If you had to defend your home and loved ones, what Caliber?

[dobeman]

nobody ever goes deaf on TV or in the movies...

but what I have ready is 410 Defense ammo in a Taurus Public Defender, then the Ponies - one of the Colt revolvers with .357.

 

[soberups]

Just something to consider...if you are indoors in a confined area such as a hallway, the muzzle blast from firing off a 12 gauge or a Magnum handgun round out of a short barreled gun may very well rupture your eardrums. At the very least, you could be temporarily disoriented or deafened. I am a fan of "keeping it simple" so for me the choice is a S&W M66 .357 revolver loaded with .38+P hollowpoints; still an effective caliber but one that will hopefully allow me to survive the fight with my hearing intact.

 

[Three Bars]

For me, long guns are to big to handle properly in the house, especially when I wake from deep sleep.

Also if you have the rare intruder who has close quarter skills, then weapon retention can become an issue.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Had to? You'd have to use what was available, including a nail clipper file.
Anything around 500 fpe will certainly work barring armor and or cover, especially with a proper bullet (pistol/handgun).. that's code for don't go for the "I use .45 ball!".. you cheap dumb bastid, as it does not make a .45 hole.. it's more like a pokey darning needle instead of a hole punch or better.
And then you have to hit properly regardless.. that's code for being able to shoot. nothing is magich and good luck to us all

 

[Alexis Strong]

I am interested in some Caliber discussion for take down power, and end of threat.
I am finding more and more stories of home invasion shootouts where the suspects although hit in the torso, end up just fine. Not that I wish death on anyone, but if I come under threat I want something that ends the threat and not just wounds, as in if i hit my mark end of story.

Here is a perfect example, the suspects were hit and decided to flee, but in all honesty could have stayed and continued the assault.

"A mother and son were enjoying the evening when armed men broke through the front door of their home with a rifle and handgun demanding money. The 15 year old son was shot in the leg and the mother the arm as she tried to get to the back of the home."

http://junkyarddog911.blogspot.com/2014/06/mother-son-shot-in-home-invasion-father.html

Consider the Rock Island Armory 1911 TCM, I am.

 

[salmonriverjohn]

Actually they're .24 caliber, John!

Ok Sarge, so that explains why that coyote gave up the ghost the other day @ 80 yards in one shot from the front deck as he was snooping around the chicken coop. The stuffs bad medicine bro.

 

[Certaindeaf]

4 00 is .24.. personally, nevermind. I use 00 or slugs if they/it weighs like 200lbs or so

 

[Doc In UPlace]

In the final analysis, shot placement and luck probably trump caliber. That said I rely on service caliber weapons to take care of business on the defensive end.

My personal ready guns are a Glock .45 in the bedroom loaded with Federal HST, and usually a S&W 638 with Cor-Bon +P .38's riding in my RF pants pocket, always- unless carrying the Glock for work.

On the wall hanging from a guitar hook is a Colt 6920 carbine alternating jacketed frangible and penetrator 5.56 in a 20-round magazine.

Got nothing against shotguns, I just don't have one right now, I like pistols for CQC in room-clearing, but the 5.56 with frangibles out of a 16" barrel is pretty awful, you wouldn't want to stand in front of that thing for very long.

Shot placement and slow-is-fast wins the day, usually.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

Ok Sarge, so that explains why that coyote gave up the ghost the other day @ 80 yards in one shot from the front deck as he was snooping around the chicken coop. The stuffs bad medicine bro.

Oh yeah! Yodel Dog meets a load of #4 Buck, something's gotta give! Shooting coyotes off the front deck? Some guys have all the luck! LOL!!!

 

[rick benjamin]

Identify the issue, reduce it
Home invasion, ask them to leave Please.
Won't leave
force them to leave
pick a force instrument
Ball bat? Kitchen wooden spoon (scared me in the day...)
A gun! choose...
Joe likes the double barrel on the back deck! Shoot in the air and they will scream like little girls!
Not scary enough?
Make em bleed, with what?
.22 anti-armor, zombie apocalypse, armor piercing round, with a piece of flint in the nose
.38o piss-em-off, but it won't bruise your wrist.
9mm para bellum - All the rage in Europe, so it must be good.
.40 SW Accepted by the FBI (they couldn't qual new-age agents with 10mm, and .45ACP is old hat).
Way back in the olden days...
Philippine Moro rebels would wrap their bodies with rope to delay the onset of blood loss (hypovolemic shock) when shot with the .38spl. Shot multiple times but still had the horsepower to dismember the shooter with a machete. US Army begged John Browning to create the .45 ACP.
Speaking of which, home invasion?
I carry G27, 40SW. I can hit what I aim at with the G27. Really tite groop.
Just be sure to put the groop where it will do the most.

 

[rick benjamin]

Why the .40?
Because I'm not very accurate with a G30 .45.
I don't carry my 1911, big bulky.
If I did, that would be it.

 

[Brutus57]

I'm old hat. first the forty five.

 

[rick benjamin]

So, buy a side of beef, pig, etc and experement.
Or shoot big blocks of jello and see what happens.

calculate bullet energy.

 

[Velzey]

If am forced to defend my family inside my home it will be with something serious!

12 ga 3"mag triple ought buck shot. Try it out sometime on an old truck door. You know the real steel doors.

I'm not going to mess around and try to get a headshot with a tiny pistol round when it's dark and I just woke up!

 

[jbett98]

On second thought, the 12 gage will be my second choice, I will reach for this first.
It's got a blinding bright light, 11 rds and it'd be easy on the ear drums.

 

[Three Bars]

Hard to beat Gov. Mod. .45...it's my primary home def.weapon as well as my favorite carry piece in cold weather months.
I'm currently running 185 +P @ 1150 fps.

 

[rick benjamin]

.45 185+P 543 ft lbs
.40 SW
9mm

 

[rick benjamin]

And in the final analysis, nobody gets convinced because....
Can you hit it?
Shoot somebody with a .22 long rifle 38gr hollow point through the eye socket, scrambled brains.
.380 in the neck-part of the spine, Timmmmberrrr!
.40SW or .45ACP in the gut, liver, kidney, heart, a short, bloody painful trip to St Peter's gate.
Shotgun at short range (Bird, buck, slug doesn't matter) it's all going into the wound, what a mess!
Spine shot anywhere will mess-up the Central Nervous System, from the brain to the tailbone
Post 70 drawing was drawn by super-imposing some medical images over a people target.
Still have to add the kidneys, liver, etc.

 

[Bon Sauvage]

Something……..belt fed!

 

[Three Bars]

Thanks for the link Rick.
I've been using that formula for years, but this site saves me the trouble of pulling out the 10 key office machine.
Also eliminates the need to go to the manufacturers site for velocities.............kind of like Freddy's...One stop shopping.


I noticed a couple of inaccuracies on the St Cloud State site, but they do state that they are estimates, so I guess all is well even though one is off 9.9%