably destroy the wall next to him and maybe catch him in the foot if I'm lucky.

To me, the biggest advantage of the shotgun in this situation is the long sight radius. (9 00 buck pellets is a nice assett as well.) It's very easy for me to aim a handgun at a door 20 ft away and miss; we hear of people doing that all the time, especially in high stress situations. But there's no way I'm going to aim a shotgun at a door 20ft away and jerk the trigger so hard that it pulls me off target. The buckshot won't spread any bigger than a baseball or a softball at that distance, so yes you have to aim. But for a novice a shotgun is easier to aim than a handgun.

For an average Joe Blow with no extensive handgun training, he'll perform better with a shotgun. (Of course, he better practice with that too.)

Kudos - most guys are not capable of making such an honest assesment of themselves. Of course most guys are all born with the innate ability to hit a dime tossed in the air from the saddle of a galloping horse with our single action revolver. Blindfolded...

Realistic assesments of one's shooting skills, and how one may react under intense pressure and anxiety are, of course, vital to helping us reach a potentially life saving decision. Hat's off to you for having done that. "A man has got to know his limitations..."

[skipdup]

Cool thread. I had no idea there were AR pistols. Hmmm...

Anyone know of a good way to secure an 870 when children are in the home?
What's the best way to secure a pistol?

Thanks,
Skip

[Hydrocket]

Originally Posted by skipdup

Cool thread. I had no idea there were AR pistols. Hmmm...

Anyone know of a good way to secure an 870 when children are in the home?
What's the best way to secure a pistol?

Thanks,
Skip

This in a closet?

ShotLock Universal Solo Vault Safe