Popular urban myth. Sounds great and makes sense but there is a caveat: If a burglar knowingly entered an occupied home it means he is prepared to deal with you should you try and crash his party. Also, lots of gang bangers have been volunteering for the military then volunteering for combat as a sort of on the job training. Buddies of mine in the theater say Baghdad has more gang graffiti than South Central L.A. Point is, racking a shottie just might give away your position and cause the perp to open up. If you've got family in rooms near the line of fire, that's bad.
Then there is this: The reliability and safety factors dictate (IMHO) that if you’re sure you want a handgun, then by all means you should get a revolver — probaly a .38 special or a .357.
I also disagree with this. I mean it's not necessarily bad advice, but it's another urban myth. Cops get taken off the street into the academy and many have never held a handgun in their lives. They are taught to handle a semi auto to dept and state standards. A good instructor can teach anybody to handle any firearm regardless of the type of action. Including immediate action drills until they're as natural as breathing.
Although the basic diameter of the 38 is the same as the 9mm, I think you'll find a lot more recoil is present in the revolver. That recoil is going to compound the troubles with fast accurate followup shots. Also there is the difficulty to be had in reloading under pressure with a revolver. Finally there is that higher capacity. True it should never be needed since the good guy is going to remove the threat with the first controlled pair into the target, but I have to say that when I carry my Sig P226 in 9mm with the ultra hi-cap mags by Mec-Gar it's a nice warm and comforting feeling to know I've got 18+1 rds ready to launch and another 18 rds in the back up mag. Very comforting. Especially on those family vacations to rural North Carolina, where uniformed help is sometimes a very long way away.
That’s why I keep a shell in the chamber. I just slide the saftey and I’m ready to go. Totally silent.
In the unlikely event I want to scare the intruder, I’ll rack it and be ready with the next shell. I just can’t imagine ANY scenerio where I would want to do that though. If someone is in my house uninvited at night we’re way past any niceties such as warnings.
Popular urban myth. Sounds great and makes sense but there is a caveat: If a burglar knowingly entered an occupied home it means he is prepared to deal with you should you try and crash his party Maybe your burglars are really that smart. I don't mean to argue the point. But honestly, I don't think the burglars in my hometown are all that clever.
I agree with ExSoldier. Frankly, I find it ironic that the first and last sentences are in the same posting.
The standard Glock is about as simple a semi as one can get: insert mag, work slide, aim, pull trigger. Lack of a standard safety drills home that THE TRIGGER IS THE SAFETY, not some other mechanical doodad; there is no “off switch”. It also has higher capacity, lighter trigger pull, lower recoil, faster reloads and faster followup than a revolver. The only downside is the recoil spring is too strong for some people to easily work the slide. As most people won’t go much beyond whatever they start with, I’d rather start ‘em with something that they can use for life.
As for the “racking sound scares ‘em” comment: while perhaps true, use of the comment indicates lack of experience as the focus is on the sound and not the function. Someone having gone so far as to break into an occupied home will presumably be equipped (mentally & physically) to deal with a homeowner who is more focused on scaring than stopping an intruder.