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So I was on "bimmerforums", and there was a thread there regarding "best home defense handgun" by some dude who already had a shotgun and a lot of other firearms (don't know why he asked the question).
Anyway, I suggested that the best round for sheer stopping power in a handgun without overpenetrance was probably the .45 ACP.
This was met with a lot of debate and conflict. Folks started stating that a 9mm hollow-point (or Hydra Shok) had as much power. Others suggested that it didn't matter what caliber, as long as you could shoot the round accurately/precisely/consistently (which I agreed with). But the 9mm seemed to be the preferred round over there.
My understanding is that the 9mm is a high velocity round without a lot of transference of kinetic energy, and in many testimonials from war-experienced vets, they don't like the 9mm as compared to other handgun rounds.
Having been in the Marine Corps for the past 10 years or so, I have had the opportunity to shoot various types of weapons. Our current t/o handgun is the 9mm Beretta. I am not too impressed with it, nor will I ever. If I had a choice, particularly in an enclosed environment such as a home, stopping power would be essential, thus I would go with a .45. Best case scenario, a shotgun would be best for close range. Why use a gun though, when you can use a knife? It's so much more fun, when you get to torchure the s.o.b. slowly rather than take him out before he even knew what hit em'.
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Having been in the Marine Corps for the past 10 years or so, I have had the opportunity to shoot various types of weapons. Our current t/o handgun is the 9mm Beretta. I am not too impressed with it, nor will I ever. If I had a choice, particularly in an enclosed environment such as a home, stopping power would be essential, thus I would go with a .45. Best case scenario, a shotgun would be best for close range. Why use a gun though, when you can use a knife? It's so much more fun, when you get to torchure the s.o.b. slowly rather than take him out before he even knew what hit em'.
Respect your opinion and your service.
My thoughts exactly, by the way, i.e. home defense: shotgun would be my first choice.
But the OP's disclaimer was that he already had a lot of shotguns and wanted to know which pistol/handgun round was "best". So then I suggested the .45 (as you did).
Knife? Yeah, but you're a marine! I don't think I could take an intruder with a knife, especially if he brought a gun to the fight!
my buddy who is a gun nut has a shot gun for home protection loaded with bird shot first to stun the person, then tactical slug to rip the person in half, then buck shot to finish him off if the intruder is still alive.
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my buddy who is a gun nut has a shot gun for home protection loaded with bird shot first to stun the person, then tactical slug to rip the person in half, then buck shot to finish him off if the intruder is still alive.
If he lives in Cali, that'll essentially max out his capacity cap.
Yeah, ok, though, on a serious note, if you're trying to stop an armed intruder, you just want one shot to drop the guy. I don't want to give him a chance to get a shot off, just in case I'm staring down the barrel of his weapon or whatever.
Lots of people (anecdotally), amped up on adrenaline or something else, can take a round or two and just keep coming.
one shot drop i would guess a 45 would be ideal, but then you have to worry about collateral damage if you miss. you dont want to accidentally kill your neighbor.
i think buck shot would be the best no? i dont think it would go through more than one wall.
i am no gun expert. just guessing.
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Only when you have lost everything can you truly accomplish anything.
The market can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent. -John Maynard Keynes
one shot drop i would guess a 45 would be ideal, but then you have to worry about collateral damage if you miss. you dont want to accidentally kill your neighbor.
i think buck shot would be the best no? i dont think it would go through more than one wall.
i am no gun expert. just guessing.
Yeah, shotgun would be ideal home defense (as was stated), but overpenetrance therefore calls into question some other handgun rounds (rifle/hunting rounds, obviously, would be out of the question).
A case can be made for the high velocity 9mm rounds if we're talking about round that would break apart (prefrags, like the MagSafe), but then we're trying to weigh that against stopping power (essentially transference of energy).
Some guy on bimmerforums was a huge fan of 9mm Hydra Shoks/hollow points, but then my argument was that you can always go for a .45 Hydra Shok, just to compare apples to apples.
As for handgun rounds, I prefer .40 hollow points. I've shot a 1911 .45 before (never owned a .45) and it had a hellacious kick to it. Not to mention a FMJ .45 will go through an entire phone book. I'd be worried about it going through walls. Plus, my Glock .40 has 15 round mags.
I love my Colt 1911 .45, though I have been enjoying my Sig .357 that my grandfather gave me. Its a freaking hand cannon. Never shot a .44 Mag, can only imagine lol
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If you fire a shoot gun inside the house you are bound to hit the intruder and other things that may be of value to you or things that will require repair ( wall ) or replacement, as far as stopping power goes, in my opinion it doesn't really matter. you need a gun that you can control and a well placed slug to the forehead should take care of the problem. unless you want him alive to discuss his religious beliefs.
I would vote .45 if you can control it well and place your shots well with it. it's whatever you feel comfortable shooting - I'd say the type of ammo is more important then the caliber.
Best home defense caliber?
I don't think I could take an intruder with a knife, especially if he brought a gun to the fight!
Bare knuckle powers
