What sort of handgun should I use for home protection?

For rural property I think are valuable; in european countries where allowed, owners prefer cartridges for wild pigs hunting, usually 12 gouge with conteinerised " pellets " also for self defense purposes.


If law allow use expansive HP for 357 not FMJ.
9*19 mm Luger with FMJ , especially if +P cartridge, really might go trough people. From close range even 9*18 Mac might do it.

The better holes are created by 45.ACP, 44 Mag, 40. Auto, 40 S&W , of course depends of bullet type etc.
I maybe opted old colt with 45.ACP and expansive bullet. Usable for beating too, low recoil, big hole if I lived in U.S
Thanks. I'll definitely take that into consideration as well. Although our place isn't nearly as rural as I thought it would be from seeing it online. Other than the couple/few javelinas we haven't seen any other forms of wildlife. Though we've heard the coyotes further up in the mountains surrounding us.
 
Wild pigs in Europe are large pigs too, might be over 100 kg, so cartridge for their hunting are incredibly effective for humans too. Death % usually are higher than from single smoothbore bullet cartridge. 8-12 LARGE pellets in container instead of 1 smoothbore bullet.
 
9mm with quality hollow point ammo is the answer. Less recoil, more rounds with plenty of energy, penetration and expansion.

.45 gel tests with a 5" barrel



9mm gel tests with a 4" barrel



The results are very similar in expansion and penetration but you get a smaller firearm with more ammo. The expansion on 9mm is great with speer gold dots. More than the .45 in these tests.
 
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embrace best millimeter....



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3rd or 5th Gen Glock 19 or a S&W M&P 2.0 in 9mm.
 
Whatever you’re the most comfortable shooting accurately and quickly.
 
TS: pistol or revolver?

Revolver: ultimate reliability, only 5-6 rounds, usually .38 or .357 cartridge (for home defense), minimal situational options available.

Pistol: greater ammo capacity, anywhere from 7-17 often with +1 chambered, usually 9mm or 45 ACP, tons of situational options, variants, mods, often military grade. Comes in two forms: hammer (double action/single action) and striker-fired.

Most people nowadays lean to pistols, specifically striker-fired types. The most prominent being Glock 19 and 17s.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a good Smith & Wesson or Ruger wheelgun.

Protip: along with that home defense/bedside handgun, you should have a good flashlight and your cell phone to quickly call law enforcement.
 
@sweetviolenturg


12 gauge and a nice .357 should do the job. I dig the Colt King Cobra for home defense, you can tell Colt did not have the range in mind when they designed it but they did have self defense in mind when they did..

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..of course, it does come with the Colt price tag but my take on this sort of stuff is you get what you pay for. And I’m willing to pay for what I use to protect myself. Colt can still make a really nice revolver.


I own an S&W 686 -both a pre-lock and a newer one. Nice gun with a price tag on it too. I don’t like the fact that there’s a mechanical lock on the newer ones tho. In theory, it could lock up on you in a bad spot. As for Ruger.. I like them too and own a gp100 but it’s a very bulky gun (Rugers are fucking tanks), so I’m not sure where to go with that. They are cheaper than Smiths and Colts and easily as reliable imo


Currently my newer post lock Smith guards my home, but I’m looking to switch it out and the King Cobra will be taking over the duties. Nothing really bad to say about my Smith, it’s a great gun, but it does have the lock on it and it’s also a 6 inch barrel which makes tucking it away that much more difficult. Plus, I like shooting it and I want to turn it into a range gun now.


If you can find a pre-lock Smith & Wesson (mid 90’s and earlier) I highly highly recommend going that route. My -4 686 plus is easily one of the nicest wheel guns I’ve handled.
 
Btw, the fit/finish and action on the King Cobras I’ve looked at so far are butter. Very very nice gun. Doesn’t have some of the bells and whistles most people would want for the money, but it is very very well made.
 
revolvers cuz automatics jam at the wrong time
 
Said no cop or soldier - ever.

Exactly, revolvers can fail as well. The difference is when a revolver has a malfunction it can often be left completely inoperable and needing to be taken apart.
 
If DA type revolver doesn't fired cos poor cartridge, you can just pull trigger again and next cartridge might work well. With one hand.
If blowback action pistol didn't fired cos poor cartridge, you use both hands; with one hand rack slide back when holding pistol with another hand...
Also in many european countries law prohibits civilians with CCW permit to carry pistol with chambered cartridge ( feeded for usage ) but revolver cylinder might be legally ready to .....

U.S from other side is with plenty of good revolvers manufacturers, europe also produces some excellent revolvers but not so much choice than in U.S.
 
Exactly, revolvers can fail as well.

This is true. Fire enough "dirty" .38 special in a .357 and you'll have carbon residue buildup in tight-clearance places. Add that a (my) lack of understanding how to properly lube the right parts and that cylinder will seize at the wrong time. Proper cleaning and maintenance is the fix. I never flick the cylinder open and close like you see in the movies.... but I spin the shit out of it.
 
I would get a Glock. I have 2 Glock and I have never had a malfunction with either. I have never had a malfunction with any of my firearms honestly so if you get one of the popular brands, you should be good to go..

I mostly came here to post that a shotgun would be something to have as well.. They are pretty cheap. You can get a Mossberg Maverick 88 for $200 or less and they are super reliable and fun to shoot.

I think all households should have a shotgun for protection..

I'm not saying to skip out on a handgun. Definately get one. Get that handgun first. Once you get that and find out how much fun it is to shoot, throw a shotgun in the mix later on down the road..

I don't know if it's just me but once I bought my first firearm, having just one wasn't enough..

My whole plan was to have a rifle, handgun, and shotgun.. I wanted all 3..

Now I have 2 rifles, 4 handguns, and 2 shotguns and I don't even plan on stopping there.. I have plans to get more..
 
What about an AR pistol? :cool:
 
This is true. Fire enough "dirty" .38 special in a .357 and you'll have carbon residue buildup in tight-clearance places. Add that a (my) lack of understanding how to properly lube the right parts and that cylinder will seize at the wrong time. Proper cleaning and maintenance is the fix. I never flick the cylinder open and close like you see in the movies.... but I spin the shit out of it.
The 1986 Miami FBI shooting, which entirely changed law enforcements views on ballistics and how well armed police need to be, highlighted some often overlooked issues with revolvers.
One of the agents, who I believe was one of them that was killed, was shot and wounded early in the firefight. Some of his own blood got onto his revolver. The blood got into the chambers, and it was enough to prevent him from being able to load fresh rounds in. IIRC, one of the bad guys ran up on him and shot him again as he was trying and failing to reload. This is one of the major reasons police forces across the country ditched revolvers all together.
 
All weapons, after you use in shooting training range should be carefully cleaned without waiting until defects from powder residues started to develop.

Compare civilian ammunition capabilities with old miami shooting isn't fair.
If they used body armour, then...
Civilians cannot own armour piercing cartridges......
So special task units are equiped, if necessary, with ammunition, where at least steel cores in bullets are used and modern AP ammo is with multi jacketed hardened cores + with enchanced chamber pressure developed by round.
There according SAAMI type testing for firearm is used to mark it, for example +P+ 9*19 mm
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Thanks to God, to deal with gangsters that wears body armour isn't our task.
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If there in self defense one must change ammo in revolver/ handgun also looks like serious gangsters attack.
To reload pistol for wounded man might be not easier than revolver.

Due to lower cartridges ammount in revolver cylindre than in pistol's magazine, in modern days revolvers mainly are used as back up guns, trustable and easily serviceable. Some are excellent for target shooting and the mostly valuable thing in revolver is that if one cartridge doesn't work, just press trigger again. Pistols cannot offer this.
 
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