Self-Defense: A Comparison between Pistol, Rifle, and Shotgun

Being prepared to defend yourself and your loved ones is always good thinking, but this forward thinking can totally backfire without first carefully selecting a proper defense weapon. A kitchen knife or a Barret .50 cal rifle will eliminate the threat, however, not very efficiently. The knife for the most part doesn’t pack enough stopping power in the hands of most people, especially if the intruder is armed or on drugs. There is simply too much time for the attacker to have a chance to go on the offensive and harm you. On the other hand the .50 cal rifle is overkill. There’s too much recoil and weight to really be practical.

Pistols, rifles, and shotguns are the three classes of weapons that make practical defense weapons. All of which are very capable at stopping an attacker, but each has its own advantages and disadvantages. There are a few questions you need to ask yourself. Where do you live? How much recoil can you handle? How much are you willing to spend? Are there any local laws that restrict certain firearms or accessories? And there is always the most important question. Can you take another human’s life in a life or death situation and accept it? If you are going to buy a defense weapon realize that you may use it one day, but hope you never have to.

Handgun

Pistols are overall the most used defense weapon. They’re easy to maneuver in close quarters, lightweight, only require one hand to operate, and the recoil is manageable for almost any one. Pistols, like GLOCKs, also offer protection outside the home, if one has a concealed weapons permit, because of their small size and ease of concealment. Handguns generally have a magazine size between the rifle and shotgun, so they have a fair ammo capacity should more shots be needed in a situation. For the most part handguns are right in the middle of the three as far as cost is concerned and ammunition is on average the cheapest for factory ammo — the last thing you want is to mess around using a reloading press.

Handguns popularity has declined recently primarily because of the ammunition’s mass retention, lending to it’s severe over penetration characteristics. A pistol round, like a 9mm bullet or a .40 S&W bullet, can travel through up to nine walls and still be deadly. Shotgun buckshot will only penetrate a few walls and .223 platform frangible rounds will break up after only a couple walls. Over penetration is an issue especially in urban housing like apartments and close suburban houses where most of the population lives. This also means that there is less energy transferred to the target, so more than one shot may be needed to put down an attacker, and another round or two if they are hyped up on drugs like angel dust or meth. Owner’s also have to be 21 years old to even purchase a handgun.

Shotgun

Shotguns have always been the premier home defense package. Hands down the shotgun has the most stopping power, but relatively low over penetration, making it ideal for inside a residence. The biggest factor in making the shotgun a great home defense gun is it creates a spread of shot multiple inches in diameter so you don’t have to be spot on every shot, but generally one shot placed center mass is more than enough to stop an intruder. Obtaining a shotgun is the easiest. Buyers only need to be 18 and need less than $500 to get a reliable pump action shotgun. Shotguns used for defense usually have short 18 inch barrels, so they are easily maneuverable up close. Shotshells are relatively in expensive for practice rounds, but defense loads is a little more spendy, running a little more than handgun ammo on average, but not by much. Shotguns also rarely, if ever, jam. Shotguns also require little maintenance generally needing a full cleaning ever five or six times it’s shot, although more is always good.

As good as it may be, a shotgun has some large flaws. The biggest problem with the shotgun is it’s strength. It’s got serious power, but so much power that it is hard for smaller people to handle it’s recoil — even with a good shotgun recoil pad for cushioning. There are lower recoil rounds, but they can still be a bit much for some people. Firing from behind cover with a pump action shotgun is a nightmare as it’s extremely difficult to work the pump and be sucked up against cover in tight spaces. On a side note, shotguns do have the lowest ammo capacity.

Rifle

Rifles have been making a statement as a viable defense gun — despite what others may say. Law enforcement has made the switch from sub machine guns to AR platforms in the .223 caliber because of the lack of over penetration, long range, power, and compact design. AR platform rifles have good stooping power when used with lightweight, frangible rounds. These rifles have high ammo capacities at approximately 30 rounds. Recoil is near non-existent for the .223 caliber rifles, so anyone can use it making it ideal for women or smaller individuals and rapid firing can be accurate. Firing from cover is easy because of the compact design, but will still require two hands to operate effectively.making a statement as a viable defense gun

Using a .223 caliber rifle indoors will lead to permanent hearing loss if fired without hearing protection. Unless a a set of electronic earmuffs stored with the gun, there will be too much noise to you and others near you. Cost is another important factor. Defense rifles are the most expensive of the three types, costing around $1000 to get started, but with a scope they can be used for hunting, too. Ammo is also the most expensive, in addition to it being scarce at times, making it more expensive to just practice with the firearm. Practicing is needed or you might as well be throwing lamps at the intruder.

Bottom Line

Overall, the shotgun is the best all around package. A smaller gauge can be just as effective, and further reduces recoil and over penetration. They are also the least expensive and ammo is abundant. In an adrenaline fueled situation like a break in, being able to stop the attacker in one shot is crucial, and the shotgun can do just that, and even give the shooter a little bit of a margin for error and still get results. Shotguns are also the least frowned upon to the general public because quite of few people seem to have an their grandpa’s old shotgun in the house, but few have a military grade assault rifle or handgun designed to kill people. Rifles are still a good second choice if you have the money to buy it and the ammo, just keep a set of electronic earmuffs handy. Handguns are good, but win third place because they lack stopping power when compared to high power rifles and shotguns. They are also much harder to use than a long gun.

Having something is better than nothing. A .22 pistol is better than a pocket knife or baseball bat or a Nerf gun that shoots plastic darts, so use what you have if you don’t want to go out and buy a new defense gun. Different people like each class, but try each one out, look at what you’re willing to spend, what you need, where you live, and what gun you are most comfortable with. Let’s hope the gun never has to be used, but it’s always good to be prepared.

Photo by frankieleon off of Flickr | CC BY 2.0