Home Defense / Range Pistol

His and Hers...

As mentioned, all of the modern plastic fantastics are roughly comparable with regards to reliability, accuracy, etc...

However, you personally will probably find one more comfortable and accurate. Rent them all and buy the right one for you.

Top 3

My top 3 based on ease of shooting/comfort for me: Sig 226, Walther PPQ, Springfield XDM. Not the cheapest but I've never had a single issue with any of these 3 guns.

Don't buy a gun without trying it out first. Get the one that fits your hand the best, and is comfortable to shoot. Also consider exactly WHAT you are going to be doing with it. Any gun you use for home defense should be one that you will take to the range and shoot. You need to practice. Also, where will you be keeping you gun at home? That will dictate size, and maybe even caliber. 9mm is probably the best option, insofar as the balance between stopping power and capacity is concerned. Buy some good quality hollow points, and some FMJ that is similar in velocity and bullet weight (in grains) to practice with. Sig does well with this, but they aren't the only one. Also, get TWO boxes of the self-defense ammo. Shoot one box to make sure that they function well in your gun, and then keep the other box for home defense. If you have kids, make sure that you can keep them away from your gun(s), so they don't get hurt. I have a Vaultec safe that I love.

I have very medium sized hands, and the Sig P226 fits like it was designed just for me, but I've been carrying some model of Glock (17, 19, and 26) at work since about 1989. for the six years before that, I carried a Smith and Wesson Model 10...

joppaj said:

I'd replace the 21 with a 34, but that's just me. Otherwise I agree in full.

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Yeah, 17/19/34 would be my order.

Plenty of other options I’d consider to, but for reliable as hell, reasonably accurate, inexpensive, and in a caliber that’s reasonable.

A 1911 or 2011 could be fine too, but probably talking more money, less capacity, especially a 1911. Bigger, at least than a 17/19.

I wouldn’t consider the 1911 as larger than a G17. I shoot both the G17 and a 1911. Individual dimensions in given planes may vary but overall they are both comparable full size pistols. Grip angle and finger clearance within the trigger guard differences are readily apparent and will make one more appealable to the other for a given individual. The 1911 is more svelte and nimble, the 17 has greater capacity and is Blocky. Glock wins in cost consideration but it is not always comparable equipped (plastic sights).

Personally I wouldn’t chose a Glock first because of its configuration but can’t argue its success. For much less you get as good a pistol in the Ruger Security 9. My same caliber hierarchy in order would be a 9mm 1911, Ruger Security 9, Block 17/19

ralph.mclean said:

Don't buy a gun without trying it out first. Get the one that fits your hand the best, and is comfortable to shoot. Also consider exactly WHAT you are going to be doing with it. Any gun you use for home defense should be one that you will take to the range and shoot. You need to practice. Also, where will you be keeping you gun at home? That will dictate size, and maybe even caliber. 9mm is probably the best option, insofar as the balance between stopping power and capacity is concerned.

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This...go to a range and rent a few and see what feels the best and what you shoot the best. When I bought my first handgun, I shot most of the 9mms they had, Sig 226/229, G17, HK USP, Beretta 92 etc. I was able to make a decision based off that.

I personally don't like 1911's and I don't shoot them well. Others swear by them.

Magnumite said:

Take the suggested pistols into consideration and rent/shoot them. Research and shoot other designs/makes of handguns as well. You will know when you found the one which is right for you.

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This right here.

Pretty face, great build, smart girl, heart of gold, rich girl, poor girl, good girl, bad girl, quiet girl, shares your values and loves her mother and her father and America girl.

We can all point to possible examples we like that you might want to try. Can't pick your wife. Or your gun.

Rent. Then rent some more.

I chose a Glock 17 for that role many years ago. I wanted simple, reliable, with no external safety and plenty of rounds. I planned to shoot competitively so that shooting this gun would be second nature and I would be proficient with it. I also wanted load my own ammo since I was going to shoot a lot and 9mm made sense from a cost standpoint.

I also liked this platform for the magazine interchangeability between the full size, compact and sub-compact versions. I then added a G26 for my carry weapon. These are still my choices for defense when home and away. If I only had one gun to do both it would be the G19.

There is no best option, its just a matter of personal preference. Pretty much any modern firearm will be accurate and reliable, just go with what you like best.

I've owned one Glock. Totally reliable, accurate, well made, great design and engineering. If it wasn't plastic, I'd still have it. Problem is that plastic guns are not for me, but they fit the criteria for the OP's needs.

I’ve developed that same preference...metal frame pistols. I even had a WC KZ45 and couldn’t get past the poly frame feel. I do regret selling it, though. So I am back wanting to try another - the RRA Poly 1911.

Ok I think Glock wins! Thank you for all of the feedback!

Now you just have to decide: 9mm or .45 acp?

Hint: Anything other than .45 is just wrong.

BlueHeeler said:

However, you personally will probably find one more comfortable and accurate. Rent them all and buy the right one for you.

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Or you will find one that feels great, and a different one that you are more accurate with. At that point you have to split the difference and go with the Yeet Cannon.

it will really depend on what feels good in your hand and what allows you good control over the gun, site acquisition, and recoil management. it's counterintuitive but the smaller the gun the more felt recoil there will be, assuming comparing the same caliber 9mm vs. 9mm for example.

Have you decided yet?

Many have recommended the Glock, but to add an opposing view, I believe the Glocks are a decent well made pistol; however their lack of a safety makes them a poor self defense pistol unless you are an exceptionally skilled shooter and live in a home with no children.

Some will day the Glock has a safety on it's trigger, and so it does, but putting a safety on the front of a trigger is like putting a brake on top of an accelerator. It's like cocking a standard auto and leaving it in a holster or in a drawer. In a home invasion, to be safe, you'd have to remember to jack a round into the chamber before confronting the threat. If you jack a round into the chamber and put the gun in a drawer, you would have to remember to keep your finger off the trigger, and many people can't do that, even trained cops. There are many who would let their fingers wander, and you'd have to have considerable training not to do likewise.

I prefer guns with safeties. The thing is, many of the same fellows who say they can keep their fingers off the trigger are the same ones who argue that you might forget to turn off the safety.

My choices of a handgun would be:

1. TAURUS PT-92 AR

Ordinarily, Taurus puts out crappy revolvers, but they put out outstanding 9mm Beretta clone pistols. I bought my first ones back in the 1980s, and they were very reliable -- just as reliable as the Berettas, in fact. But their finish wasn't as good and the accuracy wasn't up to my Beretta standards. So I sold them. Then in the mid-2000s I picked up a stainless steel Taurus and took it to the range. Lo and behold, the thing was as reliable as a Beretta and the accuracy had been noticeably improved. Plus the safety was far better on the Taurus and the finish was...a bit bright. Beretta sold its factory in South America to Taurus in the early 80s and now they're putting out pistols that are better than Beretta. Plus the metallurgy is said to be better than the military weapons. I don't know, but I do know that no slides have sailed off the frames and shot shooters in the face! Anyway, If you can find one of these gems, get one. They can be stored with a round in the chamber and they've got safeties. The only downside is that they've got thick-ish grips. But they're great guns.



2. RUGER MARK IV SERIES .22LR

These are great self defense guns and superb shooters. The .22LR ammo is cheap and if you buy decent ammo it is reliable and fantastic for self defense. People underestimate .22LR for self defense all the time. I knew someone who was shot while working on his house by a bullet fired from just over a mile away! He barely made it down his ladder before he passed out. The doctor said he came this close to dying. They never caught the shooter, but they did find the brass and had witnesses. Not only is it dead accurate, you can put a lot of lead in the air at the same time.



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Dizzle said:

Ok I think Glock wins! Thank you for all of the feedback!

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The good thing about getting a used Glock 19 or 17, if you can find in the $350 to $400 range, is that you can sell it again in the future at a similar price (as long as it's close to stock configuration without recut grips, etc). You can use it for training and range practice, and if it's not a good fit for you, you might lose $50 (not much different from the cost of a rental and range time).

On the plus side, upgrading sights and the trigger on Glocks is something that most gunsmiths can easily do. Holster options will be huge too.

Handle and shoot every one you can.

Stick with the major manufacturers, and you will be fine. Yes, even Glock makes lemons, but they will stand behind it and get it right. But SIG, Colt, Ruger, Glock, Beretta, Smith & Wesson, Springfield, Browning, Walther, and some others, all make quality pistols. I have examples for each of these, except for Glock. I just don't like how they feel. I have shot them, and they shoot well, but just not what I want to put my money into.

Once you have shot a number of them, you can tell more just handling them, but until you have some shooting time, you will not know what is right or not right.

So I went with the Ruger Security 9. Felt very good!!!