Quick answers for home use

A while back I did quite a bit of research and decided on a Glock 9mm for the wife and a Springfield .40 for myself. These would be primarily home defense, or perhaps when traveling by vehicle and camping.

I’m not up for another 2 weeks of research and am wondering if anybody has specific advice against this pair. I figure it’s about time to go ahead and get a pair of guns before it gets more difficult to do so. I suspect that at some time down the road I’ll also pick up a trap or skeet gun as well. That one would be for hobby and even home defense too.

 

Standardize on ammo. All 9mm or .40, SHTF I’d advise 9mm easier to find.

 

That’s something I hadn’t really considered, thanks for the advice. I wonder though if the statistics bear out the need for more than one mag in any home situation. That’s for strictly emergency considerations of course. The convenience of a single supply makes sense though. And of course 9mm is probably one of the easiest rounds to find; short of the gateway 22 we all grew up with.

 

Clips don't work well with those guns

 

Hah! You got me there. Sorry ‘bout that. Words matter of course.

The question still stands though. How frequently does somebody go through a full 15+ round magazine in a normal home incident. Excluding of course home invasions for gang, drug, and other common high round events that I’m highly unlikely to be involved in.

 

If you do, you need some range time (or you're in a really shitty situation). There's no reason anyone with a revolver should even run into issues. Hell, most law enforcement shootings average out to 3 seconds, 3 rounds, and within 3 feet.

 

I lived in Houston for 3.5 years for grad school. Bought a snub 357 and put about 30 rounds through it at the range to get the feel of it. Loaded it, kept an additional 2 speed loads with it. Sold it 4 years later having never fired it again.

Money well spent in my mind based on location.

 

IF, IF, IF you do this, you must shoot this gun on a regular basis to be comfortable handling it. Don’t just go buy one to have one. Has your wife ever shot a gun? Are there small kids in the house? Where will you keep this gun for storage? Do you have somewhere to practice shooting a gun? Have you checked the prices of ammo lately? It is insane. I’ve dropped a lot of questions on you that should be answered before buying any weapon.

I have had many different types and brands of guns. All have there pros and cons. To me, a Glock is one of the easiest guns to maintain. I have a few of them right now and my wife will shoot the G19 and the G26. Both of these are 9mm. The price for 9mm is a fair bit less expensive than the .40. Like mentioned by @rnish, keep it simple and standardized if possible.

You have to practice to be proficient!

 

Thanks for the input. I have solid and safe answers for most of those. This is Texas, so there’s no lack of ranges within 20 minutes of driving. We’re both 50+, so no kids in the house. Grandchildren do visit on occasion so I’m likely to do biometric safes. I’m not too worried about ammo costs, we’ll use them infrequently enough that it’s not an issue — until it becomes an issue.

Neither of us have shot in the past 20+ years. Her probably 40+. So no, neither of us are proficient. I suspect we’d go to the range 3-4 times a year after getting accustomed to them initially.

I get the concerns about safe and effective use of them, and not just doing what I did many years ago. In my 600 sq ft apartment I figured I could probably hit what I aimed at without much practice. Thankfully I never had to learn.

So, if going single ammo, Glock seems to be the go to for a 9mm vs the Springfield.

 

Go somewhere and hold some guns before buying any. You and your wife may not like the feel of the same ones. My wife and I don’t like the feel of a glock, I carry a Springfield Hellcat and love it. She’s been carrying my Shield and likes it.

 

The magazines from a Glock G17 will fit in a G19 & a G26. The mag from a G19 will fit in a G26. But a G26 will not fit in either of these. It has to do with length of magazines. My carry gun was a G19 for many years until I bought the smaller G26. I can’t stress enough of being comfortable with a weapon of any kind. Don’t buy cheap but don’t go out and buy the most expensive thing out there either. There may even be a range near you that you could possible rent a gun and try it out before you buy one like it. Personally, I like to have what would easily be available (9mm, .22, 12 gauge, 5.56, .45).

 

a prev post mentioned standard / same ammo all guns on premises

Ur significant other should shoot ALL or both guns on a consistent basis

in an emergency whereby either or both are present

they work in concert.................one KNOWS what the other WILL Do

what the other IS Doing

being able to effectively use ANY weapon

i required my daughter after a Full session at the range

fire the last 3 shots....................without ear protection

no perp is going to allow U to get set/ ready ( ear protection )

no less if U have to fire 3in an emergency

it should NOT scare U !!!!

fact is more than likely U Wont hear them !!!!

if she can shot a 9............if she HASTo

she can shoot a 40 !!!!

 

I think I’ve narrowed down to a pair of 9’s. Probably both Springfields. I’m trying to decide between the 4.5” and 5.25” barrels for myself. I’m thinking the 3.8” for her. Some range time this weekend will confirm the 9mm isn’t too much for her, and the smaller grip isn’t a problem.

We’ll see how it all goes and I’ll report back.

 

Well, things went a different direction. I went and shot a number of different guns, the Springfield 5.25 Precision among them. All 9mm. I really liked the balance of the longer barrel. The G19 shot fairly well compared to the Springfield. But then again, it’s been 20+ years and I only shot 50 rounds total. I can’t find a Springfield in the 5.25 barrel to save my life, so came home with this. I wasn’t so keen on the $250 upcharge over the Springfield, but the reviews are nearly unanimously positive and the grip is great. Upside over the Springfield: mounts for optics should I want to go that route. Downside over Springfield: loss of backstrap safety which I liked. I’m not too worried about the smaller magazine capacity. Even 15 rounds is pretty significant.

 

Nice

 

To answer this questions directly about multiple magazines. Yes. anything can happen and in a tense situation you could it’s not very likely but you could have a magazine failure. Range time and a dose of cqb training is only going to help that from this point. Having a spare ready to go magazine can be the difference in you giving the police report of what happened or your loved ones. This isn’t meant to be an over the top but anyone who carries regularly should always suggest on a semi auto having a spare. You just never know when the spring could fail or an internal jam on the magazine.

 

Except that many more folks will also be looking for 9 mm.

Don’t rely on resupply. Keep plenty on hand.

 

Very hard to find around here right now.

 

Pretty much all ammo is difficult to find at less than drug dealer prices. I suggest you "bite the bullet" and keep at least 100 rounds available at the house. Personally, I rarely get under 1k rounds of any caliber that I use. Mags are fairly inexpensive. Invest in them while you can.

Definitely ensure that both of you are reasonably competent with any firearm in the house. Practice reloads and clearing.

Are you crystal clear on the "liability" issues? Read/watch anything you can by Massad Ayoob. Some of the YT videos can be a little dry, but that info may keep you out of jail.

 

I very rarely carry, but I've never even felt under-gunned even with a 5 shot .38 in my pocket. Things go bump in the night I usually grab the little wheelgun. Any modern 15-16 round mag 9mm is going to be more than enough. If you actually burn through a mag in a self defense situation, you're now in a gun fight, and you should be working your way to your rifle.

I have both a Gen 3 Glock 19 and an older SA XD 9 compact. Both are fine choices for you and your partner.