ORIGINAL: skin290
Can't believe some of the stuff you hear on here...
1. Birdshot does not reliably penetrate (humans) enough to incapacitate/kill.
2. If anything, 9MM will penetrate MORE than .45 ACP (smaller bullet/higher velocity).
3. Even though it would be "stupid" to come any further if you hear a shotgun slide-racking sound, do you think your common criminal is a criminal because he could have been a brain surgeon?
For a handgun, any 9MM, 40, or 45 ACP will work (for autoloaders) as long as you are shooting quality hollowpoint ammunition.
For a shotgun, use slugs or buckshot, not birdshot or turkey loads, and try to not make it where you have to "rack the slide" unless you like to give bad guys the advantage by telling them where you are and informing them that you are armed, so they know to come in shooting...
Slugs as a home defense round????????????? You've got to be kidding me. Do you want to kill everyone one the house, hellthe neighborhood for that matter. Any of you sexual intellectuals ever hear of over penetration??????????? The last thing you want in a home defense load is one that is going to go thru 6 walls, even after going thru the perp. What about your children in the next room or down the hall? What about your neighbors next door or across the street???
Listen folks, if you have children in your home, if you live in an apartment, condo, townhouse, etc, or have houses in close proximatey, then the last you need or want to do, is to be blasting away with 12ga slugs or 3.5" 00 buckshot, 44 Mags, AR-15's, AK47's etc.In doing so you areputtingeveryone within 100m in danger.
If you call that common sense, then I'll wear "stupid" as a badge of honor.
Most home confrontation shootings are in the range 14-21 FEET people, I'll say it again 14-21 FEET!!!!!!! Just how much damn firepower do you really thinnk you need at that range?????? Even a 12ga 2-3/4" # 6 dove load is going torender instantincapacitation and death with a torso hit, at that range. It will do so, without endagering your children and neighbors. So to say that bird shot and turkey loads are not a viable home defense load is BS.
I would also like to state that the racking of the slide on a pump shotgun in itself can be a deterent. In the span of 14-21 FEET, only someone with a death wish will go up against a shotgun while armed with a handgun, unless they were professionally and expertly trained in CQC handgunning. Your average crackhead criminal will not be.
Bottom line is IMO, the best home defense weapon and load is a 12ga shotgun, 18" cyliner bore, loaded with 2-3/4" #4 buck or a reduced load/ low recoil 00 buck, I owould even consider #2 or BB shot.
If I had to have a handgun as a last ditch backup gun, it would be either a 40S&W or 45ACP load with Glaser safety slugs or some kind of lightweight hollowpoint bullet.