What's a good gun for home defense?

[Psychlone]

I'm thinking the shotgun, Remington 870 or Mossberg 500. Does anyone disagree? What stores in the Pittsburgh area have the best prices?

[Idoit40fans]

[newarenanow]

I'm thinking the shotgun, Remington 870 or Mossberg 500. Does anyone disagree? What stores in the Pittsburgh area have the best prices?

I own a Remington 870 express. I love it. I use it for hunting, but also have it under my bed just in case someone wants to break in.

I you are looking for just home protection purposes, I'd check into a handgun. I plan on purchasing one here in the near future.

[Psychlone]

I'm thinking the shotgun, Remington 870 or Mossberg 500. Does anyone disagree? What stores in the Pittsburgh area have the best prices?

I own a Remington 870 express. I love it. I use it for hunting, but also have it under my bed just in case someone wants to break in.

I you are looking for just home protection purposes, I'd check into a handgun. I plan on purchasing one here in the near future.

NAN what handguns would you recommend?

[newarenanow]

I'm thinking the shotgun, Remington 870 or Mossberg 500. Does anyone disagree? What stores in the Pittsburgh area have the best prices?

I own a Remington 870 express. I love it. I use it for hunting, but also have it under my bed just in case someone wants to break in.

I you are looking for just home protection purposes, I'd check into a handgun. I plan on purchasing one here in the near future.

NAN what handguns would you recommend?

Honestly, I'm not sure yet. I haven't really researched it. I have a buddy that owns one, and he did a ton of research. I'm going to talk to him first. I just started to think about picking one up.

Sorry I'm of no help yet. If someone else owns one, or has any recommendation, I'm all ears.

[AlexPKeaton]

I'm not a hand gun expert but my dad says that for home defense:

1. an old school shotgun
2. a revolver

Those types of guns are least likely to jam.

[pittsoccer33]

M4 carbine. small enough to run around the house with, enough firepower to keep them down.

[Idoit40fans]

M4 carbine. small enough to run around the house with, enough firepower to keep them down.

Plus it can be easily fitted with an m203, ideal for home defense.

[Letang Is The Truth]

[pittsoccer33]

M4 carbine. small enough to run around the house with, enough firepower to keep them down.

Plus it can be easily fitted with an m203, ideal for home defense.

"Bandolier, silencer, lounder, speed-cocker, and this is for shooting down police helicopters"



"I don't need anything like that......yet......"

[Shyster]

Pump shotguns are staples of home defense. I would also take a look at the Benelli Nova/Supernova too. It's reliable and inexpensive. Much ink has been spent arguing over which brand of pump gun is the best. They’re all good. Just handle all of them and go with the one that feels the best.

I like a pistol grip shoulder stock on my shotgun. That means stock + pistol grip like an AR-15, not just a pistol grip alone. Shotguns with just a pistol grip look cool, but are uncomfortable to shoot and very hard to control. Most companies make “tactical” models these days that come pre-pimped. For example, I have a Remington 870 Tactical that came with an extended magazine tube and an adjustable Knoxx SpecOps stock.

If you don't want to go with a shotgun (or go only with a shotgun) I'd go with a good all-steel .38 revolver from Smith, Ruger, or Taurus. Revolvers are less picky than autos in terms of maintenance. If you want something that you could leave in a drawer for five years and will still go bang on every pull of the trigger, you need a revolver. I’d load with .38 +P loads rather than .357s.

[bhaw]

There is no going wrong with the BFG 9000

[Bob McKenzie]

If you're really concerned about home defense, get a good handgun and shotgun.

The handgun can be whatever (and it depends if you like target shooting, etc), but I'd look into something like a Glock 23.

For a shotgun, I'd look at a Remington 870 with a nice shoulder stock. I prefer pistol grip.

[Bob McKenzie]

You could always get a minigun like Jesse Ventura had from the Predator movie

[K2]

A spud gun

[Three Stars]

[SolidSnake]

My ripped cannons can someone tell me where the gun show is?!

[Bob McKenzie]

Man, that's pretty tough to beat Megatron.

[drkvpr48]

To me it all depends on what the gun is going to be used for. If you just want it for home defense to have it sit under your bed or whatever until the need arises, get a revolver. You can't go wrong with one, they require very very little cleaning, and go bang every time. If you plan on going target shooting and such with it, depending on whether or not you are going to clean it and maintain it, i'd say either a glock/springfield xd, or a 1911 .45. If you don't plan or don't know how to clean a gun, but still want to shoot it for fun, go with a glock or springfield. They have been field tested through mud, rain, dust, dirt, uncleaned for thousands of rounds, and still go bang when the trigger is pulled. (personally i'd never own one because i believe guns should be steel, not plastic). And finally if you know how to care for a firearm, i.e., cleaning after every use, i'd look into a 1911. You'll spend more money, but imo, you'll get more bang for your buck. The design has been around for years (since 1911), and has had very minimal design changes, i.e., its a fantastic weapon design, that works every time. Plus, imo, they look better than glocks or revolvers.
I'm not big into shotguns, so i can't give much input on them, other than for home defense they work great depending on the circumstance. The only thing you gotta worry about with a shotgun is where the bad guy is, and what the spread pattern of the pellets is going to cover. If the bad guy is standing in front of a childs room or something, a shotgun with a wide pellet spread could cause accidental injuries to family.
One person on here mentioned using an m4. Not to say this is stupid or wrong, because i know many people who use one for home defense, its not something i recommend. The 5.56 round's ballistics are such that if you miss the bad guy, the bullet could go through your walls, across the street, through the nieghbors walls, and do some serious damage. Also, the 5.56 is a round that was designed by the U.S. to wound people, not kill. Of course if placed properly, it will kill, but it was desinged to travel at speeds fast enough to go through the body, where other rounds were made to hit the body and fragment, doing more damage.
All this being said (probably more than you wanted to know), brands i'd recommend looking at for pistols with decent prices would be glock, springfield xd and cz. Caliber wise i'd look at 9mm or .45. unless your looking at a revolver, then i'd say .38.
Sorry if this was to much info, just tryin to help out.

[Psychlone]

Thanks everyone, a lot of good info here. Is there a consensus as to the best place to buy guns locally?

[Bob McKenzie]

Thanks everyone, a lot of good info here. Is there a consensus as to the best place to buy guns locally?

Where's local to you?

You could also check gunbroker.com and have one shipped to an FFL dealer. I saved a few hundred $$$ on one of my handguns by doing this.

[HomerPenguin]

I've never needed more than one of these:

[Psychlone]

I live in Emsworth by the way.

[Bob McKenzie]

I live in Emsworth by the way.

They might not be close, but Braverman's and Anthony Arms are two really good places to go in Pittsburgh. They've been around a long time and will give you quality personal service. I'd recommend going to those guys. They know their stuff and won't give you any issues.

Just beware, you might need to be armed to go to Braverman's

[25+66+22=#1]

Nothing scares the bejesus out of d-bags like the sound of a shotgun racking. Most likely they will start running after that sound. no shots fired, get a description, call 911. The 870 is the tried and true model, but the Mossberg is a decent weapon as well for good price. they will both do the job. If you go handgun, i would go Glock. i do not own one, (i have Beretta's and Sigs). The Glock is a good weapon. Easy to fire, easy to get used to. It has a consistent trigger pull as the actions do not switch.