I like to use both a laser sight grip and hand carry a small flashlight.  This way, in my opinion I can manipulate either when needed for better situational awareness and sight picture.  Just my .02

I see your point. I must agree with heavy barrels: a 3d Maglite is a very nice HD weapon. Stay safe!

To the point of Home Defense, I am thinking that a shotgun will scatter at some distance, but is accurate in less than 25 feet. How big is your home? I don't have a room bigger than 25 feet, so I rely on a smaller, easier to manage handgun. Do I really need my favorite 9mm Glock? Perhaps a .357 would be a better home defense weapon. What is your opinion?

Army Ranger? I should be asking you the questions! Pretty much everything I learned was on the internet and from friends mixed with trial and error. I realized that moving around a hd shotgun is too much here, especially having neighbors on all sides that can see and hear everything. Plus in order to use the attached flashlight I have to present and point it all over the place. I agree with you and now feel much better off with a handgun and separate flashlight. No need to alarm anybody who doesn't need to be alarmed. Worked pretty well when someone fell on the other side of the house and I went to check on them to see what the noise was. Only thing they noticed was the flashlight and were happy that I came help. 

I got a list of HDF Fun Shoot people that I am calling if the zombie apocalypse comes down .   At least I know, if nothing else, there is a good level of firearm competency!

Army Ranger? I should be asking you the questions! Pretty much everything I learned was on the internet and from friends mixed with trial and error. I realized that moving around a hd shotgun is too much here, especially having neighbors on all sides that can see and hear everything. Plus in order to use the attached flashlight I have to present and point it all over the place. I agree with you and now feel much better off with a handgun and separate flashlight. No need to alarm anybody who doesn't need to be alarmed. Worked pretty well when someone fell on the other side of the house and I went to check on them to see what the noise was. Only thing they noticed was the flashlight and were happy that I came help. 

Yes, I am a former Army Ranger. The HDF is a great place to ask questions, so rely on what your HDF friends have to say. Of course, because I am a nice guy, I will listen to just about anybody; agreeing with their opinion is another matter. Having neighbors may be a plus: good people will come to your aid in a crisis, so we hope! To check that bump in the night, I hold my Maglite with my left hand, the handgun in my right. If you can picture it, I rest the left forearm on my right forearm. I'm sure you have seen this position. Practice: pull your shotgun out and move around the house, then repeat the same drill with your handgun. A dramatic difference. Go out in your yard and check your fields of fire and mobility.
Warning! If the government just suspends all those EBT cards, we will have a zombie apocalypse! So keep up on your marksmanship practice.

I got a list of HDF Fun Shoot people that I am calling if the zombie apocalypse comes down .   At least I know, if nothing else, there is a good level of firearm competency!

Yes, if the government suspends the welfare system and EBT cards (because we've run out of money from raiding Social Security), the zombie apocalypse may be upon us.
Add a bow and arrows to your arsenal, you may need it. Slingshot, anyone?

I've been under the notion that a proper .223/5.56 load out of a carbine actually has less chance of overpenetration than a handgun or buckshot load.  Which is one of the reasons many LEO agencies have been switching out their mp5 sub guns for SBR'd ar-15s.  The theory is a smaller, higher velocity round will break away, deflect, or expand much faster than a heavier, slower round with more inertia behind it.  Maybe I'm wrong... but I'm under the assumption that any round capable of providing adequate penetration to a perp is going to over penterate a normally constructed wall. 

Of course, non of this matters if you don't know the shooting lanes in your residence.  In my 2 bedroom corner apt, I know which way I'll be shooting into cement, and which way I'll be aiming into a neighbors place.  As long as the intruder isn't using my toilet, or standing directly in my doorframe to the outside, I have a pretty good idea where my rounds will end up.

I started off using a shotgun for HD.  I didn't have a tac light for it, so I did the next best thing and ziptied an old led to the magazine tube.  Figuring that if I ever did have to fire it, the light would be toast, but I would at least know where that shot would be going.  After I bought my .45, I practice clearing my house with a flashlight "LEO" style.  I found it much easier to manipulate light switches and doors with my handgun that I could with my 20" shotgun.  After I bought my first AR-15, I practiced clearing my house with it, and found it handled better than my shotgun, and was much more "on point" than my handgun.  But I wont use it as my go to HD gun until I get a (for real this time) light set up for it. Til then I'm still using my handgun.

I just hope everyone is keeping a dedicated flashlight either attached to, or living next to their primary HD gun. 

There is a site online where a guy tests penetration of different firearms and whatnot. Can't remember the name of the site. However, the 556 penetrated 4 pieces of drywall if I'm not mistaken. The bullet deflected and was not in a straight line, but it still had enough energy to penetrate. Even the shotgun and handguns penetrated. His saying was, if it can go through the bad guy it could go through a wall.

box 'o truth?

There is a site online where a guy tests penetration of different firearms and whatnot. Can't remember the name of the site. However, the 556 penetrated 4 pieces of drywall if I'm not mistaken. The bullet deflected and was not in a straight line, but it still had enough energy to penetrate. Even the shotgun and handguns penetrated. His saying was, if it can go through the bad guy it could go through a wall.

There is a reason that people who clear structures for a living, like homes or buildings in close spaces choose long guns over pistol calibers.  Pistols have a use but are delegated as secondaries and their uses are much more limited given the situation.  Granted training here in Hawaii on this topic is a bit more than limited, but that applies to handgun or rifle training.  Proper uses of the sling and weapon mounted light make the user far more effective with a long gun than with a pistol.  Also a pistol mounted light is generally a huge advantage in a trained individual, but of course a handheld should also be available.   

box 'o truth?

Yeah that's the guy. You should look it up for penetration tests.

There is a reason that people who clear structures for a living, like homes or buildings in close spaces choose long guns over pistol calibers.  Pistols have a use but are delegated as secondaries and their uses are much more limited given the situation.  Granted training here in Hawaii on this topic is a bit more than limited, but that applies to handgun or rifle training.  Proper uses of the sling and weapon mounted light make the user far more effective with a long gun than with a pistol.  Also a pistol mounted light is generally a huge advantage in a trained individual, but of course a handheld should also be available.

I personally don't believe there is a one size fits all that will fully satisfy the requirements of every person and their specific household situation, depending on factors like home layout and size, surrounding circumstances, relative ease and access to primary HD firearm, number of people residing in the household, etc.

Many people may have children or other relatives living in their home which may dictate having your primary HD gun locked away safely out of their reach in their master bedroom. If a crisis erupts you may not have adequate time to retrieve your primary HD firearm (i.e. maybe you are watching TV in the living room with your family). Possibly having a secondary HD pistol that the homeowner holster carries in their home while awake could alleviate that problem.

For a primary HD firearm depending on each homeowners specific situation, I personally don't think you could go wrong with a Remington 870 or Mossberg 590A1 with a Surefire Forend Tactical Light or some other light, with a smaller barrel length for ease of maneuvering through the house should you have to move from your secure position to protect family members in other rooms. Lastly a good reduced buck recoil load with basically the same stopping power as normal loads would be optimal. One could also make a good argument I'm sure for a semi-auto rifle or pistol as their primary HD firearm. For me, in my situation I opt for a well outfitted shotgun as my primary HD firearm. JMHO

I personally don't believe there is a one size fits all that will fully satisfy the requirements of every person and their specific household situation, depending on factors like home layout and size, surrounding circumstances, relative ease and access to primary HD firearm, number of people residing in the household, etc.

Many people may have children or other relatives living in their home which may dictate having your primary HD gun locked away safely out of their reach in their master bedroom. If a crisis erupts you may not have adequate time to retrieve your primary HD firearm (i.e. maybe you are watching TV in the living room with your family). Possibly having a secondary HD pistol that the homeowner holster carries in their home while awake could alleviate that problem.

For a primary HD firearm depending on each homeowners specific situation, I personally don't think you could go wrong with a Remington 870 or Mossberg 590A1 with a Surefire Forend Tactical Light or some other light, with a smaller barrel length for ease of maneuvering through the house should you have to move from your secure position to protect family members in other rooms. Lastly a good reduced buck recoil load with basically the same stopping power as normal loads would be optimal. One could also make a good argument I'm sure for a semi-auto rifle or pistol as their primary HD firearm. For me, in my situation I opt for a well outfitted shotgun as my primary HD firearm. JMHO

I believe the question was something along the lines of what was the ideal weapon for home defense.  While there may be mitigating or other circumstances that may play a factor in individual situations, this does not detract from the fact that under "ideal circumstances" there are weapons that are more "ideal for home defense" or a defensive situation in general which was part of the original question.  Of course shot placement is #1, but in a defensive situation one shot incapacitation is not likely, therefore Long gun munitions are far more ideal for stopping a threat quicker and with more efficiency than a pistol caliber weapon.  There is also more than a darn good argument for a rifle caliber such as a .223 / 5.56 for these exact situations.

I believe the question was something along the lines of what was the ideal weapon for home defense.  While there may be mitigating or other circumstances that may play a factor in individual situations, this does not detract from the fact that under "ideal circumstances" there are weapons that are more "ideal for home defense" or a defensive situation in general which was part of the original question.  Of course shot placement is #1, but in a defensive situation one shot incapacitation is not likely, therefore Long gun munitions are far more ideal for stopping a threat quicker and with more efficiency than a pistol caliber weapon.  There is also more than a darn good argument for a rifle caliber such as a .223 / 5.56 for these exact situations.

Agree about long gun munitions fully but there are other considerations, such as physical limitations that don't make a long gun a viable option for some. One other critical point is there is no substitute for good training and that is a must regardless of preferred weapon. Also, some people just may not feel comfortable with a long gun, such as small framed women. Not disagreeing with anything you said, just saying one size doesn't fit all.

Here is my 2 cents about what firearm to use for home defense. First off, I have at least one pistol and one long gun secured in every room in my house ranging from semi auto pistols, revolvers, carbines and shotguns. In my nighstand safe I have an old retired security .357 s&w revolver which I got for real cheap which is always loaded as is all my "quick reaction guns". It shoots well enough for home defense and has more than enough stopping power. The point that I'm trying to make is that regardless of how rightous you are when shooting an intruder in your home, the firearm you use will be confiscated and will be held as evidence for at the vary least an extended period of time if ever returned at all. So all of you guys who have your high end carbines of wilson combat 1911's as your primary home defense weapon beware. The actual shooting is the easiest part.

My advice is find a solid, reliable enough, inexpensive handgun and or shotgun as a primary home defense weapon cause man you are gonna be sick when they take that $5000 Wilson Combat 1911 or that $2500+ LWRC ar.

Here is a few of my "disposabile" home defense firearms

S&W .357               used <$300
Ruger p90 .45        used   $100
Maverick 12gauge  new    $200
Rem 870 12gauge  new    $300
M&P 15    5.56        new    $700

Save your high end firearms for you our Z-day

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IMO I'd stick to a handgun cause the above is true.  With a Shotgun there is two things, 1.  One less shotgun to use with skeet shooting 2.  The feeling of having to replace something that was hit with buck/bird/slug shot that either missed the target or went through (In the case of a slug).  That or having to fix the wall that it went in to cause the run/floor is going to have to be done irregardless.  Whatever you can use that you can drive it fast and accurately is what you should use. 

Damn Lanza.  Like Hunter I had arms squirreled away in each room including the bathrooms.  Now less so as they were not as secure nor immediately accessible as ideal situation, so my SOP has returned to on person carry full time at home.  Will try not to get lazy again.  Each news story about crime a constant reminder to be vigilant.  If my life or loved one life in danger I will release the hell fire. 

The best defense specifically talked about this yesterday. 

One product they featured was a "holster".  It was more like a rail, however it had earth magnets in it that held the firearm in place.  You simply grab and pull the gun and the magnets released.  They even made large versions for shotguns/rifles.  It could also be mounted anywhere.

Another point they demonstrated is having layers of security/escalation of force.  There situation was a drunk person in the house at night.  I know not every situation is the same and whatnot.  They chose to use pepper spray instead of firing.  I know not everyone would agree or respond the same, so stay safe!!!

maginots :p 

forgot to relay a story about those shotgun forearm lights, at least the early ones.  was down the Waikiki range, when they used to let us locals on range, with my fancy new forearm setup doohicky.  Racked it, light on target, FIRE!  and light went dead.  First shot    What a load of crap!  Actually I shouted out something else but you know. 

Upgraded bulb assembly to the LED version once that came out and so far so good but haven't taken it out recently.

I acknowledge that the Judge is not the best home defense gun which is why I mentioned the gun in the first place .  I want to report as much of the facts that I can get a hold of. 

Would you be willing to share your sources regarding the ballistic effect of birdshot at close range?  I know shooting my Mossberg 500 at 7 yards I get a spray of pellets all over the target with an 18" barrel.  It that with a particular brand of birdshot?

hey hey now, a raging judge magnum can shoot 6 rounds of .454 Casull which makes for one hell of a round for self defense!

for me, shotgun filled with max dram slugs and 3 inch magnum 00buckshot which has 15 pellets!  Gotta be able to get thru a door or a couch when you need to...