Cheap guns for home defense

[Big Don]

for home defense, I tend to favor the pump action 410ga shot gun. The 410 is a small round which is less likely to go through walls and kill/maim your neighbors and the act of cycling the action makes a singular sound, a terrifying sound to hear in the dark...

 

[Deaf Smith]

chinto,

Don't go overboard on bore diameter. TheTexas DPS, New Mexico DPS, and the Secret Serivce all use the .357 Sig with great results.

Shot placement is the most critical variable. Don't hit'em right and you will have problems, no matter what round.

While such as the .22, .25, .32, and to an extent .380 are real weak, 9mm, .357 Sig, .38 Spl, .357 Magnum, .40 S&W, 10mm, .44 Spl, .45 ACP, etc... have all done well (and done poorly!) There is no such thing as a magic bullet.

Each round has it's faults and good points. 9mms and .38s are real easy to shoot strait (and that's a big plus!), cheeper to shoot to! .45s and 10mms hit harder (yet as David Spauling wrote from seeing many a video tape of shootouts, the difference in reaction of the targets isn't great) but they come at the price of being harder to manage and cost more to practice with.

The most inportant thing is skill. And sn't it the same way with the martial arts?

Practice often. Practice well with good technique. Carry a good reliable gun you know your can shoot like you throw your favorite punch or kick.

And then stay out of trouble if you at all can.

Deaf

 

[sgtmac_46]

What are some things a person should look at when purchasing a used pistol? How do you know if a used pistol is still safe and shoots straight?

First you might want to know if a particular gun was a quality firearm when it was new. Now if it was, and it appears well-maintained, most modern quality firearms will last virtually several life-times with proper basic maintainance.

 

[sgtmac_46]

for home defense, I tend to favor the pump action 410ga shot gun. The 410 is a small round which is less likely to go through walls and kill/maim your neighbors and the act of cycling the action makes a singular sound, a terrifying sound to hear in the dark...

If someone hears my action cycling in the middle of the night, it's because they have managed to survive the first round fired.

 

[sgtmac_46]

Projectiles that will reliably and consistently penetrate to an "adequate" depth in human tissue will go through drywall with no problem.

Use a bullet that will do the job (penetrating the BG) and, like JKS said, know where you're shooting.

In fact a 9mm out of a handgun will out-penetrate a .223 out of a carbine through sheet-rock consistently.

 

[KenpoTex]

If someone hears my action cycling in the middle of the night, it's because they have managed to survive the first round fired.

Thank you...I get sick of the "the sound that will make a grown man pee himself" stuff.

In fact a 9mm out of a handgun will out-penetrate a .223 out of a carbine through sheet-rock consistently.

Yup

 

[7starmarc]

I'd be careful about going on the cheap for a HD weapon. I want reliability, accuracy, and confidence.

Same thing goes for the ammo choice. Specialty rounds are interesting, but you have to do your research. Some of these rounds don't feed as reliably as the more mainstream stuff. Put that into a less-than-reliable discount firearm, and you could be cursing a jam after you missed your first shot, instead of lining up your followup or second target. Also, specialty ammo is still no substitute for appropriate training, planning, and discipline.

If you have kids in your house, and there is a situation with a high chance of needing to shoot, know where they are going to be (give them a safe area, or have spouse direct, collect and find cover with them).

My opinion, maintaining guns as a HD/SD weapon is not cheap. If I do not have the resources to purchase a reliable weapon, good ammo, and practice regularly, perhaps I should rethink the decision. Sure, at some point, anything may be preferable to nothing (but that's what baseball bats are for). But relying on a cheap weapon that I don't practice with is a recipe for disaster. In most HD/SD situations, the adrenaline is running, we default to the level of training we have acquired and maintained, fine motor skills degrade.

Also, if I am not going to take the time to maintain my weapon with proper cleaning, etc., I should also rethink my position.

To paraphrase something I saw recently:

The loudest sound in the world is a click when you expected a bang.

 

[BLACK LION]

i personally own a springfield XD9 which i love to death

+1
I own 2 xd .45 acp pistols and will never buy anything but.... well maybe a 10mm glock..... despite the overabundance of owners, information, accessories and aftermarket items for the glock I chose XD due to the improvements over the glock especially in the realm of safety and ergonomics.... glocks never fit my hand right

I went down this same path when I dove into "purchasing a gun for the first time".... I tried the budget route and first purchased a mosin nagant m44... great to scare people with at the range but terrible for any situation exept a wwll trench..... I purchased a cz-52 and the damn thing kept failing to fire and eject.... the gun was extremely unsafe ....
then I purchased and sks...although very reliable... it must be modified to suit todays needs.... all those i purchased for less than 500.00 but they are also taking up space in my safe....
I realized I had to come into the times BUT I stayed budget minded...rather than just having a bunch o guns that cant be carried I consolidated into categories....
pistol:
I ended up buying a 4" xd .45(489.00) for a more concealable pistol and a 5" xd .45(530.00) for my primary pistol .... this gun will not fire unless intentionally gripped so it gives me the ultimate assurance even if someone is trying to wrestle it away.... unlike glocks

shotgun/ scattergun:
benelli supernova tactical (350.00) being used by special forces in the sand box remington 870s are expensive and the only other option would be a mossberg 500 which is a good choice because they are made much better now and are also being used in the sand box with great results....

battle rifle:
had some options here ak style /hk style / ar style etc but I settled on a DSA FAL(1100.00) this is a good battle rifle that will forever take my abuse and good for accuracy past 600 meters

long gun/ long rifle
tikka t-3 bolt action .300 win mag(500.00)

anti-material long gun:
BOHICA far 50 mark 3
in .50 cal ....upper only (995.00) attaches to any ar lower

took me some time but i lined it all up.....

you need body armor too my friend