brgracer

iTrader: (14)

Okay I don't know what new drugs my wife has been taking, but in addition to letting me get a couple project cars recently, she turned to me the other day and said she wanted to get a gun for the house so who am I to argue with that!

Anyway, I've been researching for a bit and am looking for some recommendations. Guns are specifically for home defense (aka not looking for a CCW for now so small size is not a big factor) AND have to be able to be handled by my wife as well. So after researching, I decided to get two guns. First one is easy, the good old 12-gauge shotgun (probably Mossberg 590) so that's not the one I need help with.

The second is more of a backup/easier access gun, so I've been looking at handguns. This is the nightstand, I don't have time to get to the shotgun, gun if you know what I mean. I'm pretty much settled on the 9mm for the following reasons: ammo is cheaper for lots of practice, wife can handle it in a panic situation better than larger rounds, and I have two little kids so in the event of an errant shot, less chance of it going thru multiple walls and hurting them (I understand the flipside of not having as much stopping/killing power compared to .45).

So with the above info, open to suggestions in the $500-750 range in 9mm. Please do not try to convince me to buy a different caliber weapon as the wife has shot a few guns and does not feel comfortable shooting the larger rounds at this point. I've been leaning toward a Glock 17/19, but I'm a total gun noob so don't want to just get sucked in by name recognition.

Stein

iTrader: (46)

The glocks are fine but you need to hold one. The grip angles are different from the others. Some have no issue with it, others don't like it. Coming in cold, you don't have an established grip so you probably won't have a problem with it like others trying to transition into it. If you want to go under your budget, you can't go wrong with a basic Ruger P89dc or in 9mm or an XD. The Rugers aren't sexy but they will feed virtually all ammo including the cheap stuff and go bang all the time.

Ben

iTrader: (33)

You're on the right path! My choice:
1>short barrel shotgun with pistol grips and mounted light
2>3rd Gen Glock 17 with night sites and either internal laser and mounted light or mounted light/laser combo

There are also other nice full size 9mms out there though. Try the Springfield Armory XD and XD(m). I really liked the XD(m), just ended up getting a good deal on a Glock. Also I've seen the Smith&Wesson M&P as cheap as $350 (incl $50 rebate) recently brand new.

I won't harp on caliber, but will mention that 9mm target ammo is pretty inexpensive, but defense ammo is not.
Most people are not stone cold bad-*** when SHTF, so expect to land only 30-50% of your shots on target. For this reason, you may want to look into frangible ammo.

I have a Glock 22 with Trijicon night sites, Lasermax internal laser, and Glock weapon light on my nightstand as I type this. It's loaded up with Federal HST. I'm extremely happy with it; I've joined GSSF (glock sport shooting foundation) and enjoyed the hell out of the shooting events I've attended. I ended up winning a gun from the first match I attended and have bought another. So I'm pretty "loaded" on Glocks these days.

Check out www.glocktalk.com, especially the classifieds. I scored a nice deal on the 2 I bought there.

l_bader

I know you'd prefer to stick w/9mm, but I would ask you consider a .38 or .357 - Not so much a change for stopping power (though it is a factor), but more so to move from a semi-auto to a revolver.

In a high pressure situation in limited lighting I would prefer to avoid the potential of a weapon malfunction. Revolvers work. Period. If the round fails, you only need to pull the trigger again vice clearing the weapon.

Recoil from a .38 is nearly identical to the 9mm. Recoil from a .357 with a 4" barrel is very manageable.

As to the concerns about overpenetration, look at frangible rounds such as Glaser safety slugs. They are designed for quick energy dissipation instead of penetration.

My nightstand gun is a Ruger GP-100 .357 with a 4-in barrell, loaded with Glaser Blue Tips. My 5'4" wife has zero problems handling the firearm.

- L

PS - Don't forget to keep a flashlight and a cellphone on the nightstand as well...

jayc72

iTrader: (14)

Just don't accidentally answer the .357 in the middle of the night.

brgracer

iTrader: (14)

Thanks for the recommendations. As for the revolver, I was originally thinking revolver in terms of reliability, but the more research I do, I think in a pressure situation where I or my wife would probably miss 4 out of every 5 shots (or more) the higher capacity guns might come in handy, especially with multiple perps. Again, hopefully, I'll only ever need to use the gun at the range, but trying to anticipate real world situations. I could totally see grabbing the revolver and missing 6/6 shots and being SOL while trying to reload.

bryantaylor

iTrader: (5)

a 9mm will go through a wall before a .45 ever will. get a .45, load it with hydroshoks or some other hollowpoint. with a hollow point, there is even less chance it will go through a wall.

you said size doesnt matter, so get something big and heavy, the more weight means there will be less felt recoil. dont be afraid of cheapers guns like a hi-point too, they are relible, dead accurate, and dirt cheap. i actually keep my hi-point 9mm on the table next to my bed, with a extra mag next to it just in case.

Newbsauce

iTrader: (2)

I've never used the hi-point brand. They seemed like the wal-mart of pistols. Still, 138 bucks for something that spews 9mm seems like a decent "home gun".

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

+1, I like shooting this.

I'm trying to remember the others I've shot, IIRC, It was a Glock which was very light in construction and I liked that as well.

Toddcod

iTrader: (8)

LOL, I keep a shotgun at beside too. I didn't realize how visible the shot gun was. One of the neihbors car was towed the other day for no reason. So they where steaming off, and apperantly they have all noticed the gun. LOL

It is good for everyone around me to know I have it though. No one is going to try to steal it since there is a dog in the house, she is growing fast. And it detured alot of thugs around katrina.

My old apts moved alot of thugs in durring Katrina. They were eye balling my girl, talking crap, and telling me to get my dog away. I would tell them don't worry about my dog, and walk right through their path. Then some guys that had a different car everyday, started smiling and staring me down everytime I walked outside.
It was getting heated. They sizing me up. So a buddy called me up to go hunting......You can hunt rabbits and hogs all year round here.

I figured if they where going to gang bang I should just get it over. i put on my favorite Rambo vest that holds like 25 or 30 shotgun shells, and loaded the gun full. And when I came out side, I pumped the shell into chamber and added another shell in front of them. And when they looked at me, I just looked at them as I walked by.

I stopped getting stupid looks..... And yes I moved to a more strict complex. Me and all the original people where moving right and left.

But with some people, that is the only way to get respect to stay safe.

thymer

iTrader: (5)

+1 on the .45. I prefer a 1911 with extended magazine for nightstand use. As a backup I also keep a 12 gauge tactical shotgun handy along with a .308 AR10 with a Leupold scope for long distance work and a full auto suppressed m11/lage with Eotech for larger threats.

samnavy

iTrader: (7)

Mossberg 500 or 590 with folding stock and dual pistol grips... many variations on this theme. I prefer the collapsing stock, not he folding stock.


I prefer the collapsing stock as in this picture:


I would also recommend you both to take some basic classes, not just on shooting striaght, but something a little more on the tactical side... ie, Will you know exactly what to do in the event of a jam or stovepipe? Will you react quickly and methodically without losing your cool when it really counts? If you pull out a gun on an intruder and forget to take the safety off, you're dead, or worse. If you can't clear a malfunction and defend yourself while doing it, you're dead. If you don't think this applies within the confines of your home, it's your life.

Weapon malfunctions more specifically apply to semi-autos. You should weigh the benefit of more ammo in a semi-auto against the reliability of a revolver. You simply can't **** up a .40 revolver. The right ammo won't kick a whole lot more than a 9mm and it will put a big man down with one shot just about anywhere on his body and you can't guarantee that with a 9mm.

ScottFW

iTrader: (4)

Depends how familiar your wife is with handling firearms I suppose. The problem I'd have with a Glock sitting open on wifey's nightstand is not with its reliability, but rather that it has a fairly light trigger, there's no manual safety, and you pretty much have to keep it chambered because you won't necessarily have time to rack the slide. Something goes bump in the middle of the night and she wakes up a tad disoriented and grabs it the wrong way and puts a hole where we don't want one. I have no problem with it for people who handle guns frequently and have good booger hook discipline, but my wife doesn't fit that category, maybe yours does. If you do settle on a Glock, keeping it in a holster might not be a bad idea if you're going to be grabbing for it in the dark. You don't have to buy anything with a manual safety either. You don't want to wake up disoriented and worry about dicking with that. A DA revolver in .38/.357, or a 9mm auto that you can keep chambered & hammer down with a DA first shot (Sig for example) would be more forgiving in the handling department for her if you think that's necessary.

As for malfunctions with an auto, you shouldn't be keeping a nightstand gun that you can't trust 100%. A few hundred rounds through it at the range, including 100-200 of whatever JHP you intend to load it with, without a single malfunction, is good enough for me. It's worth spending a few extra bucks on ammo testing in order to have a known-reliable 10-15 rd capacity if some **** is gonna go down.

cueball1

iTrader: (13)

Broken record on my part but get a REVOLVER!

For someone not likely to shoot a bunch and a gun that is strictly in position as a panic gun the revolver is it. Picture your panic situation. Something went bump in the night. You and/or your wife wakes up hearing someone in the house. You grab the gun and the phone. You dial 911. You hunker in a corner aiming the gun at the door waiting for the a-hole to come in. The door moves. Worse yet you wake up and the guy's already in the room...

(the way you are aproaching this I'm guessing you won't be Rambo and go out after the guy rummaging around the living room)

Semi auto - is a round in the chamber? Is the safety off? (I know, Glock doesn't have one) If you don't have a round chambered will you remember to rack one? Can you rack one when your heart is pounding and your stomach is doing flip flops? Do you want to make the noise of racking one if you are hunkered down? If you pull the trigger and it goes "click" can you resolve the situation?

Revolver. Aim at a-hole's chest. Pull trigger. Panic and idiot proof.

As far as number of shots, sure it's a factor. Of course for the cost of a nice glock you could buy a high quality revolver for each of your night stands and both throw lead at him. Also I doubt too many guys breaking into homes will stick around or become aggresive when they've had a couple shots thrown at them. Wonder if there are statistics on this?

bryantaylor

iTrader: (5)

they are actually pretty decent. they are heavy as ****, so the recoil is low. the barrel doesn't move, so they are acurate as hell. i can easily shoot about a 3 inch group at 25-30 yards with the dirt cheap pratice ammo.

olderguy

iTrader: (19)

You need to get your wife to handle a few weapons at a range.

I keep a Sig .380 for home defense that my wife can get to quickly. The Glock is fine for me, but too heavy for her to grab and use. The Sig can be left "decocked" for some additional safety with a round in the chamber.

Both are loaded with frangible rounds, but the Glock doesn't have a round in the chamber for safety reasons.

l_bader

I thought one of the requirements was to REDUCE the risk to the kiddies, not INCREASE it. The more casual you are about pulling the trigger, the more likely you are to hurt someone/something you didn't want to hit.

Hence: Crimson Trace: Laser Gun Sights For Shooters

Grab the grip, gain a dot. Put dot where bullet goes, then pull trigger.

As to the reloading concerns, Speedloader - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

- L

brgracer

iTrader: (14)

Thanks again for the recommendations. We're going to hit the range this weekend and I'll have her shoot a bunch of different ones including revolvers again and let her decide what she's most comfortable with, and if I don't like it, maybe get gun #3....haha....

Sam, definitely going to take some gun courses with her at the range after the purchase. In fact, the local range has some package deal with gun purchase that includes gun safety training and range practice time with training as well. I've been to the range a bunch of times, but I could use the extra refresher and training as well.

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

Best advice so far.

chucker

iTrader: (4)

+2

Wife, girlfriend, random chick you're trying to nail, whatever. The gun range makes a great venue for a date, especially if she’s never been shooting before. I’ve found that if a girl is open to the idea of shooting - and she’s inexperienced - she will quite possibly get very excited by the sense of power/danger. Plus, you get to teach her something, making you appear ultra-badass. And finally, they get a rush of positive emotion if they learn that they’re a decent shot. All those things added together make her easier to bang. DHV, just ask Mystery.