When I was a little boy, my dad’s choice of home defense gun was “American Traditional”: a double barrel 12 gauge shotgun and double-aught buckshot. Joe Biden would have approved.
The shotgun was the home defense standard in this country for centuries, but recently we’ve seen a huge surge in the adoption of the A15 rifle for this purpose. With proper ammo, it won’t penetrate through residential building materials any more than a service pistol bullet, but is very easy for all authorized members of the family to manipulate, particularly when equipped with the telescoping stock so hated by those who scream for the ban of “assault weapons.”
At the other end of the spectrum, my old friend Rich Grassi made a case in The Tactical Wire for the tiny Ruger LCP .380 pistol as part of the home defense armory. Reason: it can be constantly carried in your pocket, giving you a firearm instantly at hand wherever you are inside or outside the four walls, buying you time to fight your way to something more substantial if necessary.
As I write this, our current home defense guns motel room defense guns are a couple of .45 autos: A Springfield Armory Range Officer 1911A1 on my side, and a ROBAR Custom Glock 30-S for the lady of the house hotel room.
What’s your current approach to home defense hardware?
My Gina likes the simplicity of double action revolvers, so we have a 3″ 625-3 .45 ACP revolver and a 2″ Chiappa Rhino .357 Magnum revolver safely stashed where she can get to them in a hurry.
A S&W Model 642-2 is always on my person during waking hours. Lately, I have been carrying a 2 inch S&W Model 12-2, as well. I keep my Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle with an ATI stock, red dot sight, and flashlight in the bedroom chamber empty with a 20 round magazine of Barnes .223 Rem 55 grain Triple-Shock X ammo in the well.
My wife’s home defense choice is an old 4 inch S&W Model 681 with Crimson Trace grips loaded with Remington .38 Special +P 125 grain SJHPs. So far this year she’s killed two coyotes who were interested in our small dog in the backyard.
Our alarm system is a rescued 56 pound black lab named Ben.
My home defense gun used to be my 12 gage pump with buck and slugs… however having once experienced what I thought was a break-in (False alarm) I quickly learned the CONS of trying to maneuver around the inside of a home with a long gun. I has a 4 bedroom two story with bedrooms on 2nd floor. After sending spouse to verify all children were safe in bed, the next decision was … wait at top of stairs and prevent anyone coming up or search the house…. Didn’t take long to see that a handgun would be the more useful choice. I like my Ruger LCR in .38 special for the pocket gun, but the 1911 as the night stand gun today. THANKS for all you do Mas.
Al
At home or away I have my Glock 30 loaded with HST 230 +P rounds and a can of OC gel. Both sit on the night stand along with a hand held light. I like looking over at the night stand and seeing the glow of that front sight.
CZ 75 SP-01 9mm. 18 rounds + 1. Outfitted with a Crimson Trace Railmaster Pro with Light/Laser combo.
Currently a Glock 22, which will be replaced in the near future with a 3″ S&W 686P.
If all is calm and friendly around town, light summer carry (at home and away) is usually a Seecamp .380 in the right pants pocket and a S&W 442 IWB (or shouldered in a Null SKR).
Mossberg 500, tactical barrel, fore & aft pistol grips and slung from a loaded bandolier. First round to be chambered is a beanbag, all thereafter are #7 birdshot because we’re in an old apartment building.
When she was still my girlfriend, my wife wanted basic handling/safety training for my firearms. As she slung this shotgun like I showed her, she fell into horse stance naturally and with her lower female center of gravity could immediately square up on a hostile target. I told her to fire from that level since no man like seeing his batch threatened with gunshot wounds.
Springfeild XD9 in the night stand and Remington 870 under the bed. With the G-42 close by if needed.
Mossberg 500 12ga pump next to the bed, Glock 30 on the hip
EDC G43 w/+1 mag and spare mag till bed-time. After lights-out the G19 w/light and 32 round mag goes on the nightstand allowing me time to get to the long guns. My choice of a cruiser-ready Remington 870 w/Surefire fore end and full 8 round mag/side saddle and butt cuff (selection of 00B/slugs), or an AR w/light, R.D.S. and 30 round mag in the well.
Glock 23 loaded with Remington Golden Saber 165 gr for me and a S&W Shield with Speer GD +P for the misses. Also, have a 642 or pocket 9mm in the pocket at all times and a Mossberg 500 in the bedroom closet loaded with 00 plus a couple slugs on the side saddle.
Usually my Sig Tacops 1911 because it is my only pistol with night sights, and my favorite! What do you do about ear protection? Do you have anything at the ready? I have heard that some people wear electronic muffs, both for enhancing sounds and protection in case you have to actually shoot. I’m considering doing the same.
I keep my Glock 19 on me until I go to bed.
For things that wake me up, I keep a Springfield XDM 9 with a Streamlight TLR-2 (light + laser) on the rail in the bedside safe.
I pick my home defense firearms based upon three (3) guiding principles:
1) Use firearms of proven design because reliability is the most important factor.
2) Use calibers and loads that have a history of providing adequate stopping power along with manageable recoil.
3) Use relatively low pressure rounds since one will be firing them indoors and the noise and muzzle flash from high pressure rounds can weaken night vision and permanently damage one’s hearing.
For the last reason above, I tend to dismiss the AR rifle in 5.56 NATO (or .223 Rem.) as a good home defense weapon unless it is fitted with a suppressor. The pressures, muzzle blast and muzzle flash of this rifle cartridge is just too great, in my opinion, to make it a good choice despite its numerous other advantages as listed by Mas above.
I also would not use high pressure handgun rounds like the .357 Rem. Magnum or the .357 SIG in a home defense firearm. Again, these rounds have too much pressure and muzzle blast for good indoor defense work IMHO.
My main home defense firearm is a S&W 38 Special Revolver (Model 10-10 with 4-inch heavy barrel). I load it with Buffalo Bore +P ammo (20B). This round uses a 125 gr. Gold Dot hollow point and low flash powder. I have clocked this round at an average of 1146 fps out of the above revolver (chronograph set at 10 ft. from the muzzle) which gives energy of 365 ft-lbs. Buffalo Bore says that this round meets SAAMI spec’s for .38 +P ammo which means that pressures are less than 20,000 psi and much less than the high pressure rounds listed above. Good enough for indoor use yet still provides adequate stopping power.
The revolver is backed up with a Mossberg 12-gauge pump shotgun with 18-inch barrel. This is loaded with Federal Low-Recoil 2 ¾ inch 00 Buck shells. This load shoots right to point-of-aim in the above shotgun and no one should doubt it’s stopping power. Like just about all shotgun shells, this is also a low-pressure round. Recoil is controllable in this gun.
So, the above firearms meet my criteria for home defense work. The S&W revolver and Mossberg shotgun are proven and very reliable designs. The selected ammo offers good stopping power. Pressures, muzzle blast and noise are acceptable for indoor use without the need for a suppressor.
In my opinion, if one really wants to use a carbine for home defense, then one of the semi-automatic carbines in a pistol caliber (9 mm, .40 S&W, etc.) would be a better choice than the high pressure .223 Rem. cartridge. When used in the longer barrel of a carbine, these pistol rounds produce very mild muzzle flash and blast which also makes them suitable for indoor use. Recoil is also mild in a carbine and there are a lot of good self-defense loads available for these calibers.
I’m old fashioned…good old alloy frame S&W J frame bodyguard with 125 grain hollowpoints. Lightweight, simple, and enough stopping power without deep penetrating power. And just 15 ounces loaded!
Most, if not all of us that follow this blog, are “gun” people. I would go even further to hazard the guess that most of us own and practice fairly regularly with a large array of weapons, all of which have differing operational systems (revolvers with no “safeties”, semi-auto pistols with/without “safeties”, semi-auto and pump actions with “safeties” located in varying locations). I could go on and on about the differences in different weapons we might own. We spend varying amounts of time practicing with each.
Now, be honest with yourself, when you go to the range, say with your Mossberg 500 and your Remington 870, when you pick one up, do you not examine it, at least briefly, so your mind can recall where the safety/slide release, etc. are located, to refresh your memory? You are well versed in the operation of both, but there are subtle differences that your mind needs to recall.
Now, in my old age, I have come to some conclusions when it comes to self/home defense. First, always have a gun on my person, or within arms reach. This, at least for me, means the weapon needs to be comfortable, to the point of being unnoticeable, when carried. Second, keep it simple. This means a double action revolver, a semi-auto with a “passive” safety system or long double action only trigger pull. In other words a weapon that has one operation function, pulling the trigger.
Now, let me flesh out a little more as to the why of what I just wrote. My wife can shoot, actually very well, but to her it’s something she does because she knows she needs to know how, not because she loves to do it. It makes sense to me to dedicate our home defense weapons that functions based on just aiming and pulling the trigger, and her training is centered on when to do that trigger pulling. Her carry gun is a SW 642. Me? I have settled on a Ruger LCP.
Her “long gun” is a Rossi Circuit Judge .45 lc/.410 (same principle, no safeties to figure out in a hurry). These weapons have been put through exhaustive reliability testing by me personally, not by reading critiques by unknown folks on the internet.
To ease the concerns of those who fear I am under-gunned, rest assured, I have all the “popular/must have” home defense weapons in the event of a “Zombie Apocalypse” or for fighting off the ravaging hordes of the starving masses, due to an “end of the world” event. Every day reality? I’m satisfied with the K.I.S.S. philosophy.
Glock 17 Gen 3. TRL-1. 124gr 9mm +P. Talon Grips.
My choice for the last 4 years has been a Generation 4 Glock Model 23 in 40 Cal. loaded with Hornady 40 S and W Critical Defense 165 Grain. I bought the gun already equipped with night sights. Have been to the range many times and always am impressed with its performance.
To further my thoughts on the K.IS.S. thinking, I feel compelled to come out of the closet.
I’m trans-handed. Yes, I was born believing that I should use my left hand to accomplish most tasks. But I was born into a right handed society that looked upon me as an oddity of nature, to be pitied for sure, but whose disability should not be encouraged by making accommodations for me, even though research showed that I could not help believing that I must favor using my left hand.
This condition forced me to train myself to learn to write using a desk designed for right handed people. I was forced to learn to throw a baseball with my right hand, due to the fact that it was next to impossible to find a glove for lefties in those days. I learned to shoot guns designed for right handed folks, left handed, as a young man, only to find when I went into the army, it was much more difficult to operate those weapons left handed. So I again adapted, learning to shoot right handed. Later, when I became a police officer, I continued to shoot right handed and was even able to become one of the better shots in my department , even with my handicap. If I had desired to go back to shooting left handed, which felt natural to me, it would have restricted me to revolvers, as all the semi-autos approved by the department were not left hand friendly and unless you carried the departmentally issued .38 model-10 S&W revolver, you had to put yourself on waiting lists for a left handed holster. So, I continued pretending to be right handed and became very proficient shooting semi-autos right handed. (I did get some comments, usually from ex-cons, who would notice me writing notes with my left hand, while carrying my handgun on my right hip. Bad guys seem to notice these things.)
Said all that to say this. When I retired, I reverted back to shooting left handed, mainly because as time passed, society (and the gun industry) has become more tolerant of trans-handed people. More quality hand and long guns are coming onto the market that are trans-handed friendly. After many rounds down range, I now shoot much better than I did when I pretended to be right handed. What makes many of them left hand friendly are the passive safeties and double action, long trigger pulls without the manual safeties. Simplicity also works for folks who are less likely to do the range time with more complicated systems, no matter if they are left or right handed.
Trans-handed folks rejoice! Society has finally acknowledged that we are not second class citizens, correcting some of the injustices perpetrated on us in the past and, at the same time, making defensive shooting have a shorter learning curve for those new folks just getting into the culture.
I have an LCP in my pocket most of the time. However, a S&W 686 is ready on one hand with my wife’s Sig 938 almost as available. Given an extra 2 minutes and long guns (12 gauge and AR) come into play.
A couple of AR15s are my family’s main HD firearm, one for the first floor, the other for the second. The Glock 26 helps us get to them.
Ruger LCP always in my pocket.
Springfield XDM compact in headboard of bed.
M-1 Carbine beside chest of drawers in bedroom.
I think the ideal home defense weapon would be an AR-15 chambered in 300 Blackout (subsonic) with a 10 inch barrel and a silencer. But I live in Illinois, so that’s a regulatory no-go, even if I wanted to shell out for $400 in tax stamps.
So what we have is a Mossberg 930 Tactical with a +2 mag extension and more ammo on a stock sleeve, loaded with 00 Buck. If you have ever seen a large steel target jump when it gets hit with a load of buckshot at 1,600 fps, you could imagine the devastation it would cause on a two-legged predator.
Maybe not the best choice for everyone, but my wife and I both shoot trap often, both pretty comfortable with a shotgun. There are also a few assorted handguns with easy access.
I find a 20″ 12-gauge to be just fine. Double-ought buck or #4 buck is interchangeable.
Maneuvering around the house is not a problem as I keep the muzzle down while walking, making the overall “footprint” less than an AR in the up position. This has the advantage that if I’m close in, a perp can grab the muzzle and still get shot in the leg or foot, as opposed to carrying it muzzle-up, where all I can shoot is the ceiling.
While the buckshot will go through interior walls and windows, it won’t go through the block walls.
I live alone, so I’m not worried about interior wall penetration.
I like the fact that the shotgun is far more intimidating than the other choices, too.
Mas,
I definitely believe the best thing homeowners can do, to be ready for anything, is to carry a gun with them in the home at all times. If it is on them, kids won’t accidentally find it stashed somewhere. If a gun is on them, they will never be in “condition white” = unprepared.
I like to rotate my handguns and shotguns as “duty guns.” But, if I have a little time to prepare, I would grab my Mossberg 500 pump-action 12-gauge, and load it with five rounds of buckshot from the butt cuff. Hopefully I’d have time to put a light on my head, and ear protection over my ears. I realize that light on my head will give me away. No system is perfect. I will do my best, and whatever happens, well, that’s God’s will, or so I believe.
I keep a Just Right Carbine in .45ACP (loaded with Ruger ARX Ammo) in the bedroom and use a Kahr CW380 (loaded with Hornady Critical Defense) in a Desantis MiniScabbard for home carry. So small, light and unobtrusive I never notice carrying it.
If I’m dressed, I’m carrying an LCP and a .38 J-frame.
If not, a 1911 and AK are within easy reach. Those are the two firearms that “just fit” me, that I have the best chance of effectively using when suddenly awakened in a dark room. While various newer, more sophisticated firearms are available, they don’t have the “point and shoot” of those two.
We have a number of guns scattered around the house to include a .44 Special revolver, two .38s, and my duty .40 that I also carry off duty. I’m never more than a few feet away from protection. Of course there’s always my CSB and 3 containers of OC spray.
A night intruder is likely going to find himself at the wrong end of a 20-gauge Remington 870 loaded with #2 buckshot. Light, quick handling and plenty of power for the ranges expected indoors.
During the daytime a 4″ S&W Model 15 .38 Special loaded with Speer’s Gold Dot +P ammo. This combination is frighteningly accurate.
My answer-the-door gun is a S&W J-Frame six-shooter in .32 H&R Mag loaded with 100 grain Buffalo Bore ammo (nominally at 1100 fps from a 2″). That’s just to make sure I have their attention if they try to push in.
Husband has a Mossberg 930 and STI 2011 45.
Because of the lay out of our bedroom, and lanes of fire my primary nighttime gun is a Springfield Xdm 5.2 , 45 and a cell phone that is open and pre dialed with 911.
When we aren’t in bed our carry guns are on us, whether we are home or out and about.
We utilize a CZ Scorpion EVO SBR (9mm) with an Octane HD9 suppressor. My wife and I sleep in separate bedrooms, on the unfortunate occasion wherein I may have to squeeze the trigger when an intruder enters the kill zone, having 30 rounds at my disposal and the sound suppressed helps to ensure I do not become temporarily deaf, thus giving up tactical advantage, my wife is less likely to be startled from sleep as abruptly and come running out into the fray also temporarily deafened, and, I have enough ammo to win the day. Further, a light SBR is more easily handled and more accurately fired than a handgun by my petite wife.
Walther ppk with Double Tap HP Barnes bullets
Baretta 92FS with one of Ayoob”s favorite: HP Federal 9BP
Backup AR15 with light. .Need to find right frangable rounds
Isn’t this the kind of topic where paranoid commenters may use the prefatory clause, “before the unfortunate boating accident in which I lost all my firearms”, my home defense firearms were…
That being said, hypothetically speaking, #4 buckshot and 125gr tac-xp.
By the way, .45 Autos Mas, haven’t you heard “with modern defensive 9mm ammunition there is no significant performance difference between 9mm, 40s&w and 45 Auto”? I’ve read various versions of this statement probably close to a thousand times on the internet over the past two years, surely it must be true. Just kidding around, wouldn’t want to initiate another caliber war thread.
My bedside table holds a Sig 229 in 40 S&W. My wife likes the Glock 19. Living in the country we also have handy a Sig M-400 with a red dot and white light in case we need something with more persuasion and more reach.
Thanks Mas for your blog and for your expertise.
Our home defense at night is 2 .45acp 1911’s on the head board. One for my wife and one for me.
Those are backed up by our 105lb puppy of German heritage who is trained in the same manner police dogs are trained
During the daytime a 1911 is always on my hip.
Standing behind the bookshelf in the corner beside the bed: Police trade-in Mossberg 590A1 with 18.5 inch barrel, 5 of 00 Buck in the magazine, 4 in the stock, and a Surefire forend light.
Sig/Sauer P-232 .380 full of Hornady Critical Defense. I put on the Sig when I dress in the morning and take it off at bed time. My dearly loved 1911 has become too darn heavy and leaving my M1 Carbine (Postal Meter) out for a quick grab is a bit risky. If I can’t take care of business with the Sig, Oh well.
Ye olde bed / den gun is a SIG SP2022 (9mm) with a Streamlight light / laser combo.
Within easy reach is a Tavor (.223) also with a light / laser combo and silencer.
My wife carries an S&W Airweight .38 Special loaded with Critical Defense hollow points.I use a Ruger SR9C with flashlight attached loaded withh hollow points.We also have an AR 15 for sport.
Deep carry M&P Shield 9
EDC M&P 9.
Around the farm, S&W 1911ASc.
Hunting, DW 1911 PM7 10MM.
The best.
My bedside home defense is a Springfield XDM9 3.8 19 rounds plus one. My current carry gun is a Springfield EMP4 which is on my side until I hit the rack. Always nearby in the home are other handguns and a 870 Express 12 gauge
First line of defense is the dog and the EDC pistols. Girlfriend rocks the G43 myself G21. There is a remington 870 with buck and slugs as well as an AR15 both equipped with surefire lights in the quick access safe.
We’ve 2 ‘residences’, the family home where HRH stays, proximate to our son and his family, and a cheesy city apartment at which I stay during the work week. There’s an M-9 with light and laser and a Taurus 85 with laser in the touch lock box at the home, at the urban apartment a PPS with light and laser in the lockbox under the bed and – ta da! a 20 inch rossi squire with a light in the finger print opening safe as well.
My standard edc is my glock 22 gen 4, that being said i feel as if this weapon (although reliable and simple to use) may not be the best option in a home defense scenario. It is set up for me to use, therefore the grip is too large for my wife dainty little hands. That is not to say that my wife cant use it in a pinch, but somthing smaller on the grip suits her better where a pistol is concerned. No, a home defence weapon needs to be somthing that any authorised user in the hoise hold can pick up and defend themselves with with monimal thought as to functionality and comfort. With this objective in mind, i feel as if my rem870 with a super tight choke (#5) and a heavy bird shot is the best option. Less time spent in the sights, and the mounted flash light make it superior for “bump in the night” type scenarios.
My home defense long guns consists of two Remington 870s in 12 gauge with 18″ barrel and magazine extensions. The first shells are #2 magnum 2 3/4″ birdshot backed by 5 rounds of 00 buck. There is also an AR-15 type rifle with 16″ barrel and 1X-3X scope. It’s also equipped with a light and red laser and fed by a 30 round MagPul magazine loaded with 55 gr soft point ammo. A ballistic vest with three more 30 round mags are next to it as are a pair of electronic hearing protectors.
When I’m wearing my jeans, I carry a Springfield 1911 with two spare magazines all loaded with Winchester Ranger SXT 230 grain HP ammo. When not in my pants, I have a Glock 21 SF with Meprolight night sights and Streamlight M3 within arms reach because it packs more ammo and has a light mounted on it. I also have a fanny pack nearby at all times with a Glock 27 pistol and spare 13 round magazine, both loaded with Speer 180 grain Gold Dot ammo and a Surefire 6P flashlight in it if I need to step outside, such as taking the dog out right before bedtime.
I’m saving up to get a Dillon .308 caliber mini-gun with 400 round backpack ammo cannister to replace my puny little AR-15 rifle 😉
Our home defense choices are our carry guns, my 1911 .45 and my wife’s Seecamp .32. Our long gun of choice is an M1 Carbine.
Bedside night home defense consists of my Tanfoglio TZ-75 9mm and . Taurus Model 605 for current everyday carry.
Sig P227 with light and extra mags under the bed. Basically in a zipped open gun rug.
My wife’s choice is a Smith & Wesson 66-2 in the closet.
A Smith & Wesson 642 with 38 +P is on me, or beside me, at all times.
If we have to move to the garage, there’s a VEPR12 loaded with 00 buckshot. It’s locked up, and a bit harder to get to.
I carry a Kahr PM9, in a Remora, “made a clip on model before they did”, can be worn in the pocket or IWB, depending on who is here. I have Grandkids and neighboors who I don’t want to scare.
Night time a Gen4, Glock 19, with a Ghost extended mag, and a TLR4 laser/light. Goes on a “pillow pal” holster on the side I sleep on. Sometimes the Glock 30 “S”, all with several extra mags available in a Jewelry box that doesn’t hold any Jewelry except some lights lasers and mags.
I have carried a 24/7 gun for many years having experienced a Home Invasion 30 or so yrs ago. And it happened in a second. There was no time to even unzip my jacket to get to my revolver.
We all had snubbys then, and I never saw it coming, turned the knob to go to work and got rushed by 5 gunmen.
Someone , thought I had the Holiday Bonuses and Payroll on me for 30 people. They were wrong, but it was a tough morning.
Anyone who has an elaborate plan, forget it, if you don’t have your gun available in a second, it’s over.
If you live long enough you learn what not to do. Like never zip up your jacket over your gun. There were no alarms back then either, or that would have not worked.
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