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In reality, hitting your target is the only choice, no matter what usual defense gun a person uses, practice, practice and practice some more.
Why think about "in a townhome" when all homes have windows that any bullet will continue outside. Every standard caliber is good for any home, as long as you hit the bad guy.
With a rifle a bullet can go through the wall and do in your neighbor.
It depends on which rifle bullet, rifles come in handgun calibers nowadays and some of those are less likely to go through walls, besides that, homes are supposed to have concrete firewalls between them but who knows if all do.
Self defense handguns such as 38 spl, 9mm, 40 cal and .45 are good for home defense, there are many more but they might over penetrate and then shotguns with bird shot because slugs, 00 or 000 buck will often penetrate walls but at the same time, any shot that misses the perp could go on to hurt someone else in the home or outside the home, in other words again, DON"T MISS.
I have had a few times when I had to jump out of bed and needed some protection. In a dark house, I have found that a hand gun is best. A shot guns is to slow to get around corners. So are assault rifles.
Shot guns do not have a "spread" large enough in close quarters to give it an advantage.
With the right hand gun you can avoid the fatale mistake of having the safety on at the wrong time plus the larger magazine capacity is a major advantage.
Keep in mind that you will only have a second or two or less to wake up realize that there maybe some danger that needs a firearm. So gun safes and guns that are not loaded could get you killed.
You don't want bullets going through walls into your neighbors town home. ( you ARE responsible where they go).
12 or 20 gauge shotgun #6 shot. That's a large pile of shot being fired at someone at close range. You will stop them with that, shot not likely to travel through walls.
Next option or addition is a high capacity round .22 pistol. Again bullet will not travel far or have the force to go through multiple walls.
Look, bottom line, no one wants to get shot. Most burglars are cowards, you load a round and they hear it chances are they will flee. You start shooting and they will definitely run.
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So gun safes and guns that are not loaded could get you killed.
So true. Nothing more useless than A. A locked up gun or B. An unloaded gun
Last edited by grouse789; 05-01-2016 at 07:18 PM..
Reason: Spelling
I use #4 buck in my Mossberg HS410. With the spreader choke the pattern is good at HD distances and I'm not worried about over-penetration.
It's mounted behind my bedroom door on the wall in a Shotlock mount.
One thing to keep in mind with a townhouse, there should be a masonry wall between units to satisfy the fire code.
A shot gun mounted behind the bedroom door. What happens if they surprise you when they open the door. Oh no, your luck just went bad.
I have a gun in my hand before I even get out of bed. I use the shot gun as a fall back emergency weapon. I don't like wasted motion when every second counts.
A shot gun mounted behind the bedroom door. What happens if they surprise you when they open the door. Oh no, your luck just went bad.
I have a gun in my hand before I even get out of bed. I use the shot gun as a fall back emergency weapon. I don't like wasted motion when every second counts.
I never said it was my only gun... For starters, there are two loaded handguns in a quick-acess pistol safe within arms reach of our bed.
We also sleep with the bedroom door locked. Regarding the Mossberg, I can either hand it to the wife or use it to clear the house. But generally I'd use something else for that.
If I determine the wife needs to quickly be stashed in the walk-in closet, there's another shotgun already in there for her.
If we didn't have young grandchildren who come over frequently, I'd have my 870 right next to the bed. That being said, I had to modify my response plan accordingly.
We're in the midst of having a town home built for our family and my wife and I have been talking about security lately. We'll definitely be investing in a security system but we also feel it is important to have a gun or two in a safe place in case of a break in. Our new townhome will be in a nice development but it's in an up and coming area where crime, in the past, has been somewhat common so we want to be prepared. I've read on other forums that living in a townhome can pose a challange because you don't want the round going through the wall and injuring a neighbor. Any gun advice for this type of situation?
In my opinion, security should be in layers.
Make sure your property doesn't look vulnerable. Make sure it's well lit. How about motion detector activated lights?
What about a medium-large dog? A dog can give you early warning and stand off distance. While a small dog can bark and make noise, can it intimidate?
Maybe go to a range and rent different platforms to see which one is more comfortable for you before deciding on caliber. While a lot of people like long guns and they have many benefits, they are more cumbersome to maneuver with.
Possibly the simplest handgun is a revolver. Personally, I would go with a .357 magnum but that doesn't mean you have to shoot .357 mag out of it, you can load it with .38 special for less flash and recoil. Don't get into the "this caliber vs. that caliber" debate. It's hits that count, John Lennon was killed with a .38 special. Shot in the chest 4 times with 3 of those hits being in the heart region.
I like the 1911 platform. With the grip and thumb safety, it provides some tactile checks on the condition of the weapon. They also come in various calibers. But they're also not for everyone.
I think you should go to the range first to handle various guns in your price range and narrow it down from there.
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