If you only had one gun!

[KBP]

Just thinking about all the robberies, home invasions and crime. If you had to pick one gun-- pistol, revolver, rifle or shotgun to protect yourself, home and family, what would it be? I have already had that experience and had a S&W 357 to turn around two thugs determined to mug me. It saved my butt! For my home, I most likely would favor my Remington 870 with the slug barrel. Five shots of buckshot at close range would most likely turn around anybody or anything! What would be your choice or thoughts? Just the sound of racking a shell into the 870 is intimidating!

 

[Crazy88Fingers]

If I only had one, it would be a .357 revolver. Either a snub-nosed K-frame, Ruger Speed Six, or SP-101. Simple, reliable, versatile, powerful, concealable and classy.

I'm not one to go around looking for trouble and believe that if after 5 or 6 shots my attacker(s) isn't dead/fleeing, more rounds won't likely save me. Others feel differently, and I really don't care.

 

[whippoorwill]

My home protection firearm is a Remington 870 Express with 18.5 inch barrel. I hope that I never have to use it, but if I do, there will hopefully be one in the chamber before the BG has the chance to hear me rack the slide. It shouldn't happen with an 870, but if there's a malfunction, I'd rather it happen before the "guest" arrives.

For a pistol, I'd stick with my 1911.

 

[Doc TH]

For home defense, I agree with Crazy88.
I would choose a S&W 357/38 revolver, preferably a 686+. Second choice would be a semiauto with an attached light.
The shotgun is certainly more potent at short range, but for the majority of indoor situations, a handgun is much more "ergonomic", presuming you are well-practiced with yours.

 

[T1gger]

Home - 12 gauge shotgun (Saiga 12 with a 20 round drum would be nice). Anywhere else, a Glock 26 would work well; very concealable and you can throw in a 33 round boomstick if you feel so inclined.

 

[GaryH]

12 ga. pump sawed off w/pistol grip would be my choice, but I have two .357s at home now for security.

 

[bk688]

Thats a tuff one.

Siaga 12

Why?

1. Its a shotgun
2. Its semi auto
3. Magazines for quick reloads
4. You can hit out to 200 yards with slugs, which is enough.

The only downside is that its not concealable.

 

[Buzzcook]

If I only had one gun I'd go buy another.

But no matter how many I have I'd still opt for a shotgun.

 

[Dwight55]

KBP asked:

Just thinking about all the robberies, home invasions and crime. If you had to pick one gun-- pistol, revolver, rifle or shotgun to protect yourself, home and family, what would it be?

Just the sound of racking a shell into the 870 is intimidating!

Sticking strictly to the ONE GUN answer: my M1A rifle

You rack your 870, . . . you have 3 shots

I rack my M1A, . . . I have 20.

You load one round at a time.

I load 20.

Doors, furniture, some walls, some appliances will stop everything but a determined slug, . . . and some of those don't fare too well.

Absolutely nothing, . . . nothing, . . . in my house is "cover" against my M1A, . . . concealment maybe, . . . cover? Not in the bad guy's lifetime !

Plus, . . . I can reach out and touch him if I have to at 300 yards with open sights, . . . and I refuse to shoot a shotgun that can make that same claim.

Finally: to the knowledgeable, . . . the sound of the closing of the bolt on an M1 Garand or an M1A is far more scary than an 870 ever dreamed of being. For that matter, . . . so is the same sound from an AK.

May God bless,
Dwight

 

[TXAZ]

It depends...

For town home in the city, Remington 1100.

For AZ suburban home, MP5SD2 (why wake up the neighbors?)

For the ranch, it's the M107A1, hey why let them get within 1000 yds?

As for 20 rounds in an M1 before reloading, if it's more rounds, consider the AK / variants w/ 100 round magazine.

But Buzzcook has the truly correct answer

 

[ammo.crafter]

just one

it should be the one you shoot the best. The go to gun that requires absolutely no fore thought. The one that is the extension of your body.
For me, Colt 1911. Accurate, no big shot spread, one round, one down.

 

[22-rimfire]

Only one in my hand... yeah, that's possible. It would be either a Glock 23 or 3" Ruger GP-100. Only owning one gun is not likely to happen.

 

[aarondhgraham]

For me, it's a no-brainer,,,

pick one gun-- pistol, revolver, rifle or shotgun to protect yourself, home and family, what would it be?

If home defense was it's only function,,,
A 12 gauge shotgun.

Nothing better in my mind.

Aarond

 

[tighty whitey]

My choice would be

A Mossberg 590A, 18.5 inch barrell shotty.

 

[KBP]

My favorite post was "If I only had one gun, I'd buy another." Unfortunately, you might only be able to reach one gun in time for it to matter even if you had 100 guns. No doubt a pistol or revolver has advantages over rifles or shotguns as far as fast handling and ease of hiding,(my revolver saved me) but my 870 with the plug removed can hold 5 rounds of 00 Buckshot in which each shell has 9- 30 caliber balls in it. I can easily fire all five rounds in 3 to 4 seconds which will put 45- 30 caliber projectiles toward any threat. If you can't hit or deter the threat with 45-30 caliber balls, having more bullets will not make much of a difference. At close range, this firepower is unequaled by any other firearm! I agree that the M1 Garand is the greatest battle weapon ever devised(I fire an M1 at least 50 times or more a year) but its heavy and hard to hide and you won't be protecting your family or self from 100 yards or more unless you live in a really big house and chances are you will kill innocent people hundreds of yards away! In short. for me, If I only had one gun, I would be very thankful for whatever it was!

 

[Silent Bob]

If I could only have one gun for defense... my Colt 1991 Government Model. Can serve in both carry and HD roles... a shotgun can't be used for both. Browning HP would be my second pick.

 

[Elkins45]

J-frame Smith, because I don't want to be limited to only defending myself at home.

 

[Tommy Vercetti]

it sounds a little overkill but

my 3 inch barrel S&W 629-1 .44 magnum would make me feel relatively safe anywhere I went, the majority of the time it's loaded with .44 special but having the ability to load it with magnums widens it's versatility

 

[jimbob86]

Why would I be restricted to only one gun?

If that were a gubmint restriction, it'd be time for a change of gubmint........

 

[Hal]

If you had to pick one gun-- pistol, revolver, rifle or shotgun to protect yourself, home and family, what would it be?

Ok - I'll play because this really is a close to reality situation/thread.
I currently have a CZ75B and a 1911 that I use for that purpose.
They are in seperate rooms. I could easily chose either one and move it from room to room if I wanted.

Which one would I keep out of the safe?

The CZ75B.
No particular reason.