Help me chose a self/home defence gun

[aa1911]

My recommendation if you go shotgun is to have a buttstock rather than just a pistol grip. Gives you so much more control it's not even funny, really helps you point the gun. It may not seem like you need it in close quarters but it also serves as an impact weapon for last resort or less than lethal.

Mossberg 500 is good but you cannot upgrade the mag tube, 590 is ideal I think (very noisy action which is good!) with a light.

[Zane71464]

Less than 500 bucks....

[Desertice]

Great .....

it seems that I will have to get both: a 12 ga Mossberg and a pistol. I will start by the shotgun first,,, i am doing some research and i found that some has a built in light ,,,, is that efficient and sufficient? does it jusstify the cost increase?
how about the after market lights?
also, I think i like the idea of having a pistol grip with adjustable tactical stock ... i saw that on a mossberg 500A1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOG6L...eature=related

it also has a heat shield which is nice to have. the reviewer said it came with all these accessories out of the box without modification... but i cannot find it like this online.... i even searched mossberg catalog and i could not find it.... any idea? price?

another idea is to get the mossy combo,,, so i can switch barrels if i ever decided to go hunting... here is one that looks good,,, any comments/ideas?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0A7ktrnXVc

[UncleDannie]

Or, you could split the difference. Buy a Taurus Judge. Shoots a .410 shotshell inside the house, or it will shoot a .45 cal Long Colt outside the house. One of my nephews bought the 2", non-mag pistol and carries it as a Concealed Carry Weapon.

[Desertice]

Originally Posted by Zane71464

Less than 500 bucks....

this thing is pretty ..... I used one of these long time ago for bird hunting

[Desertice]

Originally Posted by aa1911

My recommendation if you go shotgun is to have a buttstock rather than just a pistol grip. Gives you so much more control it's not even funny, really helps you point the gun. It may not seem like you need it in close quarters but it also serves as an impact weapon for last resort or less than lethal.

Mossberg 500 is good but you cannot upgrade the mag tube, 590 is ideal I think (very noisy action which is good!) with a light.

you are absolutely right,,, pistol grip alone is not the best idea.... perhaps tactical grip ? what do u mean by upgrading the mag tube? any thoughts for lights?

[Desertice]

Originally Posted by TheGunClinger

Thats a good one but too pricey. You can buy basic models for much less and then you can add stuff later much cheaper. Here is what we use for home protection at night. On my side of the bed is a Mossy 500 that added an adjustable stock and ammo carrier. Very tacticool. My wifes is the stock Crusier that I showed before. I also keep a Sig P-220 .45 with Crimson trace laser grips and a light on the headboard. My wife keeps her S&W M&P 9mm on her side. We never go to bed mad. Also is a pic of how we attach the Mossy's to the bed. They just slide between the mattress and box springs.

beautiful,,,,, i like the bed mount,,,, but i am afraid that my kids will reach for and play with the gun...

[TheGunClinger]

Originally Posted by Desertice

beautiful,,,,, i like the bed mount,,,, but i am afraid that my kids will reach for and play with the gun...

I forgot that there are still kids out there. Mine have thankfully left the nest.

[Desertice]

Great .....

it seems that I will have to get both: a 12 ga Mossberg and a pistol. I will start by the shotgun first,,, i am doing some research and i found that some has a built in light ,,,, is that efficient and sufficient? does it jusstify the cost increase?
how about the after market lights?
also, I think i like the idea of having a pistol grip with adjustable tactical stock ... i saw that on a mossberg 500A1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOG6L...eature=related

it also has a heat shield which is nice to have. the reviewer said it came with all these accessories out of the box without modification... but i cannot find it like this online.... i even searched mossberg catalog and i could not find it.... any idea? price?

another idea is to get the mossy combo,,, so i can switch barrels if i ever decided to go hunting... here is one that looks good,,, any comments/ideas?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0A7ktrnXVc
Desertice is offline Reply With Quote

[Recon 173]

I would agree with Savage 170. Get a Ruger 9 mm pistol and go practice with it. They are good, sturdy guns that will last you for a lifetime.

[01brian]

Originally Posted by Desertice

Great .....

it seems that I will have to get both: a 12 ga Mossberg and a pistol. I will start by the shotgun first,,, i am doing some research and i found that some has a built in light ,,,, is that efficient and sufficient? does it jusstify the cost increase?
how about the after market lights?
also, I think i like the idea of having a pistol grip with adjustable tactical stock ... i saw that on a mossberg 500A1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOG6L...eature=related

it also has a heat shield which is nice to have. the reviewer said it came with all these accessories out of the box without modification... but i cannot find it like this online.... i even searched mossberg catalog and i could not find it.... any idea? price?

another idea is to get the mossy combo,,, so i can switch barrels if i ever decided to go hunting... here is one that looks good,,, any comments/ideas?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0A7ktrnXVc
Desertice is offline Reply With Quote

A light for the defense shotgun and pistol is a must. I don't know about the built in one. I would not mix home defense and sport. I would have one for each purpose...but that's just me. My HD stuff is loaded and ready for HD. I don't like to take the time to change it over to sport...and it gives me a reason to continue collecting new stuff.

[aa1911]

Originally Posted by Desertice

you are absolutely right,,, pistol grip alone is not the best idea.... perhaps tactical grip ? what do u mean by upgrading the mag tube? any thoughts for lights?

the 500 magazine cap is solid so tube capacity ends there; the 590 is similar to an 870 or others where the lug on the barrel is large enough for an extension tube to add capacity. For instance, my 870 is 4 +1 stock, I put a 5 round extension on it so now it's 9 +1. The 590 comes standard with a 20" barrel which is plenty short enough yet holds 8 +1 and you could add to that if desired.

Any surefire style light (2 x 123A batteries) will be excellent, go for at least 60 lumens, 80 or 120 is better. The G2 from Surfire is what I use on most of my stuff because they're cheap yet work very well and are of great quality and last a long time.

there are also pump replacement gizmos with built in light attached with buttons in the pump itself, replaces the stock one. they're normally around $275, for less than $75 you can do the same thing with a surefire add on. I use the G2 with a remote cord/momentary switch velcroed to the pump.

I'll take a pic of mine and post it up.

[aa1911]

OK, found a bunch of pics of both my newer 870 with a Choate 5 rd extended tube and the 590. 590 has sidesaddle, buttstock shellholder and slings plus tac light, and a mag tube follower upgrade. Came with the heat shield too, most 590's come with them.

if you're wanting an AR style stock, go with an 870, with the mossberg's tang safety, it will be tough to manipulate, the 870 has a crossbolt safety that is much easier to work with a pistol grip style buttstock.

my tac light:


and a full photo of two of my shotty's:







don't forget to choose good ammo too, I would recommend something like Federal 12g 2 3/4" shells in #4 buck, won't over penetrate too bad and has either 27 or 34 pellets


don't use birdshot either, I hate when I hear stories like 'homeowner shoots intruder twice with 12 gauge, then bad guy left...' You tag someone with buckshot a few times at in your home distances, they're not leaving until the coroner shows up.

[lilmule]

Disagree buckshot will go thru the average home wall,maybe not several but one.
Even if the bad guy left threat stopped,more stoppable than number 8 0r 9 and still less penetrating is something like number 4-6 shot.If it can take a chestfull of number 4 at eight to ten ft,glad it got away what ever it was.
hopkins and allen 20 in double barrel 12 gauge

[aa1911]

it will penetrate but will have next to no energy afterwards. It loses significant energy even through a car window for example. but yeah, anything you launch at extreme close range will do the job but if a 20yd shot was needed for some reason, #4 is quite good. BB shot sizes would be OK if worried about over penetration.

But buckshot wins for me if I had to choose, I want to put the badguy down for good.

or do cut shells! hahaa, that would put the hurtlocker on someone, getting a 'slug' of birdshot that explodes on contact, ouch.

[WHSmithIV]

Those pistol grip shotguns may not be legal in Illinois. Check first. For your price range the Taurus Judge is a perfect choice even though it not a semi auto. You can practice with it using .45 ACP at a range and load it with 410 for the home. It really is one of the finest home defense pistols.

If you go with a semi auto you may as well go with a 1911 - enough safeties on it to make it more difficult for kids to have an accident. Enough stopping power to take any intruder down. You don't have to buy one new to get one for 500 or less in excellent condition and the 1911's by Rock Island though made in the Phillipines are excellent pistols and accept pretty much all 1911 standard parts also.

Just my humble opinion.

[44 Special]

Originally Posted by Desertice

First of all; I would like to greet everyone here.

I live around Chicago, IL. I have a wife and 3 kids. Although the area I am in is pretty safe, but I recently started to hear some theft stories here and there... I even heard about some home intrusion in the neighborhood.....
so, I started considering buying a gun in order to defend my family and myself in case if i have to.
I do not have a gun at this time, but I do have medium experience in guns (I am a veteran: was an Engineer at the airforce and received basic military training multiple times).

previously (long time ago), I owned a 9mm Browning, a .38 special S&W, and a 9mm Beretta ().

and now i am trying to get back and get one gun which I will use for defense, and for training/practice as well.

here is my criteria (not ordered):
1. preferably brand new
2. less than $500
3. preferably, US Made
4. preferably, stainless steel completely (i don't like the 2-tone ones)
5. semi-auto (not big fan of revolvers, but open to changing my mind)
6. preferably, capacity of 13+ rounds
7. reliable, and safe to store (remember: i have kids at home)
8. accurate
9. preferably, 9mm

is that difficult to find?

A shotgun for home defense sounds good,but,is not always the perfect choice in every home.One has to consider that pellets will likely hit walls,along with an intruder.If you lived in a rural area with no homes close by,then a shotgun is a good choice.

Regardless of what handgun you choose,after purchase,practice,practice,practice !To meet your criteria,I believe someone mentioned the Beretta Cougar,which would fit into the criteria you asked for.Ruger also makes several 9mm pistols in the price range,and requirements you are looking for.

Also,whatever you purchase,practice night time firing,as you will need to get used to the flash report of your weapon in night conditions,and see where you are grouping in a night time shooting situation.

I personally like a .45acp auto,or one of my.44special revolvers,as they are both accurate,controllable,and have a low flash report in day,or night scenarios.With one ,or two well placed shots with the.45acp,or .44 special,you won't need the high capacity,nor the bright flash that come with high pressure calibers.The 9mm with today's ammo is a good caliber,along with the .357 magnum revolver.However,I consider them daytime defense cartridges.Just a thought to consider ? Standard pressure 9mm ammo would be preferable at night.Once you have shot at night,you will see what I'm talking about !

However,I think a person should always choose the caliber that they can hit their target with consistently.That is why we have so many calibers to choose from !

[aa1911]

just to throw some food for thought out there on the subject of penetration, a .24" pellet (or 27 of them) moving at 1350 fps will penetrate less than a 115gn 9mm will at 1350 fps. smaller buckshot is about as good as it gets, it's devastation comes from the sheer volume of projectiles, not the velocity so much. most pistol calibers deliver around 300 foot pounds where many shotgun loads come in around 2-3000 ft lbs.

about 80% of all people shot with a handgun survive, something to think about.

.45 ACP would be an ideal cartridge as it will not penetrate very much but has considerable power still. big and slow.

[gvw3]

I am also from the Chicago area. NW burbs. Don't get the Mossberg with the pistol grip. You said you wanted to go to the range with it. Get the Mossberg 500 with the short 20' and 28' barrel's. You can find trap & skeet places to shoot this with the 28' barrel and use the 20' for home defense.

Cabela's has it on sale right now for $399. It's like buying two guns for the price of one.

[rmorgan9718]

totally agree with GVW3 - 20ga, short 20" barrel, use #4 to 1B, and as I was once advised by a LEO, "It's much better if there is only one person to tell me happened."

[targetacqmgt]

Originally Posted by Desertice

Thank you Woolleyworm for your reply.
I did consider a shotgun, but i am hesitating for 3 reasons:
1. I am afraid it will damage the house if I shoot it a couple of times inside..
2. big and difficult to handle inside a small hose like mine
3. with a handgun, i can take it to the range and have some fun shooting targets/practicing

it seems that i will have to have both.....

am I making sense?

Some sense However-a 18 inch barrel on a mossberg 12 gauge- use low recoil law enforcement loads -Chicago has some nasty gun laws on excesive force- use Rubber bullets. Make sure it is a PUMP shotgun (they don't jam).

You hit a dude with two rounds of 12 gauge rubber riot rounds well he ain't getting up for a bit.

I would keep a couple of 00 buck and a slug round or two in my pocket (these rounds can be purchased where they won't go THRU the bad guy and into a family member on the other side of the wall)

Besides the Klack Klack of a 12 gauge is rather scary to a bad guy.
Oh If Ill allows it pull the 3rd limiter from the loading tube this gives you 5 rounds.

[targetacqmgt]

Originally Posted by gvw3

I am also from the Chicago area. NW burbs. Don't get the Mossberg with the pistol grip. You said you wanted to go to the range with it. Get the Mossberg 500 with the short 20' and 28' barrel's. You can find trap & skeet places to shoot this with the 28' barrel and use the 20' for home defense.

Cabela's has it on sale right now for $399. It's like buying two guns for the price of one.

That is a nice piece