Next door neighbor's house broken into - ATOT gun nuts enter here

[Jeeebus]

Last week, the mother in law was telling us how a group of... not fair-skinned gentlemen was attempting to break into houses in her neighborhood (about 3 miles from us).

This morning, apparently between 7:30am and 9am, what is suspected to be the same group came a knockin at the next door neighbor's house and smashed through a back door.

Not surprisingly, these criminal masterminds are still on the loose. Wife tells me there were a bunch of cops there this morning in addition to a police helicopter circling above. Sucks because this family just moved in one week ago, and moved from their prior house because the neighborhood had become a total shithole. Bit of a rude welcome to suburbia bliss.

Anyhoo, the Jeeebus fortress is secured by impact glass on all windows/doors and is protected by two large animals (the 120lb+ dane in my profile pic and the 80lb american bulldog with a nasty attitude toward invaders).

Still, if I wanted to put a boom stick in my hand or the wife's, what puts lots of holes in three guys stupid enough to breach the perimeter?

Shotgun?

 

[Specop 007]

Springfield XD in 9mm. Best bet really is to go to a gunshop and have her handle a few different ones and see which ones fits her hand the best. Guns are like shoes, sometimes they just dont fit right so you go to the next size or brand.

Also, and more importantly, PRACTICE. Owning a piano doesnt suddenly make you a pianist anymore than owning a firearm makes you a marksman.

 

[bignateyk]

http://gastatic.com/UserImages/2472/970054874/wm_2470911.jpg

Why worry about aiming a pistol while you are startled and pumping full of adrenaline?

Besides, nothing says "Get the fuck off my property" like the sound of a 12 guage chambering a round.

 

[fisheerman]

Springfield XD in 9mm. Best bet really is to go to a gunshop and have her handle a few different ones and see which ones fits her hand the best. Guns are like shoes, sometimes they just dont fit right so you go to the next size or brand.

Also, and more importantly, PRACTICE. Owning a piano doesnt suddenly make you a pianist anymore than owning a firearm makes you a marksman.

^ this

If the first shots of a gun are going to be at an intruder then it probably isn't going to go well.

 

[Zargon]

Springfield XD in 9mm. Best bet really is to go to a gunshop and have her handle a few different ones and see which ones fits her hand the best. Guns are like shoes, sometimes they just dont fit right so you go to the next size or brand.

Also, and more importantly, PRACTICE. Owning a piano doesnt suddenly make you a pianist anymore than owning a firearm makes you a marksman.

this.

springfield xd, or m&p 9mm, glock 17/19 <favorite brand of 9mm handgun(or even 380)


mossberg 500, remington 870 shotguns

hell, snag a decent 20 gauge pump, it will put the hurt on someone from close range


remember though, a gun doesnt make you robocop

I am 99&#37; sure my house got cased monday night, as i woke up to someone tapping on a window of my house at midnight(and a side window in the dark sideyard, this is apparantly a common way for burglars to see if someone is awake or if a dog is there) and then walk the lengh of the house(which is a bed or riverrock so it makes noise) they seemingly dispersed when I took my cell of the charger so it light up like a xmas tree. my dog woke up and started to growl after I had sat up in bed

but actually HEARING a potential intruder(who walked right by the wall my headboard is on) had the palms sweating, my leg twitching, and the HB up as I did a room check with my glock

 

[MotF Bane]

Jeeebus, you have two kids, right? Do make arrangements accordingly to secure your weapons always.

Beyond that, another vote for a shotgun, and another vote for PRACTICE. A pistol is good, but a shotgun being chambered is a fairly loud event, and very likely will be enough to chase off any would-be burglar without actually having to turn them into hamburger.

 

[TheNinja]

If you (and your wife) can handle the recoil I'd go 12 gauge pump. Mossberg 500 or Remmington 870 fit the bill. I just picked up a 12g Mossberg 500 8 shot 20" barrel gun. I'm going to mount a Streamlight TLR-1s on it for light. It' really tough to beat something like that for home defense. I mean you still have to aim, but you have a larger margin for error than you would with a pistol. Regardless of what movies show, it is VERY hard to hit something with a pistol if you aren't a good shot in the dark.

If the recoil is too much they make aftermarket stocks as well. BlackHawk makes a frickin' sweet adjustable-length recoil reduction stock

http://www.amazon.com/Blackhawk-Spec...4808486&amp;sr=8-4

 

[slayer202]

get the kind that shoots bullets, I hear those work best

 

[Ns1]

Anyhoo, the Jeeebus fortress is secured by impact glass on all windows/doors and is protected by two large animals (the 120lb+ dane in my profile pic and the 80lb american bulldog with a nasty attitude toward invaders).

Still, if I wanted to put a boom stick in my hand or the wife's, what puts lots of holes in three guys stupid enough to breach the perimeter?

Shotgun?

love it. more power to you.

 

[KB]

How about a shotgun like pistol? The taurus judge can shoot .45 plus .410 shotshells - that mean buckshot and slugs. I like shotguns because they spray (making hitting the target easier) and are less likely to penetrate walls. I like revolvers because they are simple to handle and don't require pumping or magazines. Its biggest drawback is it only handles 5 rounds.

http://www.taurususa.com/video-theJudge.cfm

 

[dank69]

Build a moat. Stock with alligators.

 

[Cuda1447]

I've heard nothing but good things about the XD as well.

 

[midwestfisherman]

A shotgun is probably the best all around home defense weapon of choice.

 

[ElFenix]

Build a moat. Stock with alligators.

florida. crocodiles are more appropriate. and bigger.

 

[*kjm]

I have a 12ga with mil shot for the summer and in the winter when the bad guys could have a coat on I have my XDM 40cal.

 

[bignateyk]

I have a 12ga with mil shot for the summer and in the winter when the bad guys could have a coat on I have my XDM 40cal.

Just load your shotgun with buck n' ball. No need to worry about coats then...

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=buck+n+ball&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1280&bih=786&tbm=isch&tbnid=QWKMkVKEfY3j-M:&imgrefurl=http://zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php%3Ff%3D109%26t%3D82066&docid=V2yMMlVrfcLy9M&w=740&h=483&ei=3WdeTtGdBu_C0AGhiMHhAg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=193&page=1&tbnh=151&tbnw=208&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0&tx=109&ty=83

 

[spidey07]

All good advice. The most important thing is practice so you are familiar. My wife can't rack the slides of my hand guns so I got her a revolver. If it's in the house, your wife needs to know how to use it and be comfortable. Many ranges offer classes.

12 gauge with 00 buck is nice but in pump form difficult to get a lot of rounds off fast and you only have 8. I don't know which I'd rather have to tell you the truth, a handgun is much better for moving around. And whatever you get, get a mounted flashlight and practice with it. I found with the light my shooting was different than without especially when it came to grip.

 

[Mackie2k]

12 guage is a great home defense weapon.

Won't miss your target and probably won't be putting buckshot through a wall into your neighbors house.

I suggest a Remington 870 18inch Security Shotgun. Cheap, $300 or so and effective. The sound it makes when loaded is undeniably loud and distinct.

I would HIGHLY recommend taking it to the range or outdoors to have people practice firing it. It has quite a kick if you aren't used to it.

http://remington.com/products/firearms/shotguns/model-870/model-870-express-synthetic-18inch.aspx

I freaking love mine it's really bulletproof as far as quality.

The other option is a Glock 19. Great little 9mm with large capacity mags. You can dump a factory 33 round mag into it and never worry about running out. Put a gunlight on it and blind your enemy. The weapon is so reliable and easy to shoot. No safety's except the trigger, so you won't have to worry about it being ready to fire in a stressful situation.

About $500 + mags.

Get a little gun safe or bedside gun safe to protect again accidents. Get some training from a local range whatever you do so you are 100% ready. It's easy to shoot at targets, a person is a whole other situation.

 

[Numenorean]

I have a Springfield XDm 45 and a 12ga shotgun with 00 buckshot.

 

[Numenorean]

12 guage is a great home defense weapon.

Won't miss your target and probably won't be putting buckshot through a wall into your neighbors house.

I suggest a Remington 870 18inch Security Shotgun. Cheap, $300 or so and effective. The sound it makes when loaded is undeniably loud and distinct.

I would HIGHLY recommend taking it to the range or outdoors to have people practice firing it. It has quite a kick if you aren't used to it.

http://remington.com/products/firearms/shotguns/model-870/model-870-express-synthetic-18inch.aspx

I freaking love mine it's really bulletproof as far as quality.

The other option is a Glock 19. Great little 9mm with large capacity mags. You can dump a factory 33 round mag into it and never worry about running out. Put a gunlight on it and blind your enemy. The weapon is so reliable and easy to shoot. No safety's except the trigger, so you won't have to worry about it being ready to fire in a stressful situation.

About $500 + mags.

Get a little gun safe or bedside gun safe to protect again accidents. Get some training from a local range whatever you do so you are 100% ready. It's easy to shoot at targets, a person is a whole other situation.

That is a nice shotgun - but I hate it when people say how the noise alone will strike fear into someone. Bullshit, if it's loaded up, there is no noise until after the first shot.

 

[spidey07]

That is a nice shotgun - but I hate it when people say how the noise alone will strike fear into someone. Bullshit, if it's loaded up, there is no noise until after the first shot.

An unloaded weapon is a useless weapon and also gives your location away.

 

[Mackie2k]

That is a nice shotgun - but I hate it when people say how the noise alone will strike fear into someone. Bullshit, if it's loaded up, there is no noise until after the first shot.

Agreed. But I don't keep a shell in the chamber in my house. It's one little extra measure of safety I control. Considering it takes .5 seconds to rack that slide, I don't see the value. Now if I was carrying concealed in a bad neighborhood, sure I would.

My suggestion is to get a home alarm so you get alerted to an incident occuring and then you can secure/load your weapon if needed.

 

[Specop 007]

Jeeebus, you have two kids, right? Do make arrangements accordingly to secure your weapons always.

Beyond that, another vote for a shotgun, and another vote for PRACTICE. A pistol is good, but a shotgun being chambered is a fairly loud event, and very likely will be enough to chase off any would-be burglar without actually having to turn them into hamburger.

It really goes 2 ways. Turning on a light scares the burglar away or racking a shotgun does nothing and you have to shoot them dead.

 

[Mackie2k]

An unloaded weapon is a useless weapon and also gives your location away.

Good, I want to give my location away. I want them to know that someone is in the house, armed and ready to defend our lives. If at that point they continue to commit their felony I'll know they are intent on hurting my family. When it comes to my family I'm not going to play hide and seek with an unknown amount of intruders.

There is only one way into my bedroom, and the first 7 people that enter it are getting 00 buck into the face and chest. Followed up by 30 rounds from my AR15.

 

[brandonb]

Remington 870 as another suggested. 12 guage shotgun.

Cheap, they always work, easy to clean and disassemble/assemble, fire inexpensive rounds, they are shotguns so you don't need to worry as much about accuracy and hitting people a mile away in case you miss. But in your case for home defense, you'd never be shooting more than 20 yards anyways, so perfect. All around the best choice for a home defense weapon. And in case you do want to go hunting, like pheasant hunting, it works well there too...

One thing to keep in mind, if you have intruders, the likeliness of panic by either your or your wife is going to cause you to be very nervous. You will not want to get a pistol because the chances of inaccurate fire is going to be very high. You and your wife will likely not have a steady hand and the tip of the gun is going to be shaking all over the place. This is also the reason why laser sights or pointers on pistols are very stupid and are only good for the movies. Stick with a heavy and large gun that is not going to be as influenced as a pistol would to nervousness. Stick with the shotgun whatever you do.

Another thing about shotguns. The shells come in many different varieties. Some have a ton of kick and are loud, while other shells have little kick and are not so loud. They have different amount of pellets in them, etc. So even if a 12 guage is big and mean, you can usually find a shell that is manageable that your wife should be able to handle without much kick. I have a hodge podge of shells and when I got pheasant hunting, I never really know what the shell is going to do until I fire it. Sometimes I end up half deaf and my shoulder hurting, and other times I can't tell I even shot a gun.

So ammo is also quite important. Find one that feels comfortable to fire from both you and your wife.