For home/personal defense would you choose a pistol or a revolver

[peacefulgary]

It depends...

.357 magnum Ruger GP100 in the kitchen.
.45 auto XD in the bedroom.

[Single Six]

Actually, I go back and forth between the two. Personal defense: Sometimes, my stainless Ruger P-90 .45 ACP, other times, my stainless 4" Ruger GP-100 .357 Mag. Home defense: First and foremost, Remington 870 Marine Magnum 12 gauge, backed up by either the aforementioned P-90, or my stainless 4" Ruger Redhawk in .45 Colt. Hmm...stainless, and Ruger...yeah, I have my preferences.

[tet4]

I go with revolvers at home because anyone can use them at any time of day or night. I figure that if the worst should happen I want the easiest manual of arms.

Gas, from reading this and other forums you may get a weird impression of the USA. Keep in mind that a lot of people here are gun nuts so they are going to have a bunch of guns just because they like them. Thats not a problem because people do mostly behave themselves here when it comes to firearms.

However, lots of people do keep a gun of some sort in the house for defense in the event that it ever should be needed. Lots of people also carry them for the same reason. After all, what good is a gun in the safe when you are being raped on the street? Most of us will never ever need them, but what is wrong with being prepared? Some do need them and they have used them to save their lives. What's wrong with that? Btw, it's not paranoia or fear that drive the vast majority of us to keep a gun around. It's just looking around and realizing that something could happen so in the off chance it's better to e prepared. For me, I didn't bother carrying a gun until I had a daughter. Then, when she arrived I realized that if I was ever car jacked with her strapped in her car seat I would never get her out and they would take her. A gun is about the only tool that I know of that could help in that situation. Does that make me a crazy paranoid American? Chances are I'll never need it but it's my personal obligation as a parent to provide for her every need which includes food, shelter, clothing, education and of course, protection.

[carprivershooter]

A short barreled 20 or 12 gauge shotgun loaded with the best buck and ball ammo you can afford and for back up any pistol you handle well. For me I have a hallway to cover and a shot gun well clear it very nicely. Don't forget to practice, practice, practice with whatever you choose to defend your home with. learn to shoot on the move and with your off hand.

[Pistolgripshotty]

Why only have one...revolver in the right hand and pistol in the left.

[SteveBonning]

I went through the 'evolution' previously mentioned. Trying to decide on my first handgun for HD I originally was considering those great looking auto's, perhaps a Sig P250 in 9mm. After months of learning about handguns, I ended up choosing a GP-100 revolver for all the reasons mentioned--point and shoot, very little to go wrong, could sit in my sock drawer for years and still fire, if I miss him with the bullet the fireball will burn his ass, you-name-it.

The GP-100 remains my primary home defense weapon and only leaves the house to go to the range for practice. I may carry any of my other weapons, but the Ruger stays home loaded and ready. Since then, I've added a 20 ga and 16 ga shotgun to the HD arsenal and consider them just as valuable.

[RedBowTies88]

Neither.... I prefer carbine's to pistols or revolvers.


That said... between the two it's whichever one i happen to grab first

[vito]

S&W Model 19, 4 inch, 38+p hollow points, with Crimson Trace laser. Reliability and familiarity.

[walts]

I like a full size high capacity 9mm semi auto for home defense.

[wayneinFL]

Is it really so dangerous living in America that you have to keep loaded guns spread all over the house for fear of armed robbers breaking into your property? And you feel compelled to carry concealed (and loaded) weaponry on your person when you have to go out anywhere for fear of being attacked by an armed person?

I am not having a go at anyone with this post but I don't think I could ever live anywhere where I felt in constant fear of my life 24/7.

This was answered very well on a similar thread. I wasn't the one who answered, but I'll paraphrase. It isn't fear so much as a sense of self-reliance. This attitude is an occupational hazard for crooks here. One reason that most burglaries occur on unoccupied dwellings during the day.

[Old Grump]

Easy choice, the one I used for deer hunting for 26 years



and if need be I can transition to

[wayneinFL]

As for a gun that sits in the home for self defense- I'm partial to revolvers. I have a couple of old model 10s in a bedside lockbox for my wife in case I'm not home in the event of a hot burglary.

The effect of a magazine spring sitting around compressed has been debated ad nauseum, but I know it isn't an issue with a revolver. Add to the fact my wife isn't exactly an avid shooter- there aren't so many user-induced malfunctions with a revolver, and less training necessary to defeat those malfunctions.

Of course, I type that as I sit here in a hotel room with a Sig P250 within arm's reach.

[chrisintexas]

Old grump what revolver is that? Thanks

[Crow Hunter]

Having read all this post I have a couple of questions...

Is it really so dangerous living in America that you have to keep loaded guns spread all over the house for fear of armed robbers breaking into your property? And you feel compelled to carry concealed (and loaded) weaponry on your person when you have to go out anywhere for fear of being attacked by an armed person?

I am not having a go at anyone with this post but I don't think I could ever live anywhere where I felt in constant fear of my life 24/7.

Cheers
G

I will turn this question around on you.

Do you have fire insurance on your home because you are in fear 24 hrs a day of a fire?

It isn't fear that makes people do this, it is practicality and mitigation of risks that does it.

Personally, if I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt there was no way I would ever lose my house to fire, I definitely wouldn't be paying for the insurance every year, but because I don't, I pay it every year even though I have never had a fire or even lived near someone that has.

Same way with carrying a gun or having them available around the house. I don't live in fear, if I did, I would move too. I do, however, know that if I needed to I could defend myself and/or my family and that is a comforting feeling. Just like knowing if I have a fire in the house, I have insurance.

That being said, it can be dangerous here. I went with my wife to a doctor's office in Memphis TN just today, in a decent/secure area (Baptist Hospital Campus). They "buzzed you into" the examination rooms and the receptionist staff was behind 1" bullet resistant (at least impact resistant based on the interlayer) with an interior locking sliding panel and no way to open it from the waiting room.

I made mention of it to my wife as we were leaving, she said: "Well we ARE in Memphis..."

I don't know a whole lot about NZ but I get the impression that it is a mostly culturally homogenous well ordered country with a relatively small population of hardworking industrious people.

Unfortunately, the US is only like that in some areas. Others, not so much.

[rightside]

S&W 5906. It's built like a tank and ultra dependable.

[ClydeFrog]

For most US home or property owners, a standard 6 shot .357magnum med frame DA or DA only revolver(with 3"-4" barrel) will do fine.
Lenny Magill, www.gunvideo.com & his wife say the same thing in their home defense guide DVD.
I go by the 3x3x3 Rule, that most armed citizen(not sworn LE officer, armed guard, soldier, etc) will have a lethal force incident that's; 3ft or less, in 3 seconds with approx 3 rounds fired(by both sides).
Now, if you have a large house or a big estate or you live in a rural area, a 12ga shotgun, a patrol rifle(M4) or a semi-auto pistol may be a good security plan.
As for major brands, I'd look at a Ruger GP100, a S&W L frame 686+ 7rd, a Ruger SP101 5 shot(DA only), or the big S&W N frame 627 M&P tactical. With the M&P you can add a green laser or white light.
For a home protection semi-auto pistol, I'd buy a new SIG Sauer DAK model; P226R, P229R, P220R with night sights or a Glock 21, 32, 22, 23.
Good calibers include the .357sig, the .40, the 10mm, and the .45acp.

Only use new, factory made ammunition; NO reloads or hand-loaded rounds.

Stay safe & stay legal,
CF

[riggins_83]

My nightstand gun is a S&W 642. I'm generally a semi auto guy however I like the fact I can leave the revolver loaded for years without any additional spring tension.

[garryc]

It depends on what room I'm in. I shoot them equally well, but I have to admit that the 12 rounds of 40 cal federal HST's from my XD sub compact kind of warm me up. I've gotten real good with that gun in my six shot drills. Two to the belly button (Lower aorta and femoral branch) Two to the chest (Heart aorta) and two to the head for a CNS shot. That XD fits me perfectly, much better than a Glock.

[Hook686]

I chose one of each. The pocket revolver is primary, while the pistol in camera bag, cross draw, is used in lieu of a reload.

[Old Grump]

chrisintexas

Old grump what revolver is that? Thanks

Model 15 Dan Wesson .357 magnum with 4" barrel made around 72 or 73. The grips are target grips added by original owner. He didn't like them, I did and a deal was made.

[Mauser8mm]

First of all, you have to think of the intimidation factor. The first handgun I ever shot was a Smith and Wesson model 29 .44 magnum. (Dirty Harry Gun) It is a big gun and will scare people away. A semi auto handgun is good, but it has the tendency to jam unlike a revolver. Revolvers usually carry a bigger round and are more accurate, so that's that. Hope my input has helped!

[FloridaVeteran]

Gaz in NZ - from your earlier posts, it seems that you might be into Cowboy Action Shooting there in New Zealand, or at least something similar, and that you are accustomed to having guns stored at the gun range rather than in the home. I'd imagine you have not lived in another country, or at least not in one that is so homogeneous as is New Zealand.

Wikipedia can give you some useful information about differences between our two countries. What is essential to know, and nearly impossible to learn, is the degree to which firearms crimes in a given country are committed with guns that were legally purchased and owned by the perpetrators/guilty parties. New Zealand probably has a very, very low number of illegally-acquired and illegally-available-to-acquire guns

I think it is great that you are interested in shooting sports and, possibly (but it doesn't seem so) hunting. But I think the fact that you don't feel a need to have guns in your houses in New Zealand is due to characteristics of your country that are unlike those of the U.S. As an extreme example, I wouldn't feel any need at all for a handgun if I were at the South Pole.

Best advice, for a happy life on forums like this (subject to admonition from the forum-master) is: keep political questions concerning guns, however couched, relative only to the country in which you live or plan to reside, not the other guy's country (ours, in this case). No offense intended, but I am a plain-speaking person and hopefully this advice will keep you from appearing to "bait" the others here.

[jad0110]

For CCW, I tend to prefer revolvers, though I do carry a 1911 from time-to-time. I am most consistent, particularly when point shooting, with a K, L or N frame S&W. Also, I've run enough limp wrist/weak grip drills with autos (simulating injury) with eye opening results to be a little squeemish about carrying one, though my 1911 doesn't seem to care how I hold it, much like my trusty revolvers. But YMMV.

For home defense, my S&W 686 lives in a gunvault by my bedside. Here again I prefer the revolver platform. No safety to mess with (ie 1911), or no lightweight trigger to squeeze by accident (ie Glock or XD) when being startled out of a dead sleep. Years ago I had an XD9 as my bedside gun, but I always left the chamber empty for fear of grabbing the dang thing wrong in the dark and putting a whole through my floor.

That said, the purpose of my bedside gun is to provide immediate protection until I can retrieve my AR-15 or 12 ga.

[IRONPONY]

revolver for me , I daily carry a snub with an extra speed loader in my pocket.

[mrt949]

For me it depends on what day it is .If my hands are not working well due to medical problems it's a revolver,if all is well it's auto .RUGER SP101 or SWMP 40 C.