Home Defense Gun for Inexperienced Folks

[BarryLee]

A friend just called me and asked if I would help him select a handgun for home defense. The guy has very little experience with firearms and as a matter of fact said he’s only fired a handgun one time. So, I told him I would give it a little thought and let him know of some good options.

So, as strange as it may seem my first thought is a S&W 686 seven or eight round revolver with a four to six inch barrel. Also, I’m thinking of suggesting that they load it with .38 +P ammo.

My thinking is that for home defense the Model 686+ would be large enough to handle the recoil, have adequate capacity and the .38 +P would be effective for his application. He may shoot the gun a good bit at first, but long term I wouldn’t be surprised to see it locked in a closet and not fired/cleaned for months or longer.

So, any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[SIGSHR]

A firearm is like a first aid kit. If you buy it but never go over it, learn how to use it, learn what can-and usually does-go wrong, then when you need it you find you don't know what you're doing. Or like a life preserver on a boat-they work a lot better when you know how to swim. If you do not feel qualified to offer instruction then an NRA, or perhaps officially approved course is in order. The 686 is a good choice, I would stick to standard velocity or even target ammo. In SD only the hits count, a hit with a Minor Caliber hurts a lot worse than a Miss with a Major.

 

[James K]

If you have guns, try to get him (and anyone else in his family who might use the gun) to fire different kinds of guns. A 686 might be too heavy, a semi-auto might be too complicated, a DAO revolver have too hard a trigger pull.

For a novice HD gun I usually recommend a Model 10 (or equivalent) as simple to work, easy to load and with adequate power. Others might suggest other guns, but steer him away from small, cheap guns that might fail when needed, and from large loud guns that will turn him off shooting completely. No RG-10's and no .454 or .480 revolvers.

And once he decides on a gun, try to get him to shoot it, at least a box of ammo. He might like shooting, and that will also serve to make sure the gun works and that he is at least a little familiar with it.

Jim

 

[Sgt127]

My default answer is always, a good .38 Special revolver.

 

[g.willikers]

Explain to him that success in a home defense situation has little to do with the choice of gun.
Emphasize that merely having a gun in the drawer, without the skill to use it, does just about nothing to protect him and his family.
Do him a big favor and find him a training facility that focuses on home defense.
He then can figure out the gun part on his own.

 

[chris in va]

Agreed. He needs to take a good safety course first. I'm willing to bet he knows nothing about 'sweeping' or keeping his finger off the trigger.

 

[Mastrogiacomo]

I'd opt for the 686, it's a great gun....after a firearm safety class. Most people are clueless....

Laura

 

[Madcap_Magician]

I would lean toward the revolver as well if he wants to do a box at the range once and forget about it. If he wants to shoot at least every couple months and put some effort into learning, any of the common semiautos would also be fine.

 

[BigJimP]

Hold a seminar for him - go over the basics of grip angle, weight, balance, different trigger systems and how they break and reset, etc...and see what fits his hands the best ...do some dry fire drills...

... then go to the range and fire a few guns ....mid sized revolver, medium sized revolvers, large revolvers ( in .38 spl and .357 mag )..../ and a variety of semi-autos / if you don't have a variety of guns - encourage him to rent guns at the range ...and try several semi-autos, etc...
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Good options :

a. revolver K frame S&W ( model 19's or 66's ) in .357 mag -- a 4" is a good length / but maybe a 2 1/2" ...or a 6" barrel..../ depends if he wants to carry it or not...

b. semi-autos ....Sig 239 or something smaller is pretty good / if he wants a larger double stack a Sig 226 is their full size .....but there are a lot of guns out there...from Ruger, S&W, Glock, H&K, Beretta, etc..../ and they're all different...

c. 1911's ...especially in a 9mm...lots of options..../ Kimber, Springfield on moderate priced levels...

d. stick with a 9mm or .357 mag caliber ....they're less expensive to shoot / so he might go to range more often ( .38 spl is more than 9mm though )...
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bottom line, is he has to learn and train ...and go to the range a few times...handguns are not "one size fits all"...

and I talk to guys at my local range almost every week ....that hate the guns they first bought / they didn't investigate, didn't fire a few guns, bought what their buddies suggested, bought solely on price, etc....its a big problem in my opinion.

You and I may like a S&W revolver in a 4" ( whether its a model 10, 19, 66 or a 686 ) --- and he may hate them for any number of reasons...

 

[Nick_C_S]

He needs to take a good safety course first.

^^ Agree. ^^

Your firearm choice makes sense to me.

But nothing is more important than your inexperienced friend to get some experience. The actual firearm/ammo is secondary.

 

[Knight cadet]

My default answer is always, a good .38 Special revolver.

+1

1 .22 revolver is good too, especially if it gets him out shooting and he takes to it enough to upgrade once he has the basics down.

New shooters with no training are at the greatest risk of having a deadly accident. Make him go to a good course, or teach him yourself if you're knowledgeable enough.

Bribe him with free ammo if need be.

 

[Bezoar]

Its hard to explain, whos going to use it?

If only daddy is going to use it, then it has to be what he likes and shoots best. But if mommy is going to use it, then you need some compromises. And if little johnny and betsy are going to be using it, well three times as much compromise is involved.

NO experience, its best to get an easy to find caliber. right now at local stores, its 9mm 40sw and 45acp. 38 is easier to get online then in stores.

 

[John D]

Buy a used S&W Model 10 with a 4" barrel. Use standard velocity ammo (lead hollow points would be better). If it doesn't go "bang" when you pull the trigger, pull again. Practice. Practice some more.

 

[bossman]

Buy a used S&W Model 10 with a 4" barrel. Use standard velocity ammo (lead hollow points would be better). If it doesn't go "bang" when you pull the trigger, pull again. Practice. Practice some more.

nuf said.

 

[L_Killkenny]

SD + inexperienced = none. The thought of this combination makes me cringe. It takes lots of time and 1000's of rounds before someone should even think about guns for SD. So start with a .22 and after a good amount of time start thinking about a SD and guns.

 

[herdman]

Honestly, if has this little experience and he wants a gun, I would recommend a single shot 20 gauge shotgun. Take it somewhere and shoot it, maybe go squirrel hunting. Then, we he becomes more experienced he can move to a handgun or pump shotgun.

Go, old school and simple. Single shot 20 gauge H&R or something like that. Maybe even a youth model, like the Rossi. It is short, simple to use, has a safety and you can get it with a 22lr conversion barrel.

A handgun is going to be too complicated and he not likely to hit anything with it reliably to begin with.

 

[James K]

Hi, L_Killkenny.

Well, there is a bit of a problem there...

If one must fire thousands of round to be qualified to own a gun for SD, there is a real problem; that would exclude most of the gun owners in the country, as well as 90 percent of the law enforcement officers patrolling the streets right now. I know that I hadn't fired that much when I started carrying a gun and a badge.

Very few people who buy guns for HD/SD will (or even can, at this time) buy thousands of rounds of ammunition or want to take up shooting as a hobby. So that thinking would certainly achieve the goal of the anti-gunners by disarming all but a tiny percentage of American gun owners.

If a person is taking up shooting as a hobby, beginning with a .22 is good advice. But if a .22 is not adequate for HD, then I agree that a good .38 Special revolver would be the best choice. But every adult in the house should know where the gun is kept, how to access it and how to use it. If youngsters or other unreliable persons are involved, a combination lock box would be best.

Jim

 

[Texascoonhunter]

Needs a Gun

I agree with Big Jim. Give the man some training, teach him safety and how the weapon of choice works. Dry fire the weapon and school the fellow on how to hold a pistol then take the man to the range and fire a few rounds off. Let him feel and see what takes place. You can get a better idea what he needs and he will have some idea of what he wants. Encourage him to continue going to the range and get comfortable with his pistol. Then he will be better equipped to protect his family. Still I would recommend a 38 revolver of good quality.

 

[Rob62]

A revolver is how I would go. Nothing wrong with a .357 Mag chambered revolver at all.

Ditto that a basic handgun safety class would be a must for any new shooter.

Rob

 

[RBid]

Explain to him that success in a home defense situation has little to do with the choice of gun.

Emphasize that merely having a gun in the drawer, without the skill to use it, does just about nothing to protect him and his family.

Do him a big favor and find him a training facility that focuses on home defense.

He then can figure out the gun part on his own.

This.