Which Gun is Best for Home Defense? Handgun, Shotgun, & AR-15 All Work, but the AR-15 Might Be Your Best Choice

Doug Larson Home Defense

Most people think that the gun they personally choose for home defense is the best, and that is completely understandable. Otherwise, they would have chosen a different gun. Right? Actually, it’s all personal preference and what is best for one person, is not necessarily best for everyone else. But each type of gun has characteristics that are in its favor and characteristics that are not in its favor. The problem is picking the right gun for you, not what gun is best for everyone.

So, let’s take a closer look at the most common home defense guns – handguns, shotguns and the AR-15 – and compare them. At least this should help make the choice a little easier and may give you solid reasons for choosing a particular gun, other than that’s the gun someone told you is the best.

STOPPING POWER

First, it is far preferable to never have to fire a shot, but sometimes that is the only way to stop an attacker. However, the truth is, no gun or cartridge that you can easily carry and shoot is guaranteed to stop an assailant. And stopping the attack, not killing the attacker, is the object of having a gun, or any weapon, for self-defense. The attacker must be stopped quickly to prevent the victim from being injured or killed. Some attackers can be stopped by threats or even just seeing a gun, and we should all hope that if ever attacked nothing more is needed, but others can be stopped only by making it physically impossible for them to continue the attack.

Many things that can be used to strike an attacker can stop an assault if used correctly, but a firearm helps to eliminate the physical disparity that may exist between an attacker and victim. A frail old woman can effectively defend herself with a firearm against a strong young man, but may not be able to do so with a club or her fists. And that is one reason why a firearm is often the best choice for self-defense.

But there are many cases where an attacker – or a victim – has been shot in the heart and lived, or survived long enough, to injure or kill the other person. And this holds true for handguns, rifles, and shotguns. In fact, handguns are not very good at stopping an attack compared to other firearms. They are often used though because they are handy and easy to carry. If you are defending yourself in your own home though, ease of carrying probably is not a big concern.

Which Gun is Best for Home Defense? Handgun, Shotgun, & AR-15 All Work, but the AR-15 Might Be Your Best Choice

This is a wound track and recovered projectile left when a Hornady (www.hornady.com ) 9mm Critical Duty 135-grain FTX round is fired into bare ballistic gelatin. The bullet penetrated 15.25 inches and the maximum width of the wound cavity was 2.25 inches. (Image courtesy of Hornady)

Shotguns, whether firing a slug, buckshot or even birdshot, are very effective at stopping an attacker at the close ranges most often encountered inside a home. While buckshot or a slug increases the effective range of a shotgun and can inflict a lot of damage to an attacker, at the close range typical inside a house, even birdshot is devastating. The pattern is not large because pellets don’t spread very much at close range, even with no choke. Instead, the pellets strike en masse. If you don’t believe it, fire birdshot at a paper target from around five yards and measure the size of the pattern. It’s going to be only a few inches and will leave a big hole in the paper.

Which Gun is Best for Home Defense? Handgun, Shotgun, & AR-15 All Work, but the AR-15 Might Be Your Best Choice

When Hornady fired its 12 gauge 00 buckshot into bare ballistic gelatin, this was the result. The wound cavity is devastating, indicating the round would do a lot of damage to the flesh of an attacker. (Image courtesy of Hornady)

A rifle or carbine chambered in .223 Remington or 5.56x45mm NATO with proper bullets delivers a lot of energy at close range and can inflict a very severe wound. Sure, the bullet diameter is less than a quarter of an inch and the bullet weight is pretty light compared to many rifle rounds, but it makes up for it in speed. And when the bullet strikes a person, it generally fragments unless it has a steel penetrator which is not a good choice for home defense anyway. Even full metal jacketed 55 grain .223 rounds most often fragment and deliver a lot of energy to the target causing a massive wound that has a pretty good chance, although no guarantee, of stopping an attack.

Which Gun is Best for Home Defense? Handgun, Shotgun, & AR-15 All Work, but the AR-15 Might Be Your Best Choice

The wound track in bare ballistic gelatin from firing an AR-15 using a Hornady .223 Remington 75 grain boat tail hollow point Tactical Application Police (TAP) round. The total penetration was 12.5 inches and the maximum width of the wound cavity was 5.25 inches, almost twice the width of the cavity left by a 9mm Critical Duty round. (Image courtesy of Hornady)

Despite what rumors you may have heard, generally, our Special Forces who are in the business of entering structures to find bad guys and often have to shoot them, are satisfied with the close range stopping power of the 5.56 round when using proper ammunition. Open tip 77-grain rounds like the Mk 262 Mod 1 from Black Hills Ammunition (www.black-hills.com) do a pretty good job at close range of stopping bad guys who are trying to kill our warfighters.

OVER PENETRATION

Penetrating and passing through an attacker or the wall of a dwelling and striking another person who is not a threat is a valid concern for many who use a firearm for self-defense. There could be a person on the other side of a wall who could be hurt if a bullet passes through the wall and strikes them. And that person may be your spouse or child, so limiting that risk, while using an effective cartridge, is something to consider. But there is a lot of bad information regarding over penetration and some of it is passed along by people who think they know the truth, but don’t.

This will be a big surprise to many. A .223/5.56 round, unless it has a steel penetrator, is a better choice for limiting penetration than just about any handgun round. A 9mm Luger jacketed hollow point (JHP) will pass through more house walls than almost any .223 round.

Gunsite Academy (www.gunsite.com) is in the business of training law-abiding citizens, police and the military how to fight with a gun. In 2009, Gunsite performed a series of tests to compare the penetration of typical house walls by firearm projectiles. In the June 2009 Gunsite newsletter, Ed Head, writer, Range Master, and former Gunsite operations honcho, wrote about the results.

Gunsite fired bullets through walls and measured how far they traveled. The walls consisted of drywall, insulation and exterior siding, like are found on many houses, and were constructed and arranged to mimic the rooms of a house. Test shots were fired from a distance of 21 feet into the first interior wall, and a second interior wall was placed 21 feet behind the first. The exterior wall was 21 feet behind the second wall.

From an 18 inch shotgun, 12 gauge #7 birdshot produced a fist-sized hole in the first wall and a few pellets speckled the second wall, but none penetrated it. A slug and 00 buckshot penetrated all three walls and exited the “house”.

Nine millimeter 147-grain JHP rounds fired from a full sized handgun went through all three walls. But a 55-grain FMJ .223 bullet fired from an AR-15 penetrated the first wall while only a bullet fragment struck the second interior wall and went just halfway through without exiting it. A 55 grain JSP .223 round penetrated the first wall but did not make it far enough to even strike the second wall. While these tests are not a guarantee that all similar rounds will act the same way, they do indicate that the .223/5.56 round is not the over penetrator that popular myth portrays it as.

PROS AND CONS

Handguns, both revolvers, and semi-automatics are often used for self-defense. They are easy to conceal and carry, but in your home, concealment is probably not a big concern, especially if you are sleeping in bed and the handgun is nearby for emergencies. Handguns are also harder to aim than a long gun and recoil is often more difficult to manage. They also have limited ammunition capacity compared to an AR-15 with standard capacity magazines. A handgun may be a little easier to move with through a house compared to an AR-15 or a shotgun, but in most cases, staying in one position behind cover is much safer than moving around. Besides, if the handgun is held at arm’s length in a firing position, the distance from the shooter’s back to the muzzle is only a few inches less than the same distance with an AR-15 or shotgun. For most people in most situations, those few inches are meaningless.

Which Gun is Best for Home Defense? Handgun, Shotgun, & AR-15 All Work, but the AR-15 Might Be Your Best Choice

The handgun is probably the most often used firearm for self-defense both inside and outside the home, but the main characteristic making it so common is ease of carry. Handguns are very limited in power, despite popular Hollywood myth. (Doug Larson photo)

Shotguns deliver a great deal of power to a target and can create a lot of fight stopping damage to the human body whether the payload is a slug, buckshot or even birdshot at the close ranges common to house interiors. But recoil is substantial – much greater than the recoil of an AR-15 with .223/5.56 cartridges – and may be too much for some shooters to deal with. And at the close ranges inside homes, shotguns still must be aimed or missing the target is easy, even with birdshot which does not spread as much as some people believe. However, with proper sights or even a red dot, a shotgun and an AR-15 are easier to aim than a handgun.

Which Gun is Best for Home Defense? Handgun, Shotgun, & AR-15 All Work, but the AR-15 Might Be Your Best Choice

A shotgun like this Mossberg (mossberg.com) is a very effective firearm often used in home defense. It can fire a variety of projectiles, but its magazine capacity is limited and recoil is heavy. (Doug Larson photo)

Some shotguns may have a slightly larger ammunition capacity than some handguns, especially revolvers, but it is still limited, and loading a shotgun under stress, unless very well trained, is usually slow compared to loading an AR or a semi-automatic handgun. With the frequency of home invasions by multiple criminals increasing, the home defender may need lots of ammunition at the ready. And this factor weighs heavily in favor of the AR-15 when using standard capacity 30 round magazines. I’ve never heard anyone who has been in a gunfight complain that they had too much ammunition.

There is no best gun for home defense, and all guns have characteristics for and against them. What is good for one situation is not necessarily good for all situations, just as what one person prefers is not necessarily preferred by another. Also, some people have physical limitations making one gun easier to shoot than another. The most important factor in choosing a gun for home defense is the gun’s reliability – it must fire every time the trigger is pulled – followed by the ability of the defender to shoot it well.

Which Gun is Best for Home Defense? Handgun, Shotgun, & AR-15 All Work, but the AR-15 Might Be Your Best Choice

The AR-15 chambered in .223/5.56 represented here by the SIG 516 (www.sigsauer.com) can be a very good choice for home defense because of a number of factors including ease of aiming and magazine capacity. Many police departments have replaced shotguns with AR-15s for patrol officers. (Doug Larson photo)

While the AR-15 in .223/5.56 is a good choice for most people to use in home defense, it is not for everyone. Whatever your choice is, consider the factors and choose wisely because your life may depend on it. And get good self-defense training from a competent instructor regardless of the gun you choose.

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A former Contributing and Field Editor for Guns & Ammo magazine, Doug Larson’s articles have appeared in many top firearm publications. He has completed hundreds of hours of firearm and self-defense training provided by some of the finest world class gun fighting instructors and schools. He has experience with handguns, rifles, shotguns, submachine guns, machine guns, and other crew served weapons.

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  • youcanrunnaked April 28, 2022, 2:16 pm

    Would frangible .223/5.56 ammo (fired from an 18″ barrel bullpup rifle) be good for home defense? Maybe if some barrier penetration is needed, alternating frangibles with hollow points in a magazine, or pairing two magazines, one of each, is a solution? For shotguns, would #4 buck be a better choice overall than either 00 buck or #7 bird shot?

  • Quincy M March 25, 2021, 6:06 pm

    Are you planning an article release for 2021 similar to this article anytime soon? Really enjoy reading/studying articles such as this.

    Thanks,
    Quincy

  • Mark Holcomb February 14, 2021, 12:18 pm

    If you cannot afford hollow points/expanding-type ammo, but then get a .45 ACP FMJ. Why? .45 ACP is a subsonic round and it won’t over penetrate in self defense, too.

  • Tom Benton February 17, 2020, 8:20 am

    I own a 10.5” AR pistol and a Kel Tec RDB bullpup. The Kel Tec is my go to home defense weapon. When shouldered it is shorter than extended arms presenting a handgun, and the bullpup configuration includes a 16” barrel. The Israeli’s produced the Tavor to provide a full power .223 platform that was maneuverable in tight allyways. Equiped with a Holosun circle/dot sight the RDB is light, maneuverable and sports a 30 round mag. I think the bullpup platform is the ideal home defense weapon. The Israeli’s trust their lives to it every day and time has proven their effectiveness.

  • Lance B September 30, 2019, 4:07 am

    Boy – Do *I* feel your pain! Marshall amps and drummers that play too loud for over 20 years. Tinnitus, anyone?

  • ExGob August 6, 2019, 10:34 pm

    The majority of readers who comment on this article probably have an opinion about what type of gun is best for home defense and, whatever their opinion is, they are right. At least they have a firearm and that’s where the rubber meets the road. I trust my eight round 12 gauge pump to it’s job if it ever becomes necessary.

  • BUURGA July 19, 2019, 4:29 am

    Drug store ear plugs can be put in the ears quickly and still allow hearing (which you may need to heed a police command). It is a simple and cheap way to protect your hearing. And in one is better than none, if that is preferred.

  • CliffO May 30, 2019, 8:43 am

    AR-15? Sure. Mine is in .458 SOCOM.

  • Willie-O May 29, 2019, 9:47 am

    Some of these \”preparations\” and scenarios might be a bit too intense. Backing up your laser-guided ballistic missile with an RPG in every room of the house, just in case the trip-wires and land-mines don\’t do the trick could possibly be over-kill. I\’m a former cop and believe firmly in being prepared, but an intruder or even a home invasion is NOT a large scale military invasion. When you start preparing to fire upon criminals who are fleeing or (even worse) have already exited your home and made it to their get-away vehicle, you have now joined them and are guilty of criminal actions because THEY ARE NO LONGER A THREAT !!

  • Calvin Beasley May 28, 2019, 7:21 pm

    I like what I’ve heard about the AR-15. Just wondering about price range!

  • ted May 28, 2019, 5:58 pm

    I would think that a simple point and click interface like a .38 or .357 revolver with .38 + P rounds would be the best 1/2 awake choice. Pull the trigger, it goes bang. If it does not go bang, repeat step one .

  • bill stonecipher May 28, 2019, 5:09 pm

    excellent factual article, several such I wasn’t aware of.

  • Chris May 28, 2019, 1:34 pm

    The 300 blackout, as mentioned, has been an option I have been considering. Any tests done with this round regarding home defense?

  • EX-GI May 27, 2019, 9:07 pm

    Confidence thru training and proper weapon proficiency will win the fight. To me this is more important than weapon choice. Be calm and think to win. Practice drills in the home when nobody else is home will ensure victory. A good dog or two is also a great option to add advantage, as well as plenty of security lighting. Having a meeting with all who share your home, and establishing a home security plan is also highly recomended.

    • SH June 2, 2019, 6:11 pm

      AAAAAHHHhhhhhhhh…… This sounds like common sense. Breathe in….. Breathe out……. I love fresh common sense when I can find it.

  • Irish-7 May 27, 2019, 6:01 pm

    Of the multiple firearms that I own, I prefer a Smith & Wesson Governor revolver for a home defense weapon. I like the versatility of both shot shell and large caliber bullet. Most distances inside a house are within the maximum effective range of the shot shells. Winchester, Hornady and Remington make deadly .410 defensive rounds. I load chambers 1, 3 & 5 with Winchester PDX-1, Remington Home Defense and Hornady Critical Defense respectively. I load the even chambers with 300 grain .45 LC “Bear Loads”. I keep the Governor next to the bed when I turn in. I also have access to MY EDC, a .45 ACP and there are a few other weapons hidden throughout the house.

  • Brock Auten May 27, 2019, 5:19 pm

    Great article! This confirms why I use the AR-15. Well written everyone needs to read this article that has a home defense weapon.

  • johnnyraygun May 27, 2019, 5:05 pm

    Well if you leave your hearing protection on, waiting for cops, you might not be the smartest person in the room.

  • Mike V May 27, 2019, 4:19 pm

    My experience is limited, but from what I’ve seen, I can get someone one new to guns up and running quicker with an AR than a semi auto handgun.

  • JCitizen May 27, 2019, 4:06 pm

    Over penetration and hitting the neighbors is a top issue to me. I am worried enough that I might not pull the trigger when I should. I like this article, and agree with the premise. I’ve been hunting with .223 varmint rounds for years, and sometimes they can’t even make it passed a leaf or a blade of grass, so I always wondered why gun authors claimed they’d shoot clear through the house. Perhaps they were using surplus M855 steel core ammo, I don’t know. I think I’ll stick with my AR-57, which should have similar statistics, as it is a light bullet, and breaks up at close range. It has just enough penetration to do it right close up. Hope I’m right.

    I also agree with one of the comments here about having a Ruger 10/22 with say a 25 round clip; I’ve witnessed several home accidents with 22s that didn’t make it through a wall – but those were old homes with thick plasterboard walls and bridge plank outer sheathing, so that might not be a prudent comparison – I’d still say it’s better, especially if it is the only rifle you own.

  • Pat Swayne May 27, 2019, 3:21 pm

    My choice for home defense is an AR-15 with a .300 BLK upper, and subsonic hollow point rounds. I want to stop the intruder, not shoot through him.

  • srsquidizen May 27, 2019, 3:19 pm

    Because you shouldn’t bother. As they say “when you’ve got seconds to live the police are only minutes away” and I personally wouldn’t waste any of those seconds fumbling in the dark to install range gear on my head.

    Occasional unprotected gunfire rarely causes permanent hearing loss so you have to weigh risk to your life vs. risk to your ears. Permanent loss is usually from doing an unnaturally loud activity (shooting is just one) over a long period of time. Part of mine is likely from playing in rock bands in my younger days.

  • Cary Kieffer May 27, 2019, 3:00 pm

    I don’t think it matters what you have so much as it matters that it is a quality weapon, loaded with quality ammunition and more importantly you regularly train with it….backing up another step, situational awareness and a smart dog or two. You could have a nuke…but if you don’t know you’re in trouble…paying attention and a good dog to tell you about the stuff you didn’t hear is even more important than a weapon choice.

    I got stuff tucked away in every room, they are anything from 9mm to 5.56, 12 gauge to 458 SOCOM. Who cares which one, they all work. Just train with them and most importantly be one step ahead of your trouble maker because you or your dog was paying attention.

  • No1hunter May 27, 2019, 2:13 pm

    In this day and age of liberal prosecutors, judges, and juries, putting on hearing protection may just get your prosecuted for not fleeing or for unjustified homicide. If you had time to protect your hearing, your life may not have been in all that much danger according to this anti-gun liberals.

  • DEFENDER May 27, 2019, 1:43 pm

    1 – An AR “can” be a good choice. But:
    – Penetration tests I have seen show they over-penetrate
    “much” more than 1 wall. And they take more training to operate well.

    2 – Operating the AR Platform is typically not as easy as a Pistol.
    It does take some training and practice to operate it well – especially under pressure.
    Surprised, 1/2 awake, in the dark ? etc ??
    From experience/history we know people will NOT get the training, nor practice they need
    for whatever gun they have.

    3 – As Stated a Std size AR is much less “Handy” ie more difficult to maneuver than a pistol.
    Depending on the home set-up it can be Very Difficult.

    For “Most” I recommend a Semi-Auto 9mm Pistol w/Gun mounted Light, Defensive HP ammo.
    And Especially – At least some “Actual” TRAINING.

  • D.J. May 27, 2019, 12:47 pm

    The author is correct in suggesting that one size does
    not fit all . Many factors will influence ones choice of
    weapon in a home defense situation.
    Use what best suits your needs / abilities. What is most
    comfortable & controllable for ones attributes .
    What is my choice of firearm , certainly will not work for
    my Wife . As well as her choice may not fit my needs .
    The important fact is , can rounds be delivered, consistently
    in ” the Ten-ring ” with ease and comfort .
    When the ” fit hits the Shan ” , accurate and dependable fire ,
    in my humble opinion , will rule the day .

  • Bradford Hays May 27, 2019, 12:33 pm

    The purpose of a handgun is to fight your way to a rifle — Question answered !

  • Bob May 27, 2019, 11:56 am

    The author is pretty much spot on with his assessment of of firearms and the tactical use thereof; but I do take issue with the worn out “personal preference” line of reasoning. A poor choice of firearm is a poor choice. As a couple of others stated, a 10″ AR variant, SBR or pistol w/brace, cannot be improved on by the average bear. Shotguns are bulky, heavy, kick like a mule, and are prone to doing excessive damage with their limited number of rounds. A pistol is just to buy you a few seconds to get to the short AR. I’d rather engage with a Ruger 10/22 and a couple of 30 round mags, than a conventional handgun.

  • Dr Motown May 27, 2019, 11:18 am

    Suppressors eliminate most of that, even inside closed quarters

  • Brian O'Connell May 27, 2019, 11:12 am

    Our misguided prime minister, Trudeau, is about to ban AR15 type sporting rifles from Canada. They will be prohibited from 01 June 2019. He plans to announce this politically biased plan on the occasion of the visit of the New Zealand PM. Another photo op for a vote hungry PM facing the reality of losing the October federal election.

  • Fred scarcelli May 27, 2019, 10:44 am

    The 5.56 not over penetrating is news to me. That is surprising.

    As far as keeping hearing protection nearby, not to be a dick but to me that makes no sense. First it’s An extra step when your life is on the line. Second I want to be able to hear perfectly. I have electronic ear muffs and yes they are better than standard but still don’t hear as perfect as no protection.

    As far as losing your hearing from one time discharge without protections is BS. I accidentally discharged my .12 gage one time. Stupid mistake yes but pointed in safe direction etc. I didn’t lose any hearing and it’s loud as anything out there.

    Odds of having to use your weapon to defend yourself in your home are low. I’ll take chances on no hearing protection. Lol.

  • KCsmith May 27, 2019, 9:11 am

    Bird shot is for birds. Period.
    Any time someone recommends bird shot for a home defense gun, you can immediately tell they don’t know what they are talking about and any further recommendations should be completely ignored.

  • AL-G. May 27, 2019, 7:49 am

    A .38 (Or .357) with a 6 inch barrel should be a consideration because you can maintain cover and accuracy compared to exposing yourself to get the shot-off with an AR.

  • Pa John May 27, 2019, 7:49 am

    Unless you want to go through life wondering why everybody mumbles and whispers, forcing you to constantly ask “what?” and asking people to repeat what they just said, you might want to consider keeping a set of electronic earmuffs close by your house gun(s) as well. This is especially important if you are going to go with a shotgun or rifle (or a rifle style “pistol” with a brace), as those AR’s and AK’s and such are both far more powerful and LOUDER than handguns. And even firing a just small caliber handgun in a small enclosed space could be plenty bad enough on your eardrums…

    No, there is obviously no guarantee that you will have time to put them on in a case of emergency – such as if you awaken to someone already in your bedroom, but, if you DO have a moment or two to wake up, realize you are hearing noises of someone breaking into your house (or already inside) or some situation like that, you would conveniently have those electronic ear muffs right there to quickly put on your head and crank the volume knob(s) up, possibly even improving your hearing over normal with sufficient amplification if you so choose. If shots are then fired in a worst case situation, you would then likely be the only one in the building still able to hear well at that moment in time, possibly giving you a crucial advantage.

    We’ve all read how some people like wearing electronic earmuffs for hunting, hiking and going out bird watching and such, where the better quality models give sufficient amplification to actually improve your hearing over normal, or conversely, say if you have better hearing on one side than the other, you could crank the bad side up a bit more and use them as a kind of user adjustable hearing aids, to be able to hear more like you used to again. You get the general idea.

    As far as an advantage for home defense use goes, maybe just keep a set with good batteries in them close by your home defense firearm(s) – if you have time to put them on when the time comes, GREAT. If not, well, no harm done…!

  • Sepp W May 25, 2019, 7:17 pm

    I don’t know all about that. I keep a Mossberg 500 Trench gun in the closet loaded with 3 inch 00. In the night stand a Colt New Agent with Federal Premium HST 45 ACP +P.

    Whatever happens someone will get carried out.

  • Will Drider May 25, 2019, 3:47 pm

    I am surprised that a shorter and handier AR pistol with or without a “brace” was not considered. A gas piston Sig P556 has a 10 inch barrel and AOL of only 21.5 inches without brace, folded brace adds about 2 inches but better stability when employed. Velocity loss from a 16 to a 10 inch won’t reduce lethality much at interior distances but it would further reduce over penetration. Topped off with a 6 MOA Dot would be icing on the cake.

    This P556 (W/O brace) has been my urban “truck gun” for a long time, in addition to my CCW. FL allows citizens to have a loaded “handgun” in their vehicle (must be encased but no lock or 3 step foolishness). Keep it handy: truck gun, house gun: double duty.

  • TRUBRIT May 24, 2019, 9:12 am

    Surprised you did not mention a short barrel AR in 300 Blk? How about 220g subs even if you not have a silencer? You get the easy to handle and high capacity AR without the risk of over penetration using high velocity rounds and blowing out your eardrums. Nobody mentions keeping earplugs with their Home defence weapon. Why is that? The new electronic options still allow you to hear normal sounds but protect against the high decibels.

    • J smith May 27, 2019, 6:04 am

      A 300 blk, 220g OTM from a 10.5” barrel penetrated 8” of solid oak, landing in the 4×4 behind it. Doubtful it would make a good home defense round. Due to low velocity, the round does not open or deform and the high sectional density and high mass make it a deep penetrator.223/5.56 with 40 or 55g v-max are highly effective in home defense situations with very little over-penetration issues. High velocity, light round, thin jacket, explosive in the first 2-4”, it fragments and does not penetrate.I opulent recommend any TAP barrier rounds for home defense. Any high velocity, light for caliber, thin jacket rounds should do relatively well in home defense situations.Just a couple of options.
      Option#1
      A shotgun with 2 rounds of bird shot, then 2 rounds of buck shot (any size), then 2 rounds of copper slugs.The theory is this: hit the first guy that enters the house with the bird shot, perp #2 takes cover and fires, he gets the buck shot, perp#3 takes cover at the vehicle and fires, he gets the copper slugs. The slugs will go through most of the car minus the engine block and brake rotors. The rest of the car is fair game.Option #2
      An AR or AR pistol with Wilde chamber keep two mags put together with a magpul coupler, keep one mag loaded with 40g v-max, (Fiochi or hornady). Load the second mag with 55g TAP barrier. Fills same role as the 2-2-2 shotgun concept. Perps enter house get the 40g v-max, perps that take cover and fire get the TAP barrier.The blast from an AR and AR pistol in a confined space such as a house is like a stun grenade going off. If you don’t run a suppressor or a something like a flaming pig. This is not a recommended option. Plus the fireball in low light is blinding and extremely distracting. A short barrel (legal length) shotgun with a pistol grip is maneuverable and the blast is tolerable and affordable.

  • piper May 24, 2019, 4:54 am

    Steyr AUG would be the best choice.

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