Which pistol caliber is best for home defense in an urban enviroment?

If there are 20 posters in this thread you will likely get 25 different answers and a couple will say 12 ga. even though you specified pistol.

I have several chambered in .40 but you have to decide what is best for you after researching. Good Luck.

 

you do know you are going to get at least a hundred different answers and suggestions on this?

my personal suggestion would be a shotgun if over penatration is a concern. a pump with an 18-20" barrel loaded with heavy birdshot. it's my personal choice. highly doubtful that any shot would be over 30' in your apartment. at that distance, it would do lots of damage to a BG, but still not be of concern of over penetration.

there will be those who will flame on me for this choice, and say only buckshot is good enough and birdshot isn't. well let them flame! i have done my own informal tests at 30 feet and have found that #4 birdshot will penetrate 1/2" plywood, drywall and even the steel in a cars quarter panel. usually about a 6-8" shot spread at that distance.

but you need to make your own decision. this is just my suggestion and thoughts. if you are interested, i can provide more details.

 

Look at the website "the box o truth". There was a lot if time spent on that site testing rounds for penetration through dry wall.

Hollow points need fluid forced into the cavity to reliably expand. They don't perform the same way on drywall.

As far as 9 vs. .40, vs. .45 goes, they are all just handgun rounds. None are GREAT stoppers. Modern ammo tends to make them pretty close in performance. Not exactly the same but close. Pick a caliber you shoot well and can find ammo for.

 

Thanx Axxe

 

The best round for home defense is the one that you can shoot acurately. If you try to use a 40 but cant hit anything but the wall behind the perp you would have been better off with a 22. Find a gun that you can handle. If you can shoot a 9 inch paper plate at living room distances then you are good to go. If you ever have to pull the trigger for real, aim for the center of the chest and pray that God is with you.

Too many people get in the 9mm vs 40 vs 45 fight. Just find a gun that you can shoot. Then practice, pratice, practice. Then practice some more.

I like a full sized gun for the night stand. If you dont need to conceal it a big gun is much easier to control. The heavier the better with big calibers.

 

best round is one chambered in a gun that you are proficient with, can hit the target easily, and is as close to 100% reliable as can be made.

i would suggest going and renting some guns at a range even if it means a drive to get there. taking a day trip to rent a selection of guns is cheaper than buying guns at random until you find one you like.

my wife and i choose for our main defensive firearm in the home are: bravo company mid length carbine, for handguns we use springfield XDM in 45 and 9mm and berreta m9A1 in 9mm. we also have a 12ga shotgun handy loaded with 00buck.

birdshot even at close range isnt that effective on goblins. minimum size shot for defense is BB shot. 00buck 2-3/4 is the gold standard round for goblin stopping.

what i pick and what my wife picks is going to be different than what you pick so picking my choices without you trying things out yourself is pointless but it does give you a starting point.

the first tenant of self defense is: HAVE A GUN!!

 

1 1/8 ounces of 7 1/2 shot at 30 feet is very deadly. I don't really think any thin skinned critter like a human will survive it. The bird shot is not likely to go thru other walls.

 

If your walls are that thin and you are that close perhaps a paintball gun would be best. Seriously, you need to be very careful as you certainly don't want to put a round through the BG and then have it take out the person in the room nextdoor.

 

As was stated above pick a caliber and gun you are comfortable and proficient with. Get frangible ammo and make sure it cycles reliably and practice.

 

For me personally, I prefer to use a Colt .45 as my home defense weapon.

 

Using modern self defense ammo, the only time over penetration presents a problem is when you miss your target. In that case, most pistol bullets will go through one or two walls, unless encountering a stud.

I have several to choose from, but my .40 XD is my go-to home defense pistol. My SD/HD ammo of choice is Hornady Critical Duty, but I live in a rural area, with no close neighbors to worry about.

Practice a lot at night with a tactical LED flashlight, or weapon mounted light / laser, to minimize the chances of a stray bullet.

That's my choice. Your mileage may vary. ​

 

I use a ruger p90 45acp with federal hst 230 hollowpoints and a 12 ga mossy 500 loaded with 00 but what works for you may be different

 

If you use the best ammo available on the market today there is no realistic difference in the terminal effectiveness on a human target between the 9, 357, 40, or 45.
The choice is yours!!!!
The 12 ga, no shot smaller than #2 bird shot or larger than #4 buckshot. BB size shot is about as good as it gets.
Again, the choice is yours!

 

That depends: If you want to avoid over-penetration, maybe a double-stack pistol in .380 with some nice hollow points would do the job without overdoing the job. Maybe a nice lil Bersa Thunder+ 380 would be your economical choice, 15 rounds of .380 in a nice safe lil package with a lovely satin nickel finish to match that new lamp you got. (Has a handy keyed internal locking system to secure it from use when you are away or there are kids about) People are always complaining about the lack of penetration on a .380.

Alternately, you could get some turkey loads for your shotty and just blast through the wall to the safety of a neighbor's house.

 

I use a .40 cal magtech hollowpoint for my USP that is kept in my pistol safe. If I was in the states I would buy critical defense or duty. My handgun will get me to my other safe, which has my Mossberg 590 with 00 buck, slug, 00 buck, slug etc in that order. oh, I also also use Eco hollowpoints for my P226r (9mm). I am rethinking about using my Sig in the home due to wall penetration.

 

Didn't they make those old-school Glaser safety rounds to avoid over-penetration? That seems a bit extreme, though.

 

I saw a picture of this guy with his lower jaw shot off with a Glaser a long time ago. He survived though. The round caused more serious injuries then death. It was a good round for snakes though.

 

I would take the VP's advice and do the shotgun with a pistol grip since you specified a pistol. Just forget the warning shots!!!!! Ammo is to expensive for all that crap!!!

 

.38 Special with lead wadcutters, but you better be real lucky with shot placement. If you miss your target anything will go right through drywall, especially if it's old drywall.