Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Jon at Armslist.com. Armslist.com is an online firearms marketplace that helps users find buyers and sellers in their local market and effect transactions in the simplest way possible.
Disclaimer: This article is aimed at helping those who are not sure where to start their research process. It is not a definitive guide to firearms purchases. Some of the information is generalized and all readers should conduct further research before making any decision.
Nearly every American man has heard the story of the shootout at the OK Corral. Wyatt Earp and his cohorts confronted a group of outlaw cowboys and emerged victorious. While much myth and mystery surrounds the circumstances of this encounter, a few things are very clear. Wyatt Earp was proficient with his Colt Peacemaker and Doc Holiday with the shotgun. While much has changed since the days of the Wild West, both the handgun and the shotgun remain top choices for clearing out ruffians who are encroaching on your territory.
A man has always been the king of his castle and protector of his domain. When things go bump in the night, it’s your job to check on things. What should you grab when you head downstairs? Today we’ll the discuss the best guns for home defense as well as some of the pros and cons of each.
Training
Gun safety training is essential for every man.
Before you even think about purchasing a gun, it is imperative that you are trained on how to properly use it. Remember: guns are a weapon. With the right to bear arms comes the heavy responsibility of handling them with the precaution and respect they deserve.
Moreover, a gun in the hands of man who doesn’t know what he’s doing with it is a liability to him and to his family. Regardless of what you purchase, you should frequent the firing range, take a firearms course, and attend or even partake in shooting events. All of these tasks will help you to learn to properly handle firearms.
Here are some resources to check out to get started:
Appleseed Project, a grassroots marksmanship program: http://www.appleseedinfo.org/
IDPA, Defensive Pistol shooting: http://www.idpa.com/
The Best Guns for Home Defense
Pump Action Shotgun
Mossberg 500 – 12 Gauge Pump Shotgun
The general consensus in the firearms community is that the pump action shotgun is the top choice for home defense. They’re relatively easy to use and nearly impossible to break. More importantly, the sound of chambering a hot round into a pump action 12 gauge is sure to soil the britches of even the most hardened criminal.
The Mossberg 500 and the Remington 870 are extremely popular choices in this category. Both are proven to be extremely reliable for a reasonable price, beginning at around $200.
Ease of Use and Reliability
The pump action shotgun is a relatively simple weapon to use. Shotgun shells are loaded into the gun, and the pump action chambers a round. Pulling the trigger fires the chambered round. The next pump ejects the spent shell and loads another round into the chamber. These attributes contribute to the pump action shotgun’s reliability.
Effectiveness
Shotguns are most commonly used to fire a number of projectiles, anywhere from roughly nine pellets used in 00 buckshot up to hundreds of bb sized pellets in bird shot. At close range and with proper ammunition, shotguns can be extremely effective in defending you and your loved ones.
For more information on different types of shot and their ballistic qualities, refer to this article.
Verdict (out of 5)
Cost: 5
Ease of Use: 4
Reliability: 5
Effectiveness: 5
Bonus: (Sound of chambering a round)
Overall: 4.75
Revolver
Smith & Wesson 686 .357 Mag 4″, 6 round
The next best weapon for home defense is the revolver. Revolvers are the simplest and most reliable of hand guns. One of the major advantages of the revolver is its small size which allows for easy storage and access. Also, another benefit of the revolver is its price. You can find quality revolvers for as little as a few hundred dollars.
Ease of Use & Reliability
Revolvers are produced in double action and single action varieties. Single action revolvers require the user to pull back the hammer manually before firing the gun. Most modern revolvers offer double action operation which alleviates the need to pull back the hammer before firing the weapon. While there are advantages to using a single-action revolver, the double-action revolver is the superior choice for home defense because of its ease of use. When an intruder has entered your home, you don’t want to have to think about cocking a gun.
Because of it’s simple design, the revolver is an extremely reliable weapon. Unlike semi-automatic weapons, it is nearly impossible for a revolver to jam. If there is a round in the cylinder of a double-action revolver, pulling the trigger will fire the gun. Simple as that. This simplicity is an important factor for use in already stressful situations.
One drawback on revolvers, or any handgun for that matter, is the skill required to properly and effectively operate them. Don’t be fooled by your hours of playing Duck Hunt. Hitting a target, even if it’s just a few feet away, is deceptively difficult.
Effectiveness
Handguns are produced in a number of different calibers and the stopping power is dependent upon which round is used. Common choices are .38 Special (also available in a slightly stronger “+P” variety), .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, and .45 Long Colt. One advantage to buying a .357 revolver is that the owner can use .38 special, .38 special +P, or .357 magnum rounds as the gun accepts and safely fires all of them. (Conversely, a .38 revolver cannot fire .357 magnum.)
It’s important to consider that larger caliber revolvers may be more difficult to fire accurately in quick succession. Unfortunately, smaller caliber revolvers may lack the stopping power necessary to quickly incapacitate an attacker.
- Further reading about stopping power.
- Further reading about wound ballistics studies.
- Further reading about .357 Magnum and .38 Special +P
Visual comparison of common handgun cartridges. Left to right:
1) 3 inch 12 ga magnum shotgun shell
2) AA battery (for size comparison)
3) .454 Casull
4) .45 Winchester Magnum
5) .44 Remington Magnum
6) .357 Magnum
7) .38 Special
8) .45 ACP
9) .38 Super
10) 9 mm Luger
11) .32 ACP
12) .22 LR
Verdict
Cost:4
Ease of Use: 3
Reliability: 5
Effectiveness: 3
Overall: 3.75
Semi-Automatic pistols
Every AoM reader has seen these in movies and TV shows. They’re also the guns that most police officers carry. While semi-automatic pistols might be good for cops, they’re not a good choice for one’s first firearm purchase, at least not when home defense is the primary use. We’ll go into why that is further below.
Two iconic semi-automatic pistols are the 1911 variants and polymer pistols such as Glocks. The 1911 has seen action through two world wars and is still in use by US Special Operations and FBI HRT. Glocks have been heralded for their ease of use and reliability and have seen much use in law enforcement. Quality semi-automatic pistols can cost as little as a few hundred or as much as a few thousand.
Ease of Use and Reliability
The operation of a semi-automatic handgun is more complicated than a revolver. An operator must become familiar with operating slide-stops and safeties, loading magazines, chambering rounds and clearing jams. The additional actions involved make it less than ideal for those unfamiliar with hand guns. This, combined with the skill required to accurately shoot a handgun, means that semi-automatic handguns are the least user friendly of the choices mentioned.
Because rounds are automatically loaded and the design is more complex, semi-automatic weapons are also more prone to jamming failures than revolvers.
Because of the semi-automatic handgun’s lower reliability and more complicated operation, first time purchasers should probably consider a shotgun or a revolver.
Effectiveness
As with revolvers, effectiveness varies drastically with caliber. There are many different calibers for semi-automatic handguns. The most common are .380 ACP, 9mm, .357 Sig, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP. The 9mm is perhaps the most popular caliber, in use by military and law enforcement around the world. The .40 S&W was created by the FBI to allow for additional stopping power over the 9mm. The 45 ACP came about during the development of the 1911.
- Further reading about stopping power.
- Further reading about wound ballistics studies.
Verdict
Cost: 3
Ease of Use: 2
Reliability: 3
Effectiveness: 3
Overall: 2.75
Conclusion
This article is aimed at providing a starting place for those that lack prior knowledge of and experience with firearms. Again, proper education, training, and practice are essential when deciding to purchase a gun.
For another take on what weapons are the best for home defense, see Primer Magazine’s article: Hero Training: Best Weapons for Home Defense.
What are your thoughts on the best guns for home defense? Do you prefer a baseball bat over a gun? Let us know in the comments.
Related Posts
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How to Shoot a Rifle
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The Basics of Cleaning Your Revolver
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Is Being A Stay-At-Home Dad Manly?
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How to Stock a Home Bar
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Anybody mentioned Kennesaw, GA yet?
http://www.mcsm.org/kennesaw.html
nice artical nolan.
Keep up the awsome Work A.O.M! don’t let those close minded anti gunner idiots get in your way! Don’t worry, when the ragheads invade america the anti’s will be the first to go anyway. so when we see an anti bieng chased down the street by a raghead with an ak-47, as gun owners, we will respect their opinions, and not defend them with our guns.
How about just keeping a live hand grenade in the fruit bowl? Am an avid bird hunter but see no use for assault weapons and other guns that are manufactured strictly to kill people, but long ago gave up hope for any form of rational gun control laws in the US. After the college shooting in West Virgina a couple of years ago the majority of people wanted to have MORE concealed handguns “for safety”. Guess we can all go back to the wild west and shoot it out with our concealed hanguns when we disagree. Wouldn’t THAT be manly,
Hey hillbilly, if the student’s had been carrying the could have shot the assailant. Wer’re not all “gangtsas” who hold our glock sideways “cause it’s too coo man”. we are responsible gun owners who keep our guns loaded and don’t believe that crap about being more likley to be shot if you own a gun. it’s a good thing you gave up on gun control because it will never happen anyway. so now you can send that 200 dollars a month to a sick kid in africa instead of the brady campaign. and the guy with a “wild west obessian” that’s carrying a gun could be the one that saves your ass when your brandishing your phone instead of a gun at the attacker in the parking garage. and by the way, an ar15 isnot an assault weapon. it has to be full auto to be considered an “assault waepon”. you can think about not having a defense gun that is “manufactured srtictly to kill people” when your staring down the attacker’s gun barrel waiting for the cops to show up. mabeye killing defensles animals to mount them on the wall has screwed you in the brain. if you want to hunt do it wit a knife so the animal has a fair chance like you do. or you could just buy a duck and save all the hassle. and as gun owners, we will always carry our concealed handguns for saftey, but out of respect for your weird opinions, we promise not do defend you with our handguns.
To all of you imposers of your own opinion. SUCK IT UP! And TRY…..TRY to be a man. The man doesn’t need your approval or your opinion. If you don’t like what he blogs, keep your “shocked” wussie eyes off his site.
i don’t understand your comment. can you explain in other words?
To those of you against gun ownership, answer me this and then I will qualify you as to whether or not you have any idea as to what you are talking about:
1) How much firearm training have you had?
2) Have you fired a weapon (handgun, rifle, shotgun) at a target more than just on several occasions or less?
3) Have you read the Bill of Rights? Do you fully understand what it means?
4) Do you realize that gun ownership protects you – even if you do not own a firearm the mere fact that your neighbors may own a firearm protects you from violent crime by proxy. IE, criminals do not know if there is a firearm on your person or in your home, therefore they are less likely to assault you or invade your home. If criminals know that nobody is armed, WATCH OUT!
5) Quick – choose one of the the following: Your family home has been broken into in the middle of the night. Your wife and children may be molested, even killed. You a) dial 911 and wait 10 to 60 minutes for the cops to arrive or b) cock your shotgun and deal with the intruders. Then dial 911.
From your answers, the world knows you are either 1) a wimp who does not deserve the term “Man” or 2) a red blooded American Man who also values freedom
to all those who are fully against this article and firearms in general, i ask you one question: have you ever had a gun pulled on yourself? i am a fairly responsible 17 year old and yes i have had one pulled on me and that makes it a reality for me to be gunned down by a foolish thug who is trying to make a name for himself. so if you would like to live in a fantasy world where guns only kill people when the general citizens hold them and not the actual criminals then fine. DONT READ THE POST!
amen to that!
punditus maximus, your full of crap if you think that having a gun is more likley to get you shot. the parents are more stupid than the kids for not teaching them about guns. the day i turned 10 my grandfather gave me a 20 gauge pump mossberg and said : “son, you’re ready.” I still have that gun after 20 years, and have given it to my son, who is now 9. he keeps it loaded by his bed and i keep my remington loaded by my bed. Don’t dump on trust and tradition by your unrealistic “statistics”.
In regards to the negative comments below.
Guns are a fact of life everywhere. Just like sex.
Pretending they don’t exist hurts your children more then educating them on how incredibly destructive either of them can be.
I think you did a good job with this blog. Most people obviously can’t read very well. It had nothing to do with telling men that owning a firearm will make you a better man. Also a firearm has the potential to be the one thing that saves you and your family’s life in a situation that if you called the cops they would be to late. owning a gun is our constitutional right for a reason. I you are trained correctly and keep your firearm locked up and unloaded (like it says in the blog) then there should never be an accident. your blog was well researched and very helpful. Don’t let people get you down because they have never been through hard times and think the a security system will save them in there darkest hour.
good luck unlocking and loading your gun while the bad guy is already looking at you, Dalton. the only thing that those locks are good for is taking up space in a trashcan. guns are supposed to be readily available to everyone that has been trained with them when every second counts. that’s why magazines were invented, so that ammunition would be readily available. if you don’t want a three year old getting your handgun, then be creative and find places to hide it, like on top of the fridge, or on a window sill between a blind and a curtain. there are many places to keep guns where toddlers can’t find them, yet they are loaded and readily available should the time arise. remember, the defense of you child IS the best reason to keep a loaded gun handy.
when i was little i was playing in the front yard of my house in tulsa ok, when some hippie-looking person got out of his volkswagon van and ran in my direction, trying to take me. i ran in to tell my father, who had just come home from his night shift as security for St. francois hospital, and was sleeping. he was almost like a zombie whenever he came home from his rounds as a security team member, so he wasn’t fully aware of what had just happened. he grabbed his 870 wingmaster and went to the door. the hippie saw him and ran to his van and peeled out of there. that ended the situation then and there. just showing a gun can discourage someone who would otherwise fight.
I just wanted to say THANKS to the writer of this article. As a proud AMERICAN father of two fantastic kids and husband of one beautiful wife, it is my God-given desire and privilege to protect my family with the best means available. (Sorry, but I found the use of the phone a humorous option, especially regarding the track record of all phone companies!)
I just received my license to carry a concealed handgun and I’ve been reading everything I can to further educate myself on home defense. This article was very informative, intelligent, and helpful. I’ve decided to ignore the knee-jerk reaction to respond to the woosy critics of this article. May “The Art of Manliness” continue to write like a man!
Thanks for the post. I can’t get over the apoplectic responses to your blog about guns. The lies (or misinformation) used to rebuke you was not surprising though. People against guns — typically Liberals — have visceral reactions to things they don’t like or understand, which is their normal way of “thinking” and “forming opinions.” It’s a blatant lie to say that calling the cops is the answer in every situation; sometimes having a gun is the difference between life and the death of you and your loved ones. Thank goodness guns are an American tradition and ownership a right protected under our Constitution (despite what our “Moron in Chief” might desire).
Would gun advocates posting on this site like like to address “friendly fire”? You think if our trained military and law enforcement personnel occasionally fire on one another that ordinary civilians, no matter how well trained, wouldn’t do the same? Most stats show friendly fire at about 10%. I hate to think what would have happened at the West Virginia campus if a bunch of civilians had been armed as well. You think the police would have even wanted to respond into that type of an environment? Basic weapons for hunting or sport are all that we need and are plenty for home defense as well. Semi-automatic weapons with fixed bayonets as mentioned in an earlier post? Move them next to Norman.
PS: Norman – I use a shotgun to hunt birds because I haven’t been taught how to fly yet.
How to recognize a friendly from a badguy? Hmmmmmm………
He’s probably not the one with a crazed look on his faced popping off rounds at the teachers and the cieling. Go kill your animals hillbilly and leave gun enthusiuasts alone.
I live in a rural area and the Sheriff’s department is 20 miles away. If I need them in the middle of the night, the chances of a deputy being in my area are slim to none. Once in a while I will get a “my car broke down, can I use your phone” visitor at the door and you just never know.
@ norman. I’ve had an 870 Wingmaster for 30 years. Chambering a round in the 870 is almost as loud as the blast! The sound of the chambering has allowed me to thwart several trespassers from my property without ever pull the trigger.
You got it John! finally! an intelligent person on this site! Wev’e got God and hi-cap 870′s! what more do we need!:) When the terrorists invade america and the world goes to shit those with weak constitutions and no firearms will be the first to go anyway. And while people like hillbilly attempt to defend theirselves with their 2- plus -one capacity 35 inch barrel duck guns people like you and me will be fighting with our so called “assault weapons” and 870′s, and will be keeping our homes and loved ones safe.
There are three types of people in the world: wolves who feed on sheep, sheep who rely on others for defense, and those willing and prepared to defend themselves. In the U.S. we can still choose not to be sheep…. for now.
To all you anti’s out there, Get Real! You have never known fear or danger like others have. You have lived such sheltered little mambie pambie lives that have blinded you to reality of the rest of this stinko world. You won’t know fear and danger until YOUR house is broken into and YOUR loved ones are hurt! Violence and burglars are very real so you might as well learn how to deal with it rather than putting up no gun zone signs and security cameras. As for hopes of gun control for the other 49 states, go sit with Schwartzenegger on the never-gonna-happen bench. padlocks keep honest people honest, but you can still break them. gun laws are no different. criminals don’t care about laws. that’s why the break them to get what they want. I’ll still keep my sks sporter with dual mags and ACOG sight by the door, thank you very much.
P.S. -Hillbilly- when you do learn how to fly go to california where the rest of the gun control freaks are and stay there.
As far as home defense firearms listed goes,Id choose the 12 gauge with buckshot.I live in a very rural area.Ive had my home robbed.Police are far away.If I was home during an intrusion,I would grab my phone and shotgun.Call 911,tell the situation,then prepare to defend my life and home.We live in a world were most people are good.There will always be evil men,with evil plans.Hopefully I will never have to face that situation,but at least I will be ready.Will you?
I sure will! defending one’s home is as manly as it gets. people without guns are as easy to squish as a bug in the dirt. Did you know Obama is apologizing to japan for dropping the atomic bomb?! Japan was our sworn enemy! in my eyes they still are. we sent good men over there to their deaths to protect our country from the little gooks! we didn’t blow up the filthy little rats just because we were bored! they were trying to rule the world with hitler! Obama’s apologized to every one exept his own people! oh well. i guess when china runs out of money We’ll have to borrow money from somebody.
Knowing how to safely handle and shoot firearms isn’t a manly skill.
Everybody should know this; men, women, and responsible children. And pretty much anybody can; there are only four simple rules to be followed (always treat the firearm as if it’s loaded, always control the muzzle direction, always keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on your target and you’re ready to fire, and always de sure of your target and what lies beyond it). My wife and 11-year-old nephew are better men than some of the hysterical anti-firearms human chihuahuas metaphorically widdling on the carpet over this post.
What the heck is wrong with all of you? The bottom line is that we live in a country where the criminals have guns. Sometimes this leads to those same criminals using those same guns against honest, hard working Americans and their families. Wait for 10 minutes while the police show up to a crime scene of your corpse, I prefer to protect my family.
Amen, brothers!
To benjamin: don’t bring a knife to a gunfight dumbass! let’s see you get in a fight against a man with a gun when you have a knife and we’ll see if your statement is true. Oh, wait, you have had 20 years of training on Call of Duty knife melee attacks in your room in Your mom’s basement. most confrontations take place between 8-10 feet. by the time you drew grandpa’s pocket kinfe the guy would have already pulled the trigger. Google KNIFEFIGHT VICTIMS on the web and take a good look at the pictures of people with 10 feet of intestines hanging out. Ive’ sewn up many people in the ER because they thought knives would do the trick when the other guy also had a knife. To others that have posted about batons or spray, good luck. when a subject is jacked up on dope their bodys do not react to pain. you must do actual tissue damage. when i was a cop i responded to a domestic upset. the guy was on meth and had a shotgun and i tased him and zipp happned. i had too shoot. So you can learn karate and all of that useless crap or you can buy a cheap smith and wesson 9mm and be ready for when the burglar shows up with HIS gun.
911 system-Government version of DIal a prayer.Average time from 911 call to police arrival.10 minutes(remember,AVERAGE.Some can be a few seconds some 30 plus minutes.)Average time from when a bad guy breaks in your house to your dead?How long would it take you to walk from the front door to the back door of your house?That is how long you would have to live.30 seconds to a minute?Then subtract the time it takes you to realize someone is in your house and the time it takes to find a phone and dial 911.That leaves you with about 15-30 seconds for the cops to get to your house before your dead.Now with a gun.5 seconds…your safe.As for the comments,”Don’t live in those type places”.Chrime has no boundrys.To be exact,criminals don’t go doing break ins in the bad part of town.They go to the high dollar areas where people feel safe and don’t lock up and have really nice expensive things.
Well, everyone, my wife and i are moving to vermont in an area where there’s no internet capabilities. Ive tried my best to reason with the anti’s on this site but i guess you can’t educate fools. trying to get the anti’s to take off their blindfolds and see reality is stressing me out and giving me headaches just like at work when i have to try and reason with someone who doesn’t give a damn. So guys, don’t give up hope on your gun rights! no one will ever take our guns and if they try we’ll giv’em hell! Goodbye, and the best of luck in your future endeavors.
Here’s some food for thought for the staunchly anti-gun crowd. I agree with you that there is no need to get a gun if you live in a civil society. If there is a prowler or burglar, it is better to just call the police rather than risk using a firearm on your family or having a child shoot himslef. But I think you are underestimating the fragility of civil society. I live in the San Francisco Bay area, and I own a gun just in the slim case that there is a mega earthquake, knocking out power, EMS response and law enforcement for days or even weeks. What happens if there are looters and no police to call? What if you have to shepard your family out of harm’s way through hostile areas filled with desperate, hungry people? I have a gun and keep it locked up just in case of natural disasters or sociopolitical collapse.
I think this post is totally appropriate. We’ve had a number of things stolen form our yard and I’m not going to wait until someone has the balls enough to come into my home while we’re sleeping; I have three boys and a wife I am responsible for protecting. I needed the help to think through an important decision like this. Besides my Constitutional right to bear arms, I want to make sure I am well equipped to protect my loved ones should that need occur. Thanks for the article!
Nice article, good information for the beginners.
Glock 26 protects me and mine all day and night.
I also have owned and shot weapons of all types my whole life. Not only do I enjoy hunting with my father and friends, I also shoot for sport. I own a shotgun and a centerfire rifle and can handle both well. I am also a state champion archer, and an avid bowhunter. I was brought up to handle weapons safely and effectively.
But make no mistake, if you enter my home uninvited, you will recieve 1 verbal warning, if unheeded, you will be put down with extreme prejudice. As far as using a phone as a weapon, just remember……”when seconds count, the police are just minutes away.”
“Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” I am a survivor and will protect my family with twice the aggression of an intruder.
Great article.
Hey Jimmy,
Listening to a whiny sis like you reminds me why we parted ways oh so long ago.
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