Thoughts on the Home Defense Weapon
Home defense often plays a large role in the minds of firearms enthusiasts. In many cases the weapon of choice is whatever is handy or already in the gun rack. For those who prefer a dedicated weapon for this purpose, quite a bit of serious thought needs to go into the selection process.
Before proceeding with the weapons themselves, it is necessary to examine the mind-set of the person involved with this decision. Though the instinct to protect a person's family, loved ones and property is ingrained and admirable, personal protection or home defense is not a game. It is a deadly serious activity that requires ongoing dedication to practice and technique as well as severe soul-searching. Anyone who yearns for a chance to exhibit his or her skills on an intruder is a dangerously disturbed individual that should likely be denied a firearm and perhaps even removed from the company of sane society. Being involved in a situation where you are required to make that decision whether to shoot or not takes something from you that you can never get back; you will forever be set apart from the rest of society. If that decision results in the wounding or especially death of another human being, the remainder of your life will be spent wondering "What if…?", even if the action is proved completely justified.
No matter the circumstances, the shooting of an intruder or other assailant will result in certain members of the general public and press demonizing you as a heartless, dangerous individual. Many of your formerly friendly neighbors, and perhaps even some family members, will suddenly view you as a questionable and distasteful addition to the community. You will be the focus of intense scrutiny, your every word on the subject will be parsed, and every action will be analyzed and graded. Your life becomes an open book for conjecture and spurious claims.
Please understand; the above is not intended as a condemnation of anyone who utilizes a firearm in self-defense or home protection. It is meant only to bring home the gravity and responsibilities of such an action. As stated before: This is not a game. Now we can move on:
Weapons of Choice
Anyone who knows me is sure to be startled to find that my first recommendation in home defense weapons for the average homeowner is not a handgun, but rather a shotgun. Hardly the best choice if that weapon is also to be carried outside the home, but there is nothing more intimidating or devastating than a shotgun at close quarters, and they take far less dedicated training and practice to shoot well than a handgun. Any shotgun style is acceptable, but if choosing a repeater specifically for defense, the pump stands head and shoulders above the rest. By the nature of its design, the semi-auto shotgun is prone to malfunction if enough resistance isn't exerted against the butt at the time of firing. This situation can easily be caused by awkward or unconventional firing positions that may need to be taken in the course of remaining under cover. The lack of substantial resistance can, and will, cause the auto to "short-cycle” leaving the weapon jammed at the most critical times. Pumps can also be "short-stroked" causing the same type of problem, but this can be minimized or eliminated by practice (more on this later). The intimidation factor with a pump is not to be overlooked. It takes an uncommonly determined intruder to continue the advance after hearing the distinctively unmistakable “KA-CHUNK…CHUNK!” of a pump shotgun being cycled.
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Semi-automatic pistols are a popular choice for many, but some shooters are intimidated by the thought of that slide "slamming" back at them under recoil. These firearms can occasionally be picky as to ammo and can also suffer the same "short" cycling (for much the same reason) as the semi-auto shotgun. Absolute cleanliness, complete break-in and top-notch ammo are all essential for proper performance. On the positive side, autos are much faster to reload and usually have higher capacities than revolvers. Autos can be had in single-action (hammer must be cocked for the initial shot, then is cocked by the cycling of the slide for each subsequent shot), double-action (hammer is cocked by the trigger pull for first shot and by the slide for each subsequent shot...trigger pull changes from first to following shots), “double-action only” (DAO) requiring the trigger to compress and release the hammer (or striker) spring for each shot (with the accompanying heavier trigger pull) and the famous Glock-type system (striker is semi-compressed until each pull of the trigger...trigger pull is reasonably light and unchanged from shot to shot).
Revolvers eliminate most of the so-called reliability problems of the autos, but at a cost. The vast majority of revolvers only hold 6 (and some compacts only 5) rounds and are notoriously slow to reload...even with speed loaders. Trigger pulls (in double-action mode) are usually much heavier than a comparable auto (single-action style) and most weigh considerably more. Revolvers come in three modes.... double-action (fire by pulling trigger only or by manually cocking hammer and pulling trigger), double-action-only (cocks and fires by pulling the trigger only), and single-action (must manually cock hammer for each shot). The choice between double-action and double-action-only is a matter of personal style and taste. The single-action is best reserved for target work or hunting, but will certainly serve in a pinch for defensive situations. As with most things, it would be far better than nothing at all.
Thought should also be given to securing the weapon from family members that shouldn’t have access. Children are naturally curious and can be relied upon to find things they shouldn’t. Past a certain age, mere familiarity can have the effect of keeping them from handling a firearm unless supervised. This all depends on the child. Making sure that the weapon is secure from children but keeping it readily accessible in case of emergency can be quite a feat. One thought is to choose something similar to Ruger’s LC9, a weapon that can be safely left loaded with a round in the chamber, but requires the magazine to be inserted before it can be fired. Keeping firearm and magazines in different, but easily adult-accessible, places will make it harder for a child to get into trouble.
Sights and Accessories
Extremely good, high definition sights are always a necessity. The best are of low profile without sharp edges to catch on clothing. The low profile actually assists in aim since sights sit closer to the plane of the bore and are easier to align quickly. Visibility under low light conditions can be addressed with tritium sight inserts...with one condition: Households with children or multiple residents make target identification critical! Children have the disconcerting habit of appearing by the bedside or in the doorway in the wee hours. Shooting at a shadowy figure, even with tritium sights, could create a tragedy. A better idea for these households would be a "combat" or "tactical" style flashlight. Many of these are meant to be attached directly to the firearm and their blinding intensity can also assist in disorienting an adversary. The intense flood of light provides you with a tactical advantage as well as insures that you are indeed confronting an intruder rather than a 3 year old whose bad dreams just became your worst nightmare.
Laser and "red dot" sights are of limited to no practical use in a defensive situation. They each require batteries, have to be turned on to use, provide no target illumination and are, like anything mechanical or electrical, subject to failure at the worst possible time.
Though often touted as being the miracle cure for recoil, the defense weapon (especially a handgun) should never be ported. Besides being unbearably loud, porting causes a ball of flaming gas to escape directly into the line of sight upon firing. This flame is guaranteed to ruin what little night vision you may have and make any follow-up shots more guess than aim. Another hazard of porting occurs when shooting in the "protected" position (weak hand warding off attacker - strong hand firing weapon while held close in to the body) as the escaping gas shoots upwards directly into your face. If you are wearing glasses, this exiting gas can strip them right off of your face!
Pay close attention to the grips on a handgun. Choose them based on their ability to let you acquire the weapon in the same manner every time. Well thought-out and designed grips can be of assistance in enhancing the "point-ability" of a handgun. If the factory grips are not acceptable, replace them with any of the multitude of after-market grips that meet your criteria. Make the conscious effort to find those that fit you perfectly…not just those that are “pretty”.
Caliber Choice
Sorry, you're not going to catch me out on this one. The only qualification is choosing a caliber that allows you to hit your target...first time and every time! A .22 LR is normally considered a poor choice for a defensive caliber, but a .22-caliber bullet that hits center mass is far more effective than a .44 Magnum that only superficially wounds an assailant or misses entirely. If you can't hit with your choice it is of no value to you. I am acquainted with a lady who consistently carries an old Iver Johnson .22 LR auto for defense. She has proved time and again her ability to place every shot in the magazine into an area the size of a grapefruit at 20 feet. Who is to tell her that her choice is unacceptable? Whatever caliber you choose, pick premium ammunition that functions perfectly in your particular firearm. This can only be determined by firing a sufficient quantity of your chosen ammo to prove that it works flawlessly (many experts recommend at least 500 rounds without failure to prove this). Such ammunition can be costly, but what value do you put on your life and the life of loved ones?
The only cartridge that I categorically reject as having any use in any situation other than as a noisemaker is the .25 ACP. This round is a bad ballistic joke and is nearly guaranteed to get you into trouble. This cartridge generates a mere 73 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle.... in marked contrast to even the .22 LR, which generates a minimum of 140 fpe with any high velocity load. Making the .25 Auto even more useless is the hardball design of the bullet that refuses to expand under any circumstances. Countless recorded incidents relate instances where persons have tried to commit suicide with .25 ACPs and failed...even when placing the muzzle directly against their temples. The old saw goes “If you have a .25, don’t carry it. If you carry it, don’t use it. If you use it, don’t hit anybody because it’s just going to make them mad…and then you are really in trouble!”
On the other side of the coin are the calibers that are just too overwhelmingly powerful for meaningful defense use. Calibers such as the .41 and .44 Magnums (in full-house loadings), .454 Casull, .500 S&W and etc. are much too potent, generate far too much recoil and vastly increase the probability of over-penetration with its attendant risk of innocent injury. Bullets sailing through sheetrock walls into the next room or an adjacent apartment could cause more problems than they were meant to solve. .44 Specials can be fired in .44 Magnum revolvers and make good defensive rounds, but due to the general bulk of these revolvers this isn't an optimal choice.
My personal home-defense handgun is a .45 ACP Commander-sized 1911 that has been tuned for absolutely reliable functioning, equipped with tritium sights and no other "bells and whistles". For concealed occasions, where it is legal for me to do so, I carry a Kahr CW45 (.45 ACP). My wife, until lately, struggled with building her confidence and competency level with my various .45s, but finally switched to her own choice of a Smith and Wesson Model 64 (.38 Special) with which she is deadly. I opt for 200-grain Speer Gold Dot ammo and my wife uses Hornady’s Critical Defense ammunition for protection as a result of their enhanced performance and reliability. What works best for others is only determined by test and practice. Speer's Gold Dot, Hornady’s TAP or Critical Defense series, Corbon, Mag Tech and others make reliable ammunition that may be best in your personal firearm.
In shotguns, anything from 20-gauge on up is a good choice. The diminutive 28-gauge and .410 are better than nothing, but leave a lot to be desired in payload delivered. Ammunition for the shotgun should never be the famous 00 buckshot of legend. The penetration factor of these 9 (in standard 12-gauge loads) .31-caliber pellets easily overcomes the sheetrock walls and hollow-core doors of today's houses to endanger family members or even adjacent apartment dwellers. BB, #2 or even #4 shot penetrates far less and is much easier to explain in court if necessary. (We will discuss "lawyer-proofing" later). Personal preference for me would run to #4 shot with a 1 ¼ to 1 ½ ounce load. At house-protection range, such a load offers devastating performance without over-penetration of walls and doors. Whatever the load used, remember that the actual spread is only a matter of inches at defense distances. Practice to determine the point of impact and the spread distance.
A new option on the market is the new Taurus “Judge” revolver. This 5-shot double action revolver is unique in that it can chamber either .45 Colt (“Long Colt”) or 3” /410 shells. Using 00 buck in .410 shells, patterning seems to be about 1 to 1 1/2 feet at fifteen feet distance. Energy is roughly double that of a single .45 ACP round. Loaded with alternating .410 and .45 Colt rounds, a defender would have a very potent tool at hand! The downfall of this revolver is its size. Heavy and bulky, with a rather miserable trigger, it makes a serious handful and might prove far too unwieldy in many situations.
Practice
Frequent practice with your chosen defense weapon is mandatory. Practice should always take place with a plan in mind and each shot fired as if it was the only shot you will get...someday it may be. A practice session should consist of shooting from various positions and distances without any warm-up ritual…just like in real life. It should seldom take place further from the target than 30 feet. Any intruder much further away than 30 feet is seldom a deadly threat, unless positively identified as being armed with a gun. Shooting an assailant armed only with a knife at that range may well place you on the wrong side of the law in many states. Recent statistics now prove that an assailant can cover 21 feet in the same amount of time it takes the average defendant to react, draw and fire, rendering the time-honored “7-yard” rule obsolete.
A good practice routine consists of shooting from the "combat stance", strong hand only, weak hand only (twice as much as with strong hand to build strength and accuracy), shooting from behind barricades, kneeling and "strong" positions, double and triple-taps and multiple targets. All practice should be performed on life-sized silhouette targets generally at 30 feet or less distance. Part of your practice schedule should also consist of very close (6-7 feet) rapid response practice. Do not use “Bullseye” type targets. Intruders seldom wear a bullseye on their apparel and you need the practice of shooting for center-mass with no other reference points. Constant practice not only keeps your skills honed, but also ensures the absolute reliability of your weapons.
If you have chosen a shotgun for defense, this is also the time to determine your shotgun's spread rate and point of impact. You will soon find that the spread of shot is much less than you may have imagined. Accuracy is still essential even with a shotgun. Cycling of pump shotguns should be practiced from awkward positions to train yourself to always obtain a complete stroke, preventing the possibility of "short" stroking and its resulting jams. Practice creates muscle memory that will help prevent physical malfunctions in the heat of emergencies.
This is also a good time for a serious reality check on what is considered good accuracy for defensive applications. Target shooters are obsessed with putting every bullet into a little black X-ring that is about the size of a nickel. In reality, the defense firearm needs only to be able to reliably place rounds into an area roughly 8 inches wide by 11 inches tall – the vital zone on the average person – at any given distance. That is the size of an ordinary page of copy paper. While tidy little 1” to 2” groups are impressive and satisfying, they bear no relation to what actually happens under the stress of an actual firearm-involved confrontation. Holding for center-of-mass, as you should, any shot that lands within 4” to 5” of that aiming point is a success.
For those who choose a handgun for defense it makes a lot of sense to try to find a .22 LR version that matches the style and feel of your chosen weapon. This makes practice much cheaper (though time should still be spent with your actual defensive weapon) and, in many cases, less wearing on the shooter. Keeping the cost down while making practice more fun makes a person much more proficient and does a remarkable job of training muscle memory.
Another option when range time is not practical is “dry firing”. Today’s centerfire firearms can easily withstand firing with no cartridge being chambered without damage. Placing a small target on your wall and practicing bringing the firearm up and firing on a regular basis will do a remarkable job of developing that all important muscle memory. Just make sure that the firearm in question is completely empty but always treat it as loaded.
"Lawyer Proofing"
In today's litigious climate, the very real threat of lawyers and/or prosecutors critiquing any defensive action to your detriment needs to be considered. The best defense against these legal actions is proper preparations.
Know your laws. Quite a few states have what are referred to as “stand your ground” or “Castle Doctrine” laws that place you under no obligation to flee an assailant and, at least in theory, relieve you of the legal burden of having used lethal force to protect yourself. Many other states have an “obligation to flee” law that requires the homeowner faced with an intruder or attacker, armed or otherwise, to make every attempt to flee before taking lethal action. Without getting into the utter insanity inherent in such laws, it is vital to your well-being, and even freedom, to make sure you know the law. Taking into consideration that the danger zone when dealing with an assailant armed with a firearm is greater than when confronting one carrying a knife or club, there can be no clear cut definition of the legal distance where lethal force is acceptable.
Keep your firearm as close to "factory original" as possible. Do not try for super-light triggers or radical home gunsmithing. This only gives the lawyers the opportunity to portray you as a lunatic looking for an excuse to shoot someone. After-market sights and grips are acceptable and can reasonably be explained as the act of a conscientious gun owner wanting full control over the weapon.
Use only factory ammunition. A well-known firearms editor claims this is a non-issue and that ballistics can’t prove the use of handloaded ammo. What if the prosecutor or even arresting officer asks. Are you going to lie and then be proved wrong? Say goodbye to your freedom. Handloads are certain to be described in court as some magical concoction of death and destruction assembled in the dark of the moon complete with satanic rites and mystic spells in order to create a vicious force of destruction only rivaled by the atomic bomb. Remember; facts need not apply when dealing with lawyers. When using a shotgun for defense, standard field loads should be used rather than specialty "defense" loads. Even standard field loads are devastating in their performance at defensive ranges, are less likely to cause collateral damage and can easily be demonstrated to be more commonly used by the homeowner for hunting than for defense.
Never have your finger on the trigger until you are ready to fire. I know this is only proper firearm handling basics but can be forgotten in the stress of the situation. Suddenly confronting an intruder with your finger on the trigger may result in an involuntary reaction that can prove disastrous if you find that shadowy figure is actually a family member. D/A only semi-autos and revolvers can help lessen the chance of this scenario since the additional effort required to pull the trigger can help prevent accidental firing while also adding to the "lawyer proofing" of the weapon itself. This is also the reason that many police departments have transitioned to D/A only revolvers and semi-autos for their personnel.
Choose a weapon that is “idiot proof”. I’m not casting aspersions on the reader’s skill level or intelligence. I mean keep it as simple as possible. Stress factors are bad enough without having to remember a dozen moves and manipulations to make the weapon work. Keep it simple.
Safety in the Home
It should go without saying that households with children should keep the defensive weapon and ammunition out of reach. Trigger locks slow the process of getting the weapon into action and defeat the intended purpose. Firearms kept in coded gun safes are a good choice but again are slow to acquire. The often-recommended (by fools) practice of keeping the gun and its ammunition in separate places takes the idea of a readily available defensive weapon out of the picture entirely. A great deal of thought needs to go into a storage place that offers instant accessibility to you but denies it to children.
An "intruder drill" should be instituted and practiced with all members of the family. It is essential that all family members understand exactly what their roles are to be in the event of a home invasion. A predetermined code signal should be agreed upon to indicate action on the part of all family members. Children should be instructed to immediately hide under beds, in closets or other places of safety. Spouses should clearly understand what their role should entail and act accordingly. No one should deviate from the pre-set plan until a second code signal is used. This practice ensures that no innocent family member accidentally wanders into the unfolding situation to be injured, killed or taken hostage to be an additional factor in decision-making.
Particularly in those states whose laws mandate flight as a first resort, make sure all family members know their roles and routes for escape. Just as in fire drills, an assembly area must be designated that is both safe and easily defended in case of pursuit. The area should be carefully chosen to offer safety and communication with authorities and not be an isolated spot that could become a trap.
Any reasonable person will go to great lengths to avoid using deadly force until all such options are exhausted. In the end, home defense revolves around proper preparation, planning, selection and practice...........practice for the unthinkable while praying that it never occurs.
Be safe,
SSL
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