Which of these guns should be next to my bed?

[Penforhire]

Another vote for "buy a cheap shotty." Less risk to neighbors, more bang in your hands.

 

[Piney]

No kids left in my house so I keep a 7 shot 357 revolver loaded with 38's in my bedside table. Even if I can't shoot them I can do some damage on their head with a 6-1/2" dbl barrel.

 

[joerng]

sig

hey you are about to wake up and you kill someone, you will not be aware of things. i would go with the sig it is the simplest gun to work.

 

[ducktapehero]

i would go with the sig it is the simplest gun to work.

I don't know, a Smith wheelgun is fairly simple to work. Pull trigger, go bang. How much simpler can you get? Although an 8" barrel would be easy for a bad guy to grab.

 

[Ivy Mike]

much as I hate to rain on some peoples parade, round lead or steel balls don't tend to deform too much in human tissue. In fact, they blow right throug sheetrock walls....don't ask how I know. Shotguns are not the ultimate tool for home defense.

I'd still vote for the AK. Rifle rounds are much better at stopping someone...especially someone who might be hopped up on some strange white powder they found in the gutter. AK with HP ammo. Attack a light to it though. At least until you can get to a light switch. I would also suggest a flash hider to avoid totally ruining your night vision.

If anyone wants to know, my FN Forty-Nine (in .40S&W) serves as my primary home defense gun. I don't own a rifle that is suitable to the task yet.
I could always just unfold the bayonet on my M44 and go charging room to room.

 

[c_yeager]

much as I hate to rain on some peoples parade, round lead or steel balls don't tend to deform too much in human tissue. In fact, they blow right throug sheetrock walls....don't ask how I know. Shotguns are not the ultimate tool for home defense.

What does deformation have to do with it? yes, they will come out round, but they won't be moving nearly as fast as a heavier, cylindrical bullet.

My personal feeling is that overpenetration is something to lose sleep over. I know a lot of people dissagree but, my weapons choices are prioritized based on what stops the badguy best with what happens afterward a distant second. I would second the suggestion for a nice used shotty for that reason alone. Untill then go with the AK.

 

[Ivy Mike]

You just said it...it will come OUT round.
The projectile...oh I'm sorry...projectiles will come out. Thats also assuming you hit the target.

You may feel better sending 9 .30cal pellets at a BG. I certainly don't. I was always taught to be careful of my shots. Don't shoot anymore than you can keep track of.
I choose one .40 caliber bullet over 9 .30 caliber pellets any day. I can always fire again, but I can't take back a stray that killed my GF.

Shotguns are for hunting birds.

 

[c_yeager]

I choose one .40 caliber bullet over 9 .30 caliber pellets any day. I can always fire again, but I can't take back a stray that killed my GF.

First of all there arent many .40cal loads that WON'T fully penetrate a human body at close range. Secondly at indoor ranges buckshot wont even have left the shot cup. The "pattern" at that range is smaller than a fist. If you honeslty believe that you are going to end up with a "cloud" of shot at that range you need to play with shotguns a little bit and learn how they actually work.

 

[Ivy Mike]

Shot leaves the shot cup at 1-3 yards. 3 yards is less than half way across my living room. Now I have a shotgun sized powder load pushing many projectiles. Thats great if they stop in the target, but they aren't designed to. Round balls tend to punch right through. I own a shotgun and am very familiar with its workings. I know enough to know that a shotgun has its place in home defense...backing up my handguns and eventually, backing up my rifle (when I buy one) The pattern may be smaller than a fist, but it is still larger than .40 inches. Thats also assuming you hit what you aim at. What if you miss? You have just sent nearly a dozen 30 caliber projectiles screaming through your house at velocities higher than a pistol. I remember something about being sure of your backstop...hmm, something about four rules.

True, a .40 round could very well fully penetrate a body, but at least with expanding ammo, you have a chance that it won't. JHP rounds were designed to stop in a body. Even if it punches through or you miss, you still only have one bullet flying around...not 9+

 

[Blackhawk 6]

I think you need to tell us how you plan to employ your firearm for home defense.

If your plan involves strong-pointing in your room and covering the door, the AK is a good choice assuming you have a clear background and you choose your loads carefully.

If you are going to investigate the proverbial "bump in the night" the Sig is probably a better choice. SEAL and SWAT team choices aside, most people are not too adept at moving through a structure with a long gun. Weapon retention becomes an issue. A long gun also makes it difficult to do things like carry a small child, talk to the 911 operator or open doors. The Sig has the largest capacity of the handguns listed, even more if you buy a high-capacity magazine and the .40 is a decent round.

Every caliber listed poses an over-penetration threat. You are going to have to rely on careful load selection and situational awareness to mitigate (not eliminate) the risk.

Shotguns are for hunting birds.

I will agree that the shotgun may not be ideal in some home defense scenarios, but it is a highly effective anti-personnel weapon. Small arms development has a long way to go before the shotgun is relegated solely to ducks and pheasants.

 

[Dbl0Kevin]

You may feel better sending 9 .30cal pellets at a BG. I certainly don't. I was always taught to be careful of my shots. Don't shoot anymore than you can keep track of.
I choose one .40 caliber bullet over 9 .30 caliber pellets any day. I can always fire again, but I can't take back a stray that killed my GF.

+1

I have always felt the shotgun was a very poor choice for home defense and police work especially. I do NOT like the idea of sending 9-12 pellets downrange in a defense situation. There are WAY too many variables to worry about and things to go wrong. I've always seen that one flier of a pellet that goes where you're not expecting, and when there could be other people around I want ONE projectile that will shoot straight and exactly where I want it to go. That's why we train....so we can shoot where we aim and not need 9-12 shots at once. What are you gonna do if a BG grabs up a family member and threatens to kill them while you're holding a shotgun? You're SOL pretty much.

 

[Blackhawk 6]

What are you gonna do if a BG grabs up a family member and threatens to kill them while you're holding a shotgun? You're SOL pretty much.

What are you gonna do if a BG grabs up a family member and threatens to kill them while you're holding a pistol? You're SOL pretty much. I am going to wait for the police regardless of the weapon I am holding. Real life is not two cardboard targets down range. This has been discussed before and there is no need to go through it again here.

I am not a tremedous fan of the shotgun but, there are plenty of home-defense scenarios where a shotgun is a good choice and there are plenty where it is not. Shotguns are generally less expensive, more politcally correct and legal in a larger number of locales. They are also much better at ending fights than handguns. The fact is shotguns have been defending homes for a long time.

A shotgun may not be a centerpiece of your home defense plan, and it is not in mine, but that does not mean that the homeowner who reaches for the 12-guage when he hears a noise downstairs is poorly equipped.

 

[Dbl0Kevin]

What are you gonna do if a BG grabs up a family member and threatens to kill them while you're holding a pistol? You're SOL pretty much. I am going to wait for the police regardless of the weapon I am holding. Real life is not two cardboard targets down range. This has been discussed before and there is no need to go through it again here.

.

Maybe you will consider yourself SOL and wait for the police but not me. In such a situation I would rather act than sit around and wait while my family member is in a life or death situation. I have seen the rest of my academy class and many other guys at the range.....I would much rather take the shot if it came to it then have someone else do it. YMMV

 

[Blackhawk 6]

In such a situation I would rather act than sit around and wait while my family member is in a life or death situation.

Fair enough. But that does not change the fact that you are still in a tough situation whether you have a shotgun or not. That was my point.

I would much rather take the shot if it came to it then have someone else do it.

As would I, but I would rather no shot need to be fired at all. In my opinion, the likelihood of diffusing the situation without shooting increases when more good guys with guns show up, be they members of your academy class or otherwise.

 

[Irish Jaeger]

Go with the SIG! AK should be ready for instant action against intruders OUTSIDE!

 

[Sam]

Whichever one you feel most comfortable and accomplished with at 0300 and not real awake.
I would not worry about overpenetration a whole lot. It isn't the ones that go on throught that are so dangerous as the multitude of misses that go everywhere but where you want them.

Sam

 

[Dbl0Kevin]

Fair enough. But that does not change the fact that you are still in a tough situation whether you have a shotgun or not. That was my point.

I guess it comes down to what you're comfortable with. Me personally, I don't like shotguns and would feel much better with a single projectile firing weapon. To each their own though.