Home Defense Pistol

[jwalker497]

I am looking for a HD Pistol that will accept a Laser/Light Combo in either 40 S&W or 45acp. I would prefer the gun to be stainless frame but would consider an all black. Other important factors are reliability and price. The pistol must accept a light/laser combo like the TLR2.

So far I have considered the Glock 21 or 22 not crazy about Glock's look or feel but it's very reasonable and reliable. I don't know which would be better for HD the 40 or 45. The options so far is a Sig 229 stainless elite. I like the look of Sig much more, however, it's quite a bit more expensive and only available in 40, not 45.

Do you have any other reccomendations. Again, the Light/Laser is a must as I view them as important additions to the HD scenario.

EDIT - Also needs to have Tritium Night Sights.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[archer51]

Take a look at the CZ75 P-06, all black .40 cal, with rails and night sights.

[sigmanluke]

For a .45 there is also the Sig P220 Stainless Elite. A nice compliment to the P229

[WilliamWallace]

Get an XD45 5" in your paw... see if you like it. Some do, some don't.

And of course, a 1911 always fits the bill. Get a railed one and you're set.

[usmc3169]

I like the .40 better than .45 myself - My next purchase is going to be a Sig p229 Elite Stainless in .40 cal. If you like how it fits in your hand and you understand the manual of arms that goes with it then I say get that.

[usmc3169]

BTW - Reason I like the .40 better.
1) higher velocity round. IF you have to shoot through a barrier it wll do better. Flatter trajectory. Holds its power out to farther ranges than .45

2) More magazine capacity, smaller potential grips, better fit in the hand.

3) Almost the same Foot Pound Energy as a .45 in every case - more FPE in many cases.

4) Over penetration when you hit your target is very unlikely with good quality SD rounds. Even if your rounds do go through the target do you think they will have enough left in them to hurt anyone seriously on the other side? Missing your target of course with any round is going to cause safety issues for other people in the house.

[Stetson]

Glocks are hard to beat,but I also like my S&W 99 in 45acpthat has outstanding trigger.

[SIG P229 JW]

I'm with you. I don't like the feel of a Glock in my hand either. However, if you do like the feel of the SIG, but you feel it's too expensive, I suggest you try the XD45 by Springfield. It has a wider grip similar to that of the SIG, but it's around half the price. It's also very reliable. I haven't bought one yet, but I've put 400 rounds through a rental, and I like it a lot. I plan on buying one soon. The price at my local gun store was ~$500.

[jwalker497]

BTW - Reason I like the .40 better.
1) higher velocity round. IF you have to shoot through a barrier it wll do better. Flatter trajectory. Holds its power out to farther ranges than .45

2) More magazine capacity, smaller potential grips, better fit in the hand.

3) Almost the same Foot Pound Energy as a .45 in every case - more FPE in many cases.

4) Over penetration when you hit your target is very unlikely with good quality SD rounds. Even if your rounds do go through the target do you think they will have enough left in them to hurt anyone seriously on the other side? Missing your target of course with any round is going to cause safety issues for other people in the house.

I"m glad you explained - I was going to ask why you preferred the 40.

Question - Can't a lighter 45 load, ie 180ish grain match the performance of the 40?? I guess I am confused as Logic would say that the 45 can shoot up to 230ish but also down to the 180grain, 40 level, & match the speed of the 40. But the 40 can't rise up to match the larger bullet of the 45 @ 230rain??? Is that an accurate assumption?

[jwalker497]

I should Add that I would like a supressor to be able to be attached in the future, that's another factor that I forgot to mention. What are my options now??

[Blackeagle]

IF you have to shoot through a barrier it wll do better.

For most barriers, it's heavier rounds, rather than higher velocity ones, that tend to do best.

3) Almost the same Foot Pound Energy as a .45 in every case - more FPE in many cases.

Energy is a really lousy way of comparing pistol cartridges. More energy does not necessarily mean better terminal performance.

[jwalker497]

Unless someone can convice me otherwise, It's my understanding that the 45acp can be loaded down to acheive 40 specs but the 40 cannot be loaded up to the 45 specs. Is this an accuruate assumption?

[Bark'n]

Not to make anyone mad or anything, because I used to get caught up in the same thing myself when it comes to ballistics. Do I go with .40 or .45... or 9mm? What bullet? What weight? Bonded bullets or non bonded.... it is absolutely ENDLESS.

There comes a point when all you're doing is splitting hairs.

When you talk to people who have actually survived gun fights, and people like Jim Cirillo has survived something around 14 (God rest his soul) and people like D.C. "Jelly" Brice, another 12-14 gunfights, or Lance Thompson (civilian) 7 or 8 gunfights, and the like will all tell you what it really comes down to is "Can you hit your target when the adrenaline is pumping and you're shaking like a jackhammer?" "When you are in full body alarm mode!" Most of them have used from time to time guns and or ammo that most people "in the know" would absolutely turn their nose up at. Jelly Brice was an FBI agent from the late 1920's through the mid to late 1950's IIRC so you know what ammo they were using. Lead round nose .38 Spl.

I've pondered the ballistics thing until I'm blue in the face, my eyes are crossed and I have a headache. These days, I shoot the guns I handle the best and most accurate, in the calibers that I shoot most accurate and I choose good quality and generally recommended defensive ammo and call it good.

I ensure the ammo works reliably in my guns and then shoot as often as possible and train more in tactics and under stress than anything else.

Speer Gold Dots, Hornady, Ranger.... if it works in my gun and available for purchase that's what I shoot. I'm more worried about being the first one to get hits than anything else. There's an old adage that has a lot of truth to it. He who gets the first hits is usually the winner.

Everything else is just topics of conversation. Just my humble opinion.

YMMV

[Blackeagle]

The .40 and .45 are both good rounds. Bigger bullets are better, but more bullets are also better. You have to make a tradeoff between them. But the most important thing, far more important than what caliber you carry, is getting a gun that fits your hand so you can shoot it well.

My standard advice goes something like this:
If you have a big enough hand to comfortably shoot a true double-stack .45 like a Glock 21 or an XD .45, go ahead and get that.
If you don't have hands that big, get a double stack .40 like a Glock 22, an XD .45 or an M&P .40.
If you don't have big enough hands for a double stack .40, look at a single stack .45.
If you don't have big enough hands for a single stack .45, get a single stack .40.

You may want to take a look at the Choosing a Defensive Handgun article.

[Ram Rod]

Home defense pistol? If it's going to be dedicated to HD with possible options of carry, why go with anything less than 45acp? Since I happen to own one of the SIG P220 SAO's with rail, this would be my recommendation. Matter of fact, it makes a rather nice HD pistol for me with the Streamlight M6 attached. Many of today's 1911 offerings now also include an integral rail. Suppressor? Order your SIG from the factory with a threaded barrel.