Handgun for home defense/target shooting
As the thread title suggests, I'd like to know what's a good gun for home defense and/or target shooting. I'm not very knowledgeable about guns, but I've read a little on the internet. I've shot shotguns and rifles but never really done target shooting. What kind of models should I be looking at and what should the price range be for new ones? Thanks in advance.
Comments
i would recommend a glock 17 i really like them they are fairly cheap at around 450 dollars used depending on where you are they hold a decent ammount of ammunition and they are reliable as long as you stick with factory magazines.
a ruger gp100 in .357 magnum would make a pretty good house gun as it is in a decent caliber and you can allso carry it if you feel like it they go for between 325-what i paid for mine and 400 used
a underated gun is the smith and wesson 3rd generation autos 5906 or 4506 or 1006 pistols i know the 10mm goes for around 500 dollars my cousin has one and its a great one a freind tried to sell my a compact verision of the 5906 for 300 dollars they can be found resonably priced and are extremely reliable and accurate guns
i like to use my home defense handgun in conjunctuon with a rifle or shotgun say i have my .45 in my computer desk downstairs where i spend a lot of my time i can use that to make my way to my rifle in my bedroom if something happens but at least i have some kind of weapon with me.
handguns are harder to make hits with for most untrained pepole but at sub 20 feet it really dosent matter if you can point it and pull the trigger you stand a decent chance of hitting a man sized target.
but they also have the advantage of easily being stashed in a desk drawer and if someone knocks on your door and you dont know who it is you can toss it in your wasitband while you find out and at least still have something.
Revolvers require maintainance and cleaning more often. your much better off with a good auto handgun.
for those of you that don't understand why I suggest a rifle or shotgun over a pistol:
More accuracy and firepower with the same arm length.
1911 of some brand.
Model 10 S&W or the Taurus 82S, in .38spl.
I'd still suggest a shotgun. Winchester 1200 with 18" barrel and folding stock is a very good choice.
The reason I'd prefer a handgun is my apartment is small, so if someone came in, they'd be 20 feet away tops and also because they take up a lot less space. I could also take it to the firing range in town. There aren't any areas where I could practice with a shotgun or rifle, and I think it's important I be able to train with the weapon in case I ever need to fire it in self defense.
Would I want .40 s&w or .45 acp? I've looked at the Glock 23 and 30. Supposedly they're pretty low maintenance, accurate, and aren't prone to jamming. What brands should I look at for 1911? Colt, Springfield, Remington? From what I've read on forums the most important thing is shot placement, but it seems a lot of people prefer the .45 over .40 or 9mm. I'd want something very reliable and easy to maintain when not fired for extended periods of time.
45acp is not any better than 9mm. 9mm is fine. less capacity and less follow up shots with the bigger calibers.
Lol if you think you can't practice with a shotgun or rifle. I gurantee you there are places you can take them.
A handgun does not offer much advantages over a rifle or shotgun unless you plan to open/conceal carry it. The only advantage is that they are more conceable which doesn't mater for home d as much.
As fo chosen a handgun. Any name brand will do. Just pick what feels best to YOU. we can't tell you what you will like.
Thats because you're looking at the wrong part of the gun rack. Move over to the mossbergs
If you planned to carry it I would agree with getting the pistol.
Handgun shoots through wall and kills family/neighbor/friend/dog/television.
Surprisingly I agree with you on this. The shotgun is the best home defense weapon I own a wingmaster 870 and Ill guarantee no one wants to break into my house.
Get a rem 870 or mossberg 500 shotgun in ether 12 ga or 20 ga. It will defend your living space, without killing your neighbors. A rifle will overpenetrate and will usually lead to legal trouble after the fight.
If your getting a pistol, a 1911 in 45 acp would be great. But a revolver would probably be your best bet, get it in 357mag and you can shoot 38 special out of it for practice.
This...it's usually the first thing mentioned in these threads. Shotgun<handgun<rifle.
Not really. A blowback operated firearm is far simpler. For example, a Makarov has, IIRC, 17 parts. Hell, Hi-Points aren't even designed to be cleaned!
A revolver is actually very complex. A SAO or hammerless is less, complex, however than the single-double design. They do have fewer parts, but each part is integral to the operation and failure or wear of any one of them can render the pistol to be unsafe.
Shotguns will still blow through walls like they were made of paper. Obviously slugs will have overpenetration issues, but any buckshot big enough to effectively take down a human is going to have enough power to keep going into your neighbor's house. (SPOILER: Birdshot is not effective.)
.223 is pretty good because even drywall will greatly affect the bullet enough so that it yaws and quickly loses speed. If it still hits someone, it will do far less damage than other bullets.
.40 Shit and Wipe is widely regarded as being too snappy and with poor terminal performance. See also: Peter Soulas
I wouldn't touch a Glock unless it's a 9mm. The .40 and .45 Glocks have greatly oversized chambers and have huge issues with case ruptures.
As for 1911's, pretty much any of them other than Taurus or Norinco are going to be the same cast steel parts. Taurus and Norinco use forged steel frames and slides, and Norinco uses 5130 steel instead of 4130. The 5130 alloy has much more chromium in it, which makes it far tougher, although a lack of molybdenum will mean it will wear more unless you grease the rails.
I bought a frame from Foster Industries, a parts kit from Sarco, and a manufacturer's defective unmarked slide from GunBroker. Altogether it came in at $400. The parts required some fitting, but it's a great gun. (I also blued it using crap I bought at Home Depot.
For a cheaper 1911 than most everyone else look into Rock Island Armory. I had one of those once and everything was great about it except the slide stop didn't like tripping the slide with the mag that came with it. I switched it with the GI mag that came with my Sarco kit and it works great.
This, I'm a big fan of 1911's and my family has owned a number over the past decade. I can only speak for target shooting as, well, you have fuck all chance getting a handgun for home protection in Australia. .38spl seems to be a good 'all-rounder' caliber and I'm sure it would pack enough stopping power to be employed for home protection. In comparison to other posters in this thread, my knowledge is very limited but I would agree that a shotgun is too a good option.
I have a RIA 1911 and love it. toss the included mag and get some GI ones. Those included ones don't feed very well. I've had zero problems with mine, and they are much cheaper than most. What works, simply works. I saw no sense in dropping $1,000 dollars on a kimber when I was used to that hunk-o-shit/jam-o-matic M9.
And I will say that generally shotguns aren't terribly practical in an appartment that may be as cramped as one I used to have ha. I have one now that I can move a rifle and shotgun through, but it's a little tougher due to the full length of the shotgun.
I love the 1911, hate the glocks. Personal preference. Go to a gun range, and try some different things out. Better to have some hands on experience on something before dropping hard earned monies on it.
EDIT: Forgot to mention. My buddy and I were out camping on a chunk of land my old man owns, a few months ago, and we each brought a few guns. We each had a 1911- Mine a RIA, and his a 39 GI issue. Mine never had a problem. But his kept having failure to feeds, so I assumed it was the magazine and let him try two of mine. Same issue. Could have been a number of things, worn recoil spring, sticky/no grease. It was pretty cold, about 40F.
With your range regulations noted, I would still say that a 5.56mm carbine is the best firearm for home defense as it has a much higher ability to stop a threat than any handgun caliber and, because it is shoulder fired and has minimal recoil, it is extremely easy to shoot under stress.
Anyone who believes a rifle is inappropriate for self defense obviously knows very little about firearms and ballistics in general. The typical argument against rifles in the home defense role is that rifles will "over penetrate and kill your neighbors".
I seriously hope people who believe that nonsense don't have a shotgun or a handgun for home defense either. As shotguns (loaded with the proper defense loading) and handguns put significantly more lead through building material and soft tissue than a 5.56mm carbine would.
That said, if you absolutely must have a handgun and DO NOT plan on ever concealed carrying it, I would recommend the GLOCK 34 with the addition of an Insight M3 weapon light.
It has a long barrel and an improved trigger and has extremely low recoil, so it would be easy to make hits under stress. The magazine holds 17 rounds, so you would have plenty of ammunition available in case it would be needed.
I would advise you to not get too hung up on .40s or .45s unless you are somehow restricted to using only full metal jacket ammo.
With modern hollowpoints, 9mm has no disadvantage to .40 or .45 and 9mms generally recoil less so, again, it is easier to shoot and make hits with and you can practice more because 9mm target ammo is cheaper.
If it is still under your budget of $600, I could also recommend the Beretta CX4 Storm 9mm carbine. You should still be allowed to use it at the range you go to because it IS a handgun caliber, except it has nearly all the ergonomic benefits as a rifle would have like ability to shoot from the shoulder and pretty much no recoil due to the size of the firearm VS the caliber.
Anyway, that's just my take on it.
Source?
5.56mm rounds penetrate less wallboard and building materials than ALL service handgun rounds and 12 gauge 00 Buck loadings.
http://how-i-did-it.org/drywall/test-parameters.html
Article by a manufacturer of shitty rifles:
http://www.olyarms.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=27
/thread
Also, keep in mind that most cases of armed self defense in the home occur within the range of 30 feet, at which range you can dismember or decapitate the invader with buckshot. Several times. Within seconds.
I cannot think of a scenario more intimidating and deterring to an invader than this:
Ive broken into a home with a handgun. My nerves are shot.
I enter a room which may or may not be the master bedroom
And I hear a shotgun being pumped.
At this point, one HOPES that they can make a quick exit, and that no one can see their shape in the darkness
Otherwise, instant and LEGAL death is certain
Thing is, if I had to deal in-home with an invasion I would pick up my 5.56 16" carbine midlength first and that's mainly because I've had years and years of practice with that weapon and can hit POI without sights within 25 meters.
Next up would be a 9mm or .45 autoloader. I know I bitched bout the M9 earlier, but I was given a junker jam-o-matic in the service. The 92FS's I've handled have performed very very well. As new issue weapons would. My serivce pistol was an old worn out junker. Didn't cycle very reliably. And My RIA .45 is even better. As long as you stay with ball ammo, it feeds everything, and tosses it down the barrel flawlessly. I can hit gong targets 150 yards away with a little aim. Within 25 meters it's a no brainer.
My 5.56 and .45 are my go to weapons. Mainly because I have trust and experience with them. If you use frangible ammo in a 5.56 and don't miss(at usually 20 feet tops how could you?) you don't have to worry. It won't penetrate the body. Even if you miss it should shatter upon impacting sheetrock. The .45 is a little different story. YOu must hit or that SOB can go though a house. It may be slow moving but it's a heavy fucking round with a lot of momentum, and no HP feeds reliably in a 1911.
I still live in one, and keep my .45 by my bed with a full magazine but not in the chamber. I keep my 12Ga in the safe, too much spread. I don't really feel break in's or anything while I'm there, so I have the little back up whatever. I also don't typically think I need my AR to fight off a burgler. If you get off one/two well aimed shots the deal is done. YOu don't need a 30 round magazine, or a 15 round pistol. People are too silly about what they think a battle consists of. the 8 rounds in the 1911 should be enough, if you need more than that you either have never fired it, or are under investigation as well.