What’s the best weapon for home defense

What’s the best weapon for home defense?

It’s 3am… you and your family are fast asleep in your home… then a noise startles you awake; someone is breaking into your house. What firearm would be the best for you to have in that situation? A 9mm handgun? How about an AR-15? Would a shotgun be better?

There are several factors which could affect this decision… these include:

• Ease of use (with minimum training)
• Stopping power
• Over penetration concerns
• Weapon Size (for ease of handling in the somewhat confined spaces of a house)

Let’s take a quick look at each of these factors, for each weapon type.

Ease of Use (with minimum training)

For any weapon, flipping off the safety and pulling the trigger are fairly easy tasks… but ease of use (in this context) really means “how well can a minimally trained or untrained person handle and use the weapon in a stressful situation”? With a handgun, for a trained, experienced shooter, this may be simple. However, what if you haven’t trained that much? What if this scenario happens when you are out of town and your wife has to use that handgun? For that reason, a long gun can actually be an advantage. It allows the user to fire with the weapon at their side, with the stock tucked under the arm for more stability, which can help significantly in both aiming and controlling recoil, compared to a handgun. So, from that perspective, a long gun (be it shotgun or rifle) has an advantage, if the user is not experienced and trained in using a handgun. A long gun can also be used as a striking weapon more effectively than a handgun, if the situation ends up that way. From the standpoint of easy to use and control for an inexperienced shooter, then a long gun (especially a shotgun) is probably the best choice, though a well-trained shooter can also work well with a handgun.

Stopping Power

Though it can depend on the type of ammunition used, many people would agree that at the close ranges found in a house, both shotguns and rifles may have more stopping power than a handgun.  This may be the case if the handgun is loaded with target type ammunition (FMJ, or full metal jacket, sometimes called ‘ball’), but if proper defense ammo is used in a reasonable caliber handgun (9mm. 0.40, or 0.45) then the stopping power of those handguns is actually quite good. With a shotgun, 00 (called double ‘aught’) buckshot is a commonly used defense round, firing 9 pellets of 0.33 caliber. Collectively, those pellets impart a lot of stopping power. Another great shotgun ammo choice is #4 buckshot, which fires 24 pellets of 0.24 cal; this is excellent in the short ranges found in home defense. An AR-15 platform will fire either 0.223 cal or 5.56mm (both will chamber, but there are subtle differences, which we will discuss in a different newsletter). This high velocity round is certainly lethal, at both short range and much farther. So what does that all mean? All three weapon types, with proper defense ammunition, will accomplish the task of stopping an intruder.

Over Penetration

This factor is crucial and is often overlooked. Once you fire your weapon, you are responsible for that round, until it stops. One cautionary saying tells us “There is a lawyer attached to every bullet”! The issue is not just a matter of hitting your target, but also what is beyond your target. If a round over penetrates, it can pass through the target and through whatever else is beyond that. This can be a factor for any weapon or ammunition, but some are clearly more likely to over penetrate than others.  With a muzzle velocity of 2500-2700 ft/sec, the full metal jacket (FMJ) round from an AR-15 will almost certainly pass through your target….and through drywall, wooden studs, and other common building materials, potentially even including masonry. This means that if you fire your AR in a house, that round will almost certainly pass through one or more walls….as well as anyone else in its path.

This issue can also be relevant with handguns, especially if FMJ ammo is used, However, the lower muzzle velocity of handgun ammo (from about 850 ft/sec for 0.45, up to around 1400 ft/sec for some 9mm) means that while there will be some over penetration, it will probably be less than that from the AR round. This is one of the reasons for using defensive ammunition in the handgun; since the bullet expands upon impact (with either the target or a wall), it will dump its energy much faster. Even if it does pass through the target, it will have much less energy on the other side and will be subject to less over penetration. The same thing applies to shotguns, with #4 buckshot (with smaller size pellets) having less over penetration than 00 buckshot’s larger pellets. However, even the larger 00 buckshot will give much less over penetration than a rifle round.

From the standpoint of over penetration, it’s clear that a rifle round is probably the least desirable weapon for home defense, as it will be much more likely to over penetrate (and possibly strike a bystander) than the others. The shotgun (with #4 buckshot) probably provides the least over penetration.

Weapon Size (for handling considerations within a house)

From the standpoint of easy maneuvering in the confines of a house, there is a clear winner: the handgun. Both shotguns and rifles are simply larger weapons with longer barrels, while a handgun is small enough to carry with a single hand (though using both hands is strongly recommended!). Handguns can also be more easily stored and concealed within a house. However, as we have discussed, this is only one factor.

Summary: What’s the best choice?

The choice of best weapon for home defense is…complicated. All of the factors listed above should be considered, as well as some others not mentioned above. These include magazine size, cost of the weapon, and the user’s availability to practice with that weapon. While some tout the magazine size of a rifle (up to 30 rounds), the reality is that most personal defense engagements end up with a max of 3 to 5 rounds being fired, often less. Therefore, even the smaller magazine size of a shotgun (usually, 5 or 6 rounds) is not likely to be as big of a factor as it might seem. Cost may play a role in this as well for some folks, and certainly, the availability of a range so that you can practice should be considered (if you can’t practice much, that can affect the optimal choice). Personal “comfort with the weapon is also important: if the user isn’t comfortable wielding that weapon, they are not likely to be effective with it.

With all that in mind, our suggestion is this: shotguns, loaded with #4 buckshot, are a near ideal home defense weapon; they hit hard at the distance within a house, they are less likely to over penetrate, and sound of a pump-action shotgun being cycled is well known and terrifying. The shotgun can also be used as a striking weapon, and by tucking the stock under the arm, management of the weapon can be easier for a smaller stature person.

Having said all of that, if the person is well trained and practiced, then a handgun of reasonable caliber (generally, 9mm. 0.40, or 0.45) using good quality personal defense ammunition will be quite effective and will also minimize over penetration. While a rifle certainly can provide protection against an intruder, the likelihood of over penetration (and therefore the potential of hurting someone unexpectedly) makes it a less-than-ideal choice for home defense.

So, the best choice really comes down to training, and to a certain degree, personal preference. No matter what, though, you need to be prepared! Stop in to Select Fire, talk to our trained, professional staff (who can help you make good choices on weapons and ammunition), and practice at our range.  If you or your family ever find yourself in a situation where you need it, you’ll be glad you’re ready.

 

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