Comments on: Hero Training: The Best Weapons for Home Defense

By: James santarelli

James santarelli — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:40:18 +0000

I agree with all the weapons in their exact order and Jeff is spot on with details and order with DAMAGE per round…mind u he states all are ample weapons. Hence ur good with either. I will say this. The hell with pepper spray. Is someone is in your home uninvited ASSUME they are armed and prepared to cause u harm. My go to is a shotgun 000 buck which is on a shelf in my bedroom closet with 3 rounds next to it, NOT in it…for convenience out of sight, reach…..as kids get older use your head. 4 inches from that weapon is a Springfield 1911 with a loaded 7rd 45acp HP mag next to it, not in it. The pros of the handgun is I can pop the mag and rack ready in 1sec. Depending on time I have the 1911 is ready if I need it… Depending on time I pick a weapon and lay prone is the doorway facing down the hall toward the staircase….kids room is off to the immediate left of me. I don’t wake them…. Here’s the deal. If ur family is asleep don’t wake them. Stay quiet sit and wait especially if ur on another floor whatever they’re doing ur not in danger and either is your family and don’t put yourself in danger by investigating. Stay low and keep a bead on the only way up to the floor….once the steps get made the ONLY RESPONSIBILITY you have IS DO I or don’t I know him,her,or them. Dont order or reason to give them a chance to make a move. Just pull. Nobody is in your house to bring u a cake If u get woken up late night. And if u investigate u give urself away with noise and can lose the advantage and worse your life with your family alone and defenseless. A 911 call if possible while ur ready u can talk low and don’t need to answer questions it’s recorded…name address incident click and let them sort it out worry about yourself and your present situation

By: jim

jim — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 21:00:14 +0000

Great discussion. I’m a former Marine and Afghan vet. I’m familiar with most firearms and usually managed to shoot expert without too much difficulty – ok I got a “pizza box” once but figured it out with time. Regarding home defense, I think prioritization is key.

First, if you live in a crap area – move. If you have bad locks, lights, doors, windows and fences – improve them. If you don’t have a dog, get down to a local shelter and get one – it doesn’t matter if it is a 10 pound yapper or a rottie – the purpose of a dog is first alert – to make noise and alert you to the presence of an intruder – you wouldn’t want your beloved dog getting hurt trying to fight someone anyway.

In terms of weapons – a mossberg pump is your best bet – legal everywhere – totally effective and reliable – easy to load – and cheap / basic. So if something happens and the police confiscate it you won’t cry that much. If you have to go to court for shooting an intruder it won’t look “scary” – it will look like a basic HD shotgun owned by a solid citizen. If it is stolen, it won’t be used by some thug in a concealed carry situation. Above all, nothing is more effective at short range –

As for the AR – shooting expert at 500 yards doesn’t negate the fact that when the SHTF you find that you miss more often than you would like to admit – ditto for the pistol. Also – both are expensive and both overpenetrate – if you are getting a pistol, stick with a basic, inexpensive .38 – it will get the job done, is much easier for a female or smaller family member to control, easier for female to load than mags, springs are at rest when stored, won’t blow out your eardrums, and all you need to do is pull the trigger.

Also – you don’t want to be on trial for shooting an intruder and have the prosecutor show the jury a .50 cal desert eagle, FN five seven, or glock 21 – if they show them a lil .38 snubbie – preferably pink – it will create a totally different impression.

.50 Cals, MK-19s, and M240s are a hoot at the range. Ditto with many popular civilian weapons – but for home defense a 12 gauge pump paired with a lil .38 is tough to beat. Of course the best defense it to live in a good area and to have a home that is a more difficult target (lights, locks, dogs, visibility) than the other homes in your neighborhood. Keep it simple and save the AR for the range.

By: Austin S.

Austin S. — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 03:48:29 +0000

Honestly, in the very unpredictiple chance that yours and the lives of your loved ones is to be threatened, ou aren’t really going to be thinking about what weapon is best, your just going to grab one that you know is loaded and use that to the best of your capabilities. So I think that you should have more than (one safely kept) weapon close by that is a good HD weapon and is safe.

By: How to Escape from Zip Ties | Primer

How to Escape from Zip Ties | Primer — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:34:14 +0000

[...] More on Home Defense: Check out “The Best Weapons for Home Defense“ » By Andrew [...]

By: Ryan

Ryan — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 20:49:18 +0000

Seems like the reliable AK-47 with frangible ammo would be a much better choice than the finicky AR-15. The only possible advantage of the AR-15 might be accuracy, but my AK shoots very small groups at 200 yards with iron sights, and we’re talking about the distance inside a house.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 20:48:34 +0000

Seems like the reliable AK-47 with frangible ammo would be a much better choice than the crappy AR-15. The only possible advantage of the AR-15 might be accuracy, but my AK shoots very small groups at 200 yards with iron sights, and we’re talking about the distance inside a house.

By: J.Houkes

J.Houkes — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 10:41:28 +0000

Having been a forst ltnt in the Dutch army som 20 years ago, i was able to shoot any waopon from 25 mm to .45 browning (1911). A few years ago i had an extensive training on the Glock 17, which is in use by the Dutch HR teams. What suprised me was the “kick” of the gun, although i considered myself as a failrly adequate shooter. Having shot Fals, Uzis and ( in a shooting contest) even a Garand, the manoeuvrability of a weapon is extremely important. On the other hand ,the point of “stopping power” is overrated. Everybody seems to think, that the average intruder should be killed with one shot.
People tend to forget that on average being hit, regardless of the fact that it is incapacitating, is very very intimidating. This means that a HD weapon should be easy to use and handle i.e.have very little recoil, should be lightweight, have enough ammocapacity and to be at hand as quick as possible. It might be expensive but the FN P57 fits the bill perfectly.

By: jo

jo — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 06:26:19 +0000

keep pistol on me at all times 45 or my new 40 also keep my ak sk an 12 ready those in my safe along with many others ready but you never know whats gonna happen had a tweeker try to stab me right before x mas my mom used to hate how i was about guns now loves it 2nd till the day i day

By: bill

bill — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 02:51:23 +0000

my former boss, a physician, just had his home broken into.
He and his wife (also a physician) were there, first the dog barks, then the alarm went off and the two guys who broke in just kept going , went up his main staircase.

he was at the top of the staircase and apparantly shot his pistol once and hit one guy in the arm. Both guys hauled ass.
he was in the navy although many years ago. they caught all three culprits (basically dumb ass kids 16- 19)

I am considering a home defense gun now.

By: bill

bill — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 02:49:25 +0000

my former boss, a physician, just had his home broken into.
He and his wife(also a physician) were there, first the dog barks, then the alarm went off and the two guys who broke in just kept going , went up his main staircase.

I am considering a home defense gun now.

By: Shad

Shad — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 23:42:50 +0000

I stopped reading when you picked the shotgun as the best weapon…

Total ignorance.

1. Racking a round is not going to scare away someone intent on harming you, but hey as a bonus you just gave away your position, your weapon and the fact that you are awake…so much for surprise, well done.

2. A shotgun is not a magic bullet. Depending on what you’re shooting out of it you still need to worry about placement, over penetration, and damage too your house (which is of course a very minor consideration). Lots more to be said here, but frankly none of it supports using a shotgun.

3. A shotgun is generally a long weapon and now you have to handle it in the dark, in the confines of a house, under stress. That requires a lot of training. Just more plain ignorance.

4. A shotgun REQUIRES that the user has put quite a few rounds through it. I can teach someone to effectively use a 9mm or a .38 in day. You cannot do that with a shotgun. Someone people (women and um….smaller males) may just not have the mass strength to handle this weapon in this situation at all.

the shotgun may actually be the WORST choice for home defense for the average person. It is a devastating weapon in the hands of an expert, but you should not need to be an expert to defend yourself.

By: J ANN

J ANN — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 20:13:26 +0000

Wow. I started reading this string yesterday (not even sure how I got here!) and I couldn’t stop! Today I had to sit down and finish reading all the posts. I have learned a lot and I appreciate everyone’s opinion.
We (husband and 6 yr old daughter) live in a nice city and law enforcement is definitely visible, so there’s a part of me that would like to think that in “my little world” I would never need a gun. I have never been a victim (thankfully) of violent crime. Sure, car broken into many times still a violation, but not the same thing as a home invasion or walking in to a robbery in progress.
I sit here now in my living room, on my quiet street in the middle of the afternoon all by myself and I think about the “what ifs”. What if someone just wanted to get in to our house right now? What could/would I do to stop him/them? I currently don’t own a gun and you know, I don’t have an answer. I have been thinking about what the best strategy would be in a number of different scenarios I concoct in my head. None are good. None are pleasant. It’s like BRIAN posted though, it’s really so hard to know what the right answer is.
My husband is a planner. We actually do have tons of emergency preparedness equipment, food, clothes, batteries, tools, water, radio. I start to wonder what might happen if for example the power grid is disrupted for a serious length of time. I mean, if people who did not prepare decide they are simply going to go and TAKE from those who have supplies…what could I/we do to stop them? Without a gun, I think the answer is not much. At least with a serious home defense weapon, we would stand a chance at defending ourselves against others intent to do harm, steal etc.
I grew up in a country that does not allow its citizens to carry weapons, unless you are a hunter. The idea of keeping a deadly weapon in the house is foreign to me, but I am not naive. I think it does make sense that if the “bad guys” all have guns, then to at least stand a chance, I should have one too (and, of course be practiced with it and comfortable with it and be safe with it AND have good outdoor lighting, an alarm system, secure doors and windows AND also have a solid evacuation/hunker down family plan in place for the unexpected acts of man or nature…and and and…
Anyway, I really have enjoyed reading everyone’s thoughts (well, aaaalmost everyone … and my next move is to do more research on a shot gun and a Glock 19 or 26, contact a shooting range nearby, plug my phone in beside my bed to recharge each night, and take some self-defense classes. I agree completely, we (as a family) need to be proactive. It does no good to say later, oh, I was gonna…
Thanks again.
Cheers.