Top 3 guns and gear for home defense

Robocok

Banned
Banned
Joined
Feb 28, 2016
Messages
8,764
Reaction score
4,425
What do you consider the top 3 essential guns and/or gear for personal defense?

This is my list.

1. Handgun-
Pros: compact, lightweight, can generally be conceal carried

Con: not as effective as other guns in many scenarios, lack of stopping power, can easily find yourself 'outgunned'

I still think it's the first weapon anyone should have for the mobility reason even though it's not the best in a real firefight.

s-l500.jpg

2. Carbine or rifle-
Pros: more effective all around in multiple situations, especially longer distances, more effective stopping power than handgun calibers

Cons: more expensive category than handguns, not concealable

Ok, I already know that I want a carbine for an all around gun unless someone has a great reason otherwise. I'm thinking about something affordable like the ruger ar556 as my main home defense (possibly even hunting?) weapon. Thinking about probably doing a red dot for this, but possibly a scope

1-2.jpg

3. Ok, this is kind of why I made this thread. To me (a noob) the shotgun seems like the choice for up close combat, but a part of me feel likes some body armor might be a smarter investment.

Now when it comes to body armor, I have 2 thoughts. On one hand, I'd like something that I can wear concealed with reasonable comfort ALL the time. Something discreet that will give me an edge in a bad case scenario where I take a hit center mass.

I don't like that so much of my stomach area is exposed and vulnerable with this but it does look relatively light and comfortable.
White-Concealable-Vest-800px.jpg
https://safelifedefense.com/product...7yxg92M--ehabNj_7e1891Ly7pdIaAkogEALw_wcB#SLD

Pros: conceal carry, hidden protection, can wear all the time

Cons: expensive, doesn't cover lower abdomen at all, coverage area is too small imo

Now the other plan I like is something that I can easily grab and put on at any time once alerted to a potential threat. The advantage to something like this is that it can easily be thrown over whatever I'm wearing and can hold extra mags.

siege-r-optimized-ranger-green_1__4__91365.1520546284__77300.1552264382-1.jpg

https://lhagear.com/firstspear-siege-r-optimized/

Pros: decent protection and coverage, holds extra mags and stuff, quick and easy to quickly throw on if have a moment to prepare for an assailant

Cons: not stealth, not wearing all the time, have to decide to 'equip', sticks out like a sore thumb, expensive


Or....

Do I ditch the stupid, cumbersome, and probably totally unnecessary body armor that I'll waste valuable time messing with and go for a classic like the simple and effective shotgun for home defense?

mossberg-shockwave-shotgun-50659__26144.1513113412.jpg

PZZIMX12-2.jpg
 
Last edited:
1.
AC-22-1135L.jpg


2.
main-image


3.
Cannon-Antietam-National-Battlefield-Maryland.jpg


Bonus protective gear
tumblr_n071p3O6bJ1rdredko1_500.jpg
 
Someone’s coming up my driveway and I have 30 seconds available, I’m grabbing the Benelli M4
 
Aka get this stupid shit out of my thread
Its quite simple. high capacity pistol. You can kill someone with a .22 just as easily as a .9mm or a .45. But I'm not going to recommend a .22 for self defence, my recommendation get the highest capacity .40 you can.
Pump action shotgun - Tried and true method, Semi Automatic also a nice choice. - Cons holds like 7 shots, reload can take time and be tricky under pressure situations if you aren't used to loading it.
Rifle - I don't see the point unless you're getting invaded by people in serious body armour.

Posted my replies because I don't think this thread even has a point. Everyones house and properties has a different layout. If you live on massive plots of land obviously rifles would be more useful. If you live in a cramped small house no point having anything more than a pistol so you can have maximum mobility around the house. Body armour seems completely pointless to purchase unless you wear it 24/7 or the people coming to attack you give you 5 minutes notice before they arrive.
And don't get a double barrel shotgun for self defence, yes you can defend yourself with them, yes they'll kill someone but also a high chance you'll panic, pull both triggers at the same time and miss both shots.
Simple to do, fast to do, reliable. All you need for home defence. You don't need to overthink everything.

If you can't defend your house with a flintlock pistol, a blunderbuss and a cannon what use are you.
 
Last edited:
Its quite simple. high capacity pistol. You can kill someone with a .22 just as easily as a .9mm or a .45. But I'm not going to recommend a .22 for self defence, my recommendation get the highest capacity .40 you can.
Pump action shotgun - Tried and true method, Semi Automatic also a nice choice. - Cons holds like 7 shots, reload can take time and be tricky under pressure situations if you aren't used to loading it.
Rifle - I don't see the point unless you're getting invaded by people in serious body armour.

Posted my replies because I don't think this thread even has a point. Everyones house and properties has a different layout. If you live on massive plots of land obviously rifles would be more useful. If you live in a cramped small house no point having anything more than a pistol so you can have maximum mobility around the house. Body armour seems completely pointless to purchase unless you wear it 24/7 or the people coming to attack you give you 5 minutes notice before they arrive.
And don't get a double barrel shotgun for self defence, yes you can defend yourself with them, yes they'll kill someone but also a high chance you'll panic, pull both triggers at the same time and miss both shots.
Simple to do, fast to do, reliable. All you need for home defence. You don't need to overthink everything.

If you can't defend your house with a flintlock pistol, a blunderbuss and a cannon what use are you.

Cannon atleast would be handy if someone here is a farmer in South africa.

Could shoot across fields

And for serioys answer

Handgun
Axe
Knife
 
Best gun is the one you have the most experience training with and maintaining. wol is right about everyone's home being different in layout, it determines.

That being said, for me:
Pistol calibur carbine
Handgun
Semi-auto shotgun

I always hear about stopping power, but really ppl don't really rush towards you when under fire. Usually they stop doing invader shit, cover, or run when being fired upon.
 
Last edited:
Its quite simple. high capacity pistol. You can kill someone with a .22 just as easily as a .9mm or a .45. But I'm not going to recommend a .22 for self defence, my recommendation get the highest capacity .40 you can.
Pump action shotgun - Tried and true method, Semi Automatic also a nice choice. - Cons holds like 7 shots, reload can take time and be tricky under pressure situations if you aren't used to loading it.
Rifle - I don't see the point unless you're getting invaded by people in serious body armour.

Posted my replies because I don't think this thread even has a point. Everyones house and properties has a different layout. If you live on massive plots of land obviously rifles would be more useful. If you live in a cramped small house no point having anything more than a pistol so you can have maximum mobility around the house. Body armour seems completely pointless to purchase unless you wear it 24/7 or the people coming to attack you give you 5 minutes notice before they arrive.
And don't get a double barrel shotgun for self defence, yes you can defend yourself with them, yes they'll kill someone but also a high chance you'll panic, pull both triggers at the same time and miss both shots.
Simple to do, fast to do, reliable. All you need for home defence. You don't need to overthink everything.

If you can't defend your house with a flintlock pistol, a blunderbuss and a cannon what use are you.
It's sort of like saying that there is no point to guns for self defense beyond just having a basic handgun. You're an alright guy and all, but your post is dumb.
 
Serious answers appreciated
I think one thing you are missing from the shotgun equation (and take it from a guy who lives in a country where handguns are essentially banned) is round selection and the fear factor.

It seems to me that unless you live in some ghetto shithole or have dangerous personal enemies the most likely use of a firearm is as a deterrent. The vast majority of home defense situations are not hollywood style shootouts with murderous psychos - simply wracking a pump is enough to end most criminal's ambitions, and if you load the first round as birdshot you can fire a warning round either at or about them without worrying about bystanders/neighbours/legal ramifications etc.
 
I think one thing you are missing from the shotgun equation (and take it from a guy who lives in a country where handguns are essentially banned) is round selection and the fear factor.

It seems to me that unless you live in some ghetto shithole or have dangerous personal enemies the most likely use of a firearm is as a deterrent. The vast majority of home defense situations are not hollywood style shootouts with murderous psychos - simply wracking a pump is enough to end most criminal's ambitions, and if you load the first round as birdshot you can fire a warning round either at or about them without worrying about bystanders/neighbours/legal ramifications etc.
I think you're looking at it from the perspective of whether or not anyone really needs an arsenal which is not what the thread is about. It reminds me of stuff my parents used to say when I started bjj and boxing about how they're dangerous and not skills worth pursuing.

You and Wol, both from countries with heavy gun control, have made it clear that you don't think I need all that. It was never my question.

I recently moved from a more densely populated area to a more rural one in the country. I have 5 acres. I have no plans to shoot anyone ever, but I want to be prepared just in case.
 
It's sort of like saying that there is no point to guns for self defense beyond just having a basic handgun. You're an alright guy and all, but your post is dumb.
Carbines used in combat in a house will restrict your movement quite a bit, reloading can be quick but often nowhere near as quick as it could be with a pistol. You have to wonder what you're expecting to invade your house? Over complicating things is a recipe for disaster. A Glock 22 (.40 cal glock) with 4 spare magazines should be more than sufficient for your home defence. Yes its good to have other options personally a quality shortened Remington 870 would be my go to, but I've heard the quality of them has dropped off in recent years.

As you stated you live on 5 acres its perfectly understandable you want something with a bit more range. And a carbine that could also double as something you could hunt with would be the perfect option for that. I recently sold the majority of my firearms and only have a Glock 17 and a 1911 left. Australia has gun control yes, but guns are still very easy to purchase and own if you have the relevant licenses and incredibly easy to find on the black market.

To answer your question this is exactly what I would have if I lived in the States

1. Glock 22 - 4 spare magazines 2 mags loaded with hollowpoints, two mags loaded with FMJ's or alternatively a 9mm CZ pistol with high capacity. CZ are very reliable pistols.
2. Remington 870 - Use slugs and just get a good quality rifled choke. Or alternatively a Benelli semi automatic shotgun
3. Rifle/Carbine - Something relatively compact, if its in your budget look into a bullpup so you can combine a short rifle with a full length barrel, give you mobility and range accuracy. This comes down to what feels most comfortable in your hands.

Not necessary - Body Armour

As @RerouteToRemain said medical equipment is essential. I'm pretty sure in the US you can buy gunshot wound medical kits, buy one and learn everything there is to using it.
The most important thing in all of this is practice with your weapons, field strip them, learn to know everything about them get comfortable to use them so you can operate efficiently with them in the dark or rain or whatever circumstances arise. Set alarms to wake you up late at night, and practice operating them while you're half asleep (Obviously hide any loaded magazines and make sure the weapon is clear before going to sleep) I understand you don't intend on shooting anyone ever. Its the same as me having security cameras on my house. I don't expect anyone to break in but it's better to have than to not have them.
 
Carbines used in combat in a house will restrict your movement quite a bit, reloading can be quick but often nowhere near as quick as it could be with a pistol. You have to wonder what you're expecting to invade your house? Over complicating things is a recipe for disaster. A Glock 22 (.40 cal glock) with 4 spare magazines should be more than sufficient for your home defence. Yes its good to have other options personally a quality shortened Remington 870 would be my go to, but I've heard the quality of them has dropped off in recent years.

As you stated you live on 5 acres its perfectly understandable you want something with a bit more range. And a carbine that could also double as something you could hunt with would be the perfect option for that. I recently sold the majority of my firearms and only have a Glock 17 and a 1911 left. Australia has gun control yes, but guns are still very easy to purchase and own if you have the relevant licenses and incredibly easy to find on the black market.

To answer your question this is exactly what I would have if I lived in the States

1. Glock 22 - 4 spare magazines 2 mags loaded with hollowpoints, two mags loaded with FMJ's or alternatively a 9mm CZ pistol with high capacity. CZ are very reliable pistols.
2. Remington 870 - Use slugs and just get a good quality rifled choke. Or alternatively a Benelli semi automatic shotgun
3. Rifle/Carbine - Something relatively compact, if its in your budget look into a bullpup so you can combine a short rifle with a full length barrel, give you mobility and range accuracy. This comes down to what feels most comfortable in your hands.

Not necessary - Body Armour

As @RerouteToRemain said medical equipment is essential. I'm pretty sure in the US you can buy gunshot wound medical kits, buy one and learn everything there is to using it.
The most important thing in all of this is practice with your weapons, field strip them, learn to know everything about them get comfortable to use them so you can operate efficiently with them in the dark or rain or whatever circumstances arise. Set alarms to wake you up late at night, and practice operating them while you're half asleep (Obviously hide any loaded magazines and make sure the weapon is clear before going to sleep) I understand you don't intend on shooting anyone ever. Its the same as me having security cameras on my house. I don't expect anyone to break in but it's better to have than to not have them.
If I had it to do over, I would have gone with a larger caliber than .9. I went with that because I wanted to keep the recoil low so my girlfriend and son could use it plus the standard stuff like it being cheaper and more readily available (at least at that time).

I'm pretty comfortable with it. Everyone in the house has been trained on safety and it's not accessible to anyone but me. I practice my draw and dry fire a lot recently. I'm decently fast with stripping it down, changing mags, etc.

I think my next gun will either be a 556 carbine though a .22 like j123 was suggesting is kind of tempting
 
If I had it to do over, I would have gone with a larger caliber than .9. I went with that because I wanted to keep the recoil low so my girlfriend and son could use it plus the standard stuff like it being cheaper and more readily available (at least at that time).

I'm pretty comfortable with it. Everyone in the house has been trained on safety and it's not accessible to anyone but me. I practice my draw and dry fire a lot recently. I'm decently fast with stripping it down, changing mags, etc.

I think my next gun will either be a 556 carbine though a .22 like j123 was suggesting is kind of tempting
Smith and Wesson do make some good .22LR M4 style Carbines they'll likely be cheaper. The issue with that is you're getting pistol range with full sized issues. They'll be more accurate because of the longer barrel but at that stage you may as well just buy a .223 or 5.56
 
Smith and Wesson do make some good .22LR M4 style Carbines they'll likely be cheaper. The issue with that is you're getting pistol range with full sized issues. They'll be more accurate because of the longer barrel but at that stage you may as well just buy a .223 or 5.56
The thing that is tempting about a .22 is that I'm technically within the city limits so unfortunately I'm not allowed to shoot on my property unless I or my property is in danger so I am allowed to shoot predators that are scoping my chicken but I can't target practice there. I'm thinking the .22 maybe won't be too loud so that the neighbors don't complain to the law again.

Still not convinced of the stopping power of the .22 though and would prefer a larger round.
 
The thing that is tempting about a .22 is that I'm technically within the city limits so unfortunately I'm not allowed to shoot on my property unless I or my property is in danger so I am allowed to shoot predators that are scoping my chicken but I can't target practice there. I'm thinking the .22 maybe won't be too loud so that the neighbors don't complain to the law again.

Still not convinced of the stopping power of the .22 though and would prefer a larger round.
On my parents farm when horses have broken legs and had to be put down quickly we've used a .22 it penetrates their skull easy enough and their bones are thicker than ours. Obviously stopping power is a thing, as a person is going to react a lot less to the kinetic force of a .22 over a .45, the more the impact the more likely they are to be incapacitated or realise they have in fact been shot.
I have no problem with 9mm or even .38.
 
@Robocok how hard has .38 super ammo been able to find during the shortages? They might be a bit more common because it's not the most popular caliber around. I absolutely love firing .38 supers.
 
Back
Top