Reply #105: You're facing essentially two possible self-defense scenarios

[krispos42]

A: You or your spouse hears something funny, so you go off to investigate.

B: Somebody is kicking in a door or breaking in through a window, so you grab the kids and barricade yourself in the bedroom.




In A, a handgun has advantages in that it is one-handed, leaving your other hand free to manipulate doors, curtains, and light switches, or to hold a flashlight. Of course, you can also attach a flashlight and/or laser sight to most handguns. In addition, a handgun can be kept in a quick-access safe in a drawer or bookshelf. The downside is that they are not very powerful and they are harder to aim.

In B, a shotgun or rifle has advantages in that it is far more powerful and intimidating, they are rather easier to hold and easier to aim, and in a pinch they make pretty useful clubs. However their storage requirements are somewhat more cumbersome and they are not as easy to maneuver in the confines of a house, so they're not as good for investigating noises.




For situation A, I would prefer keeping an unloaded semiautomatic pistol in a quick-access safe. A pair of magazines loaded with high-quality hollowpoints would be kept next to the gun. The gun itself would be either double-action or hammerless single action, and without an external manual safety. A tactical flashlight with laser would be attached to it.

Possible guns: any full-sized Glock pistol; any full-size Springfield Armory XD handgun; a decock-only Ruger P345, P89, P90, P94, or P95; a decock-only Beretta Model 92 or 96; or a full-sized Kahr double-action-only pistol like the T9.

A revolver would also do well here; however you'd probably have to keep it loaded and have a speedloader or two handy. I think the best would be a revolver designed to use .45 Auto ammunition with full-moon clips. The use of full-moon clips allows very fast reloading, faster than a traditional twist-to-release speedloader. A S&W Model 22, 25, or 325 would serve well here. However any quality double-action medium- or large-framed revolve would do well, such as the Ruger GP100 or S&W Model 27 or 327. Revolvers also have the advantage of being simpler to use than semiautomatic pistols, an important consideration if somebody less "gun-nuttish" might have to use it one day.



For situation B, a semiautomatic shotgun would work pretty well, as would a more traditional pump shotgun. However, both suffer from lengthly times to load the tubular magazine. A classic short, double-barreled shotgun (a coach gun) is simple and quick to load but only gives you two shots before needing a reload.

A low-powered semiautomatic rifle with expanding bullets would work well in that you can simply insert a magazine and be ready to shoot. An AR-15, Ruger Mini-14, AK-47, or M1 Carbine would serve well in this manner. All have (or you can get) stocks that will hold lights and lasers. With some of they you can also stick a bayonet on the end, making your rifle a short spear and a pointy deterrent to somebody rushing you from close quarters.