Do you have a strategy when buying guns for HD/SD?

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CZ223

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Many of us own more than one gun, some lots more. Not all of which are suited to HD/SD and this question does not pertain to your "toys". My question is simply this, if you have more than one hangun or long gun for defensive purposes do you have criteria for each weapon that you buy for that purpose?

For me, I long ago decided that each of my defensive handguns would have to work basically the same, no safeties to disengage, just point and pull. That left me with my Glock, my S&W J-frame and, a S&W 4516-1 which was DA/SA with a decocker/safety which I left disengaged. In this condition it acted just like a DA revolver for the first shot. Since then I have gotten rid of the 4516 and have purchased 3 more Glocks. Not that I "need" that many I just like them. My thinking is that in a crisis, should I need to use a weapon, I want to be as familiar with it as possible. I have also adopted this thinking for my choice of long guns. I currently have a Mossberg 590 for a HD shotgun and although I like the way the 870 feels and functions better I will not own both because the slide release is in different places. I will either have to sell the Mossberg and buy an 870 and practice with it or learn to love the Mossberg which, by the way is a fine gun. My current choice of defensive type rifles is the AR and while neither of mine are particularly well suited to HD, they both have heavy barrels and the longer one wears a 4x12 Leupold, the 16 incher with open sights will work in a pinch. Again, while there are many other rifles out there that are perfectly suited to this role like the AK and others I want to be very familiar with the platform I choose. For this reason, and the fact that my daughter likes the AR but is on the smallish side, I will be buying an M-4 type AR in the near future and that will be my HD rifle should I ever feel the need for one. Getting back to the shotgun for a minute, I have seriously been thinking of using one of my 97 clones for this role. It is the shotgun I am most practiced with.

Do you guys have similar criteria? Do you have 3 different versions or identical versions of the same gun which you might keep in different locations? I know Ileft out caliber considerations for the handguns but, for the record I have 2 model 23 in 40 S&W and a 32 in 357sig. All 3 guns can use the same mags. I color-code mine to avoid confusion. The fourth Glock is a model 21 in 45 so, while it functions the same there is little risk of mixing up the mags. Do you guys have any other considerations when you buy?
 
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K I S S ................

It still applies.........Keep It Simple Stupid.;)

Glock 36 with 45 ACP Corbon DPX ammo.

Mild recoil, supremely accurate, easy to carry and train with.

Try one before buying one and you'll be impressed and convinced.

Just my .02 worth,


HiVelocity in SC
(Police Officer)
 
Oops, one more.........

Regarding your shotgun.

Your 97 Clone will work fine, if you train with it first and become proficient.

Birdshot, not buckshot or slugs, are all you'll need in the distances inside a normal home. The birdshot will not penetrate sheetrock unless you shoot point blank at a 90 degree angle. Buckshot and slugs will most definitely penetrate. You wouldn't want your guest, or mother-in-law, in the next bedroom to become collateral damage.

AR for HD? Who are you standing off? Any SKS or AK would be fine if you happen to live in the country. An AR would work too but you would be hard pressed to convince a prosecutor that your life was still at risk at 100+ yards.


Just my .02 worth,


HiVelocity in SC:D
 
I don't have a similar criteria, as it turns out. I have weapons stored appropriately given my living situation. Though I have multiples of what many describe as adequate weapons for self and/or home defense I rely on few to serve anything described as a dedicated role. I do not concern myself with similarity of actions, safeties, etc. What I do concern myself with is the knowledge, skill, and abilty to effectively use what I have available; one of which is always available.

Nothing wrong with your criteria, by the way. It just isn't for me given my situation. Some day I've got the idea to outfit a lock box mounted inthe walls near each door with identical weapons (pistol, shotgun, rifle) deposited for anticipated and reasonable threats in the country. But that's a ways off in my life, as it turns out.
 
My choice of HD/SD weapon is based strictly on proven reliability and less on its MOA or caliber. Whatever it is, it must function for at least 500 rnds with zero failure before I consider it suitable for HD/SD.

Any failure after that 500 rnd mark requires a start from zero after the cause of the failure has been identified and "fixed".

So far, only my S&W J-Frame, Sig 226 and Mossberg 590A1 have made the grade. My Glock and Colt 1911 havent made my magic 500 mark yet..
 
Birdshot, not buckshot or slugs, are all you'll need in the distances inside a normal home. The birdshot will not penetrate sheetrock unless you shoot point blank at a 90 degree angle.
Click to expand...

It also won't penetrate your attacker. Birdshot for HD is a bad idea.

#4 buckshot is about the minimum. LEAD BB shot is the BARE minimum. Anything less than that, and your much more likely to just maim the guy.
 
Although I'm in the process of violating this, I generally stick with one weapons platform for each type of weapon (handgun, long gun, etc...)

I have been a 1911 fan for a long time, but a few things I've run into recently have made me rethink the platform to the point that I just put a couple hundred down on a S&W M&P9. The reasons aren't important for this thread, but if I do get out of the 1911 I will move exclusively to the M&P line for defensive use. The good thing is that the M&P doesn't have a safety (as opposed to going the other way) but the trigger reset is pretty vague (something to train up on).

Personally, I'm not a fan of the shotgun for home defense (again, reasons not important for this thread) so I stick with the handgun & AR.
 
P11 or J-Frame, but storage is across the room. Just point and click.

For a long gun, I've got a 590 at cruiser ready, closer to the bed. Pump and click.

I live in the suburbs, in a brick house. All I carry is buckshot.. I'm not sure birdshot will do the job, and slugs aren't going to be helpful for a house my size. heck, the gun holds six in the tube, and there's a satchel with ~50 more in the closet by the bedroom door - anybody who gets back up is welcome to another helping.

Dad's across the hall, with a 1917 :eek: so it's one mode for handguns and another for long guns - no big deal.
 
Functioning and reliability.

Recoil control.

Ergonomics and hitability.

Trigger quality.

These are the things I think about.
 
This is redundant in what many have said before.

Keep in simple and similar.

Shotgun, pump number 4 buck. Remington 870.

Revolver 38 plus p, a couple of Colt Pythons I have had for 28 and 35 years respectively


I know all have theories or possible scenarios, just keep it simple.
 
Some of you guys get where I'm coming from and some don't or, you don't agree with me. Either way that is okay but I feel the need to explain myself a little further. I am not a LEO and recently I don't even get to the range as much as I'd like. Over the past 15 years I have been involved in one form of firearms competition or another, most recently Cowboy Action Shooting. From these various types of competition I have learned several things which, in one form or another, can be applied to HD/SD planning. The first is that guns do break down at the most inopportune times. Have spares available. This next one is probably the most important lesson of all. Familiarity, with your firearms of choice, does not breed contemp, it builds confidence and proficiency. If you have ever watched a highly trained competitor who has had to use a different firearm during a match even if it is of the same basic design and functions virtually the same way, you will notice flaws in his performance. These flaws can range from minor, something that costs him a half a second, to catastrophic failure where the gun is unable to be brought into action or jambs. I have seen it. :what: I have done it.:eek: I will learn from it.:)

As I mentioned earlier, I have given serious thought to keeping a 97 clone as my HD shotgun. It is not because it is a better weapon than my Mossberg 590, it isn't. It is simply the gun that I am most proficient with. I am very confident with it because of my familiarity with it. I have run several thousand rounds through it so I know that it is reliable. Reloads are not a problem.:D If it were practical, I would probably carry a couple of vaqueros for SD for the same reason. I just don't believe that it is practical. I have this real fear that someday I will step to the line with my Glock, draw, and my off-hand thumb will instinctively try to cock the hammer back on my Vaquero the way that it has several thousand times before, just as I pull the trigger. Ouch!:what: I could get away with a lever rifle for HD and be very happy with it. The only downside to the lever rifle in this role, for me anyway, is that it cannot perform double duty as a truck gun. In my state, Maine, a long gun can never be loaded while in your vehicle. For this reason, the AR-15 makes more sense. It can be loaded and unloaded in seconds. It is legal for me to carry loaded magazines.

The bottom line for the rifle is that I have 2 ARs. I like them. I am going to keep them. Having one for HD/SD, should I ever feel the need for one, just makes sense. I currently am not proficient with them by any means. It is gonna take a lot of time at the range to gain that proficiency. The same is true of the Mossberg, to some extent, should I decide to keep that in my closet. I got the Glocks covered.:D
 
Strategy? Software trumps hardware. Use what you are good with, and get good with want you want to learn to use if you aren't happy with your current skillset. Software trumps hardware.

I am a big fan of training with someone who knows what they are doing and who can teach you as a student how to improve your skillset with whatever hardware is at hand. It doesn't have to be a nationally ranked trainer a thousand miles away who charges hundreds of dollars per class. If you will work at it you can find sufficiently skilled trainers almost anywhere who can help you advance your skills to the next level for you.

And IMHO a lot of us would benefit far more from spending the price of that next new gotta-have-it gun and all its accessories on a class with a professional trainer. Software trumps hardware. And software is worth paying for, in the form of training and practice so that you 'groove' into muscle memory what you have been trained to do that works for you.

lpl/nc
 
Handgun...1911-A1
Shotgun...Maverick 88
Haven't decided on ONE rifle, but I have several...Mosin-Nagant M-44, Yugo 59/66 SKS, Marlin Lever .30-30, Mossberg ATR-100 in .30-06, and the US Rifle Cal .30 M1...Popularly Known As "The Garand". Also have a couple of .22LR rifles.

At the moment, though, my go-to rifle is "The Garand"
 
I’ve got 43 guns, but only 4 that I consider for HD:

Benelli M1S90 with M3X light WIN #1 Buck “Condition 1”.
SIG 220ST with M3X light 230 Grain REM Bonded Golden Sabers
Colt 6920 with Surefire Light HORN TAP
Two Baer 1911s 230 Grain REM Bonded Golden Sabers

I’ve taken classes with all and use at least 3 for matches so I’m familiar with them. I wouldn’t say that I have a strategy as much as I have “specifications”. I favor reliability, effectiveness, and familiarity.

After taking a couple low light classes, I’m a big fan of mounted lights for HD especially on long-guns. As for the M1S90, I spend about 30-40 days a year hunting with its big brother the SBE during duck/goose season, that combined with practice with the M1 gives me confidence in it. It’s my primary HD gun and I’ve taken 2 shotgun classes with it. Although I’m a big 1911 fan I switched to the SIG because if awoken in the middle of the night I want that long DA trigger pull, even though it means I have to spend more time/ammo doing DA/SA drills. 26 years in the Army gives me a little familiarity with the AR, so that’s another natural choice. I use a 1911 for my match pistol and a smaller version for my CCW pistol and have owned one since graduating Military Police AIT in 78.

The only other thing I do is that my HD guns are kept in V-Line gun vaults with simplex locks when not in my physical control.

Chuck
 
Poppycock. Birdshot at HD distances? It'll blow a nice hole in a guy.
Click to expand...

Sure will. A nice, shallow, gaping hole that doesn't bleed very rapidly and isn't deep enough to reach internal organs.

Your better off with a decent .22LR round.

Bird shot is for birds.
 
I guess I try to think in a do-all three gun mindset. I have my 870 12g, or a pistol gripped 870 20g(probably hand that to girlfriend), a Ruger Mini-30 for the rifle and my XD for the handgun. If I had to leave quickly and only take 3 guns with me, those would be the ones.
 
I've tried to simplify my defense guns for both budget and ease of use reasons. It looks like you and I think along the same lines mgregg85. My carry guns are XDs (45 acp when I can hide it under cold weather clothes and a 40 S&W subcompact for warm weather). They are economical and everthing works the same. (I buy slide style holsters and can carry either pistol) Rem 870 for a shotgun (inexepensive and rock solid) and I own one AR for SHTF.

We are working at starting a family :D and cost is truly becoming a factor in my selection process. I won't buy junk but I can't afford the latest custom wonder creation either. Reasonble price and workhorse reliability fit the bill.
 
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Sure will. A nice, shallow, gaping hole that doesn't bleed very rapidly and isn't deep enough to reach internal organs.
Click to expand...
Wondering if 2 or 3 applications of same wouldn't cause errant ner-do-well to rethink the whole "this is a great way to spend the evening, a life of crime for me" concept... but all the same I prefer No4 buck as the smallest pellet size.

Strategy? Began years ago with a Rem 870 and a DW 15-2. That concept hasn't veered too far off course as 25 years later it's a Mossy 590 and a S&W 60 or 10. Simple and reliable.
 
When I bought my first gun it had to satisfy both carry and HD requirements. Since then I've acquired a few other firearms, but nothing specifically for HD since that requirement was met with the first one :)
 
Regarding guns/gear vs. training as Lee mentioned, my personal requirement for buying new non-critical gear (not a replacement for a broken gun, holster, etc. that I need NOW) is that I have spent at least twice the cost of the new item on training before the purchase. Obviously ammo doesn't fall into that category. Redundant guns/gear typically have priority over new stuff.

For example, the M&P will probably cost about $700 to outfit with mags, holster, etc... & I've spent about $1700 on classes this year. Putting it that way the first thing that came to mind is $700 will buy two good classes. That training thing is a sickness I tell ya.
 
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