Need advice on selecting a Pistol

[Eric Gregg]

Guys,
It is becoming ever more evident to me that in our current times it is beneficial to have some form of protection in your home and your vehicle. I have hunting guns but nothing that would be good for personal defense.
I am looking to get a pistol and want to know if anyone can advise what would be best for totting in vehicle and in home defense
Open for suggestions so pour them on........

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

Glock 26.

It's the subcompact 9.  Easy to conceal while on your person and easy to store in confined areas.

Additionally, it's a 9mm so it's cheap to shoot, moderate on recoil( if you're going to be teaching your wife, kids, gf, etc), and widely available.

[Deputy 14]

Find a reputable brand pistol that fits you good and buy enough caliber, I feel anything less than a 9mm is not enough for personal defense.  I prefer a Sig Sauer 239 for off duty carry.

[shadetree callers]

 I carry a Glock 36 . This packs alot more punch than any 9mm will . It is .45acp and will stop an attacker in his tracks .

[CASH]

If you're not familiar with handguns and have an indoor gun range close by, most of them rent guns to shoot.  Talk to the people that run it and shoot different models in different calibers.

Right now I carry an Springfield Armory XD40.  Very good gun.

Depending on how much you want to spend on the gun and ammo, there's a lot of good guns out there.

IMO the tops in no particular order are Sig Sauer, Glock, HK, S&W. 

If you want to get into the HIGH dollar stuff, Kimber, Ed Brown, etc.

[howl]

Nothing beats a shotgun for home defense. Short barreled turkey guns and home defense shotguns are about the same thing.

Handguns need to fit your hand. Go to a range and try different ones until you find one that hits where you point it at close range. The short list for serious personal defense cartridges is .357, .40 S&W, .44 Special and .45 ACP.

[Skeeterbait]

short barrel shotgun is the best home defense weapon.  And don't let anyone advise you that small pellet loads are good for defense.  Nothing smaller than #4 buck.

You said car and not personal carry.  Consider where in the car you want to carry and can conceal but get too fast.  Then consider the type of handgun based on that.  If you aren't familiar with Autos then don't feel you are short changing yourself with a revolver, especially if you plan to teach wife to shoot it.  An all steel Smith and Wesson J frame 357 revolver is excellent self defense weapon and you can practice with and let the wife shoot .38 special.

If you are very familiar or willing to learn about autos then only two things matter, reputation for reliability and cartridge size.  Nothing smaller than 9MM !  Practice with what you want but only premium self defense hollow point ammunition is acceptable to stake your life on.

If you ever decide to carry on your person that opens a whole new outlook on proper weapon and carry style.  Wont get into that here since you didnt indicate you were interested.  But even to carry in the car you need to learn your state's concealed carry laws and apply for a carry permit.  Also need to learn the reciprocal agreements for other states you may plan to visit with gun in vehicle.

[Eric Gregg]

Thanks for all of the input.
To be more specific, I want something small but packs enough punch for stopping someone. I grew up around shooting all of my life, and my dad was a police officer who carried a 357 Taurus when on duty. He loved the 357.

I want something short with enough stopping power, but will not recoil like being kicked by a mule.

[Deputy 14]

I would look at a 357 sig calibered semi auto then. Same ballistics as 357 mag and recoil is very manageable.  Plus the added value of more than six rounds.

[Tail Feathers]

If you're an inexperienced handgunner, try a .38 revolver or a 9 mm semi-auto.
S&W makes a great revolver, Taurus isn't bad.

Glock guns are point and shoot semi-autos.  Easy to handle, clean and shoot.  Tough as nails.  CASH named off some other good brands.

If you're a shooter, you can easily handle a .40.  A baby Glock or Springfield Armory compact may just fill the ticket.
Whatever you get, practice some and put some good ammo in it and enjoy.

[Skeeterbait]

based on what you said about wanting small but enough stoping power and managable, I would recommend looking at the Smith and Wesson model 60 with three inch barrel.  It is all steel and solidly reliable.  You can load this gun in three very effective power levels depending on the shooter's ability with Federal Hydra-Shok ammunition by going with .38 special managed recoil, standard .38 special, or .357.  This gives you the ability to increase the power of the gun as your ability improves.  You will hear some traditionalists whine about the lock but relax, there has never been a recorded case of a Smith and Wesson gun failing to fire because of a malfunctioning lock.  And the lock can be reassuring when there are children around.  it has adjustable sights and is surprisingly easy to shoot accurately.  And a set of full size Crimson Trace laser grips really makes the gun fun and easy to shoot.

[Skeeterbait]

As many people do John, there is plenty of info on this debate all over the internet and we won't resolve it here.  Just suffice to say, if a person has on a leather jacket or winter coat, all you are likely to do is bruse him with bird shot.  It likely wont even knock him off his feet.  If it won't penetrate walls is isn't going to reach the vitals of a bad guy.

For anyone interested, read the paragraphs at the bottom of this page titled Birdshot as a defense load.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot3_2.htm

[Ol'Mossy]

I carry a Ruger GP100 357 mag 6" barrel double action

Use can also shoot 38 specials from the same pistol

[vaturkey]

The Taurus Judge is pretty nasty for home defense. Loaded with the Fed. Personal Defense round.

3  00 Buck under a 410 Slug ! 

[bird]

I have a pistol grip 18" riot gun loaded with 00buck for the house and a Taurus 24/07 OSS .45ACP which is deadly accurate even out to 50+ yards. Just get whatever you feel comfortable with.