Why would you choose a handgun over long gun for home defense?

[CK_32]

If it's not obvious I'm worried about you lol


The main reason I would and do is because it's easy to stow away in the home.

Light and easy to manipulate around.

SD/HD ammo does auite some damage


And for some it's only a $500 purchase than a $1,000 AR Which also has more parts and levers to worry about for maintenance if your not firearm familiar.


Me personally run both shotgun, pistol and rifle for my HD... All loaded for all different reasons. As I post in all of these I don't just arm up for one small simulation of HD, I make sure I'm ready for any, and after assessing what's going on in my house, I then grab the firearm best suited for it.

[Pally]

Handgun for immediate use for protection until I could get to my shotgun.

[Thermapen]

Since it's Saturday, I'll reply in part-humor, part seriousness

layers of defense, & a handy blade: Kill Bill house visit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Mk_f75TS1Ahttp://

practice if you could make a shot at odd angles with your firearm of choice: A Better Tomorrow 2 - run & gun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-IawCX_Y4s

[JDoe]

A handgun can be used with, well, you just your hand. One hand. If the bad guys have blown your arm off or otherwise disabled one arm/hand, at least you are still able to return fire with your hand gun.

If all that you have is a long gun and especially if you have a pump action shotgun you may be well and truly screwed.

Maybe it is a decent idea to consider having both a handgun and a long gun for home defense.

[neouser]

Maybe it is a decent idea to consider having both a handgun and a long gun for home defense.

Actually, I agree with this 100%. There's no reason a person shouldn't have both. Pistol on your person and a shotgun with buckshot ready to go.

[light351]

Think about discharging a firearm in your house, shotgun will be loud but a handgun will make you deaf.

Something most people never think about.

You know, I have thought about it.. So much that I asked my Texan buddy in San Angelo who's an officer about shooting indoors.. He carries a .40 22glock and he has shot indoors before both real life and training and he claims not to be a problem.. I would imagine you would that nasty audible beeeep! But he says it dose not happen..

[Dinosaur Jr]

I have kids; it's not easy to have a quick-access long gun. They have some that only lock the action, but at the same time it's one of those out-of-sight-out-of-mind situations.

My kids leave my safe alone but if there was a shotgun or AR in an action lock, they'd be drawn to it by just seeing it.

Exactly. I've looked at acceptable quick-access options for long guns. My preference is also for a container-style where the weapon is not visible. They start well into in $300+land and quickly go up from there. A Ft. Knox quick access pistol safe with a simplex lock is $200.

[davidb]

Should you need to reload, good luck changing your 10rd magazine whilst fumbling for your bullet button under duress.

thanks for the concern, but i do not have a bullet button to fumble with, i built this carbine as a featureless for the specific role of home defense

[Che762x39]

Lots of variables. On a ranch? I knew trouble was coming when they were still 50 yards out. More than enough time to grab the tacticool AR.

A duplex in L.A.? Trouble can be coming thru the window in seconds. Also a weapon can be anything, one case I know of a woman used a heavy old fashion ashtray to crack a rapist skull. BTW, the rapist is a vegetable since 1994.

I would add most Californians, with a few exceptions, are not real savvy with long arms.

[Che762x39]

Since it's Saturday, I'll reply in part-humor, part seriousness

layers of defense, & a handy blade: Kill Bill house visit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Mk_f75TS1Ahttp://

That is old school. As a lawman I have found handguns in cereal boxes on several occasions and rookies would always ask, how did I know? Common sense, why would a bad guy have a box of cereal instead of a pack of cigarettes?

[Josh3239]

[BigPimping]

If you have ever seen or know a lot about bullet dynamics, a shotgun will be your obvious choice.

[robcoe]

I'm interested in your reasoning. I'm sure there are (limited) scenarios where a handgun might be better, but do you agree 90% of the time a long gun is the better choice for HOME defense?

I've got a pictorial of my new Mossberg 590A1 Mariner + Eotech Fore-end Light + Shotlock in the Shotgun forum... so I'm sure I'm biased, but come on, apply some common sense!

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s...d.php?t=959746

My shotgun doesn't fit on the nightstand, my SR45 does, the shotgun lives under the edge of the bed

[skilletboy]

I live in a very small house on a very small lot. At home I'll never need to shoot more than 25 yards. And I have very limited exp with rifles, but lots of training with handguns and shotguns.

[Antero]

We have a Mossberg 500, but my wife is wholly intimidated by it, she would never use it. Therefore, we have a handgun for home defense as well. It's probably better this way because I think if we ever had to fire that shotgun off in our bedroom, we'd probably be learning sign language.