Home defense pistol?

Question

I would like some recommendations on what kind, type, action, caliber, brand, etc, for a pistol that is good for home defense. I only have two guidelines: that it should be no more that 1000$ and that it uses inexpensive ammo or that can use multiple ammo types.

P.S. I know that shotguns are good for home defense already, I just need a pistol.

Answer 1

Check out the Ruger Gp 100.

Answer 2

I like the Springfield Armory XD series. It comes in 9mm, .40 caliber, or .45acp .

I paid about 580 after taxes for my Tactical (5"barrel) .45acp. Very low recoil, has a great fit to the hand, and has 13 round magazines (as long as you do not live in a state with hi-cap mag laws).

I paid 550 for my 9mm XD Service model (4"barrel) and has even lower recoil. 16 round mags.

All XDs come with speed loaders, holsters, and magazine pouches and are pretty much available at every gun shop.

In line of ammo 9mm will be the cheapest for range sessions at about 20 bucks for a box of 100 rounds (full metal jacket) at Walmart. .40 cal and .45 are about 8 - 12 dollars more. All defensive rounds in those calibers are about the same price. 20 bucks (give or take) for 20(Jacketed Hollow Points) rounds.

http://www.springfield-armory.com/xd.php

Answer 3

"The Judge" by Taurus, .45 cal Colt & 2.5" .410 shot shell.

Check out this link: http://www.taurususa.com/video/taurus-th...

Answer 4

Look at the Taurus lineup of Judges.  I have a Night Judge that is chambered for 45 long colt and 410 shotgun shells.  It is not that big but those 410 shells do an impressive job; it was about 360 bucks, not bad.  With the shotgun shells you don't have to worry about overpenetration of the neighbor's plasma TV.  

Answer 5

I own a Beretta 92fs 9mm for home protection and self-defense. I love it.  

Answer 6

A .357 mag with a 4-5" barrel. It sure as heck won't cost a grand. In the middle of the night when things go bump, you wake up about 1/4 of the way in a cold sweat and the adrenaline pumping, all you have to do is get your hand on it and start pulling the trigger. It will fire until it runs out of ammo. You don't have to worry about jams. You don't have to worry "Did I put a round in the chamber?". You don't have to worry about accidentally hitting the magazine release. You can load a revolver, stick it in a drawer and pull it out 5 years later and it will shoot with no problems.

You can get the cheapest .38 ammo around and shoot it all day and load it with a good defense round like the Federal HaydraShock at night and set it on the bedside table.

I don't know of why you would need more than 6 rounds unless you stash lots of cash or drugs in the house and expect an invasion. In that case you, should get better doors on your house.

I sleep with a Rossi mod 971 Stainless Steel w/Compensated barrel. I sleep very well.

As a note, about 20 years ago (d**n, time flies), I was doing some Ops in the Mediterranean Ocean with a group of Delta Force guys. (Yeah, they really do exist.) Most of them carried a S&W 686 .357 as a side arm.

Answer 7

generally for someone who has to ask this type question I would recommend a .357 mag double action revolver

you can shoot any .38 special ammunition (standard, +P) and .357 mag ammunition

you can literally load it, stick it in a bedside drawer, leave it for 20 years, come back, pull the trigger 6 times and it will go bang six times

actually I would probably recommend Taurus or Smith & Wesson (more than $1,000) since they have models that hold 8 rounds instead of 6 (even though I'm partial to Ruger)

if you can afford $1,000 for the firearm I'm surprised you were concerned about ammo price - unless you are smart enough to realize you may not be allowed to buy it in the near future

http://www.taurususa.com/products/produc...

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/s...

Answer 8

Last consideration first:  Guns are ammo specific so that narrows multiple ammo types down somewhat.

What you are probably looking for is a good .357 Magnum Revolver.  These also shoot the .38 Special family of bullets and are available at well below your cost ceiling.  S&W, Ruger, Taurus all make good revolvers.  The Ruger GP-100 or SP-101 is hard to beat for home defense.  

In semi-auto you aren't likely to find multiple calibers unless you are willing to buy a different barrel.  Example:  You can buy a Glock Model 31 .357 Sig and order the barrel for .40 S&W.  You can buy a Glock Model 20 10mm and buy an after-market barrel for it in .357 Sig or .40 S&W.  Now the Glock Model 20 upper is available to allow your Model 20 to shoot the .50 GI rounds.  But by the time you pay for the entire conversion you're over your $1,000 budget ceiling by a couple of hundred bucks.  

I'd get the GP-100.

H

Answer 9

Specific makes and models can only be chosen by the user be very wary of those pushing their product agenda

Personally for home defense I would look seriously at a 4 inch 357

Ammo is not terribly expensive and you can load up from 38 to 357 depending on your preference or need

I also like the DA semis especially if you feel you need more rounds

40 is a good caliber but 9 would be more economical and certainly capable of doing the job

If over penetration is a concern get some Safety Shells or frangible rounds

I agree with most of what Northwest says but it should also be noted that racking the slide on a shotgun informs the BG exactly where his target is and that they are armed

And that that sound is not more recognizable than a slide of a semi racking  r the sound of a revolver cocking

But most importantly that none of these actions should occur after you have confronted the BG but as far in advance as possible

(except for cocking a revolver that should only be done if you are going out to face Marshal Dillon)

Answer 10

Get a glock.

They're built like tanks, you can get (in some states) mags that hold a LOT of rounds (good thing, in case you're shooting at some intruder while you're shaking wildly, panicked, afraid for your life), and best of all, for that price, you could get the laser site - you don't even have to know how to shoot well - you just put the red dot where you need it.

Answer 11

Despite lots of hoopla, nobody's come up with any major improvement in man-stopping ability since the army issued the 45 Colt single-action revolver in 1873. That leaves you an awfully large amount of room for personal preferences.

Answer 12

Any combat style semi-auto or revolver will serve you well.  Well known manufacturers like Colt, Smith & Wesson, Taurus, Sig, H&K, Beretta, Glock, Springfield Armory or Ruger all sell fine handguns.  Whether it's single action, double action, double action only, doesn't really matter so long as you master the action.  It's not that I'm being flippant on the matter.  It's just that you can easily make a persuasive case for a 1911, .357 Mag revolver, Glock, XD, Sig or whatever, because they are all fine guns and easy to operate if you read the directions.

9mm is generally considered inexpensive.  Maybe .38 special is inexpensive also, not really sure since I use mostly .357 Mag in my revolver.

Answer 13

I use a .45ACP M1911A1 but only because I am very, very familiar with it. For someone just starting out I recommend a double action .357 like a Smith & Wesson model 19. I really like the versatility of that chambering. You can shoot .38s in it when practicing, .357s when you need to break things, even shotshells if the need arises.

BUT...

If your primary concern is personal defense, you need to put many different pistols in your hand and see what works for you. After all, it'll be your life on the line not mine if it ever comes to that.

Answer 14

I would not recommend any pistol in any caliber for home defense.  If you live in an apartment the bullet can go thru your wall into the neighbors and harm an innocent person. Same thing for a house.  The best home defense is a pump shotgun in 20 Ga..  Many makers have the short barrel (18")defense models with pistol grip like the 500 series from Mossberg. (supplier to the US Military),

If you need to use it, I guarantee that if you just cycle a pump, who ever is trying to harm you,knows that sound and will leave quickly.  If they don't, then fire away with out having to worry that the bullets will go thru your walls into another's apartment or house. What ever you decide on, I truly hope you never have to use it.

Good Luck