In this post, Becky Yackley breaks down the considerations when choosing a firearm for home defense. Whether you choose a shotgun, AR or pistol, Becky delivers thinking points around each option, including details like the appropriate ammunition for home defense. ~ The Editors
While most Americans have options in which firearms they choose for home defense, some options are more fitting than others. The options fall into broad categories such as a long guns, which refers to shotguns or rifles, and pistols or handguns. Each category has pros and cons that should be considered.
Shotguns are smoothbore firearms, meaning there is no rifling in the barrel (unless it is a slug gun, which is rifled to only shoot slugs). Shotguns come in a range of action types, barrel lengths and are built for different purposes. People use them for everything from trap and skeet sport shooting to upland game hunting, to breachers in the military using them to breach doors. The ammunition for a shotgun goes hand-in-hand with the purpose of the shotgun: birdshot for bird hunting, buckshot or slugs for larger game, specific size and number of pellets in shot for sport shooting, etc.
For home defense, a compact shotgun with a shorter barrel would be the ideal type of shotgun. Maneuvering any long gun in confined spaces, such as the hallway of your house, is more difficult with something long, and potentially heavy, and easier with something compact and more manageable.
One advantage to using a shotgun for home defense is that for someone who does not shoot often, a round of 8-pellet, 00 (double-aught) buckshot would give the user eight, 9mm size projectiles going toward the intended target. However, if someone had to shoot with precision, a shotgun can be a disadvantage simply because of the multiple projectiles in birdshot and buckshot.
While loading a shotgun with buckshot or slugs does give stopping power, it also means that the buckshot or slugs could penetrate through walls – not necessarily the best thing if you live in, say, an apartment building or condo with other people just through the walls.
Shotguns also hold very few rounds, as opposed to a standard capacity magazine in a rifle or pistol. Loading shotguns can take time – there is a learning curve for someone brand new to using them. It is more involved than changing the magazine on a rifle or pistol, so this is another aspect to take into account when considering a shotgun for home defense.
AR style rifles usually come with full-length barrels, usually about 16 or 18 inches. Depending on your local laws, you could get a short-barreled rifle or an AR pistol for home defense.
An AR pistol is a great home-defense gun. Here are two considerations for AR use in home defense:
Some of the pros to using an AR rifle/pistol are related to the fact that you can use two hands to hold a gun, which means it’s going to be easier to control, leading to better accuracy. For someone who is not used to shooting or might be in a high stress situation, having two hands on the firearm is a positive.
Using an AR style rifle or pistol for home defense also means that you have a handguard or forearm. Modern AR handguards contain attachment points, often an M-lok rail, on which you can mount things like flashlights or lasers. For the inexperienced firearm user, a laser pointed at your target is going to be much faster than finding the proper site picture with iron sights, especially if you had to use it in the dark. They are often sold as a flashlight/laser combo and can generally be configured so that you would toggle the laser or flashlight with your support hand.
Pistols are one of the most popular choices for a home defense firearm for several reasons. Their size and maneuverability, the ease of storing them somewhere near your bed, like in a lockbox, make them appealing, especially for someone with children or who lives in a place where they need to keep their firearms locked when not in use.
Depending on the style of pistol and the laws where you live, you will have ample rounds available in the magazine. Most standard capacity magazines give you 15 to 20 rounds, depending on the make and model.
Many pistol models can be fitted with aftermarket laser, red-dot sights or flashlights, which is another means of giving a homeowner tools that would make the process of investigating and dealing with something in the dark easier.
Sadly, there are tragic stories of somebody using a firearm in error. Having a flashlight mounted to a home defense gun is not just helpful; it could potentially save someone from making a terrible mistake. Or, take training to learn to employ a handheld flashlight along with your firearm.
Many of these considerations we’ve discussed highlight the importance of knowing the rules of firearm safety, especially knowing your target and beyond. For those who live in an urban area, where they might not know if their neighbor’s couch or bed is on the opposite side of their wall, choosing a home defense firearm and ammunition that minimize risk of rounds going through walls into another person‘s home is a very important consideration.
In the end, ammunition might be one of the most important things you consider for your home defense firearm, no matter what type of gun it is. Rounds designed for personal defense, designed to expand and deliver the energy into the target, are going to be more desirable than something like a full metal jacket projectile that could penetrate beyond your target.
Ultimately, choosing a firearm for home defense really depends on your personal situation, your skill set and your commitment to train with the firearm you intend to purchase. The best choice is going to be a firearm that you can safely access in an emergency, that you can manipulate and use in low light settings, that has ammunition and an aiming device specifically designed for the task of home defense.
CCW Safe also offers more resource on the website’s blog.
Becky Yackley primarily competes in 3 Gun, USPSA, Bianchi pistol, but has competed in shooting since 1989 in disciplines from service-rifle, to NCAA Air Rifle and Smallbore, air pistol and a little bit of long range rifle. She shoots guns and cameras at competitions around the country, and writes in her fictional spare time. View all posts by Becky Yackley
