Honest Opinion on home defense rifle

[346ci]

A 12.5" 5.56 or 6.8 with a SAS Reaper is my hd, 2 30rd Lancers clamped together. Even with the can that sob is loud inside. If I could not use that, a 18" Beretta 1301 w/ buckshot.

What ever route you choose to go, get some training or start attending some local 2 or 3 gun matches.

Unless you go Fort Knox on making entry hard, they will find a way to get in. As much as it would suck, I'd start considering a move...

 

[ELCO82]

Looks on a dog matters, but lots of tests have been done that many imposing breeds may act differently than expected when an attack by multiple people happens. Surprisingly enough, Rhodesian Ridgebacks have some of the best records of not backing down in a violent home encounter.
The thing with a dog is, that it has to fit with your family and your lifestyle, dogs are an integral part of your family.

I agree. Wasn't trying to allude to the look of the dog, I was referring to a breed that has guard pedigree. Many, many breeds to choose from that work with your family and will still likely be a deterrent. Every individual dog will be different as well, no matter the breed. My American bulldog is a noise maker. Imposing bark, not sure about much past that. I've had mastiffs and they paced the property line all night long. I pity the person that would tempt my Rottweiler though.... That dog was frightening when he thought someone would hurt our family. YRMV... Your Rottweiler may vary..

 

[Convex]

I don't keep my rods all over the house, a habit I started from when my kids were small. I have a centralized nerve center via my table/hidden gunchest which houses the guns I don't leave in my safe when I'm home.

I carry a 357 in a pocket holster which is my "walk around the house gun"/take out the trash gun/wash the car gun/bar-b-que gun which gives me some normalcy to living in and around the house, as well as some normalcy for my relatives and visiting friends.

Only my WarVet relatives, a couple of my closest gun buddies, and my family know what I have on me, and what's in the gunchest + what's in the safe, the rest don't need to know.

Several years ago I pulled the 357 on somebody getting ready to rob my house, and I was fortunate that they took off and it ended w/o a shot.


I have a walk in closet which has been converted to a saferoom which I'll put my family into if they're home and something goes down.


I've got my Remington police pumps, my two Vepr 12 semi autos, 3 semi auto pistols, and 3 revolvers in the gun chest, all loaded/cruiser ready.

The gunchest is usually covered w/a nice canvas tablecloth, and everything in my home is rustic looking and doesn't draw attention to itself.
If you were to take the tablecloth off this, it doesn't look as big on the outsife and it does on the inside, but nobody knows that who doesn't need to know.

I keep everything the way it looks because I want folks to underestimate me, and some folks do, and that's fine.

 

[vinniedelpino]

Similar experience here. I met my wife a couple years after she had moved to Milwaukee and unwittingly bought a home in a not so desireable neighborhood. Too bad as it was a nice little place to call home. But the neighborhood was in decline. All day long 13/80 types would cruise and case the area looking for anything not chained down. They'd come back at night to steel stuff. The decline continued and more and more often we'd catch somebody looking through one of our windows.

More and more people started putting bars on their doors and windows. Fences made no difference to those who run and jump like gazelles. Prepared for home invasion or not, we simply did not want to live like that anymore, sold the home and moved to a safer neighborhood outside of that failed city. So glad we did.

Amen.

You can live in a two million dollar house in a gated community with perfectly manicured lawns and prestigious schools, but if you have to deal with break-ins and roaming degenerates, you're NOT in a nice area- just an expensive one. Time to go.

Nice areas have tractors outside unattended and screened front doors.

Really nice areas have nicer tractors inside and horses outside.

The nicest areas have private gravel roads and neighbors that are too far away to see from your property line.

That's the way I see it, anyway.

 

[Bigfatcock]

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/home-window-solutions-us/solutions/safety-security/

Been using it for quite awhile. Make sure to let your fire department know if you have to call out. Put some on my 4Runner during the riots in 2020 too.

 

[Bigfatcock]

I don't keep my rods all over the house, a habit I started from when my kids were small. I have a centralized nerve center via my table/hidden gunchest which houses the guns I don't leave in my safe when I'm home.

I carry a 357 in a pocket holster which is my "walk around the house gun"/take out the trash gun/wash the car gun/bar-b-que gun which gives me some normalcy to living in and around the house, as well as some normalcy for my relatives and visiting friends.

Only my WarVet relatives, a couple of my closest gun buddies, and my family know what I have on me, and what's in the gunchest + what's in the safe, the rest don't need to know.

Several years ago I pulled the 357 on somebody getting ready to rob my house, and I was fortunate that they took off and it ended w/o a shot.


I have a walk in closet which has been converted to a saferoom which I'll put my family into if they're home and something goes down.


I've got my Remington police pumps, my two Vepr 12 semi autos, 3 semi auto pistols, and 3 revolvers in the gun chest, all loaded/cruiser ready.

The gunchest is usually covered w/a nice canvas tablecloth, and everything in my home is rustic looking and doesn't draw attention to itself.
If you were to take the tablecloth off this, it doesn't look as big on the outsife and it does on the inside, but nobody knows that who doesn't need to know.

I keep everything the way it looks because I want folks to underestimate me, and some folks do, and that's fine.

Umm, now a lot more people than those listed know where your stash is.

 

[Convex]

But not where I am, and/or what the outside of my house looks like, I'll take my chances for Brother gunowners if it gives ideas to the folks that might need them.

 

[kthomas]

The answer is obvious.

.577 T-REX with frangible ammo.

 

[hlee]

Hang tight, I’m getting your IP address…

IDK, maybe this helps narrow it down...

 

[fdkay]

A few things.
Chapter 9 of the penal code covers lethal force.
In the event you cap someone, the second call you make should be to your lawyer.
Lots of folks say it is the first call, bullshit. If the turd isn't dead, you better have medical inroute so 911 should be your first call.
Listen to your lawyer, that's why you pay them.

A shorty .300 blk is almost impossible to beat.
8 to 11 inch barrel. 110 grain v max. Good 1000 lumen light.

If you are recoil sensitive, a kel tec CMR In .22 mag will fuck some shit up.
Ruger has also released a 5.7x28 carbine, it would be worth a look.
As far as shotguns, I'd be more inclined to run a .410 with 3" buckshot loads. Narrower shot column fewer pellets to account for, less blast and will flat out put a bad guy down.

 

[FALex]

Rather than go with an AK and the 7.62 x39 round just shoot supersonic .300 BLK
Then you can stay with a common AR platform and straight magazines.
There is a lot better ammo options as well.
You could get varmint style rounds if you are concerned about going through too many walls and are not concerned about needing tons of penetration.

That being said, a .223 with a decent length barrel shooting actual hunting / varmint ammunition instead of icepicks, is going to be all the hard hitting you need at close range, you just need at least an 11" or greater barrel.

Ammunition selection is a complete game changer in the effectiveness of your weapon.
Barrel length for both pistols and rifles can have significant effect on the performance characteristics of your ammunition.

I have zero experience with .300BLK, but I have quite a bit of experience with the AK and 762x39, hence my recommendation. However, I appreciate the insight. The .300BLK appears to be an excellent choice as well. Thanks for the info.

I also meant to include the fact that, although it is interesting to sit around and ponder these types of situations, at the end of the day, a fucking BB gun would be infinitely better than no gun. If you're limited on budget, or whatever the reason is, get trained up with the hardware you've got, and "run what ya brung" in the event you "just have to get it on."

 

[Bigfatcock]

Fun facts on shotgun ammo: Federal 12 gauge LE with the flite-control wad is the shit.

 

[XTREM HTR16]

Fun facts on shotgun ammo: Federal 12 gauge LE with the flite-control wad is the shit.

They make 20 gauge?

 

[308pirate]

View attachment 7953834
IDK, maybe this helps narrow it down...

If it's true......

 

[Convex]

"Umm, now a lot more people than those listed know where your stash is.".......

I uploaded the gunchest pics as far back as 7 years ago, so I'm not worried about the above in the slightest.

The OP asked for help.....So be it.

I meant it, I'll share what I know to help out a brother gunowner. Now of course they say no good deed goes unpunished. If that's the result of my sharing something that's helped to keep me safe that someone else can possibly use, then again, so be it.

As far as I'm concerned that's part of why this forum is here.


This forum includes countless discusssions that don't involve me, just like this discussion of where we keep out guns, our safes, who lives in the house, when folks are home, what they're concerned about, what they buy/recommend in the way of alarms and security cameras, listings of their weapons in the house, what sits on their nightstands, and so on.

If anybody is coming to get the guns in the gunchest, know that means I'm home, when I'm not home, nothing's in the gunchest so I'll let what happens, happen.

 

[6.5SH]

I'm interested in this 3M film that takes half a dozen swings with a sledge hammer to get through... Any links or videos?

Different brand but similar result:

 

[GUNNER10]

To answer some questions

1) I live in Tanglewood, it is arguably one of the two or three nicest (most expensive) neighborhoods in Houston with a 24 hour per day HPD patrol.
2) The house is completely fenced, front and back. They jumped an 8 foot wooden fence in the backyard on the way in and a 6 foot brick fence on the way out.
3) We have outdoor lighting everywhere, we also have 9 day and night cameras on the exterior.
4) The gunshot woke me up. By the time I got downstairs they had kicked in the door and they ran.
5) My eight year old labrador slept through it.
6) I do not have an elaborate alarm system, it is pretty basic.
7) The exterior glass is hurricane, it is not as good as bullet proof but as you can see from the shot it does not collapse either.

My thought process in this was always we are upstairs at night and the bedroom door is not one that you can easily get in and it is locked. I can see the cameras from my bed room and we have a basic alarm. I assumed that because the house is kind of lit outside with a fence and that the cameras are obvious, that it would be enough of a deterrent.

What happened was people that did not care jumped the fence. They fired through a door because they could see my wife's purse and were frustrated the door was lock. They kicked open some french doors to access the house. According to HPD, these were not teenagers looking for open cares but part of a robbery crew that is not afraid of violence.

What really messed with me was the idea that they would start shooting without any provocation. I thought that having the things listed above would be enough to keep everyone safe and I was really wrong. The HPD officers said that once they enter the house, I need to start shooting and worry about everything else after. At one of my neighbors house, they got them on camera again and at least two of the three were armed. To me, that is a level of escalation that I was not prepared for.

I am still digesting the firearm ideas but I keep going back to more than one intruder and that they are armed and feel like the Glock is inadequate.

That sucks man, unfortunately many nice neighborhoods in larger urban areas are more than likely enveloped by the third world. If you can not put physical distance between you those that tend to rob you I would suggest getting a couple protection oriented dogs that can stay outside during the nights. A couple rotties or dobies tends to address this matter. Most hood rats are not going to fight through two barking/charging dogs to steal a PS5 and an Ipad.

The undesirables that have been breaking into you house have far more fear of a dog than they do of any stupid security system or camera that you install.

With that being said, any firearm that you comfortable with and appropriate home defense ammo will more than suffice, Your glock, w/1000 lumen Surefire and hollow points are a pretty effective tool in a dark house for somebody that doesn't know the interior layout.

Same thing applies with an AR.

 

[GUNNER10]

13.9" mid length gas 556.
A bright ass light, forward grip of sorts and a dot. Geissele SSA trigger and a bandolier of ammo.

And one of those shoulder things that goes up.

Fuck man..


But really you need perimeter deterrents. They shouldn't be able to get that close. Gate, thorn bushes. Motion lights, etc. Sharks with laser beams.
Burn their crib down? I'd being doing some stalking to find those

In a perfect society they wouldn't do that, because they would get shot.

This....

I agree. Wasn't trying to allude to the look of the dog, I was referring to a breed that has guard pedigree. Many, many breeds to choose from that work with your family and will still likely be a deterrent. Every individual dog will be different as well, no matter the breed. My American bulldog is a noise maker. Imposing bark, not sure about much past that. I've had mastiffs and they paced the property line all night long. I pity the person that would tempt my Rottweiler though.... That dog was frightening when he thought someone would hurt our family. YRMV... Your Rottweiler may vary..

This...

Certain dogs just have an aura about them, Rotties, Dobies, Akita's, cane corso's defiantly put out an intense vibe and this is from somebody that loves dogs, and has had large dogs most of my life. I've had great encounters with all these breeds but if I needed to keep people away from my property, depending on climate, I would probably park a couple Akita's and be done with it..

 

[JohnCarter17]

OP is in a very nice neighborhood, with some of the best schools around, next to the Galleria area of Houston, were 610 & 59 intersect.
All 3 residences of George HW Bush are/were in Tanglewood.
I used to live a mile or so west, where StoneyBrook terminates at Buffalo Bayou.

I have since moved to a not nicer area, because I wanted a house, about a mile west.
There are smash and grabs on car windows a few blocks away. We have also heard of a few door kick-ins and porch package thieves.
Fortunately one source of trouble (house with crackheads) has been cleaned up.

I don't have break ins, I have been here for 20 years.
I am on a corner with a 4-way stop on a very busy through street between 2 main roads, so lots of traffic and lights.
Also, every ground floor window has blinds. If you do look in you won't see anything light and portable to grab.

The biggest thing that needs to change is OP and wife's attitude that its acceptable to have high value objects (like a purse likely with cash) in plain view of a window. This needs to kick in after the 3rd break in. I think given the MO of this group, they were hitting places where they saw loot to justify the break-in which had cash and/or easily convertible loot.

 

[Constructor]

Amen.

You can live in a two million dollar house in a gated community with perfectly manicured lawns and prestigious schools, but if you have to deal with break-ins and roaming degenerates, you're NOT in a nice area- just an expensive one. Time to go.

Nice areas have tractors outside unattended and screened front doors.

Really nice areas have nicer tractors inside and horses outside.

The nicest areas have private gravel roads and neighbors that are too far away to see from your property line.

That's the way I see it, anyway.

In the late 80s in Marietta (north Atlanta) they tried to steal my car 8 times in 6 months(had an alarm that went off when the windows were hit). A cop came by one time to make a report for insur and I said this is a nice complex it shouldn't be like this. The cop said "what you think they stay in ghettos to steal cars".

 

[Baron23]

In the late 80s in Marietta (north Atlanta) they tried to steal my car 8 times in 6 months(had an alarm that went off when the windows were hit). A cop came by one time to make a report for insur and I said this is a nice complex it shouldn't be like this. The cop said "what you think they stay in ghettos to steal cars".

Haha…yeah, that’s why Willie Sutton answered “that’s where the money’s at”

 

[stanley_white]

To answer some questions

1) I live in Tanglewood, it is arguably one of the two or three nicest (most expensive) neighborhoods in Houston with a 24 hour per day HPD patrol.
2) The house is completely fenced, front and back. They jumped an 8 foot wooden fence in the backyard on the way in and a 6 foot brick fence on the way out.
3) We have outdoor lighting everywhere, we also have 9 day and night cameras on the exterior.
4) The gunshot woke me up. By the time I got downstairs they had kicked in the door and they ran.
5) My eight year old labrador slept through it.
6) I do not have an elaborate alarm system, it is pretty basic.
7) The exterior glass is hurricane, it is not as good as bullet proof but as you can see from the shot it does not collapse either.

My thought process in this was always we are upstairs at night and the bedroom door is not one that you can easily get in and it is locked. I can see the cameras from my bed room and we have a basic alarm. I assumed that because the house is kind of lit outside with a fence and that the cameras are obvious, that it would be enough of a deterrent.

What happened was people that did not care jumped the fence. They fired through a door because they could see my wife's purse and were frustrated the door was lock. They kicked open some french doors to access the house. According to HPD, these were not teenagers looking for open cares but part of a robbery crew that is not afraid of violence.

What really messed with me was the idea that they would start shooting without any provocation. I thought that having the things listed above would be enough to keep everyone safe and I was really wrong. The HPD officers said that once they enter the house, I need to start shooting and worry about everything else after. At one of my neighbors house, they got them on camera again and at least two of the three were armed. To me, that is a level of escalation that I was not prepared for.

I am still digesting the firearm ideas but I keep going back to more than one intruder and that they are armed and feel like the Glock is inadequate.

As a firearm, I prefer a pump action 12 gauge shotgun so I can cause the most damage possible with the fewest number of trigger pulls.

I feel like one shot per bad guy with a shotgun will play better in court than 6+ rounds from a carbine.

And yes, it would be loud.

If they are jumping your fence, can you put something painful for them to land on in place?

Also, what else psychologically can you add to the mix?

A big dog bowl outside that says "Killer" on it?

An alarm company sign near all the doors?

Some pro 2A stickers somewhere?

The name of the game seems to be "choose somewhere else to break in to."

-Stan

 

[XTREM HTR16]

I’m thinking more on this 300BO option. Add an Ultra7 and it wouldn’t blow your ears out.

 

[W54/XM-388]

Some pro 2A stickers somewhere?

DON'T go putting up any of those tacky signs or stickers about we shoot, or mess around and find out, etcetera, no matter how much you might enjoy the dark humour.
Put up proper signs that say No Trespassing.
Your lawyer will thank you.

 

[BCP]

I am linking this to give context. This is the third break in of my home in five years. I have been keeping most of my firearms locked up in a safe and I keep a Glock 34 in my night stand. The HPD officer who responded said that once they enter your home, once they start shooting that I should defend myself to the best of my ability.

I am thinking the right answer is an SBR of some sort in 7.62 or maybe a 300 blackout? At this point I do not really care about the cost. Things are getting out of control and I am going to defend my home and family.

Move the fuck out of there or put bars on the windows and a big ass wrought iron fence around your property. You'll never completely stop the ghetto trash they'll just wait until you are at work or something to steal your shit.

 

[BCP]

Similar experience here. I met my wife a couple years after she had moved to Milwaukee and unwittingly bought a home in a not so desireable neighborhood. Too bad as it was a nice little place to call home. But the neighborhood was in decline. All day long 13/80 types would cruise and case the area looking for anything not chained down. They'd come back at night to steel stuff. The decline continued and more and more often we'd catch somebody looking through one of our windows.

More and more people started putting bars on their doors and windows. Fences made no difference to those who run and jump like gazelles. Prepared for home invasion or not, we simply did not want to live like that anymore, sold the home and moved to a safer neighborhood outside of that failed city. So glad we did.

My cousin lives in Berkeley/Oakland. Garage gets broken into about once every month or two. She acts like it's normal. I wouldn't want to live like that.

 

[Aftermath]

The sportsman in me would want to rig up a lure in a room with a double door. One glass, one steel. Sorta like those dipshits that try to rob jewelry stores with an entrance you have to ring to have unlocked. They can't get back out and they can't get back in...fish in a bowl. I'd wait for them to be quite thirsty and suffering from hypoxia before I TRIED to call 911. I often have shitty cell service from inside my shop and that's where I'd go to call...you know, for privacy or something to do with HIPAA or something.

Edit because I am also a bit of a sadist..if you didn't have that part figured out yet. I'd have to add a perfume dispenser I have some great aunt buy and blast elevator music at high volume with an intermittent message telling them that their screams for help are being recorded to be played for the next stupid fuck that falls for the bait.

 

[Army of One]

Not entirely sure what moving accomplishes as if home invasions and burglaries only happen in certain areas.

 

[TurboTrout]

Use what you are most proficient with. But... over penetration is worse with handguns and shotguns than 223/556. Slow, heavy bullets (pistol caliber rounds and shotguns) will retain mass through walls better than 223/556 which is fast and light (which will fragment and therefore not carry mass/energy into secondary targets). This has been tested and proven many times.

Make sure you have a sling (hands free weapon retention should be considered). A sling probably saved Kyle Rittenhouse's life.

Again, I'm not trying to start an argument/debate, use what you are most proficient with between rifle and shotgun (with pistol being a distant 3rd), if you shot a lot of clays, a shotgun makes sense... but we don't need to spread misinformation. If you, or anyone, is truly concerned with overpenetration, use 223/556.

Let me get this straight, a 9mm will penetrate better than 5.56???

 

[TurboTrout]

Not entirely sure what moving accomplishes as if home invasions and burglaries only happen in certain areas.

Not only, buy a whole fuckload more often

 

[The King]

So - I taught home defense hardening classes.

Above all have a plan you are ready to execute in 5 seconds and keep that plan functional at all times and well understood by all family members. Beyond that.

1. get self defense insurance.
2. window film
3. cameras. set them up so the tv in your bedroom can watch all of them at once.
4. Harden your bedroom - door should be serious
5. if people are kicking in your door get something more resistant. Its not hard to put in a door that needs explosives or the hydraulic cherry popper to open. Done right it will laugh at gunfire.
6. 556 14.5 and light bullets are the ticket for indoors and low penetration. Suppressor mandatory IMHO
7. There is no reliable dog that will fight intruders. However the barking can be useful. Many people wont enter a property with a dog.
8. Consider planting anti personnel bushes outside your fence
9. they do make perimeter warning systems that can detect persons moving on your property.
10. Move to shelter, not engage
11. Carry a pistol at all times at this point.

Some of the best things I saw while consulting on commercial properties was an electric fence inside the main fence that had 3 zig zagging strands and covered about 5 ft inside the fence. The electric fence controller had an alarm built in that went off on the main security panel. This wasn’t in the US and it sorta ended up being lethal force. If you fell on it you weren’t getting off of it.

The other best thing is the man trap doorway. Simple setup made out of steel mesh right around your doorway and when the alarm was going off you had heavy duty lights shining on it from all angles to blind the fuck our of attackers. You could also turn them on with a wall switch. I was at that job site fixing the bullet holes in the mesh panels lol.

 

[GUNNER10]

Amen.

You can live in a two million dollar house in a gated community with perfectly manicured lawns and prestigious schools, but if you have to deal with break-ins and roaming degenerates, you're NOT in a nice area- just an expensive one. Time to go.

Nice areas have tractors outside unattended and screened front doors.

Really nice areas have nicer tractors inside and horses outside.

The nicest areas have private gravel roads and neighbors that are too far away to see from your property line.

That's the way I see it, anyway.

This...

I've spent the first 35 years of my life living in cities, and honestly, I no longer see the value proposition in living within 10-15 minutes of the third world because you can get good pizza delivered Fuck that. at this point, I would rather live in the Hills of WV on a nice plot of land in a trailer than even the most expensive neighborhood in DC or Baltimore.

Are there nicer areas out there compared to where we are now, of course, but moving 45 minutes outside of the city is an order of magnitude nicer than anything that's available in the city. 4 acre yard, 5 Acre pond, backed up against 23 acres of woods with a 1000 yard range within 15mins... It will do.

 

[vinniedelpino]

Not entirely sure what moving accomplishes as if home invasions and burglaries only happen in certain areas.

There are some beautiful villages on the coast in El Salvador you’d love. For a little while, anyway.

 

[Sandhog308]

A high fence like 8ft+ with broken glass or razor wire or a couple strands of hot electric fence can make folks think twice the first time they try to hop your fence. But again no challenge for someone who comes prepared.
You can have tangle nets on the other side of the fence for someone that is casually jumping over and landing.

Sounds crazy, but you live in some countries where you actually often have a guard house for armed guards on any decent property and you soon come to understand the old classic stuff that has worked for hundreds of years actually is still pretty effective.

Lived off base while TAD in Subic Bay. Had a 8 + ft wall , top was covered with broken San Miguel bottles , and a strand of concertina wire. Plus a wiry Dude toting a 870 Remington with a pistol grip always walking around. Each renter paid the equivalent of $ 5.00 usd every 2 weeks. Felt as safe as could be , considering !

 

[houndog]

I'm kind of in the shotgun camp. Maybe a nice tactical shotgun like a Beretta 1301 or Benelli M2/M4 so you don't have to worry about cycling or short stroking a pump. Add an extended tube to increase capacity. Otherwise I'd go with an AR15 in 5.56 or 300 BO with a red dot.

And a more aggressive dog would do wonders. I've owned German Shepherds my whole life and have two now. Don't know if they'd attack an intruder, but I can guarantee they wouldn't sleep through it. I live in a rural area , so it would be VERY unusual to get two legged visitors in the middle of the night, but four legged visitors (mostly deer) are a pretty frequent occurrence. It would take a highly motivated individual to try to come into the house after hearing the commotion they cause. And I would have an extra two minutes to get ready and give any visitors the "greeting" they deserve.

 

[BCP]

I've owned German Shepherds my whole life and have two now

Ghetto rats shot his front door for the fun of it they'll just shoot the dog. He needs to get out of there otherwise he or a family member will get hurt eventually.

 

[BCP]

11. Carry a pistol at all times at this point.

Considering the fuckers shot at his house I would be surprised if he isn't already doing this.

 

[hlee]

Years ago, we lived in an apartment. We were notified that maintenance needed to do something in the appt while we were at work and were asked if we had any dogs. They should have known that we did have a dog, as we paid the pet deposit. Anyway, we told them that, yes, we do have a dog, but we will put her in her kennel so that the guy could do whatever he needed to do. We get home from work that day and there is a note on the door that said "Dog wouldn't let me in the appt." WTF? She was in her kennel. Apparently, she made such a barking racket that the guy got scared and bailed. This was a 70 lb lab that would show the burglar where we kept the jewelry if he had a ball to throw her. But, she had a bark like she meant business. Ou male lab has a bark like he's been kicked in the nuts. Our female GSP has a big bark (like, did that giant bark come out of your tiny mouth? big.). Both would roll over for belly rubs if a guy in a mask crawled through a broken window with a crow bar. Unless your dog is actually trained (or conditioned) to be a guard dog, don't expect much of a response from them- dogs naturally trust humans.

 

[DocRDS]

The HPD officer who responded said that once they enter your home, once they start shooting that I should defend myself to the best of my ability.

Full disclosure--not a lawyer

Texas has full castle doctrine. Life AND Property. PD officer advice puts your life in danger as usually the person who gets off the first shot wins

And its Texas.

You don't need to wait. If they break in, you may now defend yourself with deadly force. There is no need to wait for a "first shot"

In your home, use a long gun of some sort. Default choice: M4gery of your choosing. Check out the rifles only podcast from April with the Wound Specialist.

Use a rifle.

Harden your house.

get a good lawyer.

 

[DocRDS]

I don't keep my rods all over the house, a habit I started from when my kids were small. I have a centralized nerve center via my table/hidden gunchest which houses the guns I don't leave in my safe when I'm home.

I carry a 357 in a pocket holster which is my "walk around the house gun"/take out the trash gun/wash the car gun/bar-b-que gun which gives me some normalcy to living in and around the house, as well as some normalcy for my relatives and visiting friends.

Only my WarVet relatives, a couple of my closest gun buddies, and my family know what I have on me, and what's in the gunchest + what's in the safe, the rest don't need to know.

Several years ago I pulled the 357 on somebody getting ready to rob my house, and I was fortunate that they took off and it ended w/o a shot.


I have a walk in closet which has been converted to a saferoom which I'll put my family into if they're home and something goes down.


I've got my Remington police pumps, my two Vepr 12 semi autos, 3 semi auto pistols, and 3 revolvers in the gun chest, all loaded/cruiser ready.

The gunchest is usually covered w/a nice canvas tablecloth, and everything in my home is rustic looking and doesn't draw attention to itself.
If you were to take the tablecloth off this, it doesn't look as big on the outsife and it does on the inside, but nobody knows that who doesn't need to know.

I keep everything the way it looks because I want folks to underestimate me, and some folks do, and that's fine.

Where'd you get that.

Asking for a friend....

Aww fuck it, I want one.

 

[Convex]

LOL..... I love it.

I got this from an outfit called the "The Rustic Acre"; I'm not sure if they're still in business so you might google. This gun chest was also made by a couple of other outfits so if the folks I got it from are out of business you still might be able to get it.

When I ordered mine, I told the guy to take his time, walk on top of it/throw tools on it/drag shit on it, so it wouldn't look like I just got it.

The rubberized drawer liner from Home Depot I cut to size to line the inside. More handgun/shotgun ammo/cleaning kit stored under the gun trays.

Again, I think it's still being made, and available as a DIY kit, which might be an alternative since shipping this is a BITCH!!!



I just did a search and came up w/this for starters........

table hidden gunches - Bing

Intelligent search from Bing makes it easier to quickly find what you’re looking for and rewards you.

www.bing.com

Most folks don't get to see what the table looks like because I have a canvas tablecloth over it almost down to the carpet.

I don't have that metal "whatever it is" on mine, but the table is pretty much the same table.

 

[Rudy Gonsior]

Let me get this straight, a 9mm will penetrate better than 5.56???

Yes when it comes to common building materials for your standard American home (stick and frame) pistol and shotgun projectiles have a proven and repeatable reputation for penetrating farther than most 5.56 of your typical variety by a fare margin.

It baffles me that this still isn’t common knowledge by this point, there’s a bunch of reasons LE started switching to carbines over subguns and shottys in the 90s but one of those is these projectiles penetrating multiple interior walls and even exiting exterior.

Edit: it’s not that 5.56 won’t over penetrate but it’s typically less.

 

[Convex]

I'll answer a question nobody has asked re "What if you're outside for a while/walk down the street for a "hot minute"/tied up somewhere outside the house for 10 minutes, are you going to unload all those guns, and take 'em to the safe, and then the reverse".

Don't have to......

I've screwed on a 3" diameter flange threaded for 3/8" UNDERNEATH the tabletop facing the inside of the chest. Got a long steel rod w/a loop on the end from HD which I run through a hole in the bottom of the chest and screw that into the flange and then I put a padlock thru the loop.

You can't see the padlock from anywhere in the room because it's underneath, so I can lock a table from the bottom which opens from the top.

You can get a circular plate surrounded by a collar for the bottom hole, so that the collar lines up the rod for the flange so you don't have to "fish" for it.

To figure out where to drill the bottom hole so it lines the rod up w/the flange, I screwed the rod into the flange w/a dab of paint on the bottom of the loop and then gently lowered the table top until it touched bottom of the chest telling me where to drill the hole.

 

[houndog]

Ghetto rats shot his front door for the fun of it they'll just shoot the dog. He needs to get out of there otherwise he or a family member will get hurt eventually.

Don't disagree that the best solution is to move to a safer neighborhood where neither OP nor his family will be in harms way. But there may be any number of reasons this is not an option - i.e jobs, kids school, housing market/finances etc. At the very least a guarding breed of dog will serve as an early warning system giving the OP an extra minute or two to get to guns, herd wife/kids to a back room for safety, etc.

And you shouldn't underestimate the effectiveness of a trained dog. Used to do Schutzhund training with one of my Shepherds. Trained with 4-5 canine officers and their dogs doing very similar training. Good luck trying to shoot an 80 pound dog coming directly at you, in the dark, at approx. 30 mph. At the very least you will be knocked off your feet and be bitten down to the bone.

But training is a big time commitment, not cheap, and it takes a pretty special dog that has the confidence/discipline/nerves etc. to do this work.

 

[The King]

Don't disagree that the best solution is to move to a safer neighborhood where neither OP nor his family will be in harms way. But there may be any number of reasons this is not an option - i.e jobs, kids school, housing market/finances etc. At the very least a guarding breed of dog will serve as an early warning system giving the OP an extra minute or two to get to guns, herd wife/kids to a back room for safety, etc.

And you shouldn't underestimate the effectiveness of a trained dog. Used to do Schutzhund training with one of my Shepherds. Trained with 4-5 canine officers and their dogs doing very similar training. Good luck trying to shoot an 80 pound dog coming directly at you, in the dark, at approx. 30 mph. At the very least you will be knocked off your feet and be bitten down to the bone.

But training is a big time commitment, not cheap, and it takes a pretty special dog that has the confidence/discipline/nerves etc. to do this work.

My neighbor had a schutzhund. Cool dogs. He got his from Europe for like $20k and spent another $10k in training. He was always so proud of what that dog was able to do.

He didnt get the latch shut properly on his kennel one day and his dog made it out of his house through and open window with a screen.

I was mowing the lawn in my back yard and the dog hated it when neighbors mowed tbe lawn. Drove him nuts. had just enough time to get my 9mm out and shoot the attacking dog in the face 3 times.

The first shot grazed the skull of the dog (and by grazed I mean shattered its skull and drove fragments into its brain) and went on vacation into the dudes house. You could see the hole in his garage door and I know his project hot rod was right there on the other side.

Drug the dogs corpse to his driveway and tossed it in front of the bullet hole. It left a giant trail of blood pointed right at my place and I left my lawn mower at the end of it so he would understand what the fuck had happened. He never said anything about it and got a new garage door the next week.

I was surprised I managed to win that one. I only really made it work because I drew my gun the second I saw that dog come out the window and had it in hand while I was trying to get the lawn mower to turn off. And the dog ran in a dead direct line at me. Aaaand I was a competitive pistol shooter at the time.

To cap this story off, I have a schutzhund at home who is my current dog because he has strongly anti-aggressive tendancies and was too timid and nice to pass the training course lol.

 

[hlee]

@The King brings up a great point that a trained guard/attack dog in the house brings with it a whole other level of responsibility and liability.

 

[BCP]

Don't disagree that the best solution is to move to a safer neighborhood where neither OP nor his family will be in harms way. But there may be any number of reasons this is not an option - i.e jobs, kids school, housing market/finances etc.

At this point if I were in his shoes I'd do my best to make it happen. The only other option is bars on the windows/doors, wrought iron fencing with the pointy things on top, cameras everywhere, lights, guard dog. Basically make the house look scary so they stay away.

 

[hlee]

Guys that wear suits and sunglasses at night, patrolling the grounds with automatic weapons. We’re talking Tanglewood. Dealing with the riff-raff is so, provincial…

 

[Tchitcherine]

Use what you are most proficient with.

^ This. And start doing what you need to do to increase proficiency. No gun is a magic wand.

 

[femadog]

Well here is a YouTube link. I’m assuming this is what they used at work. Looks like good stuff!
Good idea to whoever suggested this.

Just an observation, we used this film on all of the front windows of our small airport terminal back when the new TSA and armed National Guard were in fashion. The stuff is very effective. It's purpose for us was to prevent a bomb outside the terminal sending glass shards into the public areas. At the demonstration, we got to wail on it with sledge hammers and watched them shoot a 4 x 4 out of an air gun into the stuff. The glass broke but nothing got through it.

As far as notifying the fire department, we are used to having lexan windows in houses and commercial buildings now so we quickly move to carbide rotary saws now if it doesn't break with an axe. HDF is pretty up to date and I imaagine they run into it for hurricane proofing buildings. An unforseen issue is getting out in a hurry if there is a fire but you just plan around it.