Barrel Length and Home Defense

In the past 10 years I have been looking closer at firearms designed for home defense. Seeing the following video on tv a while back, in conjunction with the story of the couple in Florida a while back made it more important to me.



Story of Florida couple

These situations equated to close quarters battle against multiple assailants. I believe that the immoral and unstable nature of things today make firearm ownership and proficiency, especially for home defense, more important than ever.

Many manufacturers today are creating models specifically designed for this one aspect. That being said, is it ever likely to repeal some aspects of the National Firearms Act, specifically on the barrel length restrictions, so that home defense weapons can be made that are more ideal for home defense?

I personally would like to see the civilian semi-auto versions of the Kriss Super V Vector and PS90 with barrel lengths equivalent of their military counterparts.

Considering a bullpup rifle can put a legal length muzzle at the same point as a the muzzle on military spec regular carbine, the barrel length only affects longer range performance, and only hinders close quarters home defense.

[edit on 17-3-2010 by Wolf321]

Personal preference. Shot guns are ever popular. Then again what's you budget?

10-14 inches is a good length for CQB. Pistols are great for home defense, such as the judge w/.410 load. Heck you could use a musket if your a felon.

I love my AK47 w/my .44 DE or FN 5.7x28.

16" is the legal minimum, just so you know, unless you want to pay for your god given right.

PS90 has a 16" barrel, but I'm sure you can find the short barrel for it.

reply to post by oppaperclip


The restrictions or limitations on ammo capacity of shotguns can be a problem if there is more than one assailant

I follow the mantra, your pistol/revolver is only supposed to get you to your long gun. This is primarily due to the ammo size and capacity. I still would want a double digit capacity pistol, but I would want to get to a 30 round magazine as soon as possible.

I think things should changed to make it legal for barrels sub 16".

[edit on 18-3-2010 by Wolf321]

Why the desire for the pistol-calibre carbines you cite? The Kriss is overly large for what it delivers, even with the short barrel, and the P90 has not had great reports when using standard ammo. A decent, service-sized pistol and a pump gun with a 6+ capacity tube will see off any threat you could hope to face in the real world of home defence.

My first choice would always be a shotgun, preferably pump, loaded with 6+1 of at least #4 shot. The pure presence of this will usuallly put off any potential nasties, and it can back itself up if it doesn't. It is more likely to stop an attacker with one shot. Contrary to popular belief pistols/SMGs etc usually require multiple shots to stop attacks. You will have to justify every shot you took afterwards. It is easier to justify one shot than four. While you won't be thinking about it at the time, you are thinking about it now. This is the time to be addressing these issues, not after the deed.

Home defence is the scenario that I would advocate a large pistol firing lots of big, f***-off rounds, as concealment is not a priority. Something along the lines of a Glock 21 would do the business nicely (go for the 21C if recoil is a concern). If you can't sort out a home defence situation with 13+1 rounds of .45ACP then you shouldn't be shooting. There's even the Para-Ordinance range for those of you obsessed with 1911-style frames.

As an aside, fit all home defence firearms with a torch (or flashlight if you're from the colonies), as 80+% of home defence shootings happen in low- or no-light conditions. Again, easier to justify your shoot if you can see the target as opposed to firing when essentially blind.

I do own a PS-90 and have been actively looking for the shorter barrel to no avail. And to respond to Paddy, I have had none of those issues with it and I have fired about 3000 rounds out of it so far. When I bought my first handgun I enrolled in a local home defense/cqb class that the school that I got my CWP from was teaching. Some of the best money I ever spent I would reccommend anyone who is serious about defnding your castle at least look into it.

PaddyInf makes some good points about most shootings occuring in low light situations in which case you would best off to have a pair of night vision goggles handy and access to your circuit breaker to cut off all lights. Put em' in the dark then go take them at your leisure.

The guns you linked looked pretty sharp (and Pricey!) but perhaps you don;t want bullets flying through your walls or your neighbors. That's why a shotgun with 00 buckshot is most commonly recommended for home defense.
Give me a Benelli autoloader any day and if the SHTF no one is going to care about gun laws any more so just hacksaw the barrel down if things get that bad.

I'm not sure what the video was supposed to illustrate other than bad guys sometimes drive nice cars.

If there is an intruder in your home you get everyone safe if you can in one room and call the cops and wait. You should never head out to confront the intruder. When cops do that it's a stack with body armor usually followed by a flash or gas. You in your PJ's with whatever gun isnt an acceptable alternative.

With a shotgun or rifle you generally need two hands to manipulate it. Do you have little kids to shuffle along? Gonna get that phone or flashlight working with your toes? Careful with those gun mounted flashlights. Your attacker wont always be in front of both the barrel and the light and if your using the light to get to the safe room how can your gun be pointed in the direction you may need to defend?

This is why I believe a handgun to be a better choice. By the bed or wherever you may be a handgun, cell phone, flashlight. If your plan is in case of emergency to gather everyone into a back bedroom and wait for the cops go ahead and keep a shotgun in there. Once everyone is in there, the cops are called, there is only one door in or out you can sit behind that door all night long with that shotgun. Just make sure you announce you have that gun should the intruder come knocking on th door or fiddling with the knob and stay on the line with 911 because a record of events is key to getting you out of manslaughter or murder.

And when the cops come put that gun down far away from you and get on the ground. You dont want to get shot.

No situation is the same and there are a lot of variables but the constants are that you are not wearing body armor and backed up by a trained team and having a gun in your hand when the cops show up will not be fun.


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Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
If there is an intruder in your home you get everyone safe if you can in one room and call the cops and wait. You should never head out to confront the intruder. When cops do that it's a stack with body armor usually followed by a flash or gas. You in your PJ's with whatever gun isnt an acceptable alternative.

Completely agree with your first paragraph. After taking basic CQB training, its a situation you don't ever want to get into. There's a reason why SWAT and military train on constantly. Its a fluid and dangerous scenario.

Worse part of clearing your home is going thru fatal funnels (aka, any door). If bad guys are in a room and you open that room's door, gun barrels will be focused on whatever comes thru that door. If you can avoid it, do so. But if a loved one is behind that room, you gotta do what you gotta do.

You'd be amazed how many hiding places there are in your home. I recommend using a toy gun and try and clear your home at night with the lights on and off. You'll discover choke points and blind spots. It helps you "strategize" your home, like placing mirrors at specific areas to view around corners or into rooms.

As for a pistol being preferred choice of home defense, that is your choice. Each person has their own opinion and I respect that. No one should tell you how to defend your home.

Personally, my preferred home defense weapon is my tactical shotgun. I go by these sayings, "Never bring a knife to a gun fight." "Never bring a pistol to a rifle fight." and "Plan for the worst, hope for the best." Give yourself as much advantage as you can. Because the bad guy already has the initiative and more advantage than you. That's why I like the shotgun. Easy to use and maintain. Plus, shotgun has an automatic audio response system:

racking shotgun => universal translator => GET OUT!

Everyone knows what a shotgun sounds like, and its loud and clear. Plus, everyone know how devastating shotguns can be. Put fear in your enemies and you may win without ever firing a shot.

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere

With a shotgun or rifle you generally need two hands to manipulate it. Do you have little kids to shuffle along? Gonna get that phone or flashlight working with your toes? Careful with those gun mounted flashlights. Your attacker wont always be in front of both the barrel and the light and if your using the light to get to the safe room how can your gun be pointed in the direction you may need to defend?

There lies a difference in training. I take it you are advocating the old 'move in one direction while pointing the weapon in another' type move? This usually proves to be less than efficient in real life for a number of reasons.

First, the weapons muzzle will be all over the place. It will not just be pointing where you want it to be while moving.

Second, if you are moving (and looking) in one direction with the weapon pointing down the direction you came from, then what is to stop the intruder from grabbing the weapon while you look the other way?

Third, the weapon should be pointing where your eyes are. Otherwise how will you know when to fire and use your sights?

I'm a 2 gun man myself when I get the chance. However I believe that either a shotgun or large calibre/capacity handgun will be good choices. I just prefer the shotty. There's just less compromise.

I agree that a shotgun has good stopping power, and in a pump model, an intimidation factor that may avoid an actual shootout. I posted the video to show that aside from multiple assailants, one is carrying an AR type weapon. Between the group of them, there is a chance of them having upwards of 50+ rounds to unload on the homeowner. Additionally, I posted the link to the story of the family in Florida to show that an invading party can consist of many, many people.

In both of these situations, I would want to have a rifle with upwards of 30 rounds. The biggest problem I see with ARs and carbines that hold these capacities, the barrels often are longer then they need to be for effective home defense.

Does anyone else see the NFA regulation on barrel length out dated or completely unnecessary?

reply to post by Wolf321


Good point about using an AR as primary defense. You never know how many are invading your home. Its widely known gangs send members to the military to return and train their fellow gang members.

I have thought about using a tactical AR as a primary. But fear of .223 rounds over penetrating into my neighbors house scares me. Remember, you are LIABLE for every bullet that leaves your barrel. There are special ammo available that reduces over penetration.

As for my boomstick (aka, shotgun), it has a high capacity tube, side saddle and shell holders (see pix). Plus, it doesn't hurt having spare ammo boxes lying around your bedroom.

Shotgun ShellHolder

Don't forget taclights. Make sure it is a true taclight. Some companies market wannabe flashlights as taclights but are no way near anything tactical. I prefer dedicated taclights on all long rifles and regular taclights with handguns.

Remember: Train, Train, Train. SWAT and military special forces train hours each day to stay razor edge. Shooting doesn't come naturally. For civilians, we obviously don't have the budget to shoot hundreds of rounds per day let alone train that long. Dry Practice with your firearm 15 minutes a day will help improve your skills.