Home gun, what should I get.

[bigalexe]

I do not own any pistols and have only shot them a handful of times. I may have a change in living situation and part of that change may include a want for a home defense pistol which may turn into a CCW piece if I ever get around to taking a class.

My main concerns are weight, recoil, and speed. By speed I should note I am referring to the entire process of going from magazine inserted with an empty chamber, to ready, to empty magazine. I am also a believer in using the biggest cartridge you can shoot control-ably because IMO if you are firing on someone/something then you want it to stop NOW and not when it bleeds out in 30 minutes.

I have shot 9mm and .40S&W Glocks (Same model one with a conversion barrel, think it was the G17), and a Ruger .22 Pistol. I like the Glocks because of the low weight, and I could handle the recoil pretty well even with the .40S&W. I did NOT like the Ruger because it weighed a ton in my opinion but for all I know it may have been a bull-barrel target pistol. I have never handled a revolver so my comfort area right now is limited to semi-automatics and I like a gun that is large enough I can feel it in my hand.

I have never shot a .45ACP or 10mm but I may consider them if I can find someone that will let me shoot theirs for recoil trials. I should note that my current ownership consists of a 12-gauge shotgun but from a lot of stuff I've read on this forum it seems people prefer pistols for #1 Defense firearms when given the opportunity.

 

[mnrivrat]

You will end up here with a ton of opinion and suggestions, and frankly most of them will be just fine - but different. Since I just made this choice myself this last week I will simply tell you what I bought - one of many choices available.

I purchased a Taurus 24/7 Compact in .45 acp . This comes with a 3.3 inch barrel, and a 10 round short magazine for carry. It also has an extended 12 round mag. Basicaly a hi-cap in .45 acp. Recoil is not a problem and I would say no more than the Glock in 40S&W you fired. The 24/7 has gained a good rep for reliability and mine has functioned flawlessly so far in a couple range sessions using both hard ball and SWC rounds.
The gun is also cheap at about $400 if money is a concern. The sights are three dot Hienie and there is a front bottom rail that I just mounted a compact laser on today for less than $100.
It is not a tack driver - the trigger pull will take some getting used to, but it is plenty good from SD ranges.

I do not recommend it over anything else - I do think it is an OK choice. I will let others hop in and start the long process of recommendations.

 

[wilkersk]

If you're sure its a handgun you want, why not a good double-action revolver for your first.

They're absolutely reliable. They are arguably more accurate than a semiauto, since the barrel is fixed to the frame. There's no fuss over magazines and safeties. And, as an extra benefit, a good one can be had relatively inexpensively.


What ever you get, make sure its something that fits you. Go to a range that rents handguns and try several. Hopefully, there'll be someone around whose knowledgeable about guns to help you choose (hint, the guy trying to sell you the $2,500 custom 1911 is not helping you).

 

[David E]

I do not own any pistols and have only shot them a handful of times. I may.... want for a home defense pistol which may turn into a CCW piece if I ever get around to taking a class.

The part I bolded gives me pause about making any handgun recommendations.

If you were at all serious about this, you'd take a class, not necessarily a CCW class, but a basic handgun class.

You think you know more than you do and your apparent attitude towards the whole matter concerns me. Maybe it's how you phrased it........but maybe it's not.

Instead of buying a handgun, buy some more shotgun ammo. Then, go out and gain a bit of skill with it.........

 

[stu454]

I think that his phrasing was fine; he reflects the attitude of most new handgunners in that they are interested in learning but are also interested in 'putting their toe in the water' to see how they like things before throwing hundreds if not thousands of dollars at it.

When I was a newb I would have saved a barrel of money if I had listened more closely to my mentors.

To the o.p.: If you liked the Glock in .40 then look hard at that model. In full size it is the M22, mid is the M23 and baby is the M27. There is a full size plus that is about the size of a 1911 the M35 IIRC. It may be a little long for CCW, but that's your call.

I'd recommend a set of night sights, Trijicon or Meporlight are popular and proven. You should be able to find a Glock with them factory installed. In addition to low light shooting they are very useful in finding the gun in the dark, such as on a nightstand.

You should be able to get the gun, some more magazines, ammo for training and carry and a good class for less than $1000.

 

[macadore]

The Glock 19 is hard to beat for overall cc/home defense. Ignore DAVID E.

 

[stormridervj]

I'm not an expert, but I know what I like. The Springfield Armory XD is an excellent choice. It's comfortable with a slightly long, but very smooth trigger pull. In the 9mm, the recoil isn't bad at all. I'm personally fond of .45 ACP for self-defense though, and once you've fired it a few times, the recoil on it isn't too bad either. For home defense, nothing beats a good old-fashioned 12 ga shotgun.

 

[christcorp]

wilkersk is totally correct. If you are new to guns; want a home defense pistol; want a gun that "might" be needed by more than one person in the house; and may not be shooting the gun a lot practicing, like every couple weeks; then the perfect and only logical pistol to have is a 357 magnum revolver. You can buy ammo for a 357 magnum revolver that can be as weak as a 380 or more destructive than a 45acp. It is the perfect caliber. And you can get ammo to fit any shooter.

A semi-auto is NOT a gun for a person who doesn't practice office. A semi-auto is NOT a gun to share among more than 1 person. EQUALLY as important with a semi-auto for being able to hit your target, is being able to clear jams, misfeeds, failures to eject, safeties, etc... all without thinking about it. That means practicing a lot. That means if you have others who might use it, that they too practice a lot. And at 2am, when you heard a strange noise, when you grab your gun, you don't have time to think. You need to think about the noise. Make sure you can concentrate on the intrude, not if the gun works right. I have more guns than most people. I shoot all the time. I shoot about 500-1000 rounds a month. I carry semi-auto pistol with me all the time. BUT.... In the nightstand is a S&W 4" model 13 357 magnum revolver. There is no way that I am using a semi-auto at 2am unless that's all I have. But I would never allow that to be all I have. A 357 magnum revolver should ALWAYS be your first pistol.

 

[easyg]

Here's my recommendations:

Glock 23 (excellent size-to-power ratio).

Glock 27 (if you want a slightly easier to conceal handgun, but try before you buy).
This is my personal everyday carry pistol AND my home defense pistol.
I really can't see myself ever carrying a larger pistol again....yep, it's that good!

S&W M&P40c (this one is kinda between the G23 and the G27 in overall size).
This one is the only real current challenger to the G27 IMO.


Do not let yourself be talked in to a revolver.
As much as I like revolvers, they are not usually great handguns for adult newbies.
Lots of forum members will say otherwise, but trust me on this one.
Autos are easier to quickly learn to shoot well.
The main reason is the long-pull heavy double-action trigger that most revolvers suffer.
If you don't believe me then find someone who has never shot a handgun in their life, give them a Glock 19 and a S&W 4" .38 Special, and see which one they shoot best right from the start.
Heck, see which one you shoot best right from the start.

I like revolvers and they can be fun to shoot.
But for a self defense handgun for a novice, I recommend autos every time.
And don't be put off by some that claim the auto is harder to learn and more complicated.
Yes, the manual of arms is slightly more complicated, and you will need to learn how to load a magazine and clear a failure, but it's not in the least bit difficult.
Folks teach children to shoot autos everyday.
And the U.S. military teaches 18 year old kids how to accurately shoot and maintain autos in just a few days of Basic Training.
Don't let anyone sell you the notion that you're not ready for an auto till you've mastered the revolver.


Oh yeah,and ignore DAVID E's last post.

 

[christcorp]

easy; if the gun owner practices a lot, I agree with you. I the gun owner is going to become proficient, I agree with you. If a person is going to carry their gun, I agree with you. If a person is going to have a home defense gun that's going to spend more time in the night stand and rarely ever be pulled out for practice, then a revolver is the best choice. If you're only going to shoot the gun 4-5 times a year, then a revolver is the best choice. And even with more than 30 years of experience, I believe that your "half asleep 2am gun", if using a pistol, should be a revolver.

 

[bigalexe]

if I ever get around to taking a class.

Let me elaborate.

I know many people that can teach me about handguns and how to use them as far as Strategy & Tactics is concerned. That kind of training is free. I am hesitant about taking a CCW course because the majority of the time I spend out of my home is on a college campus so I can't carry 90% of the time I am outside anyway. So at this time I would rather take the $150 or so that I would spend on the course and spend it on ammunition.

I do intend to practice with a gun I plan on owning and especially one employed in a self-defense role. It only makes sense to take a gun out and shoot it regularly if ONLY to make sure that the hammer still drops when you pull the trigger and the brass clears the slide every time it cycles a round, not to mention accuracy matters.

As it is in the warmer months I shoot trap and/or sporting clays weekly with my shotgun and make a point to throw some shot at standing targets when I go sight-in the slug barrel before season's start.


Concerning the suggestions you guys have made thanks, it seems the S&W M&P40, Glocks, and a Taurus got mentioned. Also someone mentioned .357 which is another caliber I wasn't thinking about. Looks like I got some shootin to do and find what I like.

 

[Fremmer]

Your shotgun is great for home defense. But if you still want to buy a handgun, then buy a standard-sized one, and practice a lot.

Every gunnie needs to own a .357 mag; get one with a 4" barrel. Or get a 4" semi in 9mm, .40, or .45. The 9mm ammo is a little less expensive. Don't worry too much about caliber now; speed is fine, but accuracy is final. Man, that was a cheesy use of a tired cliche, right? Anyway, you'll buy the other calibers in the future.

Wait to buy a smaller gun for when you actually CCW. Start with lots of practice and training on a full-sized gun.

 

[gearhead]

easy; if the gun owner practices a lot, I agree with you. I the gun owner is going to become proficient, I agree with you. If a person is going to carry their gun, I agree with you. If a person is going to have a home defense gun that's going to spend more time in the night stand and rarely ever be pulled out for practice, then a revolver is the best choice. If you're only going to shoot the gun 4-5 times a year, then a revolver is the best choice. And even with more than 30 years of experience, I believe that your "half asleep 2am gun", if using a pistol, should be a revolver.

+1.

I help design and test semi-autos, but my wife's nightstand gun is a .38 Spl revolver.

 

[FAS1]

Your shotgun is an excellent choice for home defense. If you need top secure it, say in your bedroom, a handgun is easier to do that with and still have it readily accessible. I would go to a gun show or gun shop and simply see what feels good to you. I purchased my G17(gen 2) that way many years ago. I have big hands and it simply felt the best to me. Then I went to a buddy that had lots of firearm experience and shot it a lot with his guidance.

 

[leadcounsel]

Buy a comfortable gun with the features you want (external safety or not, magazine capacity, hammer vs. striker, etc.) that you can afford to shoot regularly for training in a common self defense caliber (9mm, .40 or .45). Training and shot placement are more important than the coke vs. pepsi arguments you'll find here.

 

[dovedescending]

Definitely go with a revolver. I respectfully disagree with EasyG. My first handgun has a revolver, and there is nothing quite like knowing that when you squeeze the trigger, it will go bang. Revolvers are tough to master; the learning curve is steep. But initially, you will have an easy time familiarizing yourself. And over the long run, I hope you plan on practicing every day no matter what gun you get. I'm not talking about live fire either. Due to time constraints, it is sometimes weeks beween my visits to the range. But I practice drawing my weapon with proper grip, reloading, dryfiring (with snapcaps, of course), etc etc, every day, sometime multiple times a day. And whenever I go to the range, my groups get tighter and tighter.

Practice until your muscles remember everything. No matter what handgun you decide on.

 

[Manco]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with considering a revolver for the advantages it offers, namely simplicity and reliability as far as home defense is concerned. However, semiautomatics have their own advantages such as capacity and for most people speed. I always keep my M&P40 handy for home defense--all I have to do when a well-deserving target presents himself is pick it up, aim, and pull the trigger, just like a double-action revolver but with a much lighter pull. The only other skill I need is clearing misfires and jams, but such occurrences should be exceedingly rare with my particular handgun (actually haven't had a malfunction yet at the range using cheaper ammo), and revolvers aren't completely reliable either, as many have somewhat delicate lockwork and could develop bad timing, or the cylinder could bind due to fouling in various places. Granted, a clean and well-maintained revolver that you know is in good working order and hasn't been thrown around and beaten up carelessly should be more reliable than any semiautomatic, but if you can get a really reliable semiautomatic then you might find the tradeoffs worthwhile. I've shot mine enough to have full confidence in it (or at least as much as I can have in a still-fallible machine).

Try one out at a range if you can and/or its 9mm counterpart the M&P9. Then choose between it, the Glock 22 you've already shot, the .45 ACP variants of each, and a good .357 Magnum revolver such as the Ruger GP100 or Smith & Wesson 686 (there's a nice seven-shot version of the latter available), preferably with a 4" or longer barrel for home defense. They're all great, pragmatic handguns--choose whichever suits your sensibilities and your hand best. M&Ps each come with three backstraps/palmswells that you can change out, by the way, with the default being the medium size, and you can buy different grips for the revolvers if you choose go to that route. The M&P40 can also take a 9mm conversion barrel just like the G22, and "Gen4" (Generation 4) Glocks have some additional features although I'd stay away for the purpose of home defense until they get the kinks worked out of the design ("Gen3" Glocks are still very reliable as always and many if not most favor them over the "Gen4" design).

 

[Gungnir]

I always recommend the same thing.

Hackathorn test.
1/4 sheet of typing paper, at 5 yards. From concealed, or low ready. At go fire 5 rounds at the paper as quickly and effectively as possible.

Beg/Borrow/Steal/Rent a selection of guns run this test against each of them, vary caliber (9mm, 40S&W, 45ACP and Colt, 380ACP, 38Spl, 357 etc.) and action (DA/SA, DAO, SA) and throw in both revolvers and semi-auto's.

The gun you buy is the gun you got the highest number of hits near center. It's easy to see, it might be the one that you got 2 hits with, or the one with a 1/2" cluster in the center, but there will be one obvious winner.

 

[hso]

You see the phrase, "A pistol is what you use to fight your way to a long gun", for a very good reason. If more energy on target is equivalent to stopping a fight a rifle or shotgun does a better job of that than a handgun.

Since you already have a shotgun the selection of a pistol is logical as a backup or as a means of helping you get to that shotgun.

The first order of business is to find what points naturally for you, whether it's a revolver or a Glock or a 1911.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

If you don't have much opportunity to shoot much, I always recommend Keep It Simple and Sweet: a 4" .357 revolver loaded with .38 Special +P. For home defense, a pistol leaves you with one hand free for flashlight or cellphone. No matter what the choice, have one designated home defense weapon and be familiar with it to the point that safe handling is a reflex. Trust me, I am an expert; let's break that down, a spurt is a big drip, an ex- is a has-been. Take my advice as worth every penny you paid for it.

 

[easyg]

Not to turn this in to a handgun vs long-gun argument, but...

You see the phrase, "A pistol is what you use to fight your way to a long gun", for a very good reason.

This may have been true in the olden days when the pioneers had to "circle the wagons" to fend off attacking natives.
And it is certainly true if one is at a fire-base in Iraq or Afghanistan.
But if one is in the average size three-to-four bedroom U.S. home, hears a suspicious noise, and wants to go down the hall to see if his child is still sleeping, or go downstairs and check to see if the doors are locked....a long-gun is not necessarily the best choice.
And a shotgun or rifle certainly is less than discreet when going to see who's at the front door, or going outside to see who wandering around the backyard.
Sure long-guns are more effective and powerful than handguns, and there are definitely times when you're better off with a long-gun, but sometimes it just isn't the best answer to the situation....especially for home defense (unless you live on a ranch or compound).


Easy

 

[easyg]

Definitely go with a revolver. I respectfully disagree with EasyG. My first handgun has a revolver, and there is nothing quite like knowing that when you squeeze the trigger, it will go bang.

I don't mind a little disagreement.

But consider this...
You say there is nothing like knowing that when you squeeze the trigger, it will go bang...and I agree.
Which is another reason to chose an auto.
Huh?!?!
Yes, you read that right.

You see, when you have an autoloader with one in the chamber, it is practically guaranteed to go bang when you pull the trigger.
The vast majority of auto failures occur AFTER the first shot (failure-to-eject, failure-to-feed, failure-to-return-to-battery).
True, you might not get a second shot, or you might have to perform a failure drill, but you can count on the first shot from an auto even more than you can count on the first shot from a revolver.

The revolver, unless you already have it cocked beside your bed, can experience cylinder lock-up even as you try to fire that very first double-action shot.
I've seen it happen...
A friend of mine is at the range, takes his revolver out of its case, loads six rounds, closes the cylinder, prepares to shoot, gets target in his sights, squeezes trigger.....squeezes trigger again....and nothing.
He stops and checks the revolver, opens the cylinder, empties the cylinder, inspects and spins the cylinder, closes the empty cylinder, test fires the empty handgun, click, click, click, click, click, click....he reloads, takes aim, squeezes the trigger, and BANG!
We just looked at each other and shrugged?
We never did figure out what caused the initial cylinder lock-up.
The gun was not that new and had never had the problem before nor since.
But it just goes to show that you really cannot always depend upon the first shot from a revolver no more so than the first shot from an auto....and even less so IMO.

How many times have you seen an auto, that already had one in the chamber, fail to fire the initial shot?


Easy

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

...You see, when you have an autoloader with one in the chamber, it is practically guaranteed to go bang when you pull the trigger...

I gotta hand it to you, easyg, you do make a good point.

Regarding a revolver cylinder binding, it could be many things. Let's assume that the revolver is very clean (because we are talking about a self defense shoot here). The cylinder could have not been closed fully, the case rims could have been made slightly too thick (yes, I have read of it), or the reset spring might not have reset the trigger from the last shot, the last time the gun was shot. Just some thoughts.

 

[christcorp]

Or, you could have a glock, that isn't a "True" double action, and for whatever reason, the round doesn't fire. e.g. light primer strike. There is no 2nd strike capability. A revolver, you simply pull the trigger again. Unless the semi-auto is a "true" DA/SA or other external hammer such as a Sig P220 or 1911A1, you have to rack a new round into the chamber.

All guns are mechanical. All guns therefor can go FUBAR. I don't choose a revolver over a semi-auto for home/2am defense because of the "GUN FAILING". I choose a revolver over a semi-auto for home/2am defense because at 2am "MY BRAIN" may be what fails in responding properly.

I've trained in "Hot Houses" where you practice live fire in a building. There are audio shots being fired back some times. There's other noises made; etc... I've seen people forget to turn the safety off on some guns. I've seen people who forgot to load a round into the chamber. I've seen stove-pipe during ejection/extraction. I've seen failure to feed. I'm not to worried about the gun having a problem. It's mechanical. Eventually, it WILL have a problem. NOT IF, but WHEN. That's not my problem. My problem is that under stress, half asleep, low oxygen (That's what happens when you've been sound asleep, get up too quick, and heart races too high. Not enough oxygen to the brain); anyway, it's how "I" respond to any possible FUBAR that I worry about under those conditions. You can not guarantee that a crime will happen at 7pm. "Self Defense", which is you OUT of your house, is much easier. You are totally alert. Or should be. Home defense is much different. In those situations, I don't want to think about the gun at all. A cylinder malfunction on the first shot is slimmer than ANYTHING that can happen with a semi-auto. But with the revolver, the "normal" malfunction if one's going to happen, is a light primer hit and a no-fire. No need to think; simply pull the trigger again.

Yes, anything mechanical is possible to go wrong. But I'll trust the mechanics of the revolver over the semi-auto any time. Especially at 2am.

 

[easyg]

A cylinder malfunction on the first shot is slimmer than ANYTHING that can happen with a semi-auto.
But with the revolver, the "normal" malfunction if one's going to happen, is a light primer hit and a no-fire. No need to think; simply pull the trigger again.

This is were I think you're way off base.
I really haven't seen many light primer strikes at all, auto or revolver, when using quality self-defense ammo.
But I've seen quite a few revolvers that have experienced cylinder lock-up for a variety of reason....it's not as rare as you seem to think.