What Are The Best Handguns For Home Defense

Choosing the right handgun to protect your home and family requires several essential considerations.

The first is reliability; in defensive situations, a handgun must be 100% reliable; the handgun needs to work the first and every time, without question. There is no more significant attribute than reliability for a defensive weapon.

The second consideration; choose the most powerful cartridge you can handle comfortably.

Handguns should fit in the palm of your hand in a correct position, without strain. You should be able to operate the weapon both one-handed and two-handed conveniently.

Do not choose a cartridge that is so large as to be unstable while holding the gun. Stability gives you better accuracy at a distance. Do not disregard the 22LR just because it is a smaller round. A 22LR is quiet, light, and highly accurate at short distances.

When choosing the right handgun, do your research, then head to your local gun shop to feel how the weapon fits in your hand. There shouldn’t be any strain on any part of the hand.

• Glock G17 Gen 5 9mm; no other handgun can be counted on like the Glock. The G17 is considered one of the most reliable handguns available anywhere. The frame design allows a user to customize the grip for the perfect fit. Left and right-handed shooters love the reversible magazine catch and ambidextrous slide stop lever. The choices of which Glock to buy are enormous. Buy for the right fit, first and foremost, then choose the caliber.

There are countless reasons for choosing a gun for self-defense at home or a concealed carry weapon for your everyday carry bag. There are specific reasons for choosing either a pistol or revolver

The primary advantage a pistol has over a revolver is capacity. Most revolvers have a max count of five to eight rounds. Also, pistols have the advantage of multiple magazines. Revolvers are extremely reliable weapons for home defense. With their simple design, revolvers are nearly impossible to jam. Heavy framed revolvers are capable of handling large calibers with ease.

• Smith and Wesson Model 686 357 Magnum, stainless steel frame and wood grips. There is no better known, respected, and trusted firearm than Smith and Wesson. This is a powerful weapon and should be treated as such. The Model 686 features adjustable sights, a 7-round cylinder, with a 5-inch frame. The 686 is one of the best revolvers ever made; you cannot go wrong with this choice.
• Ruger LCP II Pistol, 380 ACP, 2.75” barrel, Viridian E Series. In my opinion, the LCP is in the top three of all handguns for home defense. Large caliber handguns are not the best answer in all home defense situations. The Ruger is a rugged, small frame pistol with a case hardened steel slide. The recessed hammer gives this pistol an excellent profile to fit inside the belt without a holster.
• Sig Sauer P320 M18 9mm is one of the best-built firearms in the world. The M18 is the US military’s official sidearm, so you know the handgun is reliable. Sig’s P320 is a highly accurate and dependable weapon, especially in the 9mm model. The striker-fired M18 is a polymer-framed weapon making it light and easy to carry. A Siglite front and rear night site plate are ready for optics if needed. There is no better weapon than the Sig Sauer P320 M18.

Heckler and Koch VP40 Pistol, chambered in 40 S&W has various innovative features, making this handgun a powerful home defense weapon. The VP40 features extreme functionality and safety and a 13+1 round capacity. H&K integrates a striker firing system with its enhanced light pull trigger. The barrel is made from cannon-grade steel for extremely long life.

The Right Caliber

The most common caliber chosen for home defense is the 9mm. With extreme ammo shortage affecting the industry, there is a good supply of the 9mm cartridge available for stocking up. However, the 9mm is a powerful round and can penetrate walls, which can harm loved ones if the shooter is not careful. Choose a hollow point bullet for the added power, and they are a bit safer in home defense scenarios.

Experienced shooters usually choose a smaller caliber, such as the .380 ACP, for its lite weight and penetration attributes. A 357 round has more stopping power than a 9mm, but more recoil. In general, the .380, 357, .41, .44, and 45 Colt are the most powerful, with the widest choices of available handguns.

Stopping power does not mean killing your target; any good shooter with a 22LR can accomplish that goal. In a home defense scenario, stopping power means ending the attacker’s ability to cause you harm. The military adopted the Colt .45 ACP as its sidearm because of its stopping power of the enemy.

Over the decades’ technology has improved the ballistics of every modern era cartridge. The .45 ACP is a large caliber with a lot of power, but the round is slow, with only an 1100 FPS muzzle velocity. Rounds like the .357 and .44 come roaring out of the barrel at a minimum of 1600 FPS. However, recoil is the key to large calibers. If your hands can handle the massive recoil, feel completely secure with a .357 or .44 magnum cartridge.