WTB first handgun for home protection

[saboulet]

I'm looking to buy my first handgun, mainly for home protection, but I also would like to take it to the range once in a while. I was looking at the GLOCK 23 just because I was looking to stay under $500, but if anybody has anything up for sale, hit me up, I'm interested in learning more about handguns and different types.

Thanks.

[willr1]

Check out the link at the bottom of my post, thats all I do. There are alot of different options and the best thing (just like learning to ride a bike) is to take a basic course from someone.
There are alot of factors when considering purchasing/using a firearm and cost is one of them, but also maintence, repair, ease of cleaning, safety, penetration and concealment are just a few.
I would highly recommend that you go to the Firing Lane and either take a course from them or someone else who knows what their doing and also where you can shoot many different types of firearms. I prefer Trigger Time in Braselton because for $20 plus ammo, you can shoot all day and rent any gun !
Let me know if you need any help !

[saboulet]

Thanks for the suggestions, I guess I will have to look further into it before I make any big decisions.

[Solace]

Thanks for the suggestions, I guess I will have to look further into it before I make any big decisions.

Definitely. Willr1 had good suggestions and I will add onto that, if you are going to trust your life to a handgun you should know it inside and out and trust it will do what you want in your hand. You may find that you are a natural revolver guy or that you aren't a Smith&Wesson automatic guy, etc. that you can't know until you've tried it. It's much less expensive to find these things out when you're renting.

Tom

[willr1]

Thanks for the suggestions, I guess I will have to look further into it before I make any big decisions.

No problem, hit me up if you have any questions on guns, I own or have used the majority of firearms in existance.

[SquireSCA]

In the past 10 years, I have owned over 60 hand guns. Carried many of them, competed in IDPA with others, etc...

You have a decent price point, there are several excellent guns in that range. Don't spend as much time worrying about caliber, so much as what fits your hand the best. Stopping power between 9mm, .40 and .45 are all roughly the same, the differences are minimal.

First figure out if you want a semi-automatic or revolver. Don't look at revolvers as old-school or outdated. While their design dates back well over 100 years, they typically offer more power, better accuracy, simpler controls and better reliability. Less moving parts, no seperate magazine and safety, no complicated cleaning or take-down procedure, etc... You just point and click, it goes boom.

What you give up is the number of rounds, you have slower reload times and they are not as "cool". But if your goal is to defend yourself and put holes in bad guys, then cool and ego should be left at the door.

If you go semi-auto, look to Glock, Springfield, S&W, Ruger, etc... Lots of models to choose from. Find one that just "feels right" in your hand, and then pick the caliber of your choice. For semi-auto, 9mm is usually considered the minimum, or .380 if you want a gun small enough for pocket carry. 9mm comes in some hot flavors, so power is not an issue, and you can squeeze more rounds into a magazine with 9mm than you can with larger calibers.

For a revolver, .38 Special is the normal minimum, most people, myself included, carry .38 Special +P rounds.

When choosing a gun there are a ton of options, but for defense, reliability is #1. Doesn't matter how powerful a gun is, how accurate, how many rounds it holds or how cool it is, if the one time you actually need it, it just goes "click"...

For myself, I am comfortable with a semi-auto for defense, but I carry a revolver every day. For me, it is the right balance of power and concealability, and there is not much to go wrong. No safety, no magazine, no real way for a round to jam, not prone to limp wristing if you fired with your off hand in haste, no having to work a slide or even disengage a safety. Just point, pull, boom. If the round is a dud, keep pulling the trigger till it goes boom. No having to have the other hand come up to drop the mag or rack the slide to clear a jam or misfire... In the event of a struggle, the revolver has no slide to get nudged slightly out of battery, thus rendering it useless...

Not that those happen often with a good semiauto, but if your handgun is your last line of defense, then taking out as many potential points of failure makes sense IMHO. My revolver can be repeatedly fired from inside my jacket pocket, something that a semi-auto can only do once, and due to the angle you would have to fire it that way, the semiauto's slide would probably jack up your hand if you tried it.

So, ask questions, take everyone's advice with a grain of salt, including mine. Don't buy into the you have to have one type of gun over the other, or this brand or the other, or you have to have a hand-cannon as a minimum defense weapon, etc...

At the end of the day, putting two .38 Special rounds into some attacker is not "less effective" than two .45 rounds. So long as you are above a minimum power level and you put the bullet where it needs to go, the results will be largely the same. And whichever gun allows you to easily do that every time, is the one that will be most effective, regardless of caliber.

[Butthead]

really, really, really good post.


In the past 10 years, I have owned over 60 hand guns. Carried many of them, competed in IDPA with others, etc...

You have a decent price point, there are several excellent guns in that range. Don't spend as much time worrying about caliber, so much as what fits your hand the best. Stopping power between 9mm, .40 and .45 are all roughly the same, the differences are minimal.

First figure out if you want a semi-automatic or revolver. Don't look at revolvers as old-school or outdated. While their design dates back well over 100 years, they typically offer more power, better accuracy, simpler controls and better reliability. Less moving parts, no seperate magazine and safety, no complicated cleaning or take-down procedure, etc... You just point and click, it goes boom.

What you give up is the number of rounds, you have slower reload times and they are not as "cool". But if your goal is to defend yourself and put holes in bad guys, then cool and ego should be left at the door.

If you go semi-auto, look to Glock, Springfield, S&W, Ruger, etc... Lots of models to choose from. Find one that just "feels right" in your hand, and then pick the caliber of your choice. For semi-auto, 9mm is usually considered the minimum, or .380 if you want a gun small enough for pocket carry. 9mm comes in some hot flavors, so power is not an issue, and you can squeeze more rounds into a magazine with 9mm than you can with larger calibers.

For a revolver, .38 Special is the normal minimum, most people, myself included, carry .38 Special +P rounds.

When choosing a gun there are a ton of options, but for defense, reliability is #1. Doesn't matter how powerful a gun is, how accurate, how many rounds it holds or how cool it is, if the one time you actually need it, it just goes "click"...

For myself, I am comfortable with a semi-auto for defense, but I carry a revolver every day. For me, it is the right balance of power and concealability, and there is not much to go wrong. No safety, no magazine, no real way for a round to jam, not prone to limp wristing if you fired with your off hand in haste, no having to work a slide or even disengage a safety. Just point, pull, boom. If the round is a dud, keep pulling the trigger till it goes boom. No having to have the other hand come up to drop the mag or rack the slide to clear a jam or misfire... In the event of a struggle, the revolver has no slide to get nudged slightly out of battery, thus rendering it useless...

Not that those happen often with a good semiauto, but if your handgun is your last line of defense, then taking out as many potential points of failure makes sense IMHO. My revolver can be repeatedly fired from inside my jacket pocket, something that a semi-auto can only do once, and due to the angle you would have to fire it that way, the semiauto's slide would probably jack up your hand if you tried it.

So, ask questions, take everyone's advice with a grain of salt, including mine. Don't buy into the you have to have one type of gun over the other, or this brand or the other, or you have to have a hand-cannon as a minimum defense weapon, etc...

At the end of the day, putting two .38 Special rounds into some attacker is not "less effective" than two .45 rounds. So long as you are above a minimum power level and you put the bullet where it needs to go, the results will be largely the same. And whichever gun allows you to easily do that every time, is the one that will be most effective, regardless of caliber.

[martin_j001]

Lots of good advice given already, but I'll add my .02 as well.

First, a handgun is not the best thing out there for home defense, a shotgun would be better suited for that job alone if that is all you are wanting it for. Under stress, most people will lose the basic motor skills that firing a handgun accurately will take. A shotgun can leave a little more room for error. A shotgun also can do much more damage with one shot than a bullet from most handgun calibers (even a 20ga shotgun). There is also lots of evidence/research out there that shotgun pellets are not as likely to penetrate walls as even hollow point bullets are (there's conflicting research of course, do some on your own and see what you think is all I can really offer). I have both tools at my disposal during most of my time when I am at home, and would pick up the shotgun first when presented with a situation where I know I will need to defend myself.

My second, and more important point, is that a gun that you cannot get to is as useless as the one you don't own. Most cases involving people defending their homes happen very fast. The criminals do not announce at what time they will be coming, or knock and ask to be let in so they can rob you or kill your family for their atm cards, etc. Buy yourself a holster, and keep the gun on you in your home and on your property. It is completely legal for you to do so, concealed or not concealed, on your own property, even without a Georgia Weapons License.

My third point, get a Georgia Weapons License and join GCO (http://georgiacarry.org/)<<click. GCO has done more for gun owners and carriers in this state in the last few years than the NRA has ever done in its existence.

Lastly, have a plan. This is the best time to play "what-ifs", because it could literally mean the difference betwen life and death (yours, a family members, an unwanted intruder, etc). If you have kids, how will you respond to a "bump in the night"? Will you walk around the house pointing the gun around only to find that you are aiming at your kid (don't know if you have kids or not), or will you keep it pointed down until you've identified the threat? Will you call out and ask the "noise" to identify itself, etc? Its worth considering a plan.

Whatever you choose to do, practice and get comforatable with the weapon, and remember the rules of gun safety at all times! :)

[Moorespeedr]

Check out the link at the bottom of my post, thats all I do. There are alot of different options and the best thing (just like learning to ride a bike) is to take a basic course from someone.
There are alot of factors when considering purchasing/using a firearm and cost is one of them, but also maintence, repair, ease of cleaning, safety, penetration and concealment are just a few.
I would highly recommend that you go to the Firing Lane and either take a course from them or someone else who knows what their doing and also where you can shoot many different types of firearms. I prefer Trigger Time in Braselton because for $20 plus ammo, you can shoot all day and rent any gun !
Let me know if you need any help !

+1

While in school at Athens, I was a member at the Firing Lane. That was quite a bit before they became a CIII dealer. Great folks in there, and I still use those guys for NFA tansfers even though they are 3.5 hrs away.

[SlimDizzleATL]

Lots of good advice given already, but I'll add my .02 as well.

First, a handgun is not the best thing out there for home defense, a shotgun would be better suited for that job alone if that is all you are wanting it for. Under stress, most people will lose the basic motor skills that firing a handgun accurately will take. A shotgun can leave a little more room for error. A shotgun also can do much more damage with one shot than a bullet from most handgun calibers (even a 20ga shotgun). There is also lots of evidence/research out there that shotgun pellets are not as likely to penetrate walls as even hollow point bullets are (there's conflicting research of course, do some on your own and see what you think is all I can really offer). I have both tools at my disposal during most of my time when I am at home, and would pick up the shotgun first when presented with a situation where I know I will need to defend myself.

My second, and more important point, is that a gun that you cannot get to is as useless as the one you don't own. Most cases involving people defending their homes happen very fast. The criminals do not announce at what time they will be coming, or knock and ask to be let in so they can rob you or kill your family for their atm cards, etc. Buy yourself a holster, and keep the gun on you in your home and on your property. It is completely legal for you to do so, concealed or not concealed, on your own property, even without a Georgia Weapons License.

My third point, get a Georgia Weapons License and join GCO (http://georgiacarry.org/)<<click. GCO has done more for gun owners and carriers in this state in the last few years than the NRA has ever done in its existence.

Lastly, have a plan. This is the best time to play "what-ifs", because it could literally mean the difference betwen life and death (yours, a family members, an unwanted intruder, etc). If you have kids, how will you respond to a "bump in the night"? Will you walk around the house pointing the gun around only to find that you are aiming at your kid (don't know if you have kids or not), or will you keep it pointed down until you've identified the threat? Will you call out and ask the "noise" to identify itself, etc? Its worth considering a plan.

Whatever you choose to do, practice and get comforatable with the weapon, and remember the rules of gun safety at all times! :)

Good advice. But do you really carry at home? Just chillin? Not being a jerk, serious question.

[SquireSCA]

Good advice. But do you really carry at home? Just chillin? Not being a jerk, serious question.

I don't always carry when I am at home, but my revolver is never far. If I am in the computer room, it sits on the desk. If I am watching TV, it sits on the coffee table. Always within easy reach...

[martin_j001]

Good advice. But do you really carry at home? Just chillin? Not being a jerk, serious question.

Yes, 24/7. I carry everywhere I legally can. Many people end up caught in the "my home is the safest place I can be" phallacy, but that means you are letting your guard down to begin with. At least if I am armed already, I can let my guard down and relax in confidence that from where I sit while watching tv or cooking or whatever, I am already prepared. Besides, carrying a .380 in your pocket or Dave's fave (a 38 revolver) isn't that big a deal at all....I barely notice it when I'm out much less when I'm at home. I carry my SR9c in a paddle holster when doing yard work usually though, easier/faster to get to and easier to use with gloves on if need be. At this point, carrying the gun is no different than putting shoes on to me, its not even a conscious thing I think about.

[SquireSCA]

Yes, 24/7. I carry everywhere I legally can. Many people end up caught in the "my home is the safest place I can be" phallacy, but that means you are letting your guard down to begin with. At least if I am armed already, I can let my guard down and relax in confidence that from where I sit while watching tv or cooking or whatever, I am already prepared. Besides, carrying a .380 in your pocket or Dave's fave (a 38 revolver) isn't that big a deal at all....I barely notice it when I'm out much less when I'm at home. I carry my SR9c in a paddle holster when doing yard work usually though, easier/faster to get to and easier to use with gloves on if need be. At this point, carrying the gun is no different than putting shoes on to me, its not even a conscious thing I think about.

Exactly. My Ruger LCR is so damned light, I barely notice it in the paddle holster, or sometimes I just slide it into a pocket if I need to. You almost forget it is there.

[willr1]

Think of you sitting on your throne and a home invasion takes place, how quickly can you get your weapon? i have guns in everyroom and within easy reach

[SlimDizzleATL]

Think of you sitting on your throne and a home invasion takes place, how quickly can you get your weapon? i have guns in everyroom and within easy reach

Hmmm. Guess I didnt think about it this way. Thanks for the clarification.

[Bacon]

I carry everywhere I possibly can too.

OP, if you are interested in buying an S&W M&P 40 compact let me know. I wanna down grade.

[Spicoli]

For home defense?

Two words: Remington 870

Two more words: Mossberg 500

Then maybe get yourself a pistol so you can fight your way back to your shotgun...

[klassified187]

No potential home invader is driving all the way out to where you guys live :lol:

[Bishop8pi]

Think of you sitting on your throne and a home invasion takes place, how quickly can you get your weapon? i have guns in everyroom and within easy reach

Good so I'm not the only one.

[HiJincs]

Everything above is great info.

I just went through this process myself. I got my GWL before I even bought a gun. Then I went to a local indoor range and rented about a half dozen guns over the course of a couple of hours and shot 20-30 rds through each. First time it was all 9mm, the second time was .45 and .40. (I had already decided to stay with semi autos)

I decided to stick with 9mm (cost of ammo) and bought a Ruger SR9C. After shooting a few 100 rds and carrying it some, I decided to get a 380 for easier carry in summer and work situations.

I've already mentioned to WillR1 that I want to take a couple of his courses to get more familiar and trained in tactical situations.

Good luck with your search. Don't forget to look on The Outdoors Trader also. There are tons of good handguns for sales on there. Many are brand new, never fired.

www.theoutdoorstrader.com

[jkhonea]

Great advice throughout. I do go more for my Mossberg 500 for home use. Primary reason, the correct shotgun shells are going through a lot fewer walls than a 9MM, 380, 45, etc. If you're in the house alone, not as big of a concern. With Mason across the house, I try minimizing possible issues. Beyond that, the sound of a shotgun is a very good persuader for someone to leave before you even have to fire the first shot.

Beyond that, have Mary's 380 to carry concealed and still love my Ruger P95DC in my truck.

[LEEnR6]

Another often overlooked item for home defense and CC is a good flashlight. Buy yourself a small quality light like a Surefire and keep it with your weapon. Get some training on how to use and shoot with it after you learn to shoot.

Most encounters will be in the dark or low light and you need to know your target before getting on the trigger. Weapon lights are good and useful especially for shottys and rifles, but you still need a flashlight as well. Don't want to be pointing weapons at everything you want to see...like your wife!:eek:

[jkhonea]

That's a great bit of advice. Need to grab one of those soon.

[Djoneseyjones]

I'm glad i read this thread, I'm taking the gf to trigger time next time i have a day off!

[uh60bro]

Hey there are many good post on the topic. However since you are talking protection the most important thing is what shoots well for you. It doesn't matter if the only gun you can consistently hit where you are aiming is chambered in 22 Lr or 454. The most important thing is being able to hit your target AKA bad guy when the time comes. I would agree with everyone and say spend a little time and money at the range and see what works best for you.

[021less]

Another often overlooked item for home defense and CC is a good flashlight. Buy yourself a small quality light like a Surefire and keep it with your weapon. Get some training on how to use and shoot with it after you learn to shoot.

Most encounters will be in the dark or low light and you need to know your target before getting on the trigger. Weapon lights are good and useful especially for shottys and rifles, but you still need a flashlight as well. Don't want to be pointing weapons at everything you want to see...like your wife!:eek:

one of the best pieces of advise here. You can't hit what you can't see. I also carry around the house as well, i'm never further than arms reach from a weapon. I'm also a leo, so you never know when some crazy sob you arrested has decided he/she no longer has anything to live for. That is why my wife is also always armed. Teaching your spouse how to use a weapon is also important, because you are not always with them to protect them and women are often taken advantage of. And shotgun for home protection is the best. I have multiple choices of weapons near me though at all times for home defense. ranging from a lcp .380, to an ak-47. bad guys are everywhere, and so are my guns!

[Bacon]

As for a flashlight, one thing that may help you out a little bit is get a flashlight with a secondary position where it pulsates the light. Usually, when you push the power button twice kinda fast, it sets to this position. It's extremely good at night because the pulsating light eliminates someone's depth perception so they won't be able to tell just how close or far away you are. If you think you may need a closer and clearer shot, these will come in handy.

[NiceGuysFinishLast]

Since this got bumped, and I was at the range last weekend, I'd just like to say that so far, the Springfield XD40 is about my ideal handgun for carry and home defense. The backstrap and trigger safeties mean I can choose to leave the safety off and not worry about the gun accidentally firing, the trigger pull is super light, and the gun is accurate as hell and fun and easy to shoot. I'm going to have to see if anyone has the compact I can borrow, as well as the XD9. I'm not opposed to a 9mm... 16+1 rounds is just as good as 10+1 of .40, IMHO.

[martin_j001]

Mmmm...flashlights. I cannot recommend www.4sevens.com enough. They are located in Tucker, and make excellent lights that not only have more features than Surefire, they also cost less (not that Surefire doesn't make a great light and isn't a great company). 4Sevens new Quark X 123^2 (two cr123 batteries) has a max output of 360 lumens, a moonlight (.3 lumens), low, med, high, SOS, beacon and strobe modes....all for $69, from a local company. Can't beat that with a stick.... (sorry if this sounds like an ad, but I've bought several lights from them and have been impressed with everything as well as their customer service).

[rr_double_rr]

Mmmm...flashlights. I cannot recommend www.4sevens.com enough. They are located in Tucker, and make excellent lights that not only have more features than Surefire, they also cost less (not that Surefire doesn't make a great light and isn't a great company). 4Sevens new Quark X 123^2 (two cr123 batteries) has a max output of 360 lumens, a moonlight (.3 lumens), low, med, high, SOS, beacon and strobe modes....all for $69, from a local company. Can't beat that with a stick.... (sorry if this sounds like an ad, but I've bought several lights from them and have been impressed with everything as well as their customer service).

That's amazing. I went with a push pad flashlight setup for my AR, and it cost more than that with less features. Mine is LED, powered off AAA's, and has all the weapon mounts and everything ready to go, just doesn't have the light features that this one does. Fortunately, my significant other is fairly short, so unless it's Joe Pesci or anyone else 5'1" breaking into my house, it's easy to tell if it's her. My next purchase, I keep saying this but not doing it yet, is going to be the Remington Mariner, a nickel and composite version of the 870 with the extended tube and pistol grip in the box. That way it's completely utilitarian, and nothing cosmetic to worry about. For now, my Kimber 1911 does it all. I only take the AR to the range because I'm too afraid of a 5.56 ending up a mile away if I had to fire it in the apartment.

[NiceGuysFinishLast]

Note to self: Find out where double RR lives, enter house at night, ????, profit! (In case you don't know, I'm a midget! :D)

[rr_double_rr]

Note to self: Find out where double RR lives, enter house at night, ????, profit! (In case you don't know, I'm a midget! :D)

So you'll have a hard time reaching the thrid floor without cutting through the deadbolts on the doors or making a ruckus loud enough for me to tell that it's not her. :up: Good luck.

[Ringo®]

I'm not opposed to a 9mm... 16+1 rounds is just as good as 10+1 of .40, IMHO.

It's what I prefer. The things I always hear at the range is "it's not a man's gun unless it has a 4 in it." and that 9mm is a commie round. Once you get into defense ammo, they're all going to do more than what is needed.

[NiceGuysFinishLast]

It's what I prefer. The things I always hear at the range is "it's not a man's gun unless it has a 4 in it." and that 9mm is a commie round. Once you get into defense ammo, they're all going to do more than what is needed.

In a defense situation, I hope to never need more than 2 or 3, but having 16 sure sounds better than having 10... I bet the guys who call a 9mm a sissy round still won't let you shoot them with one. Good enough for me.

[jkhonea]

In a defense situation, I hope to never need more than 2 or 3, but having 16 sure sounds better than having 10... I bet the guys who call a 9mm a sissy round still won't let you shoot them with one. Good enough for me.

Yup, I'll be the first to say I love my 9mm for my big pistol. The perfect balance of power and recoil. And the 380 is the perfect tiny carry gun size to me. One will do enough damage (especially with the nice shells loaded in it). If there are two shots, it's going to be ugly. :D