Which is better for home defense: semi or revolver handgun?

[peterg7]

Since my HD gun is my CC gun and I believe in a semiauto for CC the answer is semiauto.


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[Dano4734]

Why limit I have both a shotgun with 18 inch barrel and a Glock 23. Put the shotgun in an area like a bathroom and Glock on a nightstand. Thats assuming a master bath

[riverdog]

All of the above — revolver, semi-auto and shotgun. Tactics is another discussion.

[jmr40]

Handguns are best to carry, not for "home" defense. Rifles or shotguns beat handguns for fighting in EVER scenario --- so if you are not going to carry full time, get a long arm.

That's why ALL armies give rifles to their infantry troops for standard issue ...not handguns.

That is outdated info. Armies have found that for close work inside homes that handguns are the better option and they are issuing them just for that purpose.

And while I've heard, and read my entire life that "a handgun is only for fighting your way back to a rifle", the stats don't back it up. A rifle gives you the advantage of making hits at longer ranges. But handgun rounds from about 9mm on up are proving to be just as effective as rifle rounds in close range shootings.

[SIGSHR]

Nothing takes the place of proficiency and the Combat Mindset.
38 Special ? As Bill Jordan noted, it is the most powerful round the average man-i.e. most of us-can hope to master, and how many home defense situations do not fit the "10 feet/dim light/2.7 rounds" scenario ?

[HistoryJunky]

I don't think either one puts you at a handicap necessarily based on statistics. It is nice to have more rounds on tap though, which is why I would favor semi-auto pistols. Personally I keep a CZ-85b on top of my dresser with 16+1 of Federal HST in the magazine.

If I had to use my Taurus Model 66 .357 in an HD role, I wouldn't feel undergunned. I shoot both handguns well and that is what is really important.

Knowledge of your firearms is the most important thing. I work nights and my wife is at home then. My wife told me one morning after I got home from work that she heard a loud noise and couldn't find my pistol, so she grabbed my Mossberg 500 instead. I have told her to do grab it instead in the event of a break in because she is not a very good shot with a handgun. She does have more experience with long guns.

Anyways, after talking to her for a little while longer, I realized that she didn't know where the safety is or how to work it. Which was fire or safe. And she also didn't know how to operate the pump release, or really even load the gun.

To previous posters about the Shockwave, I don't think it would be a bad HD weapon. Especially since they make a "pistol brace" for them now. Maybe not for everyone though.

For a person that buys a firearm and isn't going to learn the gun, and learn to shoot it, I don't think a semi-auto or a revolver is going to matter.

If you don't practice with your semi-automatic, you won't know how to clear malfunctions or solve simple problems that can happen with any firearm.

If you don't practice with your DA revolver, you aren't going to be very good shooting the long and heavy DA trigger.

[dannyb]

I have one revolver and one semi at my bedside. The shotty is in my closet. My wife has her own revolver. The plan is, if possible, when the dog goes into stranger in the house mode (we've trained that), arm ourselves, call 911 and lock the bedroom door, and hunker down. Stay on the line with 911 to prevent tragic mistakes. If intruder kicks in the door... you can figure it out.

[44 AMP]

Rifles or shotguns beat handguns for fighting in EVER scenario

If you seriously mean rifles or shotguns beat handguns every possible scenario, then you are flat out wrong.

The advantage of a pistol in a confined space ought to be obvious, but apparently isn't to some folks.


here's a confined space known to many but rarely ever mentioned, your sleeping bag. Soldier in a tent, or foxhole, hunter/camper, when you go to sleep and its not warm, you are going to bundle up. Often that means zipping yourself in your bag. Where is that rifle/shotgun now? A pistol in the bag with you is much more useable.

We used to put our M16s inside our mummy bags with us, (for theft protection), but there was always the thought, if there were an attack what could you do, until you got out of the bag???

A pistol would be much better. Combat vets from WWII on that I have known have all been uniform in this, if they could have had a pistol with them, they would have. I've known some that did, and some of them credit that pistol with their being alive.

A pistol is small enough to be able to be turned and pointed in any direction when you are in a sleeping bag, or other confined space, where a rifle or shotgun cannot be. Likewise the passenger compartment of a normal car or truck. Small area to use a rifle or shotgun in, plenty of room to use a pistol.


Always trumps a pistol in EVERY situation? no, I don't think so...

[tallball]

For a "non gun person" where it's going to sit untouched in a drawer for years or decades, a revolver.

For someone with experience who will train/practice regularly, whichever they're more capable/confident with.

[Metalboy]

If it was a multi choice,I'd say both.
But being single,I voted semi.

[pete2]

It doesn't matter, revolver or semi are both good. Just make sure it's reliable and you are proficient with whichever you choose. I'm happy with a 5 shot revolver, some think they need an 18 shot semi.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

This is a never ending argument but the best approach is experential. One should train with long guns (like carbines, or full sized ARs), shotguns and various handguns in situation beyond just the square range or shooting at a rock at the 'ranch'. One should also compete with each is a semi realistic venue to see how it is to maneuver, reload and hit the target under time and accuracy need stress.

That being said, while it is a diversion, the Shockwave was recommended. I have not fired one but I have trained and competed with 12 gauge pump guns with normal stocks. As far as I can tell, none of the quality well known trainers think the Shockwave offers any advantage over a normal shotgun and quite a few disadvantages. The best they cans say is that it is smaller but when extended for proper usage, its presentation is as long as normal gun.

A quite negative view is : https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/t...ostly-useless/

Lucky knows his stuff and trains with the best. If you disagree, post your training and competition credentials.

Here's a mixed reviewed: https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/...590-shockwave/

Now you can find quite a few gee whiz reviews in some gun magazines as they sell product for the ad placer, to be blunt.

Can one train up to shoot it? Yes, but why when there are much better shotgun solutions?

In a sense it is a neat gimmick to get a short barreled shotgun with the NRA fun. The braces are even more of a work around but get you back to something like a real stockish gun. Get the point.

The OP was about which is better for home defense. The point is driven home that it is the gun you shoot well and practice/train with. The square range isn't enough for the higher levels of ability. Can the newbie defend themselves without training, they sure can. However, we are talking at a level beyond that if we want to recommend the best practices.

In a sense, the Shockwave cliche is like Judge Fever. Some folks jumped on it as a wonder mini-shotgun hammer of Thor. The professional world says, yeah it is a gun and it shoots. However, its gimmick nature exceeds its utility but there is one born every minute.

If you can shoot it, a SW Model 10 with a good load or a Glock 19 (or similar semi) and practice does the trick for most instances for the OP. Either works. The problem for the former is capacity. Said a zillion times.

[magnut]

only limiting factor I see with the revolver is capacity and speed of reload. Seems like home invasions are very often done with teams now.

Just do both. Revolver in one hand... semi auto in the other.

Shotguns and rifles are good and all but I would hate to shoot one indoors without hearing protection. A pistol would be bad enough. A 12gauge would be like a flash bang in a small area.

[kdrf636]

I choose revolver because it's the best "generally" speaking for ease of use and simplicity.

Semi autos, regardless of action, require more attention to operation than a revolver, and while you may be a combat master with a 1911, the next guy might not want to put as much time into it as you.

This is a gun forum and we're all into guns, but the majority of people who buy a gun solely for home defense will not put the amount of time and training into learning to run a weapon like we do.

Had a female friend of mine was a victim of abuse and the guy threatened her and she was in fear that he would break in. She went to the LGS and they sold her a S&W 642 with crimson trace laser grip.

She told me all she had to do was put that dot on his chest and squeeze the trigger.

Every time I see her, I ask her if she's been to the range to fire it yet, and I always get a "no" and I always offer to go with her and even teach her, but she's always "too busy".

I have both a 5 shot J frame and a P320 by my bedside.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Good post and commentary on many folks. I think it also covers the standard recommendations we see for 'big' guns. Shotguns, 45s, Judges, etc or the snubbies.

Never really seriously shot by some of the folks who recommend them. By serious, I mean beyond the square range or as I said, a rock at the 'ranch'. I have the same 642 set up and it is not trivial to shoot it well. Yep, very close and stick it out and pull the trigger probably works in the one guy in front of you.

There's an informative case of a cop who intervened in a mall shooting with a 5 shot gun and was almost killed as the bad guy wasn't stopped.

http://www.policemag.com/channel/pat...3-30-1996.aspx

You can miss with a shotgun, BTW. Try some competitions or classes. They can malfunction and not easy to clear quickly.

[lee n. field]

Originally Posted by ATN082268

In general, which is better for home defense: a semiautomatic or revolver handgun?

Pick one.

It's more important that it work reliably, and the user is competent with it.

[magnut]

How about this....

Option 1 ....pick your flavor of uber reliable full size da/sa wonder 9... say a beretta,sig, cz whatever. Something with a little mass thats easy to hand and opperate. 20rd extended magazine loaded with standard or even low pressure 9mm to cut down on noise as much as possible. Better yet mount a suppresor if you can handle the length. Then a laser light combo mounted with a strobe function.

Option 2.... Beretta 93R

[Rangerrich99]

Based on the poll, which is binary, I went with "Revolver," based on its simpler operation/manipulation of controls.

For me, if I base the question on my worst possible scenario, the revolver just makes the most sense, in spite of the fact that I have spent far more time training/shooting semi-automatics over the last 5-6 years. In other words, though I'm quite familiar with my 1911s, M&Ps, etc., and would, under most circumstances, rather one of those other choices in some kind of home defense situation, I've trained in my occupation as well as my martial arts training to think in terms of the WORST possible situation, and it's there that the revolver is just a better choice. For me.

In my "worst possible scenario," I've been in a deep sleep for several hours when things go sideways. The dogs are off visiting the ex- and I'm the only one home. The alarm system was somehow defeated/just defective, and the BG(s) are right outside my bedroom door before I finally wake.

Now I don't know about anyone else, but I no longer wake up suddenly with full possession of my faculties anymore. When I first wake up suddenly/forced awake, about half-to-3/4s of my brain is still trying to crawl out of the deep end of the pool, so to speak.

So what I've found is that, in the pitch dark, with some mental inefficiency likely, I sometimes experience confusion as to what firearm is on the nightstand. Heck, sometimes I forget whether I put it in the lockbox or on top of it.

So, I decided a couple years ago that the best way to counter those confusion issues in the above-mentioned "absolute worst case scenario," was to have the simplest operating system, which of course, is a DA revolver. The revolver negates the issue(s) of: did I remember to chamber a round? Do I have to flip off the safety? What if I limp-wrist the thing? Is the gun well-lubed/perfect running order? Are every one of those rounds in the mag properly manufactured so that I don't get a squib/jam/FTF/FTE? If the BG closes to bad breath distance, will I remember to try not to let the muzzle come into contact with his body, possibly fouling the gun's return to battery? And so forth . . .

Anyway, like I said, due to the binary nature of the poll, that's how I voted.

[Drm50]

Yea, long gun is clumsy in close quarters and easy for someone to grab barrel when going
through doorway or around corner. Shockwave type guns are second only to Mares Leg
lever actions for being clumsy and useless for practical purposes. Throw a DA 38 on the
table and there won't be many adults who can't figure out how to shoot it. Just pull the
trigger.

[Reloadron]

In general, which is better for home defense: a semiautomatic or revolver handgun?
Yes, and when you come to a fork in the road take it.

Less any qualifier in the question this is my best answer. My house and my situation I feel fine with a semi-automatic .45 ACP.

Ron

[Cheapshooter]

Some folks jumped on it as a wonder mini-shotgun hammer of Thor. The professional world says, yeah it is a gun and it shoots. However, its gimmick nature exceeds its utility but there is one born every minute.

Yup, those unprofessionals in the United States Marshals Service who operate the Witness Protection Program were sure fools falling for these very similar "gimmick" guns!
https://www.tactical-life.com/firear...rotection-870/

With a question like "which is better auto or revolver" the OP is obviously new to firearms, and certainly new to home defense. Therefore a suggestion to expand their options to a shotgun seems quite valid.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

My prose was referring to the Judge in that segment. The Shockwave like guns can be used if appropriately trained up on them. For newbies, not so much.

I do think that most professionals would think that the Marshalls would have and will be better served with stocked shotguns.

[Prof Young]

The choice of gun for home defense is just like any other gun choice . . . it all depends on your situation. I live in a rural town of less than 10k people. I live right across from the police station right in the middle of town. I used to have Beretta 92 fs as my HD gun. Even had an 18 round mag. Well, I got more and more into my gun hobby I realized my HD gun was overkill (I know there is no such thing as overkill.) I decided that if I ever did need to use my HD gun that I would not want to absolutely count on my marksmanship. (I'm an okay shot but when your really shooting at a bad guy . . . who knows how good you'll be.) So I replaced the Beretta with a Taurus public defender. Loaded some specifically made defensive ammo with discs and pellet in the first two chambers, then 00 buck shot in the next two and then a slug on top of 00 buckshot in the last chamber. Yeah, I only have five shots but some of all five are gonna hit. Plus where I live there won't be any gang style home invasions. So, all that to make the point that your HD gun choice all depends on the circumstances.

Life is good.
Prof Young

[Scorch]

The correct answer is the one you are comfortable shooting and proficient with.

Actually, IMO the answer is whichever one you have. Typically, I recommend semi-autos because of concerns with over-penetration with magnum revolver cartridges. You don't need 15 rounds for self-defense, according to the FBI most shootings involve 3 or fewer shots (not many 1/2 hour shootouts like on TV). Most semi-autos are faster on follow-up shots because of lower powered cartridges causing less recoil, and most semi-auto rounds will not penetrate 3 houses and 2 pickup trucks.

I'm an okay shot but when your really shooting at a bad guy . . . who knows how good you'll be

Yeah, targets don't shoot back. When rounds start coming your way, you tend to look for cover and not stand up tall to shoot.

[Leaf]

I never bought in to stats professing to tell me what my next firefight is going to look like or how many assailants are going to be involved. I prefer a high capacity weapon that can penetrate most commonly used body armor. I can do pretty well in close quarters with a AR platform rifle (with collapsible stock) or AR type pistol. As far as the neighbors, you'd be surprised how much a couple layers of drywall can dissipate the energy from a 5.56.