Home protection question

[DMCA]

If you have kids to think about you need to figure out how to protect them while putting yourself in as little danger as possible. Your job is to stay alive for them, clearing your house is not something you should even be thinking about at all--leave that job for the police.

Very well put. A shotgun or handgun, should be your last line of defense. Good HD requires being alerted then defending as secure a position as possible until the cavalry arrive.

[cal3gunner]

Since you are concerned with rounds going through walls and hitting your family which would be horrible, I would suggest looking into some of these non lethal shotgun shells.

http://www.ammunitiontogo.com/catalog1/index.php/cName/12-gauge-lessthanlethal

Load one of the bean bags or rubber pellets as your first shot with a follow up shot of buckshot. These less lethal shells would still go through walls probably but hopefully wouldn't be lethal. Most of the non lethal stuff is still deadly at close than 12 ft so it would be wise to treat this stuff like normal ammo at the distances you might find in your house.

A shotgun with a flashlight mounted on it with one of these bean bags as the first round would be a good HD gun.

[Sam]

I think that a laser is another tool in the toolbox but one should never rely on it as the only aiming device. Irons should always be the primary aiming device, they don't need batteries. Also, just because there is a laser attached to a handgun/shotgun doesn't mean that the defender doesn't have to be sure of his/her target. It seems like lasers may convince people they can take care of intruders while in the dark and/or without knowing who the person in the shadows is and that may lead to a terrible result if the shadow in the dark is another family member and shots are fired.

While I've never done any scientific tests, lasers from a low ready or a draw don't seem to make me faster to put shots on target as I still rely on my irons. While I know that lasers, even red lasers like the crimson trace grips may be visible if there is dust in the air, I suppose if used correctly shouldn't give away the defender's position. Keep the laser off until you go from low ready to sights on target. I also think that those that rely on the sound of racking a shotgun to scare off a criminal are being foolish. If there is an intruder in the house, there should already be a round in the chamber ready to go. Taking the time to chamber a round during crunchtime provides the intruder more time to attack first.

[JDay]

Reading the threads, it looks like it is split about 50/50 hand gun vs shotgun for home protection. I do own both and believe me, a round going though a wall and ending up somewhere where it shouldn't be (kids room,neighbors house) is a real concern. My house is very small and would be hard to navigate with a shotgun, esp if a perp is waiting around a corner. How about a 9mm with a laser sight and frangible rounds. Under stress,fear, and adrenaline it should be easier to shoot where the "red dot" is rather than taking the time to try and sight the gun. The frangibles,from what i've studied, will do the trick as far as stopping power without penetrating walls and taking out your neighborhood. This is my personal opinion and I would like to hear what the experts say!

Frangible rounds are a good choice however I would stay away from a laser sight since it can give away your position. Nothing is a substitute for practice and training. You should be able to find a good defensive handgun course in your area. You will learn the proper way to aim (focus on front sight) and the legalities of using deadly force. You should also research the different frangible rounds since they are all made to perform differently. Personally I keep my shotgun loaded with #2 buck and a pistol, the pistol is kept where I can grab it in a second and the shotgun is close by.

[JDay]

Shotgun with 12 gauge 3" 41pellet shells.

Magnum loads in a shotgun are for distance not more stopping power. Not a good thing to have where over penetration will be a problem.

[JDay]

Secure your weapon and your loved ones and stay put. There's no need to go looking for the bg in defense of your dvd player. Choose the weapon you're best with.

Flame away.

+1, the DA will say you hunted down and brutally murdered the intruder. Its never a good idea to look for the fight, especially in this state.

[Bug Splat]

Lasers are a joke. They will actually slow you down. I have done a lot of testing with lasers and they don't work like people think. Your eyes should always be on the target, not trying to find a stupid red dot. If you think you are going to have time to find your dot and put it on the intruders head your are fooling your self.

Instinctive shooting is what you need to learn. learn to bring your pistol in line with your eyes. If you practice enough you wont even have to think about aligning your sites, they just do it. You will not find 1 good pistol match shooter with a laser on his gun. They are useless in fast paced shooting.

[JDay]

I think it was Massad Ayoob who busted this myth, on the ProArms podcast about lasers. The perp is not going to be looking down at his chest, and will not be able to see it on his head. I suppose you could use a green visible light laser, but then you'd give the perp a straight line back to you for targeting.

Let it forever rest along with gun myths like racking shotguns makes criminals crap their pants.

Green laser + eyes = can't see. Thats what I'd use it for anyway.

[JDay]

Since you are concerned with rounds going through walls and hitting your family which would be horrible, I would suggest

I would stay away from those for several reasons. For one those rounds are still quite lethal at close range. You will open yourself up for a lawsuit if you are not trained and certified to use those rounds. And if you have to fire your weapon you don't want the BG to sue you later, its also better for you if the only side of the story the police, DA and jury has to hear is yours. Or do you expect the BG to tell the truth about what happened?

[Justin562]

Magnum loads in a shotgun are for distance not more stopping power. Not a good thing to have where over penetration will be a problem.

Your right...3" Is overkill,and your right about the DA will come after you if you kill the guy without a serious threat to yours life. Who ever suggested the non lethal rounds has the right idea...You don't wanna kill the bg just disable him till the police finally arrive.

[Matt C]

Still gotta go with the shotgun. The sould of you racking the slide is a major step in dissuading the bad guy too

Or maybe he will just fire at the sound. This thread is one of those where BS is inevitable.

[skerzz]

Lasers give you the ability to make shots you normally could not make accurately becasue there is no time/space to raise your gun and look down the sights. Exampe: shooting your gun from the hip after being knocked down

They also allow you to focus on the target, not your front sight.

[JDay]

Lasers give you the ability to make shots you normally could not make accurately becasue there is no time/space to raise your gun and look down the sights. Exampe: shooting your gun from the hip after being knocked down

They also allow you to focus on the target, not your front sight.

Lasers don't take into account bullet drop. You also shouldn't have to focus on your sights if you've been staying proficient with your firearm.

[skerzz]

I don't think bullet drop is a real concern in a home defense situation (unless you live in an extremly large mansion). Under high stress situations, such as a home invasion, your "proficient" firearm skills may not be 100%, and the laser sight is a nice tool to have.

[N6ATF]

Green laser + eyes = can't see. Thats what I'd use it for anyway.

Good luck actually temporary-blinding someone to the point of them stopping action. The natural movement of the laser as you try to hold on target will glance over the retina, and would probably annoy me enough to try to knock the laser out of commission.