I'm not going to be clearing my house at night. If I find evidence of an intruder, I fall back into the 911 mode, and will wait until either the intruder openly approaches, or the LEOs arrive. In that case, a 12 ga. will be the primary arm. My wife has her SA 1911A1 to back me up.
The house is alarmed, with battery back-up, and wireless hook-up to the phone system in the street. LEO response is under 5 minutes.
As for answering the door. We have a wide angle peep, a well-lit approach, and no vegetation to hide anyone in. There is a pistol in easy reach to pick-up prior to even approaching the door. Our neighbors on both sides also utilize motion sensor floods, as do we. One of the neighbors is a retired couple, and the other is running a business from their home.
I do not routinely arm myself to put out the trash, and wouldn't live in a neighborhood where that was necessary. The neighbors here are all armed, as well.
Depending upon construction, distance, and your layout, a carbine may be a viable arm. Pistol or rifle caliber will also be very dependent upon those circumstances, and the presence of others in close proximity, such as children or other residents in different areas of the habitat.
Hardening your residence will go a long ways towards alleviating the necessity of your choices.
