Wondering what the best type of gun or guns would be for home defense. Happy to start learning to shoot, but never really shot guns. I ideally want something that won’t penetrate a wall or spread to wide causing potential innocent casualties. Living in California.
Go to a training class first. That will give you the basis you need to make an informed decision.
Try and narrow it down to several choices( I’m not good a recommending specific ones).
Find a local store range that rents firearms and run 50-100 rounds through the ones you are most interested to see if you like the feel, recoil etc.
When my wife wanted a CCW she asked me what to get, and I told her what I liked but we went to our local range and rented a few she was interested in and found the best fit for her. She went with the PDP compact. For myself I went with the CZ scorpion ( 16” barrel, not sure if California legal).
Don’t allow someone’s recommendation be the overriding factor.
Make sure you have time resources for regular practice. Not every day but enough to remain proficient. Your life and someone else’s may depend on it.
Of any suitable home defense round, all of your misses will go through walls and potentially be lethal to those on the other side.
I am in NY and had a 9mm carbine for a long time and recently switched to AR15.
There are also tons of youtube videos if you search best home defense gun. They discuss which is best for when you have other people in the house to worry about. In close quarters a shotgun does not spread very much. Rifle is more accurate than pistol in aiming. But if you have tight quarters a rifle could be awkward. The ammo you use will determine how much over penetration you get, more so than the kind of gun. You can get good guns for mid-price range. The Taurus was mentioned below. I have the G2c which is a little smaller than the G2/3. It is very reliable and was only $250. You don’t need all the add-ons people like to put on their guns if money is a concern. These statements are generalizations, so someone may want to argue the finer details, but this should get you going in the right direction. Then train and shoot.
This really depends on you and your situation.
Rural or city? Apartment or house? Kids? Room mates? Do you think you might want to carry it concealed in the future?
Being in California will also restrict your choices to some extent
A Mossberg Maverick 88 is a cheap (Turners has the security version on sale at Turners right now) starter. 12 gauge #2 buckshot will be safer through walls for apartments or houses close together.
A Glock 19 makes a perfect bed side gun as well as a concealed carry and usually wont set you back more than $600 after taxes. If this is your only gun i’d recommend only choosing this if your in a house as 9mm has far more penetration than #2 buckshot.
A AR15 is the ultimate home defense firearm even in California with all our dumb stipulations on features and fin grips. A S&W sport II AR15 will run you around 500-700 depending on sales and you could hand it down to your grand kids if you took care of it. If this is going to be your only gun i’d only recommend in a house or rural setting as you’ll get similar penetraion to a 9mm.
You have to be very careful with load selection to answer this question. a 77gr OTM 5.56 round might not penetrate that far. An M855 round is going to go through your fridge. Low recoil #4 buck may penetrate as many as 4 interior walls, but will likely not exit your home and enter a neighbors home. It may be stopped by furniture, exterior walls, wall studs, etc, etc. M855 is going to go clean through all that shit.
In every test I’ve seen, on YouTube, and looking at ballistic gel tests from the FBI, handgun and shotgun rounds aren’t necessarily safer for indoor/apartment use.
Any missed shot is going through multiple walls and posing a danger to neighbors. But handguns and shotgun rounds go farther in terms of lethality than .223/5.56 rounds, which fragment sooner, posing less danger to neighbors.
“Any missed shot is going through multiple walls and posing a danger to neighbors.”
Absolutely, just assume no matter what you are using your going to hit whatever is on the other side of it.
Well there are LOTS of options, opinions, and theories on this. I would recommend you go to all of the gun stores in your area and ask them the same question: I’m completely new to firearms and looking to purchase one for home defense: who do you recommend as a firearms instructor, and what do you recommend I purchase”. You’re gonna get LOTS of different answers, but you will also learn a lot about gun culture, FAST. You’ll find the Uber tactical shop that tells you to get a $1500 AR with $600 of lights and add one. You’ll find “just pump this shotgun and it’ll scare them away sonny!” (Shotguns aren’t a bad option though) You’ll find “bro you need a pistol it’s super short so you can clear rooms and round corners FAST” (pistol bro will forget to mention that they’re way harder to shoot than you’d expect, when you’re in the dark and adrenalized. Doesn’t stop me from choosing this though). And then depending on your gender and stature, you’ll probably find some BS about “oh you need a .22 or maybe you can handle a .38, “buy this pink gun little lady, (or if you’re a guy) “you need a .45! Anything smaller will just make them mad!” (9mm is an EXTREMELY common round, and is therefore cheaper and widely available, if you find somebody that goes on about it not being big enough or having enough stopping power, just let them finish their rant and thank them for their time.)
Taurus g2 or G3 is a pretty good cheap pistol. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy one.
Gun stores are probably the last place I’d go for information.
AR-15 imo will be the easiest starting point for home defense. Ammo isn’t too expensive and wildly available, recoil is very manageable, and being able to shoulder the weapon makes it so much easier to aim than a handgun. While handguns are easier to maneuver in tight spaces, in a home defense situation you really shouldn’t be room clearing unless you absolutely have too (ie. Getting your family together.) Just pick a safe room, aim down the door, and wait for police.
Other have mentioned short barrel rifles/ar pistols, and pistol calibre carbines. Both good options but with the brace ban incoming you’ll probably have to get a tax stamp for those.
Out of anything, make sure you get comfortable maintaining and firing your gun. Take a weapons safety class and whatever other gun classes you can find. The more comfortable you are with the weapon, the better you will be able to defend yourself. Trying to have a defense situation be the first time you fire your weapon is just asking for disaster.
Since you don’t have much experience with guns I would NOT get a pistol or a pump shotgun. Stick to some type of long gun be it pistol caliber carbine, AR15, or a semi auto shotgun. To get even halfway decent with a pistol takes a lot of practice and dedication, and I wouldn’t recommend beginning there. I would suggest going with a pistol caliber carbine due to ease of use, cheaper ammo compared to rifle (so more practice) and less muzzle blast. Something like a scorpion evo etc