Home Defense Questions...Perplexed

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rodwhaincamo

New member
I lost faith in "safety" slugs, but must keep my neighbor's safety in mind as I live in an apartment.
Currently I own a 44 mag and have a reloading bench. I've been considering loading shotshells with #2-4, but I'm uncertain as to how effective it would be and what kind of spread it would have at 10 yds.
I've been looking over pistols for defense [leaning towards 40], but they would indeed over penetrate in standard loadings.
Would loading light powered cartridges be a good answer, as long as they reliably chamber, or should I look into a high capacity 380 ACP that will handle +P?
And were I to come up with light loads should I opt for light weight bullets or heavier?
 
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rtpzwms

New member
or should I look into a high capacity 380 ACP
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Are you planning on missing with the first 7? In an apartment you may have many other problems that a person in a single family home would not have. I think you might consider if I miss what happens to the bullet? You have a fairly good weapon there already in the apartment why not use it? Get a couple of rounds of snake load for you 44 and load up some light 44 spl rounds. If your problem is not convinced after the snake load then hit it with the spl's. I would think after the first BANG in an apartment unit the police will be in route. If you fell the need for more than 6 get a speed loader.
 
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madmag

New member
rodwhaincamo said:
And were I to come up with light loads should I opt for light weight bullets or heavier?
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Not sure, it's a balancing act. I think the light load is more important.
 
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Rampant_Colt

New member
birdshot? No way!

Use a .44 Special load from the list below to address the "overpenetration issue"

  • Speer 200gr Gold Dot
  • Federal 200gr LSWCHP [lead semi-wadcutter hollowpoint]
  • W-W 200gr Silvertip hollowpoint
  • Hornady 180gr XTP
  • Corbon 200gr DPX
  • Buffalo Bore 180gr JHP
 
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rodwhaincamo

New member
I doubt I'd miss, but I'd prefer to have extra rounds in such an underpowered cartridge. I don't have much faith in those tiny bullets.
I've heard many say to use bird shot in a shotgun for home defense. But isn't that what Glaser uses to no avail? That's why I figured upping the size of the shot, but keeping them under buck shot.
I am terrible with a revolver. Not like the 1911 I wish I still had.
 
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Rampant_Colt

New member
the .44 Special is underpowered? :confused:


  • Speer 200gr Gold Dot
  • Federal 200gr LSWCHP [lead semi-wadcutter hollowpoint]
  • W-W 200gr Silvertip hollowpoint
  • Hornady 180gr XTP
  • Corbon 200gr DPX
  • Buffalo Bore 180gr JHP


ps - buckshot for bad guys; birdshot for birdies
 
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rodwhaincamo

New member
One manufacturer of a 380 ACP mentions not to use +P ammo in their model. Typical 380 ACP ammo has up to roughly 200 ft/lbs, whereas "+P" ammo can have nearly 300 ft/lbs, which is about what I'd try to get in a weak loading.
 
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rodwhaincamo

New member
If I were to load buck shot I don't think I'd be able to get many in there, and I'd be concerned about the spread missing COM. Do you not believe 2 or 4 would be large enough?
Isn't 2 roughly the size of a 22?
 
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MikeNice81

New member
Maybe you could try something like a high-cap 9mm with Hornady Critical Defense. They are designed for lower penetration after encountering obstacles.

There are some good suggestions here. I would just be really skittish about a .44 in an apartment with any load. If you load a HP too weak it might not expand when it hits things. That could mean you're shooting FMJ for all intents and purposes. I think that might put you in a bad situation if you miss.
 
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DPris

Member Emeritus
Snake loads are bad choices for self defense, period.

You don't shoot somebody with a stinger load to "discourage" them from coming after you. If you shoot anything, it's a round that can produce enough effect to stop them either voluntarily or involuntarily.

ANY decent defensive load will be capable of punching through an average apartment wall.
Any load that can't punch through a wall will have limited effect on a human attacker.

Generally speaking, you can't build an "apartment-wall-safe" handgun load that'll still have enough soup to save your own life.

Reducing otherwise adequate defensive loads sufficiently to make them "safe" for your neighbor also renders them "dangerous" to yourself, in that they'll no longer have the same ability to protect you.
It's one of the realities of living in an apartment.

And, you start dinking around with reduced loads in an auto & you're guaranteed to run into functional problems at some point.

Denis
 
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C Philip

New member
Do not use shot loads in pistols for self defense, they do not achieve the 12" minimum FBI standard of penetration and will not reach vital organs on a bad guy to quickly incapacitate him. 44 special is good choice if you want to use your current gun for self defense. Anything capable of penetrating a bad guy sufficiently will penetrate several walls in a house. Take a look at www.theboxotruth.com for tests showing drywall penetration with common cartridges.
 
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rtpzwms

New member
birdshot? No way!
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Are you kidding? Do you want to try it so you'll know what your talking about? And you had to bring in the drug crazed that will kill you with his head cut off! Go troll somewhere else. And remember he might be your next door neighbor do you really want something coming through the walls? If you get someone in your home he'll be looking to get high again which means he is probably crashing or on the down swing. I think a really good sting would make me think about leaving in a big hurry. BTW how many of the "drug crazed" have you seen for real? I worked in a hospital for 5 years and never saw one come in... I don't believe that I've seen them all but I'm hard pressed to find one. So what are the odds of the Russians attacking on a Tuesday night? :eek::D
 
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rodwhaincamo

New member
"ANY decent defensive load will be capable of punching through an average apartment wall.
Any load that can't punch through a wall will have limited effect on a human attacker."
This is why I am perplexed.
Figure a standard 9mm/45 load would have much less umph after penetrating a few exterior walls or front door. I can't help hitting an innocent, but I'd like to reduce the deadliness of a stray bullet that has gone through several walls.
 
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Rampant_Colt

New member
rtpzwms said:
Are you kidding? Do you want to try it so you'll know what your talking about? And you had to bring in the drug crazed that will kill you with his head cut off! Go troll somewhere else. And remember he might be your next door neighbor do you really want something coming through the walls? If you get someone in your home he'll be looking to get high again which means he is probably crashing or on the down swing. I think a really good sting would make me think about leaving in a big hurry. BTW how many of the "drug crazed" have you seen for real? I worked in a hospital for 5 years and never saw one come in... I don't believe that I've seen them all but I'm hard pressed to find one. So what are the odds of the Russians attacking on a Tuesday night
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Keep living in your video game fantasy world ...:rolleyes:

ps▬buckshot for bad guys; birdshot for birdies. Repeat
 
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Gary L. Griffiths

New member
buckshot for bad guys; birdshot for birdies
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Or, buckshot for bad guys and neighbors..... :eek:

Can anyone here cite a felon being shot COM with even a skeet load of #9 shot at a distance of < 20' and surviving, or, more to the point, not being stopped? :confused:

I would use either #4 Buck or even a good magnum load of #4 chilled lead shot.:cool:
 
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