Looking for home defense pistol

[Randy1944]

I am looking for a home defense auto pistol. My friends have suggested a Sig-Sauer P226ST .....40 cal. or a Glock. Any and all suggestions appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[johnlives4christ]

either is a good choice. personally i would prefer the glock. you can get a used one from summit BRANDX . com i seem used glock 22 40calibers for 330 or less there. mags are 10 each from that guy. save some money and buy some more ammo.

for home defense though i wouldnt turn down a good solid revolver. you can leave it loaded forever and never even think about a spring getting weak. springs in some handguns get weaker over time from either over compression, fatigue or wear or bad metal composition

[Boris]

Listen to your friends. The P226 will be a much softer shooter than the Glock.

Both are great choices. Try and shoot both to see what you like best......

[Boris]

springs in some handguns get weaker over time from either over compression, fatigue or wear or bad metal composition

Glock mags are known to push mag springs past the limit. I have been down loading mine by one round for over 15 years now for Glock mags and the spring lfe is tripple what it was when I fully loaded them...

[johnlives4christ]

really boris. thats good advise sir. i your opinion, would it hurt the mag to load it to capacity and then strip one off into the chamber. ie would over stressing it for just a minute hurt it as bad as over stressing it for long periods

[Boris]

Originally Posted by johnlives4christ

really boris. thats good advise sir. i your opinion, would it hurt the mag to load it to capacity and then strip one off into the chamber. ie would over stressing it for just a minute hurt it as bad as over stressing it for long periods

Thats the way I do it. It has worked for 15 years for me since I been doing it with Glocks. The spares are all -1, never missed the rounds.....

[johnlives4christ]

theres a lot of time i have carried 1 down in the gun. but i always carry my spares full. i dont know how long my springs will last because all my mags either have new springs or are new.

what is the rate you feel the need to replace your springs going fully loaded and 1 down?

[johnlives4christ]

another gun i would suggest for you randy is a ruger p95 9mm. i had one a few years back and it was great. reliable and accurate

[Boris]

I kept a G17 magazine loaded for 6.5 years. The magazine spring still felt new after I shot it and reloaded it. Its not really a matter of time. I go by rounds. My Glocks are my serious guns so I change them out every 5K per magazine. I shoot all my mags an equal amount so I will change out the springs on my G37 at 50,000 rounds, or about 12 years at the pace I am at right now......

edit: oops, I mean 25,000 rounds, or about 6 years. they have 2 years on them right now and still feel very strong........

[Boris]

Originally Posted by johnlives4christ

another gun i would suggest for you randy is a ruger p95 9mm. i had one a few years back and it was great. reliable and accurate

Great suggestion. FWIW the army bought 5,000 P95s some years back. They were for the Rock Island arsenal. I pooped a little when I actualy seen one while working. Kinda cool if you ask me. I would rather have a P95 than a M9 anyday!!

[grampawmike]

FWIW from a grumpy old man. I do not prefer a handgun for home defense. The possibility of the projectile from any decent pistol cartridge penetrating into other rooms of the residence and/or into an adjacent residence (in a high density area) is too high. A short barreled shotgun in 12 or 20 ga. would be my suggestion....and is my choice. Loaded with #6 shot in an inexpensive game load, and at across-the-room distances it will definitely do the job. Of course it isn't as classy as expounding on the virtues of your Glock, Sig, Ruger etc., to say you have a shotgun at your bedside, but it's less money spent, and really does what it's intended to do. JMHO Mike

[Double Deuce]

I went with FNP .45, it is a full size hangun holds 15 rounds and the recoil is not bad at all. Good advice on a shotgun, I have both, but with small children the shotgun is in a safe and the handgun in a pistol safe. The pistol safe I can get to quick and the shotgun is there for backup.

[Boris]

Originally Posted by grampawmike

FWIW from a grumpy old man. I do not prefer a handgun for home defense. The possibility of the projectile from any decent pistol cartridge penetrating into other rooms of the residence and/or into an adjacent residence (in a high density area) is too high. A short barreled shotgun in 12 or 20 ga. would be my suggestion....and is my choice. Loaded with #6 shot in an inexpensive game load, and at across-the-room distances it will definitely do the job. Of course it isn't as classy as expounding on the virtues of your Glock, Sig, Ruger etc., to say you have a shotgun at your bedside, but it's less money spent, and really does what it's intended to do. JMHO Mike

The shotgun has some cons to it too. The farthest I can shoot in my house is 12 yards, it is also the most likey place I would take a shot. My pattern in my shotgun is about 12" at that distance. So I would have 225 .11" projectiles to fill 113 sqaure inches. Thats roughly 2 pellets per square inch. Depending on bones hit, clothing and amount of fat on the person, penetration of most them pellets will be limited to 3-5" at best.

Like anything else we all have got to think through what is best for our individual situation. I also find it alot easier to answer the door when I hear a knock when I am not expecting someone. Not so easy to do with a shotgun.

I keep both. If things get bad enough the shotgun will be sought after and it will not be flinging .11" projectiles.....

[Terry_P]

My advice is a double action revolver like the Ruger GP100 loaded with Buffalo Bore LSWC-HP 38 Spl +P's. Simple to use, rugged, accurate and safe. Good luck.

[glocknut]

Before you go with a 40 cal Glock...take one apart and look at the chamber wall thickness. Then make your own decision.

If you are absolutely set on a 40 then get the sig....or even an xd. Personally i do not get this whole 40 craze that people seem to be stuck on. The 45 is a much better round for home defense in my opinion.

mike
gn

[johnlives4christ]

i dont have a problem with the glock in 40 caliber. i dont think the chamber walls are too thin. they are thinner then some. but im sure glock uses the correct metal and proper heat treatment procedures

[Boris]

Originally Posted by johnlives4christ

i dont have a problem with the glock in 40 caliber. i dont think the chamber walls are too thin. they are thinner then some. but im sure glock uses the correct metal and proper heat treatment procedures

I am not a 40 fan either, but the Glock chamber walls are plenty thick for the 40. My G37 has some pretty thin chamber walls compared to other calibers, but it operates at a much lower pressure and SAAMI tested it all the way upto 35,000psi and it held together just fine. Thats the same psi 40 runs at.

The main problem is brass loded too many times or over loaded ammo and the large throated area in chambers to assist feeding the 40 cartridge. I have seen just as many other brands of pistols get blownout as Glocks have that were shot with dangerously loaded ammo or brass shot too many times.

[user]

9mm dak.

[thomas44]

It's almost hard to go wrong with modern pistols. Even Taurus and some of the cheaper brands sell a decent pistol anymore. I think Sig's are very good pistols. I've got a S&W M&P 9mm that I absolutely love. I've put about 600 rounds through it in the last week, most of that was dirty, nasty lead reloads and the only hickup I had was a light primer strike on some cheap russian ammo. Your ammo selection will be just as important as your weapon decision is. I use CorBon DPX in my 9, and Gold Dot 185's in my .45's.

[Big Shrek]

I have to take a dodge in another direction here...

Get a Taurus Judge for Home Defense.

Revolvers are almost idiot-proof. Even a gurl can use one
(My wife will smack me later for that...LOL)

The Judge lets you use either .410 shotgun shells or .45 Long Colt,
either of which will cause grevious bodily harm to bad guys.

Ribber Grip reduces felt recoil, and fits in almost anyone's hand.

Buckshot from a Judge solves a LOT of problems in a hallway/typical house/apt room.

Point & shoot...no tricky safties to forget about in the heat of the moment.

Cocking it will let the BG's know that it's time to tactically retreat...if they are dumb enough to
keep coming after hearing that, it's their own fault (Darwin'ing Out).

[johnlives4christ]

i wouldnt get a taurus personally. but thats a good suggestion. me, i'd go for a used glock.

[Boris]

I know alot of people with judges and they all love 'em. They all shoot great and serve their purpose well.

[CampingJosh]

Originally Posted by johnlives4christ

i wouldnt get a taurus personally.

Why not? No one else has anything like it on the market. I'm personally not a fan of the .410, but the Judge is definitely a viable home defense handgun, especially for someone who is not particularly experienced with handguns.

Have a bad Taurus experience?

[Boris]

Originally Posted by CampingJosh

Why not? No one else has anything like it on the market. I'm personally not a fan of the .410, but the Judge is definitely a viable home defense handgun, especially for someone who is not particularly experienced with handguns.

Have a bad Taurus experience?

Oh man, our first fight lol..... I love the 410. After years of destroying small game I planned on eating I found that the 410 does just enough killin with less holes and more meat in my belly. 25-30 yards is pushing it, but all my smallgame is take within that anyway. I have a snakecharmer with a 19" barrel that I can put slugs into a B27 target at 100 yards COM all day long. It shoots the Federal and Winchester OOO buck real good too. 3 years ago I got a Super Comanche pistol in 45LC and 410. Since most shotgunshells burn up all the powder in 10-14" and it has a 10" barrel, it hits hard for a pistol shotgun. The "choke" on it actually chokes the shot ontop of ending what little spin the slow twist puts on it. The twist is so slow it will not shoot anything over 225 without keyholes. From the offhand and Winchester 3" slugs I can take a deer.......... WT eff!! a deer?!, yep. At 40 yards from the offhand.

Its all good. I am not a fan of the 40, but it gets the job done.

The Judge does throw a wide pattern, but it aint made for hunting either. At the distance you would shoot at they do a heck of a number. I seen slugs fired from a 3" judge that got just over 1100fps. Not too bad at all if you ask me. Winchesters PDX1 45LC was made for that gun and it shoots better than any 45 from the Judge I have seen. From my SC it is one large hole at 25 with opensights. Great round for that gun and it is designed for it.


Oh and for the record. Even though I seen the judge do so good from others. I too would find it hard to buy another Tauri. I had two bad ones in the past. Still wont bash the Judge because of it. I gather I would be the unlucky one and get a bad one. I am probably the only person on earth to get 4 bad 10-22s in a row on the planet and everyone I know that has one, its the best 22 they ever bought....sigh......

[johnlives4christ]

i aint got nothing against the 410. never had a taurus or a bad experience with them. but i've looked at some in stores and i didnt like them. everyone pretty much agrees that taurus quality is hit or miss. i dont wanna take the chance on a taurus just because something is "cool". the local gunsmith says their revolvers are fine. guess im not convinced yet