what is the first one you reach for ?

[Big Dog]

Well, after the buckshot enters a warm body at 15 feet - it won't have much steam left to go zinging around the 'hood . . .

My .45 is packing the Glazer Bluetips - they fragment like little shotshellls - very little over-penetration. I do think of the neighbors.

If the goblin gets past that - I'm down to the Kabar. But that could get awful messy. :insane:

[junkie]

glock 21 cause it is by my bed

[Mandy]

:assult: :assult: :assult: :assult: :assult:
Masonry walls here everywhere, just a couple of glass windows, that may break with the intruders body flying out if the mossy roars.

I doubt I'll use the mossy, the G23 should be enough, but if push comes to shove, then ..........

:uzi: :uzi: :uzi: :uzi: :uzi:

[Dogma]

My Springfield XD40 w/ m-6 tactical Illuminator, that sits in my night stand next my hand!!!!!

[Troy]

the money's changed hands and as soon as the paperwork goes through it'll be my CZ75 protecting my home from the bump monster.

[Thrawn]

"E&E", head for the wood line, set out claymores, and call in a air strike.

[grndesert]

H&k .45!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[gunssb]

my 1911 is at the doc right now so I'll be reaching for the mossy 500 (just put a pistol grip and a red dot on it - LOVE it )

[Troy]

Originally Posted by Thrawn

"E&E", head for the wood line, set out claymores, and call in a air strike.

Holey crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[USAF Jimmy]

Smith Model 19 stuffed with Mag-Safes or Federal .38 Hydra-Shok's. Not very neighborly to hit them (the neighbors) with friendly-fire. Keep em in the thoracic cavity and let nature take it's course!

USAF 1981-2002
Retired MSgt
Wurtsmith AFB MI
Sheppard AFB TX
Andrews AFB MD

[Tallyman]

In the dark I'll grab for my sawed off. . . . my eyes aren't as good as they used to be!

USAF 1957 - 1977
Retired MSgt
Air Defense Command
Everywhere

[Shaun]

Moss 500P with 12pellet 00 and Slugs rotated through the mag and then a 45

Sig 229 .40 :target: it's the only one that isn't locked up in the safe

[Thrawn]

Originally Posted by Troy

Holey crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You don't wanna know plan B, trust me. :insane:

Many people have written to me, asking what I would consider the ideal home-defense handgun.

Now, let me be clear about this—by “home defense”, I don’t mean that your house is under siege by Al-Qa’eda fanatics or even the local neighborhood homeowners’ committee (California residents will know exactly what I mean).

No, what I mean is that you’re fast asleep, when suddenly you wake up and realize there’s mischief afoot, inside your house.

Let me be perfectly clear about what I’m going to say next.

If you have practiced and practiced and practiced with your trusty 1911 or Beretta 92, and the operation thereof is as automatic as breathing, by all means keep a semi-auto in your bedside drawer.

But unless you’re a total loony, if there’s a round in the chamber, you should have the safety engaged. Or, if there’s no round in the chamber, it means you have to chamber one first—noise, and fumbling may ensue. Not to mention if you’re groping for your glasses, like I have to.

Or you can just do it the easy way, and use a revolver. Nothing to think about, nothing to operate except the trigger (like that wonderful line: Smith & Wesson—the original “point and click” interface).

Ultimately, of course, you’re going to do what you want to do, with the gun that feels the most “comfortable” to you—ie., the gun that you feel is most likely to get the job done.

And that’s fine. Just be aware of the potential drawbacks and advantages of all the options.

After all the hundreds of hours and thousands of rounds I’ve spent with my beloved 1911 pistols, my bedside gun is a revolver.

It’s a Charter Arms Bulldog in .44 Special (the first two rounds are Glaser Blue Safety slugs, the last three are Winchester Silvertips, and there are two speedloaders right next to the gun, just in case).

image

(I’ve compared a .44 Silvertip to a .40 S&W, just because I happened to have a spare one lying around.)

It’s a beast to handle, kicks like hell—but the two lightweight Glasers give me two X-rings every time I shoot the gun, and statistically, at that point, the gunfight is over one way or the other. The three Silvertips are “insurance” (while I reach under the bed for the shotgun), and the two speedloaders I would call “paranoia”. I hardly ever practice with this gun—maybe a box or two a year—but I know it’s going to work when I want it to, and that’s what counts.

Because of that, I’m very comfortable with this gun in the bedside drawer—I’ve seen what the Glaser and Silvertip bullets do to a human body, and trust me, if either one hits where you’re aiming, the game is over.

The .44 Special is not everyone’s cup of tea (don’t even talk about the .44 Mag), and speaking generally, I think the optimal bedside revolver is something in .38 Special (or better yet in .38 Spec +P). This is especially true if your Missus has to use the gun—like if you’re away on business. (If the Missus is herself armed, like my Mrs. is, then the issue is moot. Actually, come to think of it, any goblin breaking into our house may get away while The Mrs. and I are arguing over whose turn it is to do the shooting.)

So which gun would fit the bill?

If you’d rather buy an American gun (which would be a fine, patriotic thing to do), there’s always the excellent Ruger SP101, in .357 Mag/.38 Spec (use .38 Spec +P rather than the hot magnum loads with so short-barreled a gun: the goblin would not notice the difference, but you will). The SP101 also sells for under $400.

image

Finally, there are many excellent S&W snubby revolvers out there, and any of them would be a good bedside gun.

Ultimately, as I’ve said before, it all depends what you’re comfortable with—and if you’d rather park your Glock 17 next to the bed, be my guest. Just be sure that when you’re half-awake and fumbling for the thing, you don’t hit the magazine release by mistake (it’s been known to happen, more than once)—and that can happen with any semi-auto pistol.

A revolver is like a fork: you pick it up, and it works.

Some other thoughts:

I talked a little about ammo earlier, and I need to offer some advice to people who own guns in GFW states like Massachusetts, California or New York.

If you whack a goblin in your home in a Righteous Shooting, there’s always a chance that some asshat prosecutor (or lawyer for the dead goblin) will go after you because you used “killer” ammo.

Yes, I know, all ammo is supposed to kill, but there’s no arguing about this when you’ve just used a full cylinder of Black Talons you picked up at that gun show in Alabama. If that happens, you’ll be painted as a “bloodthirsty vigilante killer” quicker than Tom Sawyer’s fence.

Here’s a tip: Use the same type of bullets as your local police force does. If you use “police” cartridges, then no one can paint you as a vicious killer.

Ask one of your neighborhood cops what kind of bullet (not just caliber) his department uses. Mostly, they’re going to use CCI/Speer Gold Dots, Winchester SXTs or Silvertips, Remington Golden Saber or Federal Hydra-Shoks. The caliber may vary, but the bullet type is probably going to be one of those brands. Generally, the same bullet type will be available in your caliber.

(Ditto shotgun shells, by the way—you may think it’s a really cool idea to BBQ the goblin with one of those “Dragon’s Breath” rounds, or turn him into a pincushion with a “flechette” shell, but, regrettably, it’s not a good choice. Use “game” loads: you’ll be a “sportsman”, not Rambo, and he’ll be just as dead.)

And one last caveat for everone: Make sure that whatever you’ve got in your bedside drawer, your kids can’t get hold of it.

How you arrange that is up to you.

My kids, even when small, knew better than to go into my bedside drawer—but I used to lock the Bulldog away during the day anyway, and take it out again at night. Did I ever forget to do that? Not once. After a while, it becomes a ritual, like cleaning your teeth in the morning and at night.

Trigger locks are okay, I guess, if you don’t want to mess with locking the gun away—just remember to lock it every morning, and unlock it every night. That I have forgotten to do (unlock it, I mean)—and it’s no fun to be fumbling with a trigger lock when all hell is breaking loose in your house, which is why I prefer to lock it away during the daytime.

I can’t stress this enough. A gun is a lethal object in a kid’s hands. A dozen or so kids, and their parents, find that out every year, and I just want to smash my head against the wall every time I hear about another incidence of that, because it’s so unnecessary.

And when the kids get older, teach them about guns and about gun safety. The incidence of accidental shooting deaths among kids who have been trained in gun safety is almost zero. Follow the stats, folks.

But most importantly of all, if your kid have friends over to play, lock the !!!! gun away. You may be able to trust your kid, but a group of kids has the collective responsibility of a treeful of drunken chimpanzees, and that includes yours.

Don’t give yourself a broken heart by your carelessness—and don’t give the gun-fearing wussies more ammo to use against other gun owners, either.

Here endeth the lesson.

from http://www.kimdutoit.com/ee/index.ph.../bedside_guns/

[Troy]

Originally Posted by Thrawn

You don't wanna know plan B, trust me. :insane:

I'll take your word for it.

[Troy]

LD, good read and really good advice. The tip about using the same ammo as the local PD was good, cant say i thought of it myself. Thank you for sharing that.

[SPOCAHP ANAR]

No gun needed: Childrens toys will incapacitate him quicker than I can. Ever step on a lego in the middle of the night - barefoot.

We have a 2 story apt now so if anyone breaks in atleast I dont have to worry about hitting anyone unintentionally. All the units sleep on the 2nd level so if I do confront them on the stairs then its fire and fire away and I don't have to worry about that whole retreat thing as you can't leave a 2nd story very easily. :full:

Originally Posted by Troy

LD, good read and really good advice. Thank you for sharing that.

Kim wrote it, I just shared it..I'm glad you liked it and you're welcome :right:

[rebel727]

We live in the boonies. Closest neighbor is half a mile away. Winchester model 12, 00 buck.