Home Protection

[nickpoche]

I am wanting to get a new gun for home protection. I currently have a Glock 9mm and an old 32cal that was my grandfathers. I love the glock and the
32 is more of a sentimental gun than anything. With the layout of my house I am worried about a bullet traveling into one my kids rooms if someone were to come in through my front door. A friend
suggested the Judge and shooting the4/10 out of it. Am I making too much of this. I dont want to freeze if I ever have to use my gun because I am worried about this..

 

[SGT_Kramer]

18 and half inch 12 or 20 guage is what you want brother. There is no better gun for home protection.

 

[TomTerrific]

The instructor in one of my CHP refresher classes, I think it was Wade Duty, pointed out the spread of shot within the confines of a house isn't that much and doesn't offer much of an advantage. That may be what I thought he said, but I think I have that correctly..

My wife and I have a plan if there is an intruder. First, we call 911. We have no kids, just two basset hounds, so the next thing is lock the bedroom door and wait - armed.

YMMV

 

[nickpoche]

both of my kids rooms are on the opposite side of the house.

 

[Guate_shooter]

The problem with a shotgun is that it is really a lost art, most people "claim" that is the best thing for HD since you dont have to aim, easy to use, bla bla bla

I have seen experienced personnel who simply "forget" what to do and short stroke the ..... out of it just to get a click in the heat of the moment, being able to switch ammo in an efficient way is also another aspect to consider, limitations in ammo on a SG is another one, the size of pattern with diferent ammo at diferent distances is another, etc etc etc

on the plus side they can be found very cheap, they last forever, they are cheap to shoot

So if you are willing to do your homework and train on it then yeah a SG would be a great choice any day of the week, just make sure to learn the platform before you put your trust into it, she will serve you well if you do your part

The judge is a great little tool, but it does have its limitations as well

PDX1 ammo has some rounds specially designed for the judge for HM, IIRC Rob Pincus did the tests on it and he spoke highly of them being shot out of the new poly judge

 

[SGT_Kramer]

The instructor in one of my CHP refresher classes, I think it was Wade Duty, pointed out the spread of shot within the confines of a house isn't that much and doesn't offer much of an advantage. That may be what I thought he said, but I think I have that correctly..

My wife and I have a plan if there is an intruder. First, we call 911. We have no kids, just two basset hounds, so the next thing is lock the bedroom door and wait - armed.

YMMV

Spead isn't as important as takedown without penetration a shotgun offers. Thats my opinion at least when your kids are in the house.

 

[cookiemonster]

I have a streamlight tlr2 on my glock which works great for home defense. Light and laser in one. You don't have to worry about grabbing a flashlight or anything, just go. The laser is nice too. You just have to put it center mass and pull the trigger, no low light aiming. Someone also told me they make hydra shock ammo that is not supposed to go through walls but not real sure on that. Would be worth looking into. You may also want to get training on clearing a house or at least watch some videos on it and practice when no one is at home.

 

[Hitman]

18 and half inch 12 or 20 guage is what you want brother. There is no better gun for home protection.

+1

I'd go with a Semi-Auto w/ Tube Extension.

 

[biggin215]

Box o truth did a test, any load from a shotgun that is actually viable for defense is going to penetrate multiple layers of dry wall. The best thing you can do is have a plan and really know your target and what is behind it. I think a shotgun limits your maneuverability too much in a house.

What if you need to make your way to one of your kids' rooms? What if you end up needing to lead one of the children to a safer area and have to shoot one handed? Mighty hard to do accurately with a 12 gauge. I would stick with the pistol, get some high quality self defense ammo, formulate a plan that the whole family is aware of, and most importantly know your target and what is beyond it. Oh, and don't forget to practice, practice, practice so you can actually hit that target if you have to.

 

[Spent Brass]

Second on the SG. Just spend some time with it. I have a 12g Mossy 500 with the 18.5" barrel loaded with pdx1. I feel thats the best last line of defense at home I have. The best thing about it was training my girlfriend on it.

 

[biggin215]

Spead isn't as important as takedown without penetration a shotgun offers. Thats my opinion at least when your kids are in the house.

Take down without penetration, eh? Have you ever fired some 00 into drywall? And for the love of God, please don't say you load that thing with birdshot.....

 

[returningliberty]

I am wanting to get a new gun for home protection. I currently have a Glock 9mm and an old 32cal that was my grandfathers. I love the glock and the
32 is more of a sentimental gun than anything. With the layout of my house I am worried about a bullet traveling into one my kids rooms if someone were to come in through my front door. A friend
suggested the Judge and shooting the4/10 out of it. Am I making too much of this. I dont want to freeze if I ever have to use my gun because I am worried about this..

You are definitely Not making too much of your problem. You are worried about either over penetration or a stray bullet punching through the wall, maybe both? As for the second one, other than installing a Thick plywood/hardwood wall there, I don't think there's much you can do. Don't miss.
For the over pen issue, some loads in most calibers are notorious for it. Example: 147gr JHP bullet @ 900fps from a 9mm will over pen. There are far too many loads and calibers that have this problem, so it's better to just look for ones that Won't OP.
A good choice for anti overpen ammo is an AR. Light bullets loaded Hot like the TAP round from Hornady are Designed for this purpose. It's a 55gr Vmax bullet pushing 3200fps and it fragments on impact, with less penetration than most 9mm handgun loads. Something to consider: less penetration is safer for your kids but may not cause devastating injury to a BG on the first shot. So I suggest a shorter barreled AR (14.5 inch) with telescoping stock, equipped with weapon light (target ID, don't want to shooting at the wife and kids), and a laser (so you can fire accurately from weird shooting positions).
Another great thing about the AR is your wife can shoot it without dealing with recoil problems like some large caliber handguns or many shotguns.

 

[biggin215]

A good choice for anti overpen ammo is an AR. Light bullets loaded Hot like the TAP round from Hornady are Designed for this purpose. It's a 55gr Vmax bullet pushing 3200fps and it fragments on impact, with less penetration than most 9mm handgun loads. Something to consider: less penetration is safer for your kids but may not cause devastating injury to a BG on the first shot. So I suggest a shorter barreled AR (14.5 inch) with telescoping stock, equipped with weapon light (target ID, don't want to shooting at the wife and kids), and a laser (so you can fire accurately from weird shooting positions).
Another great thing about the AR is your wife can shoot it without dealing with recoil problems like some large caliber handguns or many shotguns.

An actual intelligent response outside of "HURRR, SHOTGUN YOU DON'T HAVE TO AIM AND BIRDSHOT IS GREAT"

There might be hope for this board after all... I was going to suggest this but I didn't because of the kids. 1) ARs are loud as hell. Yes, most people in defensive shootings experience auditory exclusion, but there will still be much more hearing damage. I think a lighter 9mm round would be good. Corbon DPX is an awesome load, so is the critical defense by hornady. Once again, I love an AR for home defense. That is what I have setup each night when I hit the sack. I just lean toward the pistol for those with children so you can have one hand free if you need. Mount a TLR-1 or 3 on it or a surefire x300 and you have everything you need for home defense.

 

[Sin-ster]

Some of the same factors that make a particular load good for SD/HD also make it capable of easily penetrating intermediate barriers. Specifically, buffered or plated shot, special wads that hold the pellets in a tight pattern, and high velocities with minimal recoil.

There are places where a shotgun is optimal, places where it's viable, and places where it's the wrong choice. At the place I was staying for the past 3 years, the shotgun was ideal for me. One other occupant in the same bedroom, lots of open spaces and few places that require maneuverability, solid exterior walls with brick facades, and the neighbors in the possible lines of fire were a minimum of 50 yards away (in similarly constructed houses). Now that I'm back in the city, that's not the case at all. I've got two people on the other side of the wall from my place, huge windows taking up vast swaths of the exterior walls, tight confines and doorways galore, and the absolute furthest distance to a neighbor is 30 yards. So the 870 sits in the safe now.

You're going to get penetration out of any firearm that's up to the task of HD. That's an unavoidable fact, and it has its own set of pros and cons. If you're seriously worried about a pass through striking a family member or innocent bystander, your best option is to train on your chosen platform until you're no longer such a liability. Certain choices will cut down on the risks, but you'll never be able to entirely eliminate them unless you sacrifice terminal performance-- which is not a good thing at all. Those safety slugs might seem like a good idea on paper, but they are erratic (at best) when it comes to actually stopping a threat.

Learn to get hits every time, under stress, in all manner of conditions. Or get a really big dog.

 

[SGT_Kramer]

I was refering to penetration through humans. I aim center mass before I pull the trigger and 00 is what I have loaded. At 15 feet I have a 5 inch pattern and anything is so damn dead it ain't funny. It is bs that shotguns don't miss. you do have to aim and still can't run out blasting through your house. Fireing a gun one handed while runing around house with kids????? keep watching movies ...

 

[Sin-ster]

I'm a pretty big fan of the AR for this purpose as well, although it too has limitations. Some type of entry situation is a far cry from an HD situation. And while I've heard/read some compelling info, you're still talking about a REALLY fast moving pill and pretty flimsy building material. It's another viable option, but everyone should keep in mind that you're still going to have rounds sailing through intermediate barriers-- just perhaps not as well, far, or with as much energy when they come out of the other side.

 

[Robhic]

A friend suggested the Judge and shooting the4/10 out of it.

A shotgun in the palm of your hand. What's not to like? I have one on the nightstand. With HD "disc" rounds. Plus, my experience, the barrel is rifled so the spread pattern is pretty darn good close up with regular shot shells. Again, that's what I've observed, YMMV.

 

[Sin-ster]

I was refering to penetration through humans. I aim center mass before I pull the trigger and 00 is what I have loaded. At 15 feet I have a 5 inch pattern and anything is so damn dead it ain't funny. It is bs that shotguns don't miss. you do have to aim and still can't run out blasting through your house. Fireing a gun one handed while runing around house with kids????? keep watching movies ...

You need to pick a better load if you're getting 5" at 5 yards.

Unless you have an SBS or something, I suppose...

 

[spanky]

lol @ "don't miss."

 

[SGT_Kramer]

You need to pick a better load if you're getting 5" at 5 yards.

Unless you have an SBS or something, I suppose...

yes mine is 12 inches but I like to party too.