“Rethink your decision regarding revolvers. NO handgun is safer or more dependable. Double action is the way to go. Many calibers to choose from. .38 Special should be the minimum for human targets. Hope this helps, and that you never need the gun, but are always prepared if you do-!”
This man speaks the truth. If you’re not going to extensively practice with the gun (clearing malfunctions etc) a revolver is the way to go. Simple to use under stress and if it doesn’t go bang all you have to do is pull the trigger again.
A couple of other comments...
1) Don’t get hung up on lasers. The primary benefit of a laser is to increase the profit margin of the manufacturer. I’m a big believer that it’s faster to bring the gun up and to acquire a proper sight picture than it is to search your background for a red dot while also tracking your attacker who will be moving fast. Keep the gun simple and your shooting technique as repetitive as possible.
2) Shotguns are great HD weapons. If you’re going to use one use 00 buck - not bird shot. Also, don’t buy into the “the sound of racking the pump will scare them away” comment. That’s bad tactical advice. If someone’s in your home you should assume that person means you harm and the last thing you want to do is give away your exact position.
3) If you do go with an auto pistol, the HiPower is an excellent gun from an ergonomic standpoint. My advice would be to send it to Cylinder and Slide for an action job to smooth out the trigger and a reliability job to minimize malfunctions. My advice would be the same for any 1911 - action job and reliability package. However, for autos I would recommend a Glock in 9mm (G17/34 for home or 19/26 if you want to carry concealed). They are cheap, simple to use, reliable, have a very low bore axis which minimizes muzzle flip, and have the same trigger pull -no DA/SA. I recommend 9mm because that’s what the platform was designed for and seems to function the best with.
Finally, caliber is not as important as shot placement. The minimum I would recommend is 9mm or 38SPC. Going up the ladder only increases one shot stop percentages by a point or two. So, you’re trading recoil management and faster follow-ups for ~94% (40SW) one shot stops versus ~90-92% (9mm). Shot placement is king.
Hope this helps.
The 12 ga for my money is the gun for home protection, it's just a bit large for conceal carry.
Get a Glock 22 .40 caliber and then buy a 9mm and/or .357 barrel for it. You can use the .40 for home protection and the 9mm for plinking around with cheap ammo. Takes about 5 minutes to switch, assuming you will linger over barrel with a cleaning rag.
Go fire a Kimber
10mm is something of a curiosity. You have to consider ammo availability.
My personal preference is the Colt, but Kimber is very nice. My carry gun is either the Sig P245 or a Colt Combat Commander. I have never liked Glocks - fit and finish don't compare to the Sig or Colt, and trigger guards should only have triggers in them.
Very fond of my Springfield XD40. Good service too. I live
within minutes of both them and Rock River Arms and have
done my best to support the local economy!
Your 9MM is fine, but use frangible ammo for home defense so that you don’t have to worry as much about misses traveling, god forbid, into other rooms or the neighbors. Remember, in home defense your target will be within feet of you. Same idea goes for shotgun; use #4 Buck, devistating in close but won’t carry much energy past the first wall any flyers hit.
I also would stay away from lasers, you could hit a shiny object and “daze” yourself at the worst possible time, not to mention that you also provide the buy guy(s) with a perfect point to aim at.
another Kimber bump...
You may also want to look at the CZ menu...extremely well built weapons in a number of variations, in 9mm, .40 and .45, all at very competitive prices...
There will come a time when you realize that both your pistol and your shotgun are only designed to fight your way to your rifle. When you reach this point you will be ready to join the fellowship of the AR.
THe best advice you an usually get around here is:
Go to a range that rents.
Try them out.
Pick the one you like the best.
I’ll add: 45 is great, and 40 is great too, and gives you a few more shots per magazine.
Give consideration to the models that are DA/SA, so that the first shot is a heavy pull, and rest are fast. It is essentially a safety-less auto (but it has a safety if you want.)
Don’t agonize over cost. Good guns cost money. Consider the top brands like Sig, HK, etc. Buy the one your heart thinks is coolest, because you’ll feel better practicing with it.
As others have said, a shotgun is the best in terms of firepower.
As for handguns, the 125gr JHP .357 magnum is the #1 round for one shot one kill. Get one with a 6+ inch barrel and it becomes very controllable.
As for a semi-auto, a .45, .40 and 9mm, 10mm are all just about as effective. People will argue statistics but in actual shootings the difference is very small.
Keep in mind, it’s about the indian not the arrow. One shot center mass is better than 10 misses or grazes.
cartridge: .357 Sig Delivery system: many options. Find one that works best for you. I prefer the Sig P226
There is no ‘stepping up’ from a Browning Hi Power.
Don’t buy a Glock without thoroughly testing it first.
Nothing wrong with Glocks; they’re great guns.
The problem is that they don’t feel right in everybody’s hands. Mine for instance. Could never get used to their feel, sold my .40 cal. Seems like my hands prefer 1911’s.
I really dislike the 1911; I really like the Hi-Power, whether in 9x19 or .40.