With the new wave of criminal activity due to the economy working its way to a neighborhood near me, I am looking into buying a handgun for home defense (lots of tight walls at home—I just don’t see myself wielding a pump-action around the bend of a wall to ward off uninvited “guests”). I’ve looked at the Springfield web-site (at the XDm .40 cal.) I liked some of the selling points about safety, ergonomics, etc., but it seems a bit pricey. I’m looking for something that I’ll feel comfortable with and that will do the job. Can you offer any personal insights?
How much do you want to spend? Have you ever owned a handgun before?
I live in a condominium and I have a Smith & Wesson Model 27 Classic .357 Magnum with a 4” barrel as one of my primary home defense guns. It is a cannon but is also heavy enough to manage recoil and the longer barrel gives it better accuracy. The .357 is very versatile because you can shoot a great variety of ammunition from .38 Special, .38 Special (+P) and high-powered .357 Magnum cartridges. I have my gun set up to shoot Hornady Critical Defense FTX 110 grain .38 Special (+P) and Federal Defense 158 grain .357 Magnum Hydra-Shok jacketed hollow points which should be more than enough to deal with an intruder(s) The .38 Special is what I put in first because you have to be careful about wall penetration and hurting your neighbors.