Home SD gun

[adamBomb]

I currently have a 4 inch .357 revolver. Is that good enough? I was thinking of picking up a shotgun too. Maybe a remington 870.

[Whirlwind06]

Welcome to the forum!

I thinks it's fine, maybe load it with good. .38 SD rounds to lower hearing damage. But shotguns are great too.

[Frank Ettin]

Welcome.

As for the gun, it's good enough if you are. What the gun is is less important than your knowledge and skills.

We have a way of looking at things as a hardware matter. After all, equipment and tools are fun. But a lot of things really come down to a matter of software.

Pretty much any quality, reliable gun, in a caliber of consequence and that you can manage, will do the job if you practice and train so that you know how to do the job. No type of gun will make up for not knowing how to do the job.

[adamBomb]

Thanks for the welcome. I have been a member since like 2007 or so but I couldnt remember my accnt info

I have been throwing around the idea of getting a new shotgun for a number of years. I used to have an old single shot when I was a kid and loved it.

[g.willikers]

Well said, Frank Ettin.
The choice of gun really is the least of it.

[leadcounsel]

I currently have a 4 inch .357 revolver. Is that good enough? I was thinking of picking up a shotgun too. Maybe a remington 870.

Definitely.

The reality is that violence home invasions are extremely statistically rare and if it occurs, your .357 will probably do the job. Having said that, is probably good enough for you? It's not for me. Both the platforms you reference are excellent, but have shortcomings. The problem with both of these weapons is capacity, so practice reloads.

I'd say that I'm a relatively well-trained and experienced with firearms, and live in an average community. I have loaded high capacity guns either on my person or within reach in my home. I have personally chosen high capacity 13-20 rounds magazine) pistols, high capacity shotguns (extended tube magazines, reloads available), and high capacity rifles (AK47, AR15) for my home defense plan.

And finally, it's the Indian, not the arrow. Any modern gun can be made to work, some tools are just better than others.

I'd say as long as you have the .357, and even with the shotgun, you're quite well prepared. But there is vast room for improvement. Focus on training, adding guns and training some more.

[TailGator]

I think you are well armed. Having a speed loader at hand wouldn't be a bad idea.

Lots of people are of the opinion that shotguns are the ultimate home defense weapons. The idea that shotguns don't have to be aimed is a myth, though, and in close quarters long guns may be easier for a bad guy to compromise your control of your weapon, so others think handguns to be superior. I am of the latter opinion, but I hate to spoil your well-prepared excuse for buying a gun you really want, so I will admit to also owning a shotgun. Mine is more of a field gun than a defensive shotgun, but what the heck.

[kilimanjaro]

Your .357 revolver is perfectly fine for self-defense. If you have the bucks and want to expand your 'arsenal', go ahead and get the shotgun, the 870 is a fine choice.

Might want to consider putting the cost of the shotgun into 250 rounds of .38 Special ammo, to practice with through the end of this year. You can't practice enough. Do keep a box of .357 SD rounds for loading up at home. Do get one or two speedloaders.

You should be running 250 to 500 rounds through your revolver each year.

Consider getting a good holster setup and a CCW permit, expanding your choice of SD from just the home to outside as well, if you choose to carry.

[OldMarksman]

Your revolver will be fine, if you stay proficient with it and if you keep it where you can use it instantly.

I would strongly recommend against using high powered loads indoors unless you want to wear ear protection. As one who has been affected by permanent noise induced hearing loss, I wish I had known better long ago.

[drobs]

Sounds like you need an AR15.

[jimbob86]

Might want to consider putting the cost of the shotgun into 250 rounds of .38 Special ammo, to practice with through the end of this year. You can't practice enough. Do keep a box of .357 SD rounds for loading up at home. Do get one or two speedloaders.

You should be running 250 to 500 rounds through your revolver each year.

I'll second the call for practice, and add that handloading will make that so much more affordable. A simple handpress kit will cut the cost of .38special in half, and there is nothing simpler to learn to reload than a straight walled pistol cartridge like the .38special ....

[kozak6]

It's more than adequate.

It could be argued that the .357 mag is even a little spicy for home defense.

You might be better with a Remington 870's worth of ammo, training, and a good flashlight, or maybe even some basic reloading equipment.

[jimbob86]

Even ordering bulk from places like lucky gunner, .38spec will run you like 30 cents a round, not including shipping.

You can load your own for about 1/2 that:

Order your bullets in bulk, and you can get costs down to 10 cents each. (Order them from Cabela's and have them shipped to the store, and pay no shipping!)

1K small pistol primers are 33 bucks at Cabela's (in store), and a pound of HS-6 (will do for more than 1K rounds) is 26 bucks ....doubtless you can find them cheaper ...., but we'll call it 4 cents for a primer and 3 for powder (TAXES!)

You should already have saved some brass, so it should be free .... but if you did not, back to Cabela's for brass .... about 20 bucks/100 .... that sounds like a a lot, but you should get many, many firings out of it ... say 20 ....so a penny/shot, amortized ....

A hand press kit and a hand priming tool will set you back less than 100 bucks...... and they will fit in a shoe box ..... and will pay for themselves in less than a year's worth of shooting. What's not to like?

[TheFlash]

Your .357 is fine. I would suggest that you spend the $ on ammo and practice with that revolver vs. buying a shotgun.

My concern for home defense is overpenetration of walls. (I have young children.)
So, I practice frequently to do everything possible to hit what I'm aiming at, BUT there is still the probability of my missing, which then leads to my concern of overpenetration.
I've read as many articles as possible on the topic and it does appear that sheetrock does plug up the hollowpoints and turns them into FMJ equivalents.

For that reason, I switched away from my 4" .357 and went with 9mm instead. Also trying and testing the Federal Guard Dog ammo since that seems to penetrate less, but would still be effective against those who would do harm to my family.

Whatever you have available - just practice and be proficient and you will be well prepared.

-Mike

[FireForged]

Is it good enough? sure

[leadcounsel]

Even ordering bulk from places like lucky gunner, .38spec will run you like 30 cents a round, not including shipping.

You can load your own for about 1/2 that:

I'd ignore the obligatory reloader who always says reloading is "half cost." Research these threads, as I've laid out that the expenditures and time demonstrate that an honest appraisal is that it's a very expensive hobby, maybe taking years to break even, if ever. Reloaders never want to factor in time or real costs.

[lefteye]

I've always considered the time and costs of reloading. Those are two factors which help explain why I have never reloaded handgun cartridges and have always reloaded for centerfire rifle hunting cartridges. Of course, for rifles, accuracy and velocity with the right hunting bullets were paramount. I also reloaded for shotgun hunting of upland birds and waterfowl before the end of lead shot. The costs of reloading equipment and components were/are not insignificant for rifles or shotguns. I typically shoot far more handgun cartridges at a range than I shot/shoot rifle cartridges or shotgun shells at a range. Oh, in response to the OP, I keep a couple of loaded handguns and a Remington 870 Express HD at the ready very close to my bed despite living in a quiet suburban neighborhood with a crime rate approaching zero.

[JC57]

For years there were only two guns in our house, a S&W K-frame .357 (loaded with .38 +P) and a Remington 870 12 ga shotgun.

The one time when we had an actual need (genuine home invasion burglary) that's what we had. No rounds were fired, but I have no concerns that those guns would not have taken care of business if it had come to that.

The main problem with a shotgun is the size, which means it tends to be rather stationary. In that home invasion event, I had to run to the other end of the house to get the shotgun out of the bedroom closet. Would have been fine if I were already IN the bedroom, but I wasn't. I was about 20 feet from the door that was being kicked down.

But if you need the firepower, and can get to the shotgun when needed, a 12ga is going to be effective. You do still need to practice with it so that you are a good shot. Shotguns have a fairly tight pattern at in-home defensive ranges, so you'll need to throw it up there to your shoulder and be able to acquire a basic sight picture.

Since that home invasion almost 20 years ago, I have made sure that I no longer will have to run to the other end of the house to arm myself.

[jimbob86]

leadcounsel, do you calculate the cost of your time spent on gun fora?

[stagpanther]

357 mag revolver is great--especially if you can download to 38 spl for home defense.

I'd ignore the obligatory reloader who always says reloading is "half cost." Research these threads, as I've laid out that the expenditures and time demonstrate that an honest appraisal is that it's a very expensive hobby, maybe taking years to break even, if ever. Reloaders never want to factor in time or real costs.

There's a certain amount of truth to that--but the flip side of the same coin is that once the best load is developed there's a whole lot less time/waste compared to getting accuracy with less than ideal off-the-shelf ammo. I never use cost savings as a reason for reloading--though there is certainly no doubt that in many of the "exotic" rifle calibers that is true. Reloading (actually hand-loading) ammo is primarily a way to tune ammo for optimal results for your particular weapon.

[9x18_Walther]

For those mentioning the noise.

Based on some figures I found, .357 Magnum is on average twice as loud as 9mm.

Interestingly, .44 Special is one of the quieter handgun rounds. Might have to rethink that M29.

[adamBomb]

Thanks for the feedback. Haha yea my .357 sounds like a canon. I couldnt imagine it in the house. I should probably have 38sp bullets in it.

As far as reloading - that is something I will probably never do. I have enough hobbies and my wife would kill me if I took up another. Plus I would have to keep it away from my kids which is a whole other issue. I remember when I was about 10yrs old one of my friends dad left out his reloading stuff and we took the gun powder and rolled it into 8x11 pieces of paper and blew up a bunch of old tree trunks and stuff - man the stupid stuff I did as a kid

[TailGator]

The point that reloading takes time has been made repeatedly on TFL. If you resent the time you spend reloading, or if it takes away from the time that you are gainfully employed in other pursuits, you shouldn't do it. If you are going to look at it as a hobby, and enjoy both the learning and the satisfaction you get from crafting something yourself, it can be worth pursuing. The cost of components is noticeably less than the cost of assembled ammo, and few hobbies survive the cost analyses to which we subject businesses.

I am starting to wish that I could read a thread on TFL that includes the word "reloading" without it turning into an MBA project.

[Slimjim9]

Originally Posted by adamBomb

I remember when I was about 10yrs old one of my friends dad left out his reloading stuff and we took the gun powder and rolled it into 8x11 pieces of paper and blew up a bunch of old tree trunks and stuff - man the stupid stuff I did as a kid

Now I see where your username came from.

[Deaf Smith]

I currently have a 4 inch .357 revolver. Is that good enough? I was thinking of picking up a shotgun too. Maybe a remington 870.

Adam,

A good .357 is a fine HD gun for the house. 870 Remington? SURE! Never hurt to have a street sweeper. 870 or Mossberg 500 will do fine.

Skill is number one! Practice as often as you can.

Deaf