Your mindset on home defense weapons?

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ImADad

Hunter
Aug 19, 2015
33
24
18
Atlanta
Glock 17
TLR-1s (with strobe programmed out of it)
Streamlight Grip switch ("DG switch")
night sights (these are more to help me find the pistol in the dark at 2am when I am half asleep than anything else)
 

ImADad

Hunter
Aug 19, 2015
33
24
18
Atlanta
IF you have kids I HIGHLY recommend you choose a handgun with a weaponlight and grip switch.

and a handheld light.
 

sewerman68

Hunter
Jul 28, 2015
57
31
28
temple
I have a Belgian Malinios. She is like the velociraptor of pooches. You really don't want to be a stranger in my house with her.

When the screams wake me up I'll be coming down the stairs with an M&P .40 and a hand held spot I can just about fry eggs with.
 
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Aug 12, 2015
22
10
18
PA
While this topic has been discussed on firearm interwebz sites the world over, I thought it would be interesting to see what the mindset is of the members here.

Do you rely on one of the more prevalent options, (shotgun, AR or pistol), or do you use a different platform?

How does capacity and muzzle flash/report fit in to your selection?

Do you attach lights or lasers to your HD setup / carry a torch in your weak hand, or do you subscribe to the notion that lights could cause a detrimental situation by giving away your location in some scenarios?

Lastly, an oldie but a goodie, what type of round do you find best for your particular situation? Is your selection predicated upon over-penetration & backstop, stopping power, or perhaps reduced recoil?
Good question. My answer is YES. :) Pistol is bedside, AR is hanging from its sling in the bedroom, and 12 gauge is in there also. I'd probably choose pistol first, since it's closest, but if I have a little time, i'd go for the shotgun, since I have it tricked out a little bit, with a red-dot and a light. It's a keltec ksg (bullpup configuration) I'd probably go AR last, but if I had the time I may go with that. It totally depends on the circumstance.
 

ImADad

Hunter
Aug 19, 2015
33
24
18
Atlanta
Good question. My answer is YES. :) Pistol is bedside, AR is hanging from its sling in the bedroom, and 12 gauge is in there also. I'd probably choose pistol first, since it's closest, but if I have a little time, i'd go for the shotgun, since I have it tricked out a little bit, with a red-dot and a light. It's a keltec ksg (bullpup configuration) I'd probably go AR last, but if I had the time I may go with that. It totally depends on the circumstance.

Do you have kids in your home? If so you may want to rethink the long guns.
 

DoglegArms

Silencer Dealer of 2015, 2016, 2017
Jul 12, 2015
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Dallas, GA
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I used to have a gun in almost every room but when my son started walking I locked everything up. So my home defense gun is whatever I'm carrying. I keep a G19 with a Streamlight mounted in quick access safe on the nightstand.
 

00formula6spd

Frontiersman
Jul 13, 2015
414
401
113
Lilburn Ga.
Zip code
30047
Does everyone that has AR's, AK's, Shotguns for home defense lock them in your safe when you leave the house everyday? I kept a Mossberg 500 with a cheep NEBO light next to my bed for a few years. Got to thinking if someone broke in it would be gone. I just use my everyday carry next to bed now. Still bring the Mossy out every few nights.
 

AirOpsMgr

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Mar 24, 2015
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Does everyone that has AR's, AK's, Shotguns for home defense lock them in your safe when you leave the house everyday? I kept a Mossberg 500 with a cheep NEBO light next to my bed for a few years. Got to thinking if someone broke in it would be gone. I just use my everyday carry next to bed now. Still bring the Mossy out every few nights.
Have you shot the gun with the NEBO installed? I had a buddy of mine buy one for a Mav 88, said he clamped it on as tight as he could, but after 6 rnds it scraped down his mag tube and quit working
 

ImADad

Hunter
Aug 19, 2015
33
24
18
Atlanta
9mm is a greater risk than .223.
I wasnt talking about the risk. I was referring to handling kids, door handles, and other things with one hand while you work the gun with the other.
With a properly set up HD handgun, you can run the gun and the weaponlight with one hand while you push your children out of the hallway (or whatever the scenario is)
 

00formula6spd

Frontiersman
Jul 13, 2015
414
401
113
Lilburn Ga.
Zip code
30047
Have you shot the gun with the NEBO installed? I had a buddy of mine buy one for a Mav 88, said he clamped it on as tight as he could, but after 6 rnds it scraped down his mag tube and quit working
Now that you ask I don't think so. Thanks, I need to check that out.
 
Aug 12, 2015
22
10
18
PA
No one weapon is perfect for every situation. However, our house is situated so that in the event something happens, everyone knows what to do and where to go. We have a plan, which I think is critical. And our setup makes it so everyone in my family will be BEHIND me so I don't have to worry about over-penetration and our house is laid out in such a way that there are no corners on the second floor. As for the guns, they are located in safe places and no risk to anyone in my family. As far as tactics go, if someone enters our home, the alarm will go off, and everyone will be on the second floor...myself included. I don't think 'clearing' your house is the greatest idea because you have no idea how many are there, etc.

I believe you should take a truly defensive standpoint. A member of your family should call the police, and you should take up a defensive position and protect your family, and no go looking for things going bump in the night. All bad horror movies have that plot. Hear a noise? Hey lets go see what it is! Not a great idea. IMO, you're better off taking up a good position and waiting it out until you can gather more info. And by our plan, if anyone comes up the stairs, they're like fish in a barrel.

As I said above, no one weapon is perfect for all situations, nor does one size fit all when it comes to plan. You need to take into account your capabilities, your family, the layout of your home, etc. Basically, my advice would be to think it through. Use your mind first.... the guns are a tool.
 

DarthVader

Marksman
Mar 25, 2015
1,175
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Henry County
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No one weapon is perfect for every situation. However, our house is situated so that in the event something happens, everyone knows what to do and where to go. We have a plan, which I think is critical. And our setup makes it so everyone in my family will be BEHIND me so I don't have to worry about over-penetration and our house is laid out in such a way that there are no corners on the second floor. As for the guns, they are located in safe places and no risk to anyone in my family. As far as tactics go, if someone enters our home, the alarm will go off, and everyone will be on the second floor...myself included. I don't think 'clearing' your house is the greatest idea because you have no idea how many are there, etc.

I believe you should take a truly defensive standpoint. A member of your family should call the police, and you should take up a defensive position and protect your family, and no go looking for things going bump in the night. All bad horror movies have that plot. Hear a noise? Hey lets go see what it is! Not a great idea. IMO, you're better off taking up a good position and waiting it out until you can gather more info. And by our plan, if anyone comes up the stairs, they're like fish in a barrel.

As I said above, no one weapon is perfect for all situations, nor does one size fit all when it comes to plan. You need to take into account your capabilities, your family, the layout of your home, etc. Basically, my advice would be to think it through. Use your mind first.... the guns are a tool.
Good points. Everyone's situation is different and you've clearly thought yours through. My house, which was purchased well before we had children, is very poorly laid out for defense. The kids rooms are on the opposite side of the house. And any intruder will enter from the middle. That leaves me having to consider over penetration and angles of attack should the need ever arise. My AR with fragmenting ammunition (Mk262) is the go to choice, with an MP9 outfitted with a surefire light and suppressor coming in second. The AR is an SBR outfitted with a suppressor and white light. With the pistol in particular, I will have to be very careful about my firing position.
 
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freedom

Sniper
Mar 25, 2015
1,522
885
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Covington, Ga
Zip code
30014
No one weapon is perfect for every situation. However, our house is situated so that in the event something happens, everyone knows what to do and where to go. We have a plan, which I think is critical. And our setup makes it so everyone in my family will be BEHIND me so I don't have to worry about over-penetration and our house is laid out in such a way that there are no corners on the second floor. As for the guns, they are located in safe places and no risk to anyone in my family. As far as tactics go, if someone enters our home, the alarm will go off, and everyone will be on the second floor...myself included. I don't think 'clearing' your house is the greatest idea because you have no idea how many are there, etc.

I believe you should take a truly defensive standpoint. A member of your family should call the police, and you should take up a defensive position and protect your family, and no go looking for things going bump in the night. All bad horror movies have that plot. Hear a noise? Hey lets go see what it is! Not a great idea. IMO, you're better off taking up a good position and waiting it out until you can gather more info. And by our plan, if anyone comes up the stairs, they're like fish in a barrel.

As I said above, no one weapon is perfect for all situations, nor does one size fit all when it comes to plan. You need to take into account your capabilities, your family, the layout of your home, etc. Basically, my advice would be to think it through. Use your mind first.... the guns are a tool.
Good points. Everyone's situation is different and you've clearly thought yours through. My house, which was purchased well before we had children, is very poorly laid out for defense. The kids rooms are on the opposite side of the house. And any intruder will enter from the middle. That leaves me having to consider over penetration and angles of attack should the need ever arise. My AR with fragmenting ammunition (Mk262) is the go to choice, with an MP9 outfitted with a surefire light and suppressor coming in second. The AR is an SBR outfitted with a suppressor and white light. With the pistol in particular, I will have to be very careful about my firing position.

Any intruder will have to walk past my door to get to the kids bedrooms. I have a ar pistol with suppressor which will be grabbed, the wife will man the phone. Even though I'm not worried about the kids being in the line of fire, I do have neighbours. Hopefully, my ammo should fragment if it hits a wall and not be too much of a danger to the other houses near me.