honestly my first gun i grab is a charter .38 undercover. but the 1911 is loaded both hipowers are and the undercover. then theres the scar.

 

The gun I keep next to my bed at night is a Remington 870 police model (out of the 3 I have, a Mossy 500, Benelli M4 autoloading shotty). The 870 I have has been modified a bit, with a blackhawk recoil reducing stock, fiber optic front sight, b-squared rail, and a wide angle red dot on top. The stock I have is telescopic so the length of the gun varies, but I've trained myself to shoot it in both collapsed and telescoped modes. The shotgun is by far the best weapon I have for defending my home, but it's large and cumbersome, which is why I always have my Glock 21 set aside as a secondary weapon.

I no longer live in an apartment complex and have a house, and now I use Remington's Home Defense rounds in my shotgun. I have 8+1 shots, but in the best scenario (other than not having to fire at all), I'll only need 1. Here's more on the round that I use... I know it's expensive and a lot of marketing goes into it, but the rounds are pretty damn good and exactly what I'm looking for in a defensive round. Originally when I lived in an apartment (where I shared 3 walls, a floor, and a ceiling with other people), I used a hot birdshot, then when I moved into a condo, I switched to buckshot, but after some testing I found the Remington HD rounds to be a good alternative to just regular buckshot since it doesn't penetrate walls AS much but will still have more mass and penetration than birdshot (knockdown force). I've seen the ballistics of these rounds and I was really impressed which is why I use them in my primary 870. Here's more about the rounds: (12 gauge of course)



From Remy's website:
"Don't Trust Your Family's Safety to Anything Else.
Experts agree a shotgun is the best firearm for home defense. For 2009, Remington announces a new ammunition product designed to enhance the effectiveness of your shotgun in a home defense scenario – Remington HD Ultimate Home Defense.
Remington HD Ultimate Home Defense shotgun ammunition features the same pellet material as the popular Wingmaster HD™ tungsten-bronze hunting ammunition and is offered in two loadings. Consumers can choose from a load of BB’s for the highest terminal energy or a duplex mixture of #2 and #4 pellets for excellent pattern density and outstanding stopping power with a reduced chance of over-penetration.
Both loads are 12 gauge, 2 ¾-inch with 1 1/4 ounces of shot at 1250 feet per second. At the most commonly encountered home defense distances, Remington HD Ultimate Home Defense produces very tight patterns for one-shot confidence.
HD Ultimate Home Defense ammunition is the perfect compliment to Remington’s recently expanded line of tactical shotguns."




One thing I can recommend to EVERYONE is to take at least 1 shotgun (or whatever you''re using for defense) class... Especially one that is catering to your specific needs, such as home defense. They will teach you A LOT and it is probably the most valuable thing you can do for yourself in terms of home defense. A lot of people just buy the cheapest shotgun, cheapest rounds, and think they are OK to go in a high stress home defense situation... Yeah right, who are you kidding? I used to have that mentality until I was actually put into stressful situations during class simulations (and it's not even REAL! It's a simulation!) when I realized how lacking I was in terms of an effective skillset.

I don't care how confident you are about your abilities to shoot an intruder before he shoots you... When you are stressed and actually dealt that card EVERYTHING changes... Everything goes through your head and it's quite difficult to react in a proper way. Seriously... Sign up for a defense class that is taught by someone qualified (like police instructors, etc).


Cliff Notes: No matter what you use for home defense, make sure you take a class (AT LEAST ONE) to learn how to use your weapon in a high stress situation, it's the best thing you can do for yourself. This is not something you want to cheap-out on, just do it!



(Sorry if that was hard to read, I'm running on no sleep and on my way out the door, just wanted to post that before I left)

 

you need to deter them BEFORE they enter the house,get a dog.

 

no doubt. Our dogs let us know whenever anyone is even walking by our place. Even if they know you they let us know that someone is there.

 

That is excellent advice of course. It's funny how friends of mine that I cannot wake up without clubbing them over the head at times are convinced they are going to leap out of bed and handle an intruder. I have been handling weapons since I was a child, fired many really awesome guns - mostly rifles - and my father was incredibly strict with his teaching but I consider myself completely unskilled with weapons handling. Can you recommend a good class or training facility? The first and foremost reason I do not currently have anything readily at hand is because I know that if I were drooling on my pillow and someone were prepped and ready to enter, there is NOFA KING WAY I am going to do anything but get shot in my undies with my own gun. Keeping a shotty next to the bed is out for me what with a baby on the way. Having guns in a safe means they are for sport and NOT home defense simply by accessibility.

 

LOL... Yeah, I guess I could distract them with laughter...

My pup:

 

LOL! If you hear someone lauphing down the hall thats the sign XD

 

Daniel hit on something very important. Training. Shooting is a perishable skill, practice, practice, practice. As for training classes, first rule spend as much on your schooling as you do your weapon, I tend to press for more than one class but that's here nor there. As for training in a stressful environment, i have yet to find a class that will prepare you for the adrenaline dump when rounds start to fly. Classes help though, they will help you with the basic reactions to get your training rolling in your brain.(IE Muscle Memory)


One thing to remember, in a defensive situation you are ALWAYS at the disadvantage. You are reacting to someone else and their actions. ALWAYS.

 

so did anyone catch the SPIKE shows last saturday morning?

 

no TV here.

 

i just woke my GF up laughing my *** off.
i see your super fast midget and raise you one dog under the influence of chicken strips

 

no... care to elaborate?

 

the baddies got the drop on you. The element of surprise is tough to compete with. Even if you are a crackshot, if you dont have weapon in hand during the invasion, you're a victim.
Get a gun. Learn how to use it. Shoot at a range routinely so you can get over the standard obstacles such as the anticipation of the bullet coming out of the gun. Learn your sights. Keep it clean.(not just for lubrication purposes. It helps in getting to know the weapon). Lastly, If you ever aim it at someone, be prepared to kill them or be killed by them.

 

^ +1 and don't forget to turn the gun sideways... killshot!

 

[QUOTE=Lastly, If you ever aim it at someone, be prepared to kill them or be killed by them.[/QUOTE]




this is the best advise here!



I have been face to face with someone trespassing in my backyard during a rainstorm I drew my .45 and told them to stop the cops are on the way then SHE turned around and said please dot shoot my mister. I was really shocked to see a female. needless to say that ended well there was a party that the police broke up and kids went scattering . She just landed in the wrong yard.

be ready to take a life if you pull the gun out.