If you let them steal your sofa they will just come back and steal the other one. Shoot that MFER!!!!!!
Only have one. Nothin better than that new couch smell. Truthfully, I’d probably shoot ‘em. Just cause I’d be pissed if someone broke into my place. I like to think I’m better than that though. Not sure I am.
I have a Black and Tan Coonhound along with a 235 pound Leonberger and a little yappie thing that serve as my “early warning system”. Keep a 9mm w/16 rounds on the nightstand (next to my Bible) which I chose because I can run that thing in my sleep. Last is a Winchester 1897 Riot Gun filled with 00 buck that’s about 10 steps away.
Why not both? 18" 870 Police with 9 rounds, first 3 shots are 1 5/8 oz 5s, followed by 6 rounds 00. Next to bed. 1911 with 3 mags on nightstand.
AR, with multiple mags, closeby
Wif has SxS Coach gun with Heavy Field 6s, a S&W M-28 and her ankle biter alarm system.
100# bulldog sleeps at the front door. The squirrel terrorizer is very noisy, as soon as anyone enters the yard.
Locks, exterior motion lights and cameras make us about as secure as possible.
AR, with multiple mags, closeby
Wif has SxS Coach gun with Heavy Field 6s, a S&W M-28 and her ankle biter alarm system.
100# bulldog sleeps at the front door. The squirrel terrorizer is very noisy, as soon as anyone enters the yard.
Locks, exterior motion lights and cameras make us about as secure as possible.
Depends to a great extent on a few things.... Are you a new shooter or old and well practiced? If new, I'd go shotgun, until you're old and practiced.
If you're buying a gun specifically for home defense, and it's the (or one of the first) gun(s) you own, again, shotgun. They are relatively inexpensive, and relatively cheap to load. Which means you can practice a bunch! And you need to so you can get old and practiced! One of the things you should practice is shooting when you're tired and shaky. OD on your caffeine of choice, so you're shaking badly, and practice shooting (at moving, if possible) targets. Also shoot with your non-dominant hand & eye. And you practice not until you get it right, but until you can't get it wrong. What? I've had a Remington 870, Mossberg 500, and currently a Marlin 120. Mostly, they've been loaded with Turkey loads of #4 shot, since I have a bunch of it. It's rated for good penetration out to 30 or 40 yards, and I can't see a home defense situation being anywhere near that far out. Longest sight line in my house is 10 yard, roughly. We do have gang intrusions/home invasions fairly frequently where I live. Probably not as bad as in LA, though. I've been shooting since I was 4, so that's about 64 years now. I've also got several pistols of one sort and another.
I'm fond of the 1911 in .45acp. Pistol fits my hands like they were designed for me, and I grew up shooting my dad's guns before I got my own. YMMV. Also a couple of revolvers in .38spc/.357mag. The .45 gets ball ammo, and the revolvers get mostly wad cutter or semi-wad cutters. I don't own or use 9mm anything. If I had enough money to get one or two of everything, that would probably be different, but so far I've done fine with what I have.
Blades: There are a lot of things wrong with taking a knife to a gun fight. But if it's all you've got, you might have to go with it. I've got a WWII NCO-issue Samurai sword by the head of the bed. They don't make much noise, no flash, and they never run out. I spent a bit of time actually learning how to use such things when I was younger, so it might just do the job.
So far, I've also never had a home invasion. And I hope it stays that way. But I've been reading, studying, and practicing as if it's immanent most of my life, just in case. And you should too. With whatever you have, and adding what you can as and when you can.
@Glock 'em down .....cue the video please.
For myself either, no preference between a handgun or semi-auto shotgun. For the rest of my family it's semi-auto shotgun no question.
I'm not a pump fan for self defense, I've seen too many guys in hunting situations get excited and short stroke a pump and mess up the next shot(s). Not ideal when you're life is on the line. It's no different than carrying a semi auto pistol for self defense, find reliable ammo that feeds every time and practice. Same applies the semi-auto shotgun. I know and they know that they have 7 shots that will fire every time as fast as they can pull the trigger if needed with no pumps in between.
I'm not a pump fan for self defense, I've seen too many guys in hunting situations get excited and short stroke a pump and mess up the next shot(s). Not ideal when you're life is on the line. It's no different than carrying a semi auto pistol for self defense, find reliable ammo that feeds every time and practice. Same applies the semi-auto shotgun. I know and they know that they have 7 shots that will fire every time as fast as they can pull the trigger if needed with no pumps in between.
And that would be because they don't practice enough. Whatever you're shooting, you need to get it down to muscle memory, so you always do it correctly. NOT saying you're wrong. Just that there is a way to avoid that sort of mistake. I, personally, don't own a semi-auto shotgun. Never found one that I liked and could afford, and found bunches of pump shotguns that I like and (at least occasionally) could afford.
