When you become the man of the house you inherit a sacred responsibility to protect your family. Former Marine Jeff Barnett gives the bottom line on the best tools for the job we hope you’ll never have to use.
By Jeff Barnett
Jeff is a former Marine with a lifetime of experience with firearms. Read more from Jeff at his blog, The Midnight Hour.
Defending yourself and your loved ones from home intruders that would do you harm is a serious matter and a grave responsibility. If you have decided to take this responsibility seriously but don’t know quite where to begin then this article is for you.
Today’s focus is what weapon to choose for home defense. Each option I will recommend is a firearm, because firearms are simply the best modern home defense weapons. While a fighting knife and a backpack full of claymores may work well for John J. Rambo, there can only be one Rambo. Similarly, non-lethal defenses such as stun guns and mace leave much more to chance than I am willing to accept. Real aggressors don’t slowly walk towards you in a straight line like Jason Voorhees.
When selecting a weapon for home defense you should consider the following factors:
Effectiveness
The weapon must be capable of stopping the threat, which is primarily a matter of caliber, assuming proper shot placement. This is a very subjective topic and you will find as many opinions as you will find commentators. Let it suffice that all of the weapons I recommend will be effective enough for anything short of a zombie horde or rabid grizzly bear.
Overpenetration
The complement to effectiveness is overpenetration. Walls don’t stop bullets. If you have to discharge a firearm in your house then you must be aware of what lies behind your target. Innocent bystanders in adjacent rooms and adjacent houses can be wounded and even killed. Caliber and ammunition selection can mitigate this significant risk, but the bottom line for any weapon of any caliber is this: Never discharge a firearm at a target if you are not willing to strike everything that lies behind that target.
Ammo Capacity
The weapon should also hold ample ammunition, because under stressful situations even an accomplished marksman requires more than one shot to hit his target, and some aggressors require more than one shot to neutralize.
Reliability
An effective weapon that doesn’t work properly when needed or that quickly malfunctions is hardly effective at all.
Cost
Just because home defense is important doesn’t mean you should squander your retirement preparing for a scenario that will likely never happen. Effective solutions can be had for less than a $200 total investment, including ammunition.
Here are my top picks for home defense weapons:
1. 12 Gauge Pump-Action Shotgun
No, not because of the sound it makes when cycling the action. Sounds do a poor job of neutralizing intruders. Pump-action shotguns are familiar to everyone and easily accessible to the beginner.
Effectiveness: High
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At ranges of less than 25 yards there is scarcely a more effective weapon than 12-Gauge loaded with #1 or larger buckshot. When it comes to shotshell loads, smaller numbers mean larger projectiles. Example: #1 buckshot consists of (10) .30” diameter projectiles while #4 buckshot consists of (21) .24” diameter projectiles. | ||||
Overpenetration: Moderate
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With #1 and smaller buckshot the projectiles will lose enough energy to reasonably mitigate this risk. With larger buckshot the chances of overpenetration increase. If you are in a densely populated home or neighborhood you can almost completely mitigate overpenetration by using small game loads of #6 shot or smaller, but this sacrifices a great deal of effectiveness. Versatility in available loadings is a great strength of shotguns, but you must choose your loads carefully for your environment. | ||||
Ammo Capacity: Low
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With extended magazine tubes seven to eight round capacities are common. This is likely more ammo than you’ll need in the most common defense scenarios, but it still relatively low compared to other choices. | ||||
Reliability: High
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Extremely reliable. KISS design and manual cycling make weapon-related malfunctions all but impossible. | ||||
Cost: Low
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You can find used examples in gun shops for $150. With quality brands, well-worn shotguns work exactly the same as their new counterparts. I suggest going with an ugly example of a proven brand. New models start around $300. | ||||
| My pick: Mossberg 500 or Remington 870 | Both designs have proven themselves for decades. I prefer the controls and price of Mossberg, but a Remington 870 is my primary home defense weapon. |
2. .223 / 5.56mm Carbine
You may know this type of rifle by the name AR-15. It is the civilian (semi-auto) version of the M16 family of weapons. While this may seem intimidating, it’s just a rifle with lots of doo-dads and handy features. If you can shoot grandpa’s lever-action 30-30 then you can engage targets with an AR-15.
Effectiveness: High
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While not packing quite the punch of multiple projectiles (a shotgun) a 5.56 mm frangible projectile is extremely lethal and has greater range. | ||||
Overpenetration: Moderate
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With frangible ammunition (such as Hornady TAP) bullets begin to yaw, turn, and fragment upon impacting any medium other than air. This significantly reduces overpenetration, but is only valid for frangible ammo. Do not use standard full metal jacket (FMJ) or hollow point (HP) ammo for home defense! | ||||
Ammo Capacity: High
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Thirty rounds in a single magazine–almost certainly more than you’ll need. | ||||
Reliability: Moderate
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A clean and broken-in AR-15 will function for many hundreds (sometimes more than 1000) rounds before malfunctioning. | ||||
Cost: High
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Quality entry models begin just short of $700. | ||||
| My pick: DPMS Panther Lite 16 | This is a quality rifle that’s on the low end of price. Short, light, effective, and relatively simple. |
3. Handgun
While one of the least overall effective tools for the job, small size and accessibility to the beginner have made handguns one of the most popular home defense weapons used today. Handguns are easy to learn, cheap to practice with, and store comfortably in a nightstand.
Effectiveness: Low
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Despite what you may have seen in movies, pistol caliber projectiles simply do not create the type of damage that instantly incapacitates an aggressor. The key is to place your rounds on target and have plenty of rounds available. | ||||
Overpenetration: High
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Know what lies beyond your target, because your rounds may end up outside your home. | ||||
Ammo Capacity: Moderate
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Most handguns hold between 7-15 rounds. Some hold over 30 rounds. | ||||
Reliability: High
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A quality handgun with quality ammunition will function flawlessly for much longer than you’ll need it in a defensive scenario. | ||||
Cost: Moderate
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Inexpensive handguns start around $300. Some production handguns go well into the $600s | ||||
| My pick: Glock 17 |
The Glock design is as simple and reliable as any handgun made. These polymer framed pistols have a high capacity, good accuracy, unmatched reliability, and are readily available for $500 new and as low as $300 for a well-worn example. There are no external safeties to fumble with, making this a good weapon for high-stress scenarios where fine motor skills are lost. I use a Glock model 26 as my backup home defense weapon and concealed carry weapon. |
Concluding Thoughts
You are legally, morally, and financially responsible for everything that exits the barrel of a firearm under your control. Any of the choices presented here will serve you well in a defensive scenario. However, should you be thrust into the dreadful circumstance of repelling an aggressor in your home, you must decide based on federal, state, and local laws as well as your own principles what constitutes a legitimate use of deadly force. I’m not advising you to shoot at anything other than paper targets, and I hope that’s all that will ever be necessary.
37 Comments, Comment or Ping
Doc Brown
I would definitely agree that the Shotgun is tops for home defense, though I think you may be under representing the overpenetration danger of the .223 round. Without frangible rounds, any AR-15 derivative with a normal loading will penetrate interior walls without problem, and more than a pistol round - and even with frangible rounds,testing (theboxotruth.com) shows penetration of 3 sheets of drywall spaced 10 feet apart.
On that same note, frangible rounds and safety slugs are available for the much lower velocity handguns, which would have significantly lower risk of penetration than the high velocity .223.
An interesting article and good thoughts here, though personally I would rely primarily on a shotgun with a backup handgun.
Sep 15th, 2008
Jeff Barnett
Doc, I agree on all counts. There are many details I don’t want to broach in such a brief essay. I tried to emphasize that a 5.56mm round with anything other than specialized home defense ammo is insanely dangerous with respect to overpenetration. I did forget about specialized home defense loads for pistols and shotguns. Thanks for reminding me.
Sep 15th, 2008
Kyle
great article, I’ve been wanting all 3 for some time
Sep 17th, 2008
Neuville
Although I have a Remington 870, Ruger 357, Colt 45 Auto, S&W Airweight 38 Special, Barretta .32 and a number of other weapons, I believe that pepper spray in your pocket is better than all of these. It is non lethal so you don’t have to worry about penetration or forgetting to lock secure it. Even if kids get it they will not kill anyone. So, other words you can alway have it withing reach. Pepper spray subdues nearly any mammal and allows you to get away and get to larger weapons if needed. Of course, if the intruder has a firearm you need to get to your firearm. However, unless you walk around strapped, locked and loaded firearms in the home are hard to get into action. Remember, if someone with a firearm gets the drop on you and knows how to shoot you are most likely dead anyway. I used to carry a .32 to for the racoons robbers in my neighborhood. The coons attack dogs. They attacked me and my lab. We were both bitten. It would have been very difficult to hit a coon with a .32. Pepper spray is light, compact, cheap, easily concealed and carried in any circumstances. Plus, if you get some taco or burritos you can spice them up also.
Sep 18th, 2008
Neuville
Jeff,
I think you are really in overkill mode. An AR-15 for home defense? Unless you have many enemies I don’t see the need. As I wrote in my previous post, seldom do you need a fire arm at all. In the home, far more family members are hurt by fire arms than bad guys. I mean, it is just too dangerous to have a loaded, unsecured weapon in the house, especially if you have kids, visitors or marital problems. And listen, I am no anti gun person. But a loaded AR-15? Give me a break. The bad guy is liable to get it before you do. At any rate, it is my humble opinion that the best weapon, if you must have one, is a revolver. To be more exact, a .357 that as you know, can fire either magnums or .38 specials. They are soooooooooo dependable. Some people don’t want to admit it, but semi-autos all jam. All it takes is a little dirt, bad ammo or a faulty magazine. Conversely, revolvers never, ever jam. Give me six sure shots over 15 that might jam any day. But again pepper spray in the pocket is the best first line of defense.
Sep 19th, 2008
Jeff Barnett
Revolvers are a popular weapon for defense, and rightly so. However, it’s my opinion that a Glock malfunctions so infrequently that the extra ammo capacity is worth it.
Keeping your weapon safe from visitors, kids, and your spouse is a separate issue. However, if you honestly fear that your spouse might take advantage of a loaded weapon to kill you during an argument then I would advise you to divorce him/her.
There is zero chance an intruder can get to my weapon before me. It rests against the headboard of my bed–less than 10″ from me while I’m asleep. If they get to it first then I’m being attacked by a ninja and I was doomed from the start.
You’ll likely never need to defend yourself with a firearm. Speaking of “need” is almost irrelevant when preparing for an emergency. I learned in scouting to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
Sep 19th, 2008
Doc Brown
Neuville,
An AR-15 is just as valid, if not more so, for home defense than any other. Saying some guns are “over kill” or anything like that, is a slippery slope that leads to gun bans. A gun is a gun is a gun and all guns can kill whatever you’re aiming at. I’m much less scared of an AR-15 than I am of a shotgun. (Though I’d be pretty f’n scared of either, pointed at me in close proximity)
As for pepper spray, I would avoid any “weapon” that can be defeated by a pair of glasses. You still have to hit your target in the face and if you overspray, or get into a tussle, it may go in your eyes as well.
Revolvers are great, but any semiautomatic that is decently cared for is a safe and reliable weapon. I, like author Barnett, have a Glock 26, which has failed to fire only 3 times in 5 years, and 2 of those times were using reloaded ammo, which is somewhat less reliable than manufacture loaded ammunition. My other handgun, a Beretta 92FS, has never had a failure to fire in the past year and I’ve put probably 1200 or more rounds through it in a short period of time. I trust either with my life.
Back to the AR-15, I’d much rather have 30 rounds than 15 rounds than 10 rounds than 6 rounds. As long as the weapon is reliable, the more the better when your life is on the line. Of course, this is coming from someone who lives in California, which means even my relatively high capacity Beretta is limited to 10 rounds. =(
Anyway, I like the article (obviously, I’ve read it a few times and commented twice) and always love reading about weapons and other peoples opinions on them.
Yours in the future,
Doc Brown.
Sep 20th, 2008
Neuville
Hey Doc,
Who do you anticipate is going to attack you in your house? I don’t know if you have alot of enemies or what, but my goodness and AR-15? I don’t think I have ever heard of an incident where an AR 15 was necessary for defense, except for people in the drug business. And listen, Jeff keep his AR-15 ten feet from his bed. He walks into the other room or the bathroom to piss. A cat burglar is looking through his window. he sees the weapon he grabs in. Jeff is toast. Unless you have it on your person, even ten feet can be deadly. Not to mention he leaves the room. A child is visiting. He strays away. Finds the weapon. BAM somebody is dead or injured. It is irresponsible to leave a loaded weapon unsecured. My father in law had a pistol in every room. That meant nobody could visit and kids couldn’t come over. He never had to use one in 70 years. Sounds like paranoia to me. The only resposible way to carry a weapon is to have it on your person at all times or secured in a safe manner. It just doesn’t make sense. If you live in that bad of a neighborhood you should probably think about moving. Where the hec to you live?
And Doc, why stop at thirty rounds why not a hundred, two hundred? Do you expect to be attacked by someone with more than thirty rounds to send you way?
And back to the revolver. Your Glock jammed three times. My Ruger has never jammed. Never ever. My Barretta has, my Colt has.
Sep 22nd, 2008
Jeff Barnett
Neuville,
1. I use a shotgun and Glock for home defense, not an AR-15, but I think an AR-15 is just fine for home defense. RTFA.
2. Let me worry about securing my weapons from kids and visitors. It’s not that difficult.
3. You can construct any number of straw man scenarios where almost any home defense plan will fail. It’s nonsensical to use an argument to attack my plan that is equally disastrous to your plan with a revolver.
4. What if I do have a pistol on my person?
5. I don’t expect to be attacked by anyone. Your premise is faulty. If I am then I am prepared. Where do you expect to crash your car today? Will you still be buckling your seat belt?
6. This whole situation has nothing to do with number of enemies. That line of reasoning is just another emotional pseudo-argument.
Sep 23rd, 2008
Neuville
So Jeff, we get to the real crux of the issue. The reality is guns don’t make you safer. Guns make you feel safer. They are a psychological salve more than a real instrument of safety.
Sep 24th, 2008
Jeff Barnett
Well, I certainly can’t argue with an argument unsupported by any facts, although I’m sure you’re quite capable of psychologically stereotyping most of the American population. Good day.
Sep 25th, 2008
Jay Season
Per AR-15: I’m an awful pistol shot. A friend let me fire his AR-15 (with scope) at the range and I could not miss.
For home defense - likely night time defense- what would you recommend for sighting?
Sep 26th, 2008
Russell
Good piece Jeff,
I’m a big advocate of small carbine rifles for home defense. For one, I’d like my wife to be able to wield any weapon that we might have in the house. Pistols are notoriously difficult for amateur shooters. The AR-15 is a very stable shooting platform and probably less cumbersome than a shotgun.
for the less-mature readers in your audience that respond emotionally to the idea of a “big scary rifle” being used for defense..
Pepper spray is a great alternative to the ability to apply lethal force.
It’s great to have fun pissing off your violent aggressors before you are murdered.
Sep 27th, 2008
Jeff Barnett
Russell, thanks for the encouragement.
Jay, keep it simple. There’s nothing wrong with the AR’s factory peep sights. The 0-50m aperture should work just fine. If you really think you need an optic, I would definitely go with a 0x magnification–a red dot of some variety. However, most of these will require batteries, of which I am not a fan for home defense.
You might want to check out Trijicon Reflex optics. They use tritium instead of batteries, but have a limited life. The Tritium dims over time and after a few years your $300 optic will be barely usable.
Sep 27th, 2008
nonsubhomine
Okay, let me put my two cents in. First, to the guy who suggested the pepper spray - pepper spray simply doesn’t work in all situations. I’m a cop, and I have had two incidents where pepper spray simply did not incapacitate the subject (and one time that a Taser didn’t - talk about a pucker factor of about 9). In both situations, the suspect was high or drunk, or some combination thereof - but, even when pepper spray works, it rarely incapacitates someone in the normal sense of the word. What it never fails to do, though, is piss off the recipient. Pepper spray is used in my world to temporarily blind and distract a subject until compliance can be gained with restraints. Yes, there is a pain compliance element to pepper spray, but it is dangerous to rely solely on that to overcome an attacker - that’s why we also carry Tasers, batons, and guns. Besides, I’ve never talked to a cop who hasn’t gotten dosed with it at least once when dosing the bad guy. That stuff hangs in the air and causes the same problems that a direct hit does, albeit not as severely.
As far as an AR-15 goes, I like rifles. I really do. But regardless of the ammo used, those things are hot about a mile down range, and unless you have actually been in combat, or trained in very realistic conditions, you are simply not going to hit with every round in a high stress incident. If your day job is as an agent on the FBI Hostage Rescue Team - the AR-15 is a very deadly weapon. For the rest of us, no matter how good of a shot you are on the range (during the day with a normal heart rate, no adrenaline dump, no tunnel vision or auditory exclusion, no tachypsyche, and no panic), you will likely hit with less than 1/3 of your shots in a critical incident. Thems just the facts. Might be okay if you are living on a farm somewhere - but if you can see your neighbor, one of your rounds very well may find him, instead of the bad guy. Yes, frangible ammo destabilizes faster - but even if the bullet hits sideways, it can still have enough force to kill if it hits the right part of the body
Pump shotguns are by far and away the best home defense weapon ever. And I will disagree with the author here on one small point. The sound of a pump shotgun action cycling CAN convince a would-be assailant to remember that he has pressing plans elsewhere. Again, I wouldn’t rely on it. But that ka-chink! sound is universal and tends to focus attention.
Get a 12 ga. pump - load it with buckshot. Put it in a safe location where you can get to it. That’s all you need.
Sep 29th, 2008
Neuville
nonsubhomine I like your thoughts. In fact, I have ka-chinked at least one bad guy to leave my vicinity. And, I very much agree with you about the AR-15 and really any semi automatic weapon for most people. As you put it it requires “a normal heart rate, no adrenaline dump, no tunnel vision or auditory exclusion, no tachypsyche, and no panic” and very few people will be in this state when the are at home and feel threatened. Furthermore, hostage rescue teams plan and prepare over and over. They suit up and arm up and psyche up. Compare that with the average person suddenly awakened by a threat with their weapon perhaps not easily reached. An AR-15 is a disaster waiting to happen. If fired, the likely hood of killing another member of your family is great, not to mention a few neighbors. But to a slightly less extent the same could be said about a Glock with 15 rounds. Find the safety fumbling in the dark fire 10 rounds before you know it. But really, I recommend that most people don’t have a weapon in the house at all unless they will be very, very serious about securing it and knowing everything they can about gun safety.
I question the whether suggesting these guns will make people safe is a responsible thing to do. For example, in 2002 5,285 children were kill with firearms in the United States. Also, consider this, according to the FBI 1.7 million guns have been stolen in the past 10 years and only 40% of those were recovered. 80% of these guns were taken from homes and cars. This make us all less safe. You know it is only bad guys who have these guns now.
Certainly, recommending an AR-15 is irresponsible unless you are a drug dealer or live in a serious ghetto. Perhaps some of the people who recommend these type of weapons do live in bad neighborhoods. I do not know. I do not know what kind of neighborhood Jeff lives in, but if it is so bad that he needs this kind of weapon I would suggest a move rather that an arsenal.
Oct 3rd, 2008
RoMac
Neuville, Your statistics as well as your fear leads me to believe you work for either the Brady Campaign or the city of Washington DC and this is one of your stops on the way to the election. I do agree that weapons need to be secured when not in use from children or others who may enter your home. As for not having one at all, that fallacy is misguided at best.
You mention fumbling for a safety on a gun (a Glock) that doesn’t have an external safety to flip off. You’re probably thinking of a 1911 which has an external safety, you probably saw a bunch of those 1911’s in the magazine aisle at the grocery store, and somewhere on the cover was the word Glock, but the fact that you don’t know the difference tells me you’re guessing. Which tells me your anti-gun rhetoric thinly disguised as a gun aficionado has some serious holes in it.
You toss around a lot of statistics and numbers but then form an illogical conclusion. The fact that 1.7 million guns of which 60% are still out there (your stats), just tells me that I better be equally armed to handle any aggressor that tries to invade my home. If he’s more likely to have a gun, I’m probably more likely to need one to create a balance of power to protect my family.
I will concede the fact that all gun owners should be well versed in gun safety and proper handling. To do otherwise is irresponsible. However, the demographic that is capable of handling those responsibilities in my world is considerably larger than yours.
Before you think I’m just some gun nut, I’m a Federal Law Enforcement Officer. I’d rather have John Q. Public trained and armed in stopping the threat before it turns into a shooting than have him not armed at all. That’s right, having a gun, in numerous cases, has resulted in a very large number of crimes being stopped before they even start. I’m not going to insult the readers and guess at the statistic, but if I remember correctly,the number of stopped crimes when a good guy presents a gun, to be somewhere in the millions.
You’re a good writer, but I suggest you go back to the Brady Campaign and write some blog entries for them. You’re style is right up their alley!
Oct 4th, 2008
Robert
Glad Romac already pointed out that the Glock doesn’t have a safety and questioned the statistics.
Anti-gunners always like to talk about the number of “children” killed by guns. Well, their definition of “children” is anyone under the age of 18, and that includes 17 year old gang members who are murdered. These are not 5 year olds shooting each other or 3 year olds accidentally killing themselves. Granted, accidents can happen, but the fast majority of “children” killed by guns are 15-17 and gang members.
If you talk about the number of children under 10 who die from handguns, the number is, on average, 50 per year. Sure, 50 deaths that probably can be avoided, but far, far, far fewer deaths than are caused by car accidents, pools, and falls down stairs (many of which too, can be prevented).
Oct 6th, 2008
Robert
Oh, and the FBI estimates the number of crimes stopped by a firearm are between 1.5 and 2.5 million.
Oct 6th, 2008
jlbraun
It is simply an accepted part of life that there is evil in the world, and evil is only vanquished by standing up to it, not running from it. It is an essential part of being a man to be able to defend your loved ones, and the best tool for that is the firearm. Period. No amount of statistics will ever change that.
Oct 6th, 2008
B
Neuville,
Pepper spray is useless against a determined attacker, especially one who has been sprayed before.
I have been sprayed in the face with both MACE and Pepper spray during both my time as a soldier and in police training. and I gotta tell you, it may work fine against animals, but against a large, angry assailant it will just piss him off more.
Your comments re semi pistol vs revolver are more reasonable, though it does appear you have not really shot very much because you didn’t mention double-indexing when you mentioned firing a revolver. Revolvers almost never jam (if you load your own bullets a buddy of mine got one just a tad too long) but in rapid fire situations they do have a tendency to double index, meaning the cylinder goes right past the ‘next’ chamber and lands on the second one.
I have a glock, I have never had a jam with my glock. It has about 10,000 rounds through it, as I have only fired it a few times a week, since I bought it back in ‘90. Now, my S&W 586 has about 40,000 rounds through it since I bought it in ‘83, and it has been to the gunsmith numerous times for several reasons, one being double-indexing.
I suggest that the weapon you know and understand how to use best is probably the weapon you use for self-defense.
B…
Oct 7th, 2008
wiseguy
Hello To All,
I just brought a 410g Moss. 500 pump/w buck shot ammo. this is my first shotgun and its for home defense. if ever i have to use it, and i aim at my target, will it just be a bullet coming out of the barrel or a serious of pellets which can spray out and make its way through cielings and walls?
Oct 8th, 2008
Barry
Wiseguy,
If you own a firearm and don’t know the answer to your question, you would be well advised to get some formal training. I’m glad you are asking the question, but a little scared to read it at the same time. I will attempt to answer your question, but please look farther than this for knowledge and experience.
Your shotgun can be loaded with a single projectile (called a slug) or a charge that consists of a number of separate pellets (called shot). Buck shot is a group of separate pellets, each large enough to be suitable for deer hunting. Buck shot can be had in several different sizes. Other common kinds of shot loads use smaller pellets and are suitable for bird hunting, etc. The pellets do not “spray out” they instead travel in a tightly packed group at close ranges and they all hit the same target at the same time. If they travel farther down range, the group of pellets gradually gets larger, but to call it a spray is to overestimate the dispersal.
As for penetrating ceilings and walls, yes, buck shot can penetrate, but is considered a lower risk for overpenetration than single projectiles (bullets or slugs) which can penetrate more layers of building material and can carry their energy farther downrange. As a rule of thumb, if you fire buckshot inside a typical single-family residence, your neighbors inside their homes are at relatively low risk from that. However, someone inside your home, especially in the next room, would be at risk.
You should give careful thought to your lines of fire and what is downrange as you lay out your home defense plan. For instance, firing down a stairwell may put the ground downrange which would generally be safer than a horizontal or upward line of fire. Also, firing in the direction of a bedroom occupied by a family member would not be a good plan.
Again, please check out your local shooting clubs or firearm training centers.
Oct 9th, 2008
wiseguy
Barry,
Thanks for your advice. i never considered bullets traveling and hitting non targets untill i read this article and comments. My uestion was answered. Thanks again!
Oct 9th, 2008
Steve
For home home invasion type robberies where time is of the essence for defense what would you(open to anyone) suggest is the best way to have access to your guns quickly while being in a house with young children with ages less than 8?
Oct 28th, 2008
Robert
Well Steve, children like things they aren’t supposed to touch, so I grew up in a household where I was taught about guns very early and knew enough not to touch them. That’s part of it.
Second, children are fairly small, so you might want to store it in a place where you can reach, but they can’t. This isn’t foolproof, as a smart kid could use a chair to possibly get high enough.
You also should assess how “quick” you need to be. If you wake up with someone already in your bedroom, anything short of sleeping with a gun in your hand won’t help. But if you live in a two-story house and have more time to react to a noise, you can afford more time to access the gun, or to make it ready for use. Storing the weapon unloaded, on safe, with the magazine out, but nearby, may be sufficient to stop a child from having an accident, but the amount of time it takes to insert the mag and load the weapon is under 10 seconds from the time you get out of your bed, most likely. That’s for a handgun.
So basically, keep the gun in a near-ready state in an unfriendly location for a child, and educate them about the dangers.
Oct 29th, 2008
Iron Butt
Great write-up and some great posts. A couple of thoughts, for what they’re worth;
1) Shotgun-in my opinion, best HD weapon, period. Dirt simple, effective and reliable as an anvil. Pick a load that works best for you.
2) AR-15-Why not? Many people loath the “Evil Black Rifle”. If fires a .223 round, which in many states is outlawed for dear hunting because it’s a light round. It is however, effective on humans and again, with the right load, makes a reasonable HD weapon.
3) Handgun-For most people who are novices, or don’t practice, it’s the 3rd best choice. They’re tough to aim under pressure, and follow up shots, which surely will be needed, may be difficult.
Jeff; great review.
Nov 1st, 2008
Responsible Parent
Positive control of the weapon is the best option for keeping kids and guns apart. That is, carry a (sub)compact pistol in a comfortable holster at home, and you can be confident that a) you have the gun at the ready, and b) the kids do not.
The mobile but very young kids cannot rack the slide on a subcompact pistol of “9mm-type” or higher recoil energy. The lighter slide (compared to the full-size counterparts) of a subcompact necessitates a rather heavy spring to absorb the recoil, and this can be too much for a weak adult, not to mention a toddler.
Thus, if you happen to temporarily place such a pistol, when it’s not in your holster, in condition 3 (empty chamber) in a location the small child can’t get to 99.9% of the time, you can be quite confident nothing will happen the other 0.1%, though you’d have to verify this in case you have an unusually strong kid.
I’m already teaching my rather verbal 2 year old about guns and gun handling, and watching him handle several subcompact semiautos, it is clear that it’ll be a considerable while before he can budge any slide at all. For now, a condition 3 subcompact is about as lethal as an oddly shaped rock in his hands. It remains to be seen how responsible he will be in time, but in the worst case, all guns not under positive control will be in the safe.
As for the choice of HD weaponry, I do NOT feel undergunned with a subcompact Glock out and the big boomsticks all in the safe, but this is a result of being somewhat diligent about practice — airsoft, draw / dryfire drills, and lastly some IPSC. Airsoft (with a gas blowback Glock replica) has been exceptionally valuable for learning to point shoot a real Glock — it’s cheap and convenient and similar enough that you can fire thousands of “rounds” and learn to instinctively point the gun (and fire) at the desired point of impact without using the sights.
The dry fire drills have been most helpful also for learning to squeeze the trigger without disrupting the sight picture, and to improve the speed of the draw, rack, and target acquisition. IPSC is where you’re reminded you have a long way to go.
As well, I typically carry in condition 3, since my draw/rack is quick and the added safety of having no round in the chamber is priceless for otherwise low-threat conditions.
On the whole, I can’t more emphatically recommend dryfire practice at minimum to the casual pistol owner. No snap caps required for centerfires, and who wants a rimfire for HD anyway. Dryfire practice does a lot for steadiness, confidence, and speed, building muscle memory which is critical for being able to function at all effectively under the adrenaline dump of SHTF.
Stay safe out there, and fight the good fight for your family and our 2A civil rights, jeopardized as they will now be with a government so leftist, they make Al Franken look like Pat Buchanan.
Nov 8th, 2008
ExtremeDaze
Thanks for a great article. I used to do a bit of shooting in my teens and 20s, but that was 20 years ago! Like many people in recent days, I’ve been examining the idea of acquiring weapons for self-defense.
My comment on the AR-15 style weapons would simply be that it wouldn’t be my first or even second choice for home defense per-se, but might not be a bad choice for civil unrest, which IMO is unlikely at least for now, but certainly possible down the road, depending on how the whole economy and obamanomics develop. I think he’ll make Jimmy Carter look like Ronald Reagan by comparison.
Nov 10th, 2008
Wade
I have read several articles on home defense weapons that recommend the use of a light mounted to the firearm (be it a shotgun or handgun). To me, this seems like a “double edged sword”. If you need a light to find the aggressor, doesn’t that light act as a target for the aggressor? This may be overkill, but would night vision goggles be a better option? This would allow you to locate the intruder without signaling him of your position. Thanks in advance for the advice.
Nov 13th, 2008
Jeff Barnett
Wade, 1. NVGs cost way too much for the average person 2. With NVGs you have no depth perception 3. I’ve worn NVGs in hairy scenarios. I didn’t like it. If the moon was anywhere close to full I preferred to take them off. 4. A flashlight is a great tool in a defensive scenario. Light is your friend. I think the benefits of the light would outweigh the drawbacks.
Nov 13th, 2008
Joey C.
To throw a little gas on the fire, I just saw a ballistics study that showed that .40 s&w had roughly 4x the over penetration into ballistics gel after going through a simulated wall than 5.56 50 gr. ball ammo!
Simple physics. A 150+ grain bullet will carry a heck of a lot more momentum that a 50 gr. 5.56 ball round no matter what you do to it even in spite of having more than twice the muzzle velocity.
Other interesting studies show that a slow moving .45 ball round will penetrate deeper into ballistics gel than a +p hollow point 9mm or .40 s&w that successfully expands.
Nov 15th, 2008
Dan Mann
Great article and discussion!
I agree that an AR-15, if you can afford it, is definitely a must have for HD, depending on where you live. I live in a suburb and there’s some space between houses, but I would only grab mine in a case of being majorly outnumbered or a civil riot situation. And I’d be darn sure of what’s downrange before I flipped off the safety. But that goes with any type of firearm I’d use to defend my home.
I believe the 12-gauge + pistol combination is the #1HD plan for a home owner to have. As for the light question, although it’s probably good to have a flashlight near the bed, I’d rather not use it if I’m sure someone has broken in. That’s just a golden arrow reaching right back to me. I’d prefer to rely on the night-sights on my glock and my own wits.
JOEY C … although I’m not one to argue about studies I’ve never read, I am extremely skeptical of your ballistics study above. A high-powered rifle round definitely has more penetration than a pistol round. Seriously, just hold an .223 round next to a .40S&W and you’ll see what I mean.
Nov 20th, 2008
Debalo
Great reading!
I am a fan of .223, 12ga and 9mm. My son and I have collected and fired almost everything on the market. We have decided on these calibers for HD. We both prefer the FS92, mine is a M-9. I think the answer to the flashlight question is laser sights. Maybe a little expensive for some people but what’s your life worth, they can be added later to the weapon.
Mossberg is my hero! Their 590 series 12ga is great. I use NO accessories because, in a stressful situation, they can get in the way. Mag shells loaded with “T” or “BBB” shot is my choice.
My .223 is an Olympic. great on price and with scope, flashlight and fore grip it should do when the going gets rough. My son chose a Bushmaster outfitted the same except no fore grip.
Kids and weapons should be handled very delicately. When my son was VERY small, guns were locked in a cabinet and he was not allowed to touch even the cabinet. He could however look all he wanted. He was also instructed if he ever wanted to touch, he was allowed to with me in charge. I NEVER denied him this curiosity. I sometimes had to take time I didn’t have to live up to this deal but isn’t that what being a responsible parent is about? He is 16 and 6′ 2″ now and can out shoot me.
Another note, I am a three time war veteran. I have seen combat and stress when defending ones life. Never underestimate how nervous you will be. The key to this is proper training and lots of practice.
Nov 29th, 2008
Dave
One comment on using a flashlight or weapon-mounted light in a home invasion scenario, the idea is to use the light only to confirm the target and sight alignment before firing. Don’t walk around with the light on constantly, just a quick light-up for the previously mentioned reasons. Familiarity is your greatest advantage in your own home, so don’t give it up by walking around with your light on.
Several companies make lights with momentary switches on the tailcap that are designed for tactical use, one of these is the best to use in a situation like this.
Dec 13th, 2008
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