Poll: 5th Wheel Defense Firearm

[bionic knees]

If someone wants one of these or the predecessor great BUT, there is a real shortcoming to these. With shot shells they look real impressive BUT, they make very shallow albeit messy wounds. So bottom line if some doper breaks in they may not even slow down if shot with one unless you get them in the face. The guns take .45 Colt ammo which is GREAT for home use. Only problem here is the long lead causes many of them to key hole. Again at close range will not matter but many find out they get disappointing results at the range. So if someone really wants either of these wheel guns beats nothing but, they have some serious downside.

I certainly wouldn't want a judge barking at me inside a travel trailer.

 

[titsonritz]

I certainly wouldn't want a judge barking at me inside a travel trailer.

Better than in a court room.

 

[bionic knees]

Better than in a court room.

not so sure about that, I have had a judge bark at me in a courtroom and am still here!

 

[Member 53328]

I wouldn't go any type of long gun/shotgun in an RV.
My gut says Glock G19/G17, however...
Glock G43X might be a nice compromise because if the owner wants to explore "concealed carry", G43X would be a nice candidate for that.

So, G43X for the win.

A G19 or G17 can easily be carried for EDC as well. Simply for mag capacity I would go with a double stack Glock.

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

A G19 or G17 can easily be carried for EDC as well. Simply for mag capacity I would go with a double stack Glock.

That and a full sized pistol is easier to control. My wife has completed a 100 round class with my 4" Beretta PX4 Storm 9mm, but one shot with my Sig p365xl and she handed it back to me with a big NOPE.

 

[dangerranger60]

That and a full sized pistol is easier to control. My wife has completed a 100 round class with my 4" Beretta PX4 Storm 9mm, but one shot with my Sig p365xl and she handed it back to me with a big NOPE.

That's why the rental range sounds like a good idea! DR

 

[Member 53328]

That and a full sized pistol is easier to control. My wife has completed a 100 round class with my 4" Beretta PX4 Storm 9mm, but one shot with my Sig p365xl and she handed it back to me with a big NOPE.

My wife is tiny. Like 110 pounds tiny. She has had a m&p shield, G42, G43 and G43x. She shoots a Glock 19 better than any of the above. To the point she hates micro pistols. Concealing the G19 on her frame is the difficult part.

 

[Alexx1401]

That and a full sized pistol is easier to control. My wife has completed a 100 round class with my 4" Beretta PX4 Storm 9mm, but one shot with my Sig p365xl and she handed it back to me with a big NOPE.

This is a BIG thing so often over looked. I have all my life seen some guy, hand some gal a gun he liked. Gal did not like it, would not practice with it, so could not use it worth a damn. Any shooter is FAR better off with a gun they both like to shoot, and will shoot for practice. If they will use it enough to be good at hitting what they shoot at beats hell out of a gun they miss with.

 

[Bob Gee]

My son and his girlfriend bought as 33' Fifth Wheel trailer as an alternative to $2000 a month apartment living in Eugene. The space rent is $500 a month, but they can take it with them when they move and save up the $1500 a month to purchase a site built house eventually. What are your recommendations for a home defense / bedside firearm considering the tight quarters and neighboring trailers with thin walls? I would gift him cash so he can buy it.

A .410 gauge shotgun. Yeah, I know it's not a super-duper powerful piece, but it WILL do the job and they won't run the risk of shooting thru their thin walls and endangering neighbors. When we RV'ed we always had one in our 5th wheel. Also good against marauding raccoons and other wildlife.

 

[Yarome]

A .410 gauge shotgun. Yeah, I know it's not a super-duper powerful piece, but it WILL do the job and they won't run the risk of shooting thru their thin walls and endangering neighbors. When we RV'ed we always had one in our 5th wheel. Also good against marauding raccoons and other wildlife.

Yeah. Being in an RV, and especially within an RV park... where you are surrounded in close quarter with other occupied RV's... unique circumstances exist. Namely, no safe and unoccupied down range.

Making a firearm choice in that situation has to consider that in respect to, "am I even willing to discharge my firearm if the need called for it?".

My .410 handgun certainly isn't the ideal defense weapon. Especially the bond arms I use. It's not exactly easy or comfortable to shoot. The trigger pull is heavy and has a bit of a quirk you have to get used to. It's what I already owned though, it is suitable to the conditions, I'm very well accustomed to firing it, and knowing what I know about the reduced risk factors when travelling in an RV, does not warrant the purchase of a "better" .410 platform. Ie., The Governor or Judge. IMO, it's too niche to justify when I already own a .410 capable handgun. I would certainly consider one of them though if I didn't already have a .410 option... or... maybe just stick with a baseball bat or pepper spray.

Note that I'm referring specifically about being parked in an an RV park and defending from an internal intrusion.

I almost never use parks though and out on my own, so of course, my firearm choice is typically different.

Using a full size firearm in a park... my greatest fear is hitting the local headlines with, "man indiscriminately fires firearm and bullet passes through 3 occupied neighbors". Not a good look and likely to pull some charges.

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

That is why I am bringing him some 9mm Inceptor polycopper frangable ARX ammo. Only 65grain and will break apart (but not into dust) when it hits something solid.

 

[Yarome]

That is why I am bringing him some 9mm Inceptor polycopper frangable ARX ammo. Only 65grain and will break apart (but not into dust) when it hits something solid.

That's probably doable. Just to be aware that a 9mm 65grain, at close range, is quite capable of passing, largely intact, through al car door. RV's walls are made from very thin aluminum and thin plastic or wood ply.

Odds of passing through a second "wall" with lethal effect probably isn't too high.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Then again, if the bad guy was hiding behind a concrete wall you could always use one of these:

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

Realistically, the chance of a power outage lasting more than 4 hours is greater than the chance that they will need a firearm for a DGU. However a propane generator can still be bought after 1/1/2023 without a permit. Although I did just read that Eugene is banning Natural Gas.

 

[Capn Jack]

Sounds like neither your son, or his girlfriend are proficient with firearms.

IMHO, (in a trailer Park) both them and their neighbors would be safer with
several cans of wasp, or bear spray within easy reach.

 

[Member 34319]

Full size pistol with light.

Compact inexpensive something hidden in a panel somewhere.

 

[Paolung]

Consider a Pistol Caliber Carbine instead, such as a Kel-Tec Sub-2000 or Ruger PC Carbine. These are both available in 9mm and .40 S&W. Both can accept accessories like lights or a dot as well.

.45 ACP would be even better as it's not as much of a penetrator (and quieter, given almost all .45ACP ammo is subsonic by nature), but harder to find in a carbine - if you can find a Beretta CX4 Storm in .45 ACP, that might be the best option out there for them.

The Sub-2000 is light and ultra portable since it's a folder, and has the quickest deployment. It takes some shooting to get used to the ergonomics of, and there's a good amount of aftermarket support for it. It's the cheaper of the two.

The Ruger PC Carbine is a little heavier, but breaks down for easy storage and limited space needs. On the downside, it's not as quick to set up as the "unfold it and go" Sub-2000, but the ergonomics are better, and it feels more like a solid defensive tool. There are also several models to pick from (with chassis/handguard support, AR-15 grip and stock support, etc.) and there's a fair amount of aftermarket support for these too. It's also a little more costly than the Sub-2000, especially for some of the more dressed up models.

Both of these PCCs can accept Glock magazines (the Ruger comes with adapters for both Ruger and Glock mags ... with the sub-2k you'll have to get the model specific one, I believe), which is a plus if they decide to get a Glock handgun in the future (because sharing mags = awesome).

Alternatively, even a lever gun in .44 Magnum would do the job, especially if you load it with subsonic .44 Special ammo. I have my Henry X loaded with Hornady Critical Defense in .44 Special and I'm confident that those loads will take care of any threats with minimal overpenetration concerns. Sure, it's not as compact and portable as the PCCs above, but it's pretty handy and has the rock solid reliability (+ cool factor) of a lever gun.

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

They do not own any firearms now since she lives with her dad and he just left a "Gun free" college campus, but they are proficient enough to hit what they are aiming at.

I have always wanted a Beretta CX4 Storm in 9mm to complement my Beretta PX4 Storm 9mm pistol. The 45acp magazines only hold 10 rounds and I have plenty of 20 round 9mm Storm magazines he could have. And that 16" barrel could drive those 65gr frangibles over 2000fps.

 

[Yarome]

Realistically, the chance of a power outage lasting more than 4 hours is greater than the chance that they will need a firearm for a DGU. However a propane generator can still be bought after 1/1/2023 without a permit. Although I did just read that Eugene is banning Natural Gas.

Propane portable gensets have their place, mostly for SHTF due to the long term fuel storage benefits of LP gas, but it's not too great for RV's, IMHO. Power output on LP is reduced, there is no cost savings factors over gas and it's more difficult to procure. It's bad enough trying to keep the "house" LP tanks filled, but it's also much less frequent filling them so there is more flexibility than you would have over the demands of a genset.

Unless you're talking about a built in genset with a full size LP tank that is. Of course, you're talking exponentially more money over a portable.

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

I would get them a Dual Fuel Gasoline/Propane generator like we have at home. Propane is easy to store long term, but if a blackout lasts more than a few days they can always siphon gas from their cars.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L9R5YC5/