Switching up my nightstand gun

[skribs]

A gun that's been on my radar for quite some time is the Guncrafter Industries .50 GI conversion kit for Glock 20/21 pistols. This is a .45 round necked up to .50-caliber. The conversion is stupid simple - field strip the Glock 21, reassemble with the new slide and magazine. Standard is 9 rounds, I have a Taran Tactical +4 baseplate to bring it up to 12 (middle) and a Kriss "30-round" extension to bring it up to ?? rounds (still trying to break that one in).

Guncrafter Industries is the only company that makes .50 GI ammo (patents and all that), so for right now I'm limited to their options. No lehigh xtreme defenders or speer gold dots. They have a 275-grain JHP that from what I understand moves too slow to reliably expand. Instead, I have 185-grain CHPs that reliably expand to a full inch in width.

The 12-round magazine is a bit on the big end for carry. But it's a good size for the nighstand handgun safe. It might replace my .40.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

A gun that's been on my radar for quite some time is the Guncrafter Industries .50 GI conversion kit for Glock 20/21 pistols. This is a .45 round necked up to .50-caliber. The conversion is stupid simple - field strip the Glock 21, reassemble with the new slide and magazine. Standard is 9 rounds, I have a Taran Tactical +4 baseplate to bring it up to 12 (middle) and a Kriss "30-round" extension to bring it up to ?? rounds (still trying to break that one in).

Guncrafter Industries is the only company that makes .50 GI ammo (patents and all that), so for right now I'm limited to their options. No lehigh xtreme defenders or speer gold dots. They have a 275-grain JHP that from what I understand moves too slow to reliably expand. Instead, I have 185-grain CHPs that reliably expand to a full inch in width.

The 12-round magazine is a bit on the big end for carry. But it's a good size for the nighstand handgun safe. It might replace my .40.


View attachment 29791

Do you have grizzlies stalking your house.?

 

[drop bear]

I have a plastic cold steel axe.

 

[angelariz]

1911 is my ideal firearm for home defense. But one cannot always get to the side table if you are in the bathroom or something.
So, I have machetes and knives strategically placed around the home.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

I have a 124 lb. woman, who does not like unannounced visitors.

 

[seasoned]

A gun that's been on my radar for quite some time is the Guncrafter Industries .50 GI conversion kit for Glock 20/21 pistols. This is a .45 round necked up to .50-caliber. The conversion is stupid simple - field strip the Glock 21, reassemble with the new slide and magazine. Standard is 9 rounds, I have a Taran Tactical +4 baseplate to bring it up to 12 (middle) and a Kriss "30-round" extension to bring it up to ?? rounds (still trying to break that one in).

Guncrafter Industries is the only company that makes .50 GI ammo (patents and all that), so for right now I'm limited to their options. No lehigh xtreme defenders or speer gold dots. They have a 275-grain JHP that from what I understand moves too slow to reliably expand. Instead, I have 185-grain CHPs that reliably expand to a full inch in width.

The 12-round magazine is a bit on the big end for carry. But it's a good size for the nighstand handgun safe. It might replace my .40.


View attachment 29791

Very interesting.....I'm a Glock man and do love my 23 and 43......

 

[skribs]

Very interesting.....I'm a Glock man and do love my 23 and 43......

This will fit on 20/21 or on 40/41, but not on 43. They do make a complete gun, or you can get another Glock, or you can get a frame (such as a Lone Wolf frame).

 

[skribs]

1911 is my ideal firearm for home defense. But one cannot always get to the side table if you are in the bathroom or something.
So, I have machetes and knives strategically placed around the home.

They make a .50 GI 1911 as well. The cheapest of which is going to run you $3800. That's one reason I went with the Glock kit instead.

 

[wab25]

Why do you want a .50 handgun for home defense?

I am kind of old school... I have a .357 magnum. It has 7 rounds, instead of 6. I keep it unloaded, but with 2 speed loaders next to it. One loader has .38 special and the other has .357 magnum. Any time you fire a gun in the house, without ear protection, you will have a hard time hearing anything. At night, you will then be using your eyesight, as you can't hear the bad guy after your first shot. If you have a lot of muzzle blast.... you just lost your night vision, as well as your hearing. My thought is, at night I load the .38 special rounds and have the .357 for a reload. During the day time, I load the .357 and use the .38 for the reload. I can easily tell which is which by the size.... and if I get it wrong... it still went BANG and put a hole in something....

If you are shooting a .50, at night in your house.... I can't imagine you hearing anything for the next two weeks, nor would you be able to see anything for quite a while because of the muzzle flash. Of course, if you fire while the bad guys are outside, there is a very good chance that you cut them up pretty badly, as every window in your house will be blown out with the pressure change....

 

[Dirty Dog]

Why do you want a .50 handgun for home defense?

Some people love the idea of over penetration.

I am kind of old school... I have a .357 magnum. It has 7 rounds, instead of 6. I keep it unloaded, but with 2 speed loaders next to it. One loader has .38 special and the other has .357 magnum. Any time you fire a gun in the house, without ear protection, you will have a hard time hearing anything.

Ummm.... not necessarily.

Protecting your hearing is one of the best reasons for paying for the $200 BATF tax stamp required for suppressor ownership.

At night, you will then be using your eyesight, as you can't hear the bad guy after your first shot. If you have a lot of muzzle blast.... you just lost your night vision, as well as your hearing. My thought is, at night I load the .38 special rounds and have the .357 for a reload. During the day time, I load the .357 and use the .38 for the reload. I can easily tell which is which by the size.... and if I get it wrong... it still went BANG and put a hole in something....

If you are shooting a .50, at night in your house.... I can't imagine you hearing anything for the next two weeks, nor would you be able to see anything for quite a while because of the muzzle flash. Of course, if you fire while the bad guys are outside, there is a very good chance that you cut them up pretty badly, as every window in your house will be blown out with the pressure change....

Besides protecting your hearing, suppressors also drastically reduce flash. And muzzle flip.

Welcome to the 21st Century. It's a pretty cool place.

 

[punisher73]

I'm used to Glock, so almost all of my handguns are Glock 9mm ones.

 

[wab25]

Besides protecting your hearing, suppressors also drastically reduce flash. And muzzle flip.

The state I lived in when I got it, would not allow suppressors... at all.

Something like this maybe?

Welcome to the 21st Century. It's a pretty cool place.

You are right... this is the way I should go:

Seriously though... I like wheel guns for their simplicity and reliability. With a large frame Smith and Wesson, with a 6 inch barrel, full underlug and a 7 round cylinder... there is not much kick and even less muzzle flip. (also, I am very comfortable with it and do my best shooting with this gun)

 

[Dirty Dog]

Seriously though... I like wheel guns for their simplicity and reliability.

Wheel gun fans pretty much always say this, even though it's nonsense. If you're happy with it, that's good. Being comfortable with the firearm you're using is very important. But don't kid yourself that it's more reliable than a Glock. It's not.

Incidentally, as regards your habit of carrying two different loads... don't bother. Assuming you're not foolish enough to shoot hardball, it doesn't make any difference. The damage caused to the human body is the same with any handgun caliber using modern defensive ammo. The only think that matters is what you hit. Accuracy and precision. Beyond that, it doesn't matter if it's a .380 or a .45 or anything in between.

 

[wab25]

Wheel gun fans pretty much always say this, even though it's nonsense.

I would not say that it is nonsense. Failure to feed, stove piping, limp wrist failures don't happen with double action revolvers. The bad guy can't grab the gun slide and put it out of battery.

Sure, a Glock is a great gun, and very reliable. But it is an automatic, that relies on the ammunition to cycle properly. I can find youtube videos of people experiencing reliability issues with their Glocks.... more importantly, I can go down to the range and watch people experience issues with their Glocks.

A Critical Look at Revolver Accuracy and Reliability

Chris of the Lucky Gunner team takes a critical look at revolver accuracy and reliability while examining the firearm as a self-defense tool.

www.luckygunner.com

For the simplicity side.... there is no safety switch, no slide to worry about, no tap and rack drills to practice. Pull the lever on the bottom and make a hole.

For well maintained guns, with good ammo and people who know them.... they will both function just fine. But I still give an edge in simplicity to the wheel gun as well as the edge in reliability, no matter how small those edges are.

 

[Hot Lunch]

.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I would not say that it is nonsense. Failure to feed, stove piping, limp wrist failures don't happen with double action revolvers. The bad guy can't grab the gun slide and put it out of battery.

The same slide grab will jam/block the hammer.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Well I have one of these on MY nightstand

seriously though, I have a 38 rev and a S&W 9 and they are locked up and not on my nightstand. If it is home defense I am looknig for I'll use my 12Ga pump action

 

[Dirty Dog]

If it is home defense I am looknig for I'll use my 12Ga pump action

Those have real bad issues with overpenetration.
My bedside gun is in a rapid access safe specifically designed for suppressed guns. Safe from kids, readily available to me.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Those have real bad issues with overpenetration.
My bedside gun is in a rapid access safe specifically designed for suppressed guns. Safe from kids, readily available to me.

so what hood do you live in where this is a concern?

Besides I could always use my compound bow

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

so what hood do you live in where this is a concern?

Besides I could always use my compound bow

If you use 00 buckshot, it can go through several internal walls, potentially destroying art, furniture, loved ones, etc.