I second the dog. A big German Shepherd gives you a little extra time to get to your gun when you need too. . Shotguns are harder to handle in hallways and doorways, I'd go with a handgun you're comfortable shooting.

 

what about a "squib" (a cartridge that was loaded with not enough powder so as the projectile does not fully leave the cyilnder)i have seen it happen 3 times once with hadloads and 2 times with factory loads.that will jam your revolver up so bad it will take a good 10 minutes to clear it(i can clear a jam in my auto in about 1.5 seconds) waht about a "hangfire", (a cartridge that fails to fully ingnite for a few seconds) in a revolver most people would just pull the trigger again, and guess what happens when that round now with no where to go fires KA-BOOM!!!. just a couple points that show you can have problems with any handgun. as far as autos jamming i do see it. i have a glock-19, glock-20, S&M-4506, deserteagle-.44 auto mag, and a 1942 walther p-38 i can not remember any of them jamming, ever...you just got to keep them clean

 

Well let me throw my two cents in.

First a question, what do you want the firearm for? Concealed carry, home protection(not to leave the house), easy access, ease of use for the wife, etc.?

Second, there is no such thing as a knock down, stopping, one shot stopping or any such power when it comes to handguns. Every reputable self-defense instructor will tell you that they are ALL underpowered. If you intend to get into a gunfight bring a long-gun and bring your friends with long-guns.

Third, pick your defense ammunition so that you meet minimum penetration and expansion considerations as set up by various FBI/DEA etc. protocols and testing. Also rememebr this general rule, the more you pay per round or the more marketing hype, usually the less effective a round will prove to be. All handgun rounds operate by crushing as much tissue as possible with such capability enhanced by an expanding hollowpoint. This crush and tearing effect causes blood loss which serves to drop blood pressure to the point that the subject goes into unconciousness. Anything short of a CNS hit will not result in immediate physical incapacitation, maybe psychological, but not physical. Skim this report about the infamous FBI Miami shootout in 1986 and see what a motivated individual can do against several adversaries even when severely wounded at the beginning of the fight.http://foia.fbi.gov/shooting.htm This shootout caused several govt. agencies to re-evaluate how they select ammunition and train agents.

Fourth, TRAIN TRAIN TRAIN TRAIN. I recommend a reputable self-defense course and then another and another and so on. The NRA course is a good place to start, but explore places like http://www.optionsforpersonalsecurity.com or http://www.ops-se.com and others that are out there.

Fifth, when looking for information on Broncos go to a Bronco forum, when looking for information on firearms, go to a firearms forum. Ask questions they will be happy to help out. Look for particular posts by a man named David DiFabio at Warrior Talk and Shawn Dodson at Warrior talk, they also post at some of the others. Look for James Yeager at lightfighter. These guys know what they are talking about.
http://www.tacticalforums.com
http://www.warriortalk.com
http://www.ammolab.com
http://lightfighter.net/6/ubb.x?a=cfrm&s=7336015661

 

Another revolver issue is getting any powder caught under the ejector. I have had this occur several times, either cylinder will not close or is very difficult to close or rotate.

A good point with the auto-loaders, loading/reloading is much faster than any revolver. Clip in, shoot, drop empty clip, stick fresh clip in.... Biggest problem is not ensuring clip is locked in. I can reload my auto loader quickly, and without losing sight of my intended target. This IS an important issue, considering you may have only temporarily disabled your attacker, and might just have the need for additional rounds quickly. Also a point with multiple assailants.

Someone commented on the difficult safeties on auto loaders too. My double action Bursa Thunder .45 ACP has only the trigger disconnect, usable left or right handed. One easy motion, it is off. This semi-auto functions exactly like like any double action revolver. What is nice is after the first shot, you are cocked and in single action mode, with a much lighter trigger pull for any remaining shots. With the revolver you more than likely have a heavy trigger pull to deal with again, making it that little bit more difficult to stay on target.

 

Good list, good advise. I got my daughter a Lady Smith, 5-shot .38, stainless - good fit for a small hand and good stopper with hollow points. I'm glad to see Para on the list, I really like the the stainless .45 LDA.
Dono

 

I have owned and shot a few different handguns and I have to say the Glock 19 is my all-time favorite. I've had mine for 10 years and its perfectly reliable, easy to strip and clean and shoots to point of aim. I can get a box of 100 Winchester-USA practice ammo for $11 at walmart. Also, I taught my wife to shoot using this gun and she is a very capable shot.

 

.454 casull

 

.454 casull

 

that is what i carry every time i leave the house

 

78f250]Ruger GP-100, 4" barrel, .357mag, in stainless. For a nightstand gun it works well. You can shoot .38's out of it. It is heavy enough that recoil is not bad at all. It is a wheel gun so there is no "stovepipes" or "failure to fire" for whatever reason. Best part is it is built like a tank and retails in the $400 area.
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Msheaffer .
Now you went and did it, opened a can of gun worms, but always fun. I have to strongly agree with 78F250. Load it with some ETP ammo and you don't have to worry about being able to crank off mega rounds. The wife can practice with .38s and the difference to .357 if needed in a defensive situation won't be noticed. For a nightstand gun I think I would prefer the less visible blued instead of stainless. Whatever you deside, I hope you never need to use it.

 

Just to get rid of confustion, not to ruffle tail feathers, but you will never get rid of failure to fire errors.

I have a .38 and a .357 that each have some sort of problem that just developed one day. The .38 wont properly cycle the cylinder, and the .357 now has a broken firing pin..how'd it happen, I dunno.

I just got done serving my time as a tank commander. That's a breach loaded, single shot weapon, of the 120mm type, and I'd still get a failure to fire once in a while. Some times due to the round, some times due to a malfunction some where.

I guess point is..you'll never ever get a 100% reliability rate. now..that that's done and I've gone on and on for nothing..again...I'll end this.

 

TBH, I hate guns in my home since I have to use them at work. Also, any weapon in the house can be turned against you. If they grab a hostage you will have to make a decision to hand over the weapon or shot the perp. My wife is also a soldier so she can fire a M9, M16, M4 and M249 so I try not to mouth off too much.

But if I did have one I would get a sigsaur (sp?). It is what the Army CID agents are given and when I was company commander was allowed to quality on one instead of my normal M9. I liked the feel and action of it. I was also told it was a pretty safe handgun and rare to jam or misfire.

I would not worry too much about power. As stated earlier either they run at the sight or pull out their own firepower. If the thief is hit by a 9mm they will most likely run unless on some crazy drug. No reason for them to risk their life to steal something when there are plenty of other targets that are easy pickings.

If you are worried about security then get one of those home alarm systems with the motion detectors, siren, lights, and 24/7 off site monitoring.