Beginner's Handgun for Home Protection?

So the wife and I had an unnerving incident last night that now has me seriously considering something small to keep around. Never in my life did I think I’d understand the desire to have an item capable of such power before, but waking up and seeing a silhouette of someone standing on your bedroom fire escape, slowly raising open the screen of your window can make you quickly realize that in that instant, you’d have no trouble whatsoever in doing what needs be done when the lives of your loved ones are at risk.

I have a few friends who hunt with rifles, and even a close buddy who is an instructor for the NYPD, but he’s away for a while, and to be honest, my mind is racing after this morning (it’s 7pm as I type this, and I’ve been awake since 1:30 am). Any thoughts or suggestions would certainly be appreciated.

Thanks guys (and gals).

S

I don’t know what your price range is but 9mm pistols in general are small, accurate, reliable and easy to come by.

I would suggest a laser attachment. Point and shoot, literally. You can sight it in for the distance from your bed to your fire escape, click it on and where the laser lands, so does the bullet. Easy, quick and efficient.

I’d recommend a .45 though. It’s like a bowling ball in comparison. Put a sighted laser in the middle of a chest and that’s a dead dude, drugs or not. .357 mag is a one stop drop too, debates between the two are like bench press vs. weighted dips, but my vote is a .45, 185 grain hollow point.

All of the energy, at that distance, will be absorbed by the body instead of passing through.

High Point Firearms sells them cheap as shit, under $200. Ugly guns but deliver the bullet just the same.

Glock is relatively cheap and reliable.

Glock 17-highly reliable, 19 a close second.

Also a 12 gauge is often cited as the go-to firearm for home invasion.( might be a bitch to get in NYC tho)

http://www.sigsauer.com/CatalogProductDetails/p229-dak.aspx

Sorry to hear that happened to you Stu. I’ve fired one of these a bunch of times and it smooth, accurate and generally very easy to keep on the mark.

Look into what options you need for safely keeping one in the house, but still accessible when you need it.

For your domestics situation a Taurus Judge loaded with .410 shells w/ a laser site would be excellent.

Springfield XDs are good cheap(around here they tend to sell for around $400) beginner guns to learn to shoot with, very easy to strip and clean, and they tend to be fairly heavy which negates recoil making them easier for women and younger shooters to learn to shoot with.

[quote]PowWowNow wrote:
High Point Firearms sells them cheap as shit, under $200. Ugly guns but deliver the bullet just the same.

Glock is relatively cheap and reliable.

[/quote]

Do you really want to buy the cheapest thing on the market when your life is potentially on the line?


This should do the trick

[quote]Captnoblivious wrote:

[quote]PowWowNow wrote:
High Point Firearms sells them cheap as shit, under $200. Ugly guns but deliver the bullet just the same.

Glock is relatively cheap and reliable.

[/quote]

Do you really want to buy the cheapest thing on the market when your life is potentially on the line?
[/quote]
Good question considering your screen name.

[quote]gregron wrote:

[quote]Captnoblivious wrote:

[quote]PowWowNow wrote:
High Point Firearms sells them cheap as shit, under $200. Ugly guns but deliver the bullet just the same.

Glock is relatively cheap and reliable.

[/quote]

Do you really want to buy the cheapest thing on the market when your life is potentially on the line?
[/quote]
Good question considering your screen name.[/quote]

My humor must be busted tonight. Explaino?

Whatever you choose, the firearm is only as good as the training and resolve of the person handling it. Get trained. Stay current. Dry practice is your friend. Draw your lines in the sand and make your decisions ahead of time ahead of time (if/then scenarios) and know your legal justification. The heat of the moment is no time to be sorting that out.

[quote]gregron wrote:
This should do the trick[/quote]

aa 12 FTW

Glock 21.

No less than a .45 for inside your home. Smaller caliber if you carry.

Remington 12 gauge w/ slugs is great… BUT the quick access to a .45 can’t be beat.

I’m a LEO so I carry a sub-compact 9mm, have a .45 in the car and another near the bed and an AR-15 and a Remington in the closet if that doesn’t work.

But if I had to pick one, I would go with the Glock 21.

I don’t have a laser, but that a great point for those that don’t spend a lot of time on the range. And chances are your encounter with be with less than ideal lighting FWIW.

I’m a big fan of the old wheel gun (revolver) for people who aren’t that familiar with firearms …

No magazine that might not be seated, doesn’t have to be charged, and won’t jam (and have to be cleared in a stressful situation) …

Old school, and not as sexy … But a good .38 special is reliable, easy to operate, and fairly cheap to shoot (and practice with) - good for the scenario you encountered

Sorry to hear about this. Be safe.

I think a pump action shotgun would be an easy and wise investment. Even if you get a handgun as well. The action alone from pumping the shotgun would be enough to scare away an intruder. Also, you have a better chance of hitting your target.

I would go with the Glock 17, 19, or 21. The 21 requires 45 caliber ammo which has more stopping power, but is more expensive and has less capacity magazines than 9mm. It’s really up to you. Make sure you pay for training/classes in order to become proficient in your firearm. Loading/unloading, fundamentals of shooting (trigger control, sight picture, etc), clearing malfunctions, and so on. Make sure you get night sights on it since if you use it (god forbid), it will most likely be dark. I’m not sure about lasers or anything like that so I can’t comment.

[quote]Captnoblivious wrote:

[quote]PowWowNow wrote:
High Point Firearms sells them cheap as shit, under $200. Ugly guns but deliver the bullet just the same.

Glock is relatively cheap and reliable.

[/quote]

Do you really want to buy the cheapest thing on the market when your life is potentially on the line?
[/quote]
They are pretty reliable, and solid as a brick. I’ve seen higher end guns jam more often.

It was probably Professor X.

[quote]Velvet Elvis wrote:
I’m a big fan of the old wheel gun (revolver) for people who aren’t that familiar with firearms …

No magazine that might not be seated, doesn’t have to be charged, and won’t jam (and have to be cleared in a stressful situation) …

Old school, and not as sexy … But a good .38 special is reliable, easy to operate, and fairly cheap to shoot (and practice with) - good for the scenario you encountered [/quote]

Pretty much my same choice. 357 mag in the nightstand