Proves nothing of the sort, ripper!  Whats the problem, its posted in ShopTalk?

Guns dont kill people, People kill people!

Only shows that people on this board are smart in more than just finances!

We work hard for our future and family, and we are not about to let some scumbag take that away from us.

You can count on the mercy of your attacker and the police if you want, but I would rather have more control then that.

Just think about some guy raping your wife while you sit in the corner and watch.

Great post M.ray and good plan!

For the record, I am all about responsible gun ownership and training, just did not feel the need to repeat what was already said so well in prior replies.

Allow me to digress to a little humor..... 

I read a funny T-shirt:

"Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms

Should be a convenience store, not a govt agency"

Best to all

Brian

Ripper, There can never be to many guns, the problem is bad people. That's why people need guns.

 On the investment side you might want to look up Smith&Wesson Holding Group (SWHC) and/or Sturm Ruger and Company (RGR).

pm

The Glock and the 870 are fine if you have no children or grandchildren in the house.

If you do, be very careful.

Re your questions - I don't have any experience with shotguns - though I do do know that if the range is 25 feet or less, the shot load will not scatter very much.

On the hand gun -- I always recommend buying a 22 calibler pistol and 500 rounds of ammo (sometimes referred to as a brick of ammo) as a starting point. After shooting off that much ammo, you'll be rmuch more comfortable figuring out what kind of hand gun to buy for defence.

Most people can be taught to fire a rifle with fair accuracy, at ranges of  several hundred yards at people size targetrs, after firing 50 to 100 rounds in four or five practice sessions.  Hand guns have a much tougher learning curve even for distances of 25 to 50 feet.

Shoot the 22 until you can hit a target at least nine times with your first ten shots (assuming ranges of 50 feet or less)  You can use a standard sheet of typing paper as a target - no need to spend money on fancty targets, spend it on ammo instead.  If at least nine of ten make holes in the target you are doing well enough to protect yourself and to stop the predator.

After that, either keep the 22 for inexpensvie target practice, or sell it to raise money for practice ammo for the hand gun you replace it with.  A 22 with less than a thousand rounds through it is as good as new and you should get most of your purchase price back.   Learning to shoot with a center fire pistol (38./9mm/357) is expensive -- you can learn most of what you need about grip/sight alignment/sight picture much more cheaply with the 22.

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It's true about the .22.

My brother shoots competition .45 and .45 super in IDPA.  Shooting .45 is expensive.  Of course, he has a couple of presses set up and he loads his own.  What a lot of the real competitors do, however, is get a .22 caliber set up in the configuration they normally shoot.  For instance, if the competition is IDPA and the shoot is .45 carry, like a 1911 style, they get a .22 caliber set up in 1911 and practice with that (A lot of folks are shooting .40 and .38 super, but same idea).  Of course, the recoil is no where near what a .45 is, but they can practice drawing the weapon, acquiring multiple targets quickly, and build hand-eye speed at a fraction of the cost of shooting .45.  Some of them shoot Airsoft also, since you can do that in your backyard.  So, it's not a waste to get the .22, but get one in a practical configuration, not one of those .22 target pistols, that won't help you.   

A hollow point .357 will stop anyone. Don't pull the trigger unless you intend to kill, because that's what's going to happen.

I like revolvers, a jammed auto is the worse case scenario if you are ever where you need a gun. I also like Rugers, but Smith and others make great guns.

Shot guns are for shooting feathers and it's illegal to make them useful for close contact except as a club. You see these guys on shows hip shooting with them, that would probably break your wrist if you had a load of buckshot in them. JMO 

I think handguns are handier, personally, but I do plan to buy a Remington 870 12-gauge from a friend this summer. Don't know where or how to store it, though.

On the bed-stand is a S&W J-frame, Surefire flashlight, and cell phone. In the bed-stand (in a touch safe) is a Sig-Sauer 9mm loaded with +P hollowpoints and an extra magazine of the same.

In the basement touch safe is a Ruger GP-100 with FBI loads, plus extra speedloaders holding 125-grain .357 mag. hollowpoints. 3 other handguns are in there, too, for safe storage.

Our dog is sensitive to noise, explosive, and scares the pee out of people who don't know her. Our doors are always locked. If I even have to present a gun, that means I'm dealing with a dedicated criminal who doesn't respect things like a person's home and well-being, locked doors and scary dogs. If it's 2am, and someone gets past my locked doors and dog, they're going to get shot.

Yeah, I'm a tough guy. I like to feel safe in my own home, and I feel responsible for its inhabitants.
 

Check out my blog

9mm, .38 special, or .45 ACP for city living. Shotgun if you have an acreage and outdoor dogs. Just my opinion.

If you are going to get one revolver, I would suggest the S&W model 649. It is 5 shot, stainless steel, with rubber grips. The hammer is shrouded, which is a lot more important than it sounds because hammers tend to get hung up on anything they can. It used to be called the FBI backup. You can use .38's, .38+P's, or 357 magnum. However, .357's coming out of the small barrel will scare you or the bad guy to death. A lot of flash and bang. Being a wheel gun makes it just about 100% reliable. I have a small zipper case with two speed loaders. It's good to keep nearby in the home, or in the glove box on a trip. If you want to slip it into your pocket, the hammer shroud will make it easier to remove quickly. Using .38's for practice is relatively inexpensive and +P's with hollow points will be effective.

Mark