Scary situation

[Jross1]

I am a college student in central indiana and recently had someone attempt to break into my house. I am currently looking to purchase a handgun to keep around the house for protection. I am just curious as to some suggestions about what to buy. Keep in mind that I am a college student on a tight budget. If you spot any good deals or have anything let me know. I just need something that will get the job done if the time ever comes again. Thanks for your help.

 

[jd4320t]

Do you have any handgun experience?

 

[Andre46996]

Best defensive firearm for inside a home is a shotgun in my opinion. If you are not looking for a EDC gun I would look into a pump style shotgun.

 

[JohnP82]

I know alot of people like to bash them, but on a tight budget I have to say I like the Hi Point C9. I have a couple Hi Points and I would trust my life to them anyday. Accurate, reliable (I have yet to have a malfunction of any kind with well over 1000 rounds fired with my Hi Point), and very easy on the wallet. You should be able to find one for around 150 bucks. To most they are not pretty (I actually dont mind the way the C9 looks), lower capacity compared to other makes and models, and kind of heavy but they do get the job done.

 

[sloughfoot]

If you think a handgun is the answer to your fears, a 38 special revolver made by S&W, Colt, or Ruger with a 4 inch barrel will certainly get the job done.

Also, all of the above are available used as well. Check out the INGO classifieds. The last S&W model 10 that I bought, I paid $250 for it. I have a couple of K frames that I paid far less than that for them.

Get some training too.

 

[paintball_addiction]

Best defensive firearm for inside a home is a shotgun in my opinion. If you are not looking for a EDC gun I would look into a pump style shotgun.

This is good advice. If it's going to be for home defense, it's hard to beat a shotgun. Just the sound of you racking one in the chamber will scare most people away

Get some training too.

More good advice. This is something I need to do as well

 

[38special]

Shotgun is definitely a better in-home option.

As for hi-point - meh. Spend another hundred and get something quality. Your life may depend on it.

 

[Plinker]

Can you afford $120 for your protection and peace of mind? If so, I just ran across this in the classifieds, seems right up your alley.

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/-handguns/133594-hi_point_c9.html

Don't forget to get your LTCH.

 

[JJGatesE30]

Taurus revolvers.

Reliable, inexpensive, simple to use.

 

[darinb]

Do you live alone? If there are other living with you then make sure they are trustworthy and are trained how to use the firearm too. I would suggest whatever gun you get to train with it on every aspects such as reloading and emergency action drills. When I was VERY cash strapped not too long ago I got a High Point C9. It cost me $100 total and was a great gun for the price. I have since put a good 1500 rounds through it and to my surprise it has not blown up or failed. Dont listen to the brand snob junk get what you can for what you can afford and train with it then upgrade when you can. If you have below $100 look for a used hi point if you have over $200 go surplus pistol like CZ 82/83 or Kel tec P11 if you are dead set on a pistol. Please post pics when you decide.

 

[bstewrat3]

Taurus revolvers.

Reliable, inexpensive, simple to use.

+1 I would also add in revolvers from Rossi and Charter Arms. I bought my wife a Rossi years ago and it worked out just fine and was less than $200.

 

[03A3]

You've gotten some good advice. People have given you differing opinions because....well everyone has a different opinion and I can respect that.
Here's my take on it though. If someone does break into your house, or in any other situation tries to do you harm you will be stressed out beyond max.
While I freely admit that I have absolutly zero experiance with that type of situation, it is my understanding that, given that level of stress, it is extremely hard to gets shots on target with a handgun, even for some people that are highly trained.
I would favor a long gun of some sort, a shotgun, a carbine or whatever. A good used lever action rifle comes to mind also. The main things are the firearm has to be stone cold reliable, and you are proficient with it.

 

[gunman]

Jross1 - "I have a mossberg 835 ultimag under the bed loaded with birdshot"


what's wrong with it?

 

[03A3]

gunman I feel like your Mossberg is a good choice, one of many choices.

 

[Blackhawk2001]

No matter whether you decide to purchase a pistol, revolver, or shotgun, please plan to get some instruction on their use and the laws pertaining to their use. If you haven't used any of these weapons in the past, you need to understand their strengths, limitations, liabilities, and YOUR limitations in their use. Firearms aren't toys or magic wands you can wave around to make the Bad Guys surrender or leave you alone; if you treat them that way, you will not have a happy ending.

 

[gunman]

gunman I feel like your Mossberg is a good choice, one of many choices.

it's not mine... it's the OP's or so he claimed in a different thread. Based on many of his posts i fail to understand why he started this one

 

[03A3]

I see. Sorry for the confusion. I must have missed the other posts.
That being the case, I would simply stay with the Mossberg. I'm not sure about the birdshot though, but then again other people have their own opinions.
I would use at least size BB shot as a minimum, and would probably use some size of buckshot. Something that would have a larger pellet size, yet retain a good pellet count in that load.

 

[HogDaddy]

Man oh Man How can everyone reccomend a shot gun for home defense! It takes skills and training to maneuver a shot gun in a house and weapon retention. The last thing you need is it taken away and used against you. The person needs to feel comfortable and confident in using a weapon no matter what firing platform it is. I will recommend a taurus judge with winchester PDX1 .410 shotgun shells. Lets start the debates!!!

 

[superstorm]

If you have never handle a hand gun the first thing you should do is get some training and then have the instructor help you pick out what will be in your best defense but do not go and just buy a gun because it's cheap.

 

[03A3]

HogDaddy you have a valid point about a big, long shotgun. I can see where in some cases one would be a lot less than ideal. I don't use a shotgun for HD. All the shotguns I have are full stocked and long barreled.
I don't have any experiance with the Judge so can't comment there. I have hunted small game with a .410 and was not impressed. But then I was using normal field loads too. The new .410 ammo would have to be an improvement vs field loads for HD.
I rely on a 10.5" LMT with a light, and keep handy an XDm 40, also with a light. But it sounds like neither of those, or similar, are in the cards for the OP.