What is your favorite HOME DEFENSE weapon?

[rw496]

I have cleared a lot of houses and had choices of submachine guns, shotguns or pretty much whatever. I have personally always felt most comfortable with a handgun because I am confident in my accuracy at those distances, but I also found that people pop out of corners and strange places. With a handgun+weaponlight I find it easier to go hands on when necessary, disengage and take appropriate action.

 

[HardTargetFirearms]

Do you think the firearms training industry is slowly degrading into "Civilian Contractor Fantasy Camp"?

I do think that is the case, but I would argue it's a good thing. So I would not call it degrading. Here is why.

1) It's bringing more people into the realm of firearms training. And with any business in a free market, the more the water rises in the harbor, the more all the ships rise. Meaning it elevates the level of training and customer service for those seeking the training. Crappy trainers won't survive. That's good for everybody.

2) Combat vets are starting to teach the public their trade. Those with combat experience bring a lot to the table. But that is not the whole story. It's like a coach and a player. The best coaches are rarely the best players. So it takes all kinds of instructors. However, with an ever-increasing number of trainers who have the combat experience in some capacity, they tend to market that and thus the training takes more of a combat stance than a defensive stance. And again, that is good because those seeking training now have options like never before. AR, AK, shotgun, handgun, CQB, AVOPs, you name it...it's out there. For those who want dedicated defensive/personal protection classes - those are all over the place too. Ther eis nothing you could want to learn thats not out there. And there are companies like ours for example who have staff with a very diverse background. It makes for a huge library of knowledge and students soak it up like a sponge.

3) The students. Before the "tactical" craze, it was a smaller group. Now its spreading like wildfire. And the more people who buy guns and TRAIN...the better off this society is. Plain and simple.

So there is no degradation. It's an improvement and it's good for everybody.

 

[812guns]

Glock 22 next to the bed.....Rem 870 in the corner.

 

[Jackson]

Strange.

Go to most trainer's websites and their schedules are thick with AR-15/urban rifle classes. Here the shotgun option is destroying choices made for rifle.


Why aren't more shotgun courses offered? (I know the answer - just looking for yours)

I chose rifle in the poll over the shotgun for the following reasons (wanted to add a couple that weren't simply "it's cool"):

1. It has a manual of arms more consistent with a pistol, in which I have much more training time (because I carry it all the time).

2. It is more precise. I am not saying that a properly patterned shotgun is imprecise at close ranges. Only that a rifle is more precise at any range.

3. I find the rifle simpler to operate. Probably goes back to number 1. Due to lack of training and experience with a shotgun, I have personally experienced difficulty operating a shotgun in tense situations. I have short stroked the action looking for speed, and I have loaded shells backwards while moving and looking for my next targets. Can these things be trained out? I am quite sure they can. However, using a magazine fed rifle that is somewhat more consistent with my pistol training (semi auto, also magazine fed, similar malfunction clearence approach, etc) makes it easier to train in less time.

4. Magazine capacity. Is it likely I will need 30 rounds of .223? No. It is likely I would even go through 6 rounds of 00 Buck? Maybe not. But if I can avoid having to reload, I will.

5. Versatility. A rifle can solve more problems (either because of range or precision) than a shotgun.


Obviously, you should use what you train with and are familiar with. And I do think the "cool" factor is a big reason for a lot of people. It is not the only reason one might choose a rifle over a shotgun.

As far as rifle over pistol: Power, precision, and capacity bring that out. This is all for "favorite", as in the one I would pick if I had any option available. It is most likely, though, that I will just have a pistol in hand if it came down to it. It is always there.

 

[swmp9jrm]

In order of accessibility,

1. Two big, loud dogs.
2. Handgun.
3. Pump shotgun.
4. AR carbine.
5. The safe - after that, I don't think it will matter much.

 

[GLOCKMAN23C]

I would have to go with a handgun (before I lost them in a boating accident), now I just cower in a corner waiting on the police. I've practiced clearing my house with a shotgun and pistol. The pistol definately gets around corners better and leaves a free hand to reload or move something or someone out of the way.

 

[archy]

When I was a visitor at a kibbutz in Israel a decade or so back, my hosts honored me by adding my name to the roster for the night security watch detail, pretty much the ultimate in a *home defence* scenario. Quite a few of the older teenagers and twentysomethings were IDF reservists, so they got first pick at the kibbutz armory and cleaned out the M16A1 rifles pretty quick. That left the M1 carbines and Uzis for the most part, though off in one corner was a collection of goodies from an ear5lier age, mostly SMLE Enfields and Kar98 Mausers...and two MG34 beltfeds. Yep, I showed up for the detail with a 30-pound beltfed MG over my shoulder, along with a pair of 200-round belts of 7,92 ammo. In the event of any problems, a single round fired into the air would have been sufficient to call out everybody on station, and yeah, later I did take one of the Kar98s out. But the MG34 has a single-round fire trigger too, and I could touch just one off with it as required, and the single shot from a beltfed under such conditions says *throw grenades here* a lot less obviously than a rip of full-chat.

Still, it's nice to be able to say that yep, I've carried one of those old relics of the last century's troubles over my shoulder *for real* and that they're quite a bit more than a curiousity for me. And oh yeah, it's easier to clean and break down than an M16A1.

 

[archy]

In order of accessibility,

1. Two big, loud dogs.

Concur. Plus a little one to wake the big ones up.

 

[archy]

I have cleared a lot of houses and had choices of submachine guns, shotguns or pretty much whatever. (SNIP!)

Me too. I always preferred direct fore from a 155mm self-propelled artillery piece myself. When not available, the 152mm main gun [well, launcher tube] of a M551 Sheridan would do, though pricey.

Both the Serbs in post-Tito Yugoslavia and the Russians in Chechnya I and II found flamethrowers very useful in the urban setting, known to the US military as MOUT. Not politically correct for us nowadays, I guess.

 

[Eric Mac]

I perfer using a double barrelled shotgun in 20 ga. I load it with #6 birdshot and five on the stock in an ammo carrier. The double has a rail for the streamlight and a Trijicon liminated front bead sight. I choose the double for it's simplicty and the 20 ga. lower recoil, since this a shared weapon for the bedroom with the wife.

 

[gunman41mag]

A saiga 12 with 20 round drum

 

[iCarry]

Well, if the intruder(s) get past my 2 ferocious guard dogs, whose combined weight is under 40 lbs, I would say the gun I shoot/train with the most; my handgun.

A pistol is easy to maneuver around the house, but if I was holding out in my bedroom waiting for the police I'd choose my 1100 or AR

 

[Indy Wing Chun]

To answer the poll's question, my wife's on the shotgun, I get the handgun.

But I'd like to clarify that these are my home OFFENSE weapons. I believe that when you feel the need to "go hot" whether it is hand-to-hand, knife, gun, etc, that you need to be offensive at that point.

DEFENSE is everything you do BEFORE any threat presents itself. In that light, awareness, double-checked locks, emergency plan, dog, alarm, etc are all my home defense options. Having a good defense in place is what makes your offense much more effective.

Think of it like the military, both past and present, building a base or castle or wall. They didn't sit there in the middle of nowhere and wait until they saw the enemy approaching and begin the construction. They build in in preparation of a possible attack, that way it's in place for them to attack any incoming enemy.

This is how I look at ALL aspects of self-protection. Defense in place BEFORE and offense DURING.

My two ducats, anyways!

 

[jesse485]

Just to be different, a pistol caliber carbine (sub 2000) is my favorite. My small children can't unfold it, and its accurate and low recoil. Its also shorter and lighter than an AR, but holds 33rds.

 

[LP1]

I do think that is the case, but I would argue it's a good thing. So I would not call it degrading. Here is why.

1) It's bringing more people into the realm of firearms training. And with any business in a free market, the more the water rises in the harbor, the more all the ships rise. Meaning it elevates the level of training and customer service for those seeking the training. Crappy trainers won't survive. That's good for everybody.

2) Combat vets are starting to teach the public their trade. Those with combat experience bring a lot to the table. But that is not the whole story. It's like a coach and a player. The best coaches are rarely the best players. So it takes all kinds of instructors. However, with an ever-increasing number of trainers who have the combat experience in some capacity, they tend to market that and thus the training takes more of a combat stance than a defensive stance. And again, that is good because those seeking training now have options like never before. AR, AK, shotgun, handgun, CQB, AVOPs, you name it...it's out there. For those who want dedicated defensive/personal protection classes - those are all over the place too. Ther eis nothing you could want to learn thats not out there. And there are companies like ours for example who have staff with a very diverse background. It makes for a huge library of knowledge and students soak it up like a sponge.

3) The students. Before the "tactical" craze, it was a smaller group. Now its spreading like wildfire. And the more people who buy guns and TRAIN...the better off this society is. Plain and simple.

So there is no degradation. It's an improvement and it's good for everybody.

Gotta disagree with several points.

Crappy trainers may not survive for long, but what happens to the folks that they trained, especially if said folks don't realize that they got crappy training? What kind of bad decisions might they make?

I also take issue with the idea that training from combat vets is unreservedly good, and that giving people more of a combat mindset is good. I don't mean to bash vets, but with all due respect their circumstances and mindset are different from the civilian world. We hear a lot about PTSD these days; it doesn't affect everyone, but being trained by someone who has it (and might be in denial) doesn't sound like a good idea. I would also suggest that having a defensive mindset is preferable; a combat-trained vet faces a completely different set of personal and legal risks than your typical homeowner. Things can go bad pretty easily, and bad decisions make life difficult for responsible gun owners - look at the recent high-profile cases in Texas and Florida.

Although I won't disagree with point #3, it's not "plain and simple". It might be plain and simple to you and me, but it's not that way for a large portion of the American people. If it was, we would all vote the same way, go to the same church, watch the same TV shows. We don't help ourselves if we demean the opinions of others by saying that our point of view is plain and simple, and we won't change laws and attitudes by disrespecting the views of others.

 

[sgreen3]

For me it would be a pistol. thats because I can keep it close and I feel most comfortable with it.

 

[Fedempl]

I prefer a claymore at each entrance but since I don't any I use a G19 or G26.

 

[IndyColtsFaithful]

I have a 12 ga within reach for home defense as I know that is what I should probably be grabbing; however, with that being said the few times I've seen someone pull into my driveway or heard something I instinctively grab for my G19.

 

[kjf40]

Id have to say any gun that shoots a projectile and makes a big noise.

Though its a handgun i keep closest.

 

[shannonneumann]

handgun, because it's always nearby

Mostly because it's what I always have handy, the 9mm is what makes it into the nightstand. It's always close by, I'm familiar with it and fairly accurate at the short distances in question, and it's easy to maneuver the hallways and stairs with it.

Having said that, a 18" 12-ga is next up on my list, and that'll get tucked behind the dresser, 3 feet from where I'm sleeping.