Due to the experience, knowledge of the industry and skill level of the staff at the Loadout Room, we wanted to weigh in on home defense firearms. There are plenty of internet commandos that are quick to either recommend or shit talk certain firearms when it comes to defending your home, your castle. It’s time to put the internet commandos to bed and drop some solid advice.
For this article, I polled the writers of the Loadout Room and told them to tell me in one or two paragraphs why they chose the weapon they did for defending their home. Here is what we came up with.
“My Glock 17 is one of my oldest guns, with one of the highest round counts. It is highly maneuverable, accurate and easily concealable regarding pre-action concerns in a house with children. At home defense distances, quality 9mm ammo has proven many times to be effective, and I’m so comfortable with this gun I can reflexively point-shoot accurately. It has proven over thousands of rounds to be exceedingly reliable and every possibly manipulation with this gun is muscle memory by now.” – Rex Nanorum
“My home defense gun is a Sig P225 in 9mm accompanied by a Streamlight ProTac HL flashlight. I chose the Sig P225 because most of the time it’s my CCW weapon and I feel very relaxed and comfortable when using it. I chose to use a pistol because with a shoulder that has been twice rebuilt and scheduled for a 3rd rebuild, the recoil of a shotgun isn’t something I want to deal with. My chose of ammunition for my home gun is the Hornady 115 gr FTX Critical Defense. In the future if I can find a weapon mounted light I like I will be transitioning over to my much newer Glock 19 set up that also has Trijicon sights for easier use in low light. Adapting to your conditions even in home defense is a major key to increasing your odds of success.” – Rick Dembroski
“My primary choice for a home defense firearm is the Sig Sauer P320 RX Compact (9mm). The primary reason for going with Sig in general is the combination of reliability and performance for the price (I also happen to think it is a sexy looking pistol). I like the compact model based on personal preference for how it performs between zero to 10 yards and how it is weighted for my shooting style. The RX (reflex sight) is a fairly new for me but now that I’ve gotten used it and I wouldn’t want to go without. I also have a Streamlight TLR-1 HL weaponlight attached for low light settings and it works great with this pistol. It is such a great pistol to shoot and in spite of any negative press it has received, I’m sticking with this as my primary option for a long time” – Nick Coffman
“Choosing a home defense weapon should encompass many questions. What firearm are you comfortable and confident with? What’s the layout of your home? Where are the other members of your family sleeping? And finally, do I have a solid plan in the event of an intruder? For me, a carbine or shotgun would be cumbersome in my home. So the FNX-45 Tactical is my go-to pistol for home defense. Packing 15 +1 devastating rounds of Federal Premium 165 Gr Hydro Shock, I’m very confident in it’s stopping power. That’s 2475 Grains per mag! Stored in a discreet Tactical Walls unit in my bedroom, I can quickly access the pistol and get to my bedroom doorway.
While my wife barricades herself in the master bathroom with a Glock 19 and a view of the bedroom doorway, I take up a position behind a structural post on my stairway. From there, I have a good view of both kids rooms and the front door. Although the FNX-45 Tactical includes night sights, I’ve mounted a Streetlight TLR-1 HL (High Lumen) light. This weapon light will certainly buy me some time to identify the threat when their vision is disrupted by the blinding 800 lumens of white light. Bottom line, train regularly with the weapon you choose and develop a detailed plan with your family members. This way, you set up the most predictable outcome to a potentially deadly situation.” – Erik Meisner
“My home defense firearm of choice is the Glock 19 with hollow point ammunition. Handguns are what I spend a large majority of my time training with, so I opt to use the firearm that I’m most proficient with. As you can see in the photo, I keep it simple with the aftermarket parts. The most upgrades any of my Glocks have are aftermarket sights and Talon Grips. The sights shown here are from Dawson Precision which features a fiber optic front and serrated black rear sight. This isn’t to say I oppose the brute effectiveness of a shotgun though. My Remington 870 used to be my home defense weapon and the Mossberg 590 may eventually become the successor. The most important element in all of this is training. Having a badass gun means nothing if you can’t shoot.” – Matt Jin
“I chose the classic Remington 870 12 gauge shotgun as my home defense weapon. The reasoning behind this is threefold; the first being I live in an apartment complex and the thought of inadvertently injuring a neighbor with 5.56 from an AR platform doesn’t sit well with me. The second and primary reason is I have seen people wake up in a stressful situation and attempt to have fine motor skills. Spoiler alert, no one is as good as they think they are in that situation. The final reasoning is I live with my girlfriend and she is decent with a rifle and pistol but the reliability of 12ga buckshot at close range cannot be beaten for someone in her shoes at 1 am. I grew up with a classic 870 as my slug gun for turkey hunting and it seemed a natural choice as it is reasonably priced, simple to operate, and very reliable. I opted for the tactical express model and it works awesome as my home defense piece and as a range gun as well always performing when I need it. I also keep my EDC Glock 19 Gen 3 beside the bed as my back up along with my Surefire G2X Pro.” – Tanner Hodges
“A question that always is asked as a firearms instructor, why did you choose a particular firearm? I have always chosen a 1911 .45 cal with 230 grain Home defense program. The first reason is the caliber of the round and I will not overly whelm the brain-housing group but all data suggests that the round has the best ‘real-world’ stopping power. Additionally, the velocity of the round dramatically reduces itself over all other rounds and calibers. Which means, I don’t worry about killing my neighbors, where the round hits “it hurts” and distracts the advisories will to continue. I also know and have seen drywall not breached, or dramatically reduced for penetration. Which correlates to not killing your kids if they are in a room that happens to be in the line of fire; hopefully you have a safe room and have moved the kids there before you engaged. These are a few reasons why I chose a 1911 and .45 cal 230-grain program.” – Richard Moore
“I chose the Scorpion because of its more compact than a rifle and more precise than a pistol.
This CZ has been modified to fit my needs with various HBI parts such as their handguard, mag release, and safety. I use the Tail-hook pistol brace, one that I find far superior to any other brace on the market. For lighting up the hallways I use a Surefire Scout mounted to a LaRue Tactical mount. I maintained stock CZ iron sights, however, they are supplemented with a Trijicon MRO also on a LaRue QD mount.
The CZ is a definite combat multiplier that I would trust in any engagement. The reliable platform eats any ammunition I throw in it and aftermarket parts are vastly available. In the future, I may also purchase the carbine model to have another weapon that uses the same mags and ergonomics.” – William Hoyt
