Personal defense

[GoldCoast]

Get a decent 18" barrel shotgun or a Glock with night sights. Either one should function reliably, and both have their merits. With the shotgun stick to light loads, or for the Glock frangible ammo. I am a fan of 9mm, but opinions vary. Whatever you choose you don't want to over-penetrate your walls and kill a loved one or neighbor.

The key to defending yourself is to practice with it until you know for a fact you can use it in the dark, when you just woke up, and when your heart is going 200bpm. That's the only time you are ever going to need it. A man with one gun he uses well is more dangerous than a poser with ten guns who can't use any of them. Both times someone tried to break into my house a pistol is what I had close to hand. That is why it always winds up next to the bed instead of in the gun safe - it is just easier to live with.

Your motion lights and dog are your best first line, and evidence of sound planning. That will keep you safer than any cool guy shit on the market. You can always plant some pricker bushes by your windows, too.

I'm sure someone will be along with gun savvy technical and training advice shortly.

[K.Ingraham]

Your motion lights and dog are your best first line, plant some pricker bushes by your windows, .

The proverbial ounce of prevention trumps the pound of cure every day.
Proper firearms storage and pre-planning, as advised by GC, is part of that. But lock the gun away when you leave. The burglars know where people "hide" their guns and that's the first thing they steal.

My brother once bought a doberman and had a 'cleverly hidden' pistol as part of his security plan. One break-in. Two things stolen. Your guess as to the two things that were missing when he got home.

[RSOVRanger]

Dog don't do shit if you don't train it. Now that I had to replace my german shepherd bitch with a new german shepherd, I can't trust him to do anything but bark for the next couple years, if I even trust him for home defense after that.

[RangerX]

Get a small dog or a goose. Both will incessantly yap at any living thing outside. Of course goose shit is a bitch to get out of carpet.

[K.Ingraham]

Get a small dog or a goose. Both will incessantly yap at any living thing outside. Of course goose shit is a bitch to get out of carpet.

Goose shit is the slipperiest slime there is so it makes a great outer security ring. :D while yapdogs are self defeating - they promote extreme violence in neighborhoods.
Take the little yapper next door. It inhales through it's asshole. It has to. Its yapping is so constant that if it needed to inhale the normal way, it would suffocate. Now if you all will excuse me, I have some business next door. Starting with that little rodent-dog...

[GoldCoast]

Your motion lights and dog are your best first line, plant some pricker bushes by your windows, .

The proverbial ounce of prevention trumps the pound of cure every day.
Proper firearms storage and pre-planning, as advised by GC, is part of that. But lock the gun away when you leave. The burglars know where people "hide" their guns and that's the first thing they steal.

My brother once bought a doberman and had a 'cleverly hidden' pistol as part of his security plan. One break-in. Two things stolen. Your guess as to the two things that were missing when he got home.

Roger that - I never leave a gun laying around my house. When I go out a pistol goes with me, and everything else goes in the safe. It's usually the pistol that winds up next to the bed at night. Perhaps I could have been more clear on that.