Thoughts On Home Defense Weapons
 

I want to share my opinion on this matter and get some of yours. There is no right or wrong answer, I'm just curious.

For my home defense weapon I have chosen a S&W 5 shot detective special chambered in .38 Special. I have it loaded with+PFederal Hydra shocks. It's located in a easy accessible lock box that my wife and I can get into but the kids can't.

Now for my reason why......

There are many other calibers and platforms that had I been a single man I would choose. BUT I'm not and I must think about what my wife can shoot and shoot well.

While she can shoot any caliber she tends to shoot much better withthe smallerones, less recoil and she is very accurate. Also the simpledesign on a double action revolver is hard to beat. In most panic situations for those who do not have the time to practice often, like my wife, it's a natural almost programed response to......pick up a gun, pointandsqueezethe trigger. No safety to worry about, no cocking, no jamming and it's just about as safe,simple and full proofas a pistol can get. Remember odds are this is going to happen in the middle of the night so most people are coming out of a deep sleep and things can happen fast.

She has shot this pistol often and is confident with it.The grips fit her hand perfect and she is extremely accurate with it.While she practices with .38SPL rounds she probably won't even realize the added+P recoil if the situation (God forbid) should ever arise that she would have to protect herself or the kids. There is less of a chance for an accidental discharge as the double action trigger has a deliberate pull.

I know there are better choices for home protection and I'm sure my XD45 would be in the box if I was single, but I'm not and she doesn't like to shoot the .45 or anything in the larger calibers.


What do you folks use and is there anyone else in the house that might need to use it too?

RE: Thoughts On Home Defense Weapons
 

I think you have made an excelent choice.

I have a sub compact XD40 that me and my wife can shoot well but odds are that she is just going to wake me up any way.

RE: Thoughts On Home Defense Weapons
 

That is a good logical choice but why not two guns?One you like and one she likes.

I would prefer a shot gun in just about any defense situation. Just need to get pretty close.

Tom

RE: Thoughts On Home Defense Weapons
 

Tom,

The lock box will only fit one pistol. Even if it didn't I wouldn't want any confusion with her reaching in for a pistol. My whole thought process behind this was to make it as easy, simple and fool proof as possible.

Of course we have taken many many other precautions (alarm, reinforced doors, etc..)that would make a break in very difficult to happen in the first placebut you never know.

RE: Thoughts On Home Defense Weapons
 

My wife has a 9mm, and I have a 1911 45acp that are kept in a small safe in our room. Both are loaded up with Gold Dot's, and am confident in the performance of both.


BigJ12- Sounds like you have a fine setup. My only quibble would be in the hydrashoks. I have tested several different HP over the years, and I was less than impressed with the HydraShoks. The hollow point seems to plug up with clothing way too often, resulting in little to no expansion. Here are a few that have proven to me to work well through clothing, and offer good expansion/penetration.

Corbon DPX
Speer Gold Dot
Winchester SXT

But that is just my personal preference. Good luck.

RE: Thoughts On Home Defense Weapons
 

Thanks longrifle1000

I'll look into them, I'm not sold on the Hydra Shocks and I'm open to different brands.....I never heard that before about them...interesting.

Thanks for the post.

RE: Thoughts On Home Defense Weapons
 

Well thought out choice for sure. Lots of folks would choose something different without putting any thought into it. I have been guilty of that in the past as well. The revolver makes a great choice for self defense because if you get a misfire, you just keep pulling the trigger, and another round is in front of the firing pin. Odds are, there won't be 2 misfires in a row. Just my opinion.
For my wife and I, we keep a HK USP Compact 9mm on the bed stand at night loaded with Speer gold dot ammo. I don't remember off hand what the weight is, however it is the issue ammo of the local Sheriffs Dept. During the day, it stays in a 1/2 ton gun safe when I am working, and is carried at all other times. My wife shoots it well. Often enough to be familier with the safety, and functions, but not enough for general practice.

RE: Thoughts On Home Defense Weapons
 

Though I do have a S&W 67 in my underwear drawer, my home defense gun is a Benelli M1 Super 90 "tactical" with a Surefire forend loaded with 3" magnum 00 buckshot.

Home defense is a to each his own proposition.

RE: Thoughts On Home Defense Weapons
 

I still like the good old t-ball bat.

RE: Thoughts On Home Defense Weapons
 

You welcome.

Here are a coulple of links to some tests very similar to the ones I did.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot10.htm

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot13.htm

Good luck

RE: Thoughts On Home Defense Weapons
 

I keep a 9mm in my sword rack above the bed, ammo for my sks-54 near the gun, 12 ga #8 shot at the foot of the bed and 7 swords close 4 on the rack one on a stand next the bed 2 more in the corner of the bed

RE: Thoughts On Home Defense Weapons
 

i like semi autos and would think that a loaded ready to fire semi, is just as simple as a revolver. But to each his own i would have a lock box on each side of the bed her gun and my gun

also i was told that the cops do not use +p ammo anymore that might be something to look at

RE: Thoughts On Home Defense Weapons
 

I keep an 870 12ga. with an 18" barrel loaded with high brass 4's by my bed. I was considering buying a Tauras 45/410 "Judge" for my wife. Are they worth it?

RE: Thoughts On Home Defense Weapons
 

I also have a .38 special for this purpose, also a .22 Mag, that my wife shoots very well. We don't have kids, and I imagine that a short barreled 12 gauge loaded with small shot, would be just the ticket to motivate a would be assailant to leave the premises expeditiously. Just trying to picture what would be the most intimidating weapon to have stuffed in your face, and I think a lady sporting an itchy trigger finger and a short barreled shotgun, would probably be right up there. The small shot will more than do the trick at inside the home ranges, and hopefully it will not pass through walls and continue on further.

RE: Thoughts On Home Defense Weapons
 

Well, although I realize there are advantages to using a pistol for home defense, I personally think that a shotgun or a semi-auto carbine is a much better choice. I keep a 12 gauge Winchester 1200with an 18" barrel loaded with #4 buckshot in the closet.

I did a test with my friend once at the gun range to prove my point. He had a Ruger 9mm, I had my 12 gauge. He took a target at 25 feet and fired off his whole magazine. It took about 4 or 5 seconds, and at the end there were 10 scatteredholes in the target. I then took a different target and shot once from my shotgun. The blastalone at an indoor range was somewhat terrifying - the target was shredded with about 25 holes throughout.

I'll grantyou that a pistolis better for going around corners, and inmost cases can be drawn faster, but I just love the power atyour fingertips that 5 rounds of #4 buck provide.

RE: Thoughts On Home Defense Weapons
 

I have a "Baby" Desert Eagle in .40 S&W as well as a Winchester 1300 Defender loaded with 6's. There's little more intimidating than the sound of a shotgun being pumped in the dark. :D

RE: Thoughts On Home Defense Weapons
 

I keep a glock 23 with a surefire light and is loaded with winchester black talons next to my bed.