Yesterday night at around 11, some guy came into my backyard and tried to rob my house. I have a one of those lights that go on when someone moves around and security cameras all around my house. I have some people renting out a section of my house and thought "Why would they be taking trash out this late?" So now that I saw that the light was on for a while, I opened the blinds and looked out the window. Some white guy in his late 30’s or early 40’s was standing right there looking out the window. He didn’t have a weapon but he said something that I couldn’t make out. I called the police and then they caught him next door taking stuff from my neighbor’s garage. I went to the police station to identify him and now he’s behind bars.
I have learned my lesson and now I want a gun for protection. I need something with not a lot of recoil and good stopping power. I want something simple like a revolver. I don’t want it to kill and leave a big mess in the house. I have a family and don’t want them stuck with an image in their heads. I want a reliable gun that’s intimidating.
What’s a good home protection gun?
15 Responses for “What’s a good home protection gun?”
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I always recommend to a new shooter, or one with little hands on experience, to go with a revolver, and the preferred caliber is .38 special.
I say this for several reasons. a revolver is simple to operate in times of stress. A pistol has safeties to manipulate. A revolver is almost fool proof, you pull the trigger and it goes bang, jams are very very rare. A pistol can jam or miss feed and without extensive training you will not be able to clear it to make it function.
Having said that, I choose the .38 special because it is a common round, and can be found at any gun store. Ammo is not too expensive, recoil is very manageable, muzzle flash is low, and it is a proven man stopper but not prone to over penetration that will endanger a bystander.
Load it with a good quality hollow points from one of the top manufacturers like federal hyda shoks, federal TAP,remington golden saber etc and most importantly, practice with it at least once every couple of months, both loading, reloading and shooting.
As far as which one? Ruger makes an excellent revolver, rugged, reliable and accurate for a fair price. Others include S&W (more expensive) Colt (harder to find) but please, please avoid Rossi, Charter Arms, and really, even Taurus. All three of these have a history of problems and failures. If you must go with one of those 3, go with taurus over the other two. But have the firearm checked by a gunsmith on a regular basis.
Do yourself, and your loved ones a favor, TAKE A FIREARMS SAFETY CLASS!!!!! and also make sure that they cover the liability of using a firearm. Then, increase your liability insurance because I guarantee that if you use the firearm to defend yourself, you will get sued by the bad guy, or his family. And with all the sheeple that do not understand firearms, or the right to defend yourself, you will probably lose.
It sounds like you have taken the first steps in protecting your home and loved ones, but go the extra mile, install a good alarm system, get a dog, it doesn’t have to be a big guard dog, just a regular old every day family dog, that will bark when someone comes around. Post the yard with signs that say you have a dog, and the front of the house with the alarm warning, and install more motion activated outdoor lighting on all sides of the house. As you saw, when you made it difficult for the bad guy, he moved on to easier prey at your neighbors house.
Congratulations for being concientious and knowing what to do, and for your actions catching a bad guy and saving your neighbors property.
shoot safe
a .38 special. very small gun so it would be easy to conceal in your house. but the bullets are big and they’d knock someone over. it is my self defense weapon of choice. kicks like a mule lol hopefully i won’t ever have to fire it in the house :-/
get a glock 9mm like the police use
I’m going to suggest a 9 mm. Its not hard to shoot, but will do the trick. I hope your home is kept safe, and things look better for you. You will probably have to take gun safety courses, and of course understand when you can and can not shoot. Everyone should feel safe in their home. Good luck, hope all is well from here on out.
The 357 magnum with a 4 inch barrel. I like the Ruger GP100, its affordable, reliable, and will stop the biggest man. Shooting 38 special rounds allows for good practice and its fairly inexpensive. Take a firearms safety class and a handgun defense class if your new to shooting. Be safe and good luck.
Whatever weapon you have in your hand at the time you need it is the best in the world. A pistol is okay but you have the worry of the bullet traveling through your neighbor’s wall and plasma TV. A 12 gauge pump is ideal as it is not going to put 6shot through five buildings; and there is nothing more intimidating than the sound of it being cycled; especially if you up to no good and hear it done. It freezes you in your tracks. It also has a sobering effect on somebody who has been drinking too much and kicks in the door; very sobering; sort of like Jesus clearing his throat.
12ga pump shotgun. To use a handgun effectively takes training and constant practice. A shotgun is much easier to become competent with and more effective to boot. A good quality shotgun such as the Mossberg 500 can be had for a fraction of the money a decent handgun will set you back.
You don’t want a gun, guns are not intended for intimidation get a trained guard dog.
The most important thing about a self defense weapon is GET A GUN YOU’RE COMFORTABLE WITH!!!! If you have to use it in a self defense situation you’re going to be under a great deal of stress - you’re going to be scared, your hands are going to be shaking and your accuracy is going to suffer. Trying to shoot a large caliber handgun in this situation is asking for trouble. If you flinch when you shoot (because you’re afraid of the recoil) you’re going to have a much greater chance of missing your target. Remember YOU are responsible for any bullets you launch and they aren’t going to stop after going through a few layers of drywall. If you miss you may kill someone else. Accuracy MUST be your #1 concern.
I’m guessing that since you don’t currently own a gun you don’t shoot much. If this is correct get yourself a Ruger Mk 2 .22 caliber. Here’s the advantages of this gun:
1. I’ve been shooting for over 30 years and this is BY FAR the easiest gun to learn to shoot ACCURATELY.
2. It is extremely reliable.
3. The ammunition is dirt cheap so you’ll practice a lot.
4. The recoil is virtually nonexistent - you’ll be much more likely to hit your target (which means no lawsuits because you missed and killed your neighbor’s kid).
5. It has a 10 round magazine. You have plenty of follow up shots and, since the recoil is so low, those follow up shots will be on target (not in your neighbors bedroom). If you’re concerned about stopping power just see how fast you can accurately empty that 10 round magazine into a target 10 yards away. Then try it with a 9mm.
6. Since you’ll be far more likely to hit your target you’ll be more likely to stop the attack without risking the lives of your neighbors. (For your self-defense rounds buy some of the hyper velocity ammo with a muzzle velocity of 1400 fps or so. The increase in recoil is minimal and you’ll have more stopping power).
7. You can get a new one for about $200.
After you’re comfortable with the .22 THEN move up to something with more stopping power. You have to walk before you can run.
with out reading everyones comments, and not to sound cruel either, if you shoot to wound you are making a big mistake,this ends up with you being sued. aim center mass with a wep you are proficient with. While I value life, once you come in my space where my family is, all bets are off and its open season
First I would recommend some training. I would say a shotgun would be your best bet. Even a .410 has more stopping power than a .44 magnum. The pump’s slide action is so universally known and will usually scare off any intruder. It also is more likely not to penetrate through wall to safeguard you from liability of others getting injured. If you have children this is what I would say that would be best for your needs. I cannot stress how training will help you, just make sure you do not shoot unless necessary and you have positively identify it
I just answered the same question for someone else. Same answer, .410 shotgun except in your case where you don’t want to kill someone ( I don’t agree , never use a gun to scare someone,unless you wish to arm an unarmed intruder) use bird shot instead of 00 or 000 buckshot or even a slug.
Why? What you did worked out pretty well. He’s in jail, every one is safe. Sounds like a win win situation.
Never buy a gun to attempt to intimidate anyone.* That is the first Rule.* Shoot to Kill, that is the second Rule.* The best self-defense handgun is a 4 or 6 inch revolver in 357 Magnum caliber.* The best shotgun is a 12 gauge pump.* If you do not actually intend to kill anyone with either one, do not even think about owning any firearm.* Because that is a great way to end up being a Victim and Dead, rather than a Survivor and Alive.*
If you "don’t want it to kill and leave a big mess in the house," don’t get a gun.
When you shoot someone, you shoot to stop them. You don’t try to shoot them in the arm or leg. You shoot for the center of their torso and continue shooting until they fall down.
Any weapon that will be useful for defense can cause death. And that applies to guns, knives, baseball bats, golf clubs, or great-aunt’s Hattie’s brass funeral urn. If you are shooting in defense of your life, the risk of death is their problem, not yours.
So either get a good burglar alarm with monitoring, or make a decision whether or not you can use lethal force in defense of your home and family.
If you decide you can use lethal force, I suggest a medium frame revolver in .357 Magnum with a 4" or shorter barrel. Something along the lines of Smith & Wesson Models 19, 66, 586, or 686, or a Ruger GP-100 would be good choices. Start out using .38 S&W Special ammunition until you become familiar with the revolver.
And one more very important thing you should do. If you purchase a firearm, get training. Just having a gun does not make you safer. You need to know how to use it, how to hit what you are aiming at, and have good emergency plans for use in the event of a burglary or home invasion.
Good Luck
Doc